Dr Jodie Clark
Senior Lecturer In English
Summary
Jodie chose linguistics as an area of study when she discovered how much is revealed when you look closely at people’s ‘everyday’ language use – particularly what it reveals about social structure. Her recent book Selves, Bodies and the Grammar of Social Worlds: Reimagining Social Change (under contract with Palgrave) illustrates how the grammatical analysis of everyday accounts reveals innovative ways of imagining social structure. Her analysis of conversational texts reveals a way of seeing the social world as in an embodied relationship with embodied selves. The method of analysis Jodie uses is informed by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and postmodern social theory.
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About
Prior to taking up a post with the English language team at Sheffield Hallam in 2008, she worked and studied in a number of universities in the UK, the US and France. Originally from the east coast of the USA, she taught English at the University of Paris and served as director for a study abroad programme with the University of Strasbourg before moving to the UK. Her PhD is from Loughborough University.
She is the author of Language, Sex and Social Structure: Analysing Discourses of Sexuality (also with Palgrave). Jodie has also published a range of articles and chapters that explore social structure using a linguistic politeness approach.
She teaches on both undergraduate and postgraduate modules, including Language and Gender and Politeness. In teaching her aim is to empower students to think critically about the relationships between social structure and language use.
Jodie's weekly podcast, Structured Visions, is a good place to hear her informally share ideas about language and social structure.
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL)
Language, Gender and Sexuality
Postmodern Social Theory
Queer Theory
Politeness -
Teaching
Department of Humanities
Social Sciences and Humanities
The Myriad Project (addressing issues of inclusion and diversity in the university context through discussions with students)
English Language
BA (hons) English, BA (hons) English Language, MA by Research
Language and Gender, Politeness, Postgraduate Research Methods
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Research
- Humanities Research Centre
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Publications
Journal articles
Clark, J. (2013). “Maybe she just hasn’t matured yet” : politeness, gate-keeping and the maintenance of status quo in a communityof practice. Journal of Politeness Research, 9 (2), 211-237. http://doi.org/10.1515/pr-2013-0010
Book chapters
Clark, J. (2011). Relational work in a sporting community of practice. In Davies, B.L., Haugh, M., & Merrison, A.J. (Eds.) Situated politeness. Continuum
Clark, J. (2011). No, like proper north” : re-drawing boundaries in an emergent community of practice’. In Discursive Approaches to Politeness. (pp. 109-132). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton
Books
Clark, J. (2016). Selves, bodies and the grammar of social worlds : reimagining social change. London: Palgrave. https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781137598424
Clark, J. (2012). Language, sex and social structure : analysing discourses of sexuality. Palgrave Macmillan. http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=415749
Theses / Dissertations
Coady, A. (2018). The Non-sexist Language Debate in French and English. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Clark, J. http://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00133