Dr. Joseph Lee
By Mary Vandeman
Dr. Joseph Lee of Ohio University’s English Language Improvement Program works to help students develop the knowledge, abilities and tools necessary to become autonomous and effective disciplinary communicators.
He designs curricula, conducts research, supervises TAs, and teaches graduate-level academic and professional writing and oral communication courses, as well as directs ELIP tutoring labs.
Lee, who is from Los Angeles and has been with ELIP since 2011, is Associate Lecturer of Linguistics and serves as Assistant Director of ELIP. He also directs the ELIP Center for Academic Communication.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
I feel blessed every day to have the opportunity to work with students from diverse linguistic, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds. These students make the classroom an intellectually engaging and dynamic learning space, and they challenge the way I view the world. They are what I love most about my job!
Q: What are some of your favorite areas of research?
As an applied linguist, my research interests include genre studies, English for Specific/Academic Purposes (ESP/EAP), classroom discourse studies, advanced academic literacy, applied corpus linguistics, and teacher education. Over the past few years, I have been researching various rhetorical, linguistic and interpersonal aspects of student writing in different genres as well as teacher and student contributions to classroom interaction. In addition to presenting and publishing the findings in various academic and professional venues, we have applied these findings to inform ELIP’s curriculum and teacher development.
Q: What do you consider to be your biggest research accomplishment so far?
The recently published book co-authored by Dr. Joseph Lee, Exploring Spoken English Learner Language Using Corpora: Learner Talk
My biggest scholarly accomplishment so far has been the publication of the book, Exploring Spoken English Learner Language Using Corpora: Learner Talk, which I co-authored with Drs. Eric Friginal, Brittany Polat, and Audrey Roberson. While my scholarly contributions have been published in several leading academic journals and edited volumes, this publication is special because it is my first scholarly book, one that I was able to collaborate on with some of my former colleagues.
Q: What was your first job?
The first job I ever had was in high school. I worked at Nutrisystem, a company that provides weight loss products and services, in Santa Monica, Calif. My job was to check inventory and to fill clients’ weekly groceries. It did not last very long, however. After about three months, I quit working there (or rather my parents made me quit) because my grades started slipping.
Q: How would you describe yourself in five key words?
Hmm…five key words that describe me: conscientious, diligent, perceptive, reflective, and responsible.
Q: What is the last thing you watched on TV?
The last TV series that I watched was the seventh season of The Walking Dead—so good!
Stay tuned for more “Get to Know” articles from the ELIP Academic & Global Communication Program.
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