Johnson, Jane Helen

Jane Helen Johnson is Research Assistant in English Language and Translation at the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the University of Bologna. Her research interests are all language and linguistics-related, often using corpus linguistics methodology. They include English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), with a particular focus on lecturer discourse and metadiscourse; Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) often stemming from the analysis of media representations of topical social issues such as social class, and climate change and human migration; and Corpus Stylistics and Translation. One of her current research projects combines discourse analysis, EMI and English for Specific Purposes in the field of Social Work. This project also enables her to combine her teaching activities in English for Specific Purposes on the master’s degree course in Language, Society and Communication with her research interests.

A qualified teacher (English as a Foreign Language), she is particularly interested in the teaching and learning possibilities offered by online distance learning and the challenges and opportunities it represents in a context such as the Italian university system where its potential has not yet been fully realized.  Through the Department’s Project of Excellence, she has had the opportunity to be an active participant in the team designing and building the Department’s first collaborative MOOC.