Dr. Suneeta Thomas

Biography

Dr. Thomas is Assistant Professor of English - TESOL/Linguistics and Coordinator of the TESOL Program at Missouri State University. As an applied linguist with primary research interests in World Englishes/Sociolinguistics, she currently investigates patterns in English language use and its users in transnational Middle Eastern, South-Asian, and East-Asian contexts and assesses how these patterns are influenced by multiple social, cultural, economic, racial, and political forces. Her secondary area of research is in second language writing and the challenges L2 writers face in the classroom. Dr. Thomas also employs corpus linguistics methodology in some of her research investigations. Her publications appear in Critical Insights: Amy Tan, World Englishes, Journal of Contemporary Philology, Educational Technology & Society, and TESOL's SLW News. She advises graduate student research and regularly teaches a myriad range of graduate and undergraduate-level courses in Applied Linguistics and Linguistics/Grammar.

Details

Education

• PhD, English, Second Language Studies/ESL, 2016, Purdue University
• MA, English, Literary Studies, 2010, Purdue University

Teaching

• ENG 793 Seminar in Linguistics (World Englishes)
• ENG 793 Seminar in Linguistics (Introduction to Corpus Linguistics)
• ENG 792 Linguistics in Rhetoric and Composition (Second Language Writing focus)
• ENG 595/695 Principles in Second Language Acquisition
• ENG 592/688 Sociolinguistics for Language Teaching
• ENG 590/690 Grammatical Analysis
• ENG 494 Dialects of American English
• ENG 390 Modern English Grammar
• ENG 296 Introduction to Linguistics

Professional experience

• Graduate Faculty Research advising (2017-present): 19 graduate students (as Research Director), 20 graduate students (as Reader).
• Primary Academic Advisor, seated TESOL & ESOL Programs, Missouri State University, 2022-
• Conference Proposal Reviewer, TESOL 2022, 2021, and 2015 International Convention
• Member, RCOAL Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism Council, Missouri State University, 2020-present
• Journal Manuscript Reviewer: SALT, Journal of Contemporary Philology, 2020-present
• Journal Manuscript Reviewer, World Englishes, 2020
• Curriculum Committee, Department of English, Missouri State University, 2018-present
• Co-Academic Advisor with Dr. Yili Shi, seated TESOL/ESOL programs, Missouri State University, 2018-2021
• Personnel Committee, Department of English, Missouri State University, 2017-2021
• Linguistics Program Committee, Missouri State University, 2016-present
• Assistant Professor of English - TESOL/Linguistics, Missouri State University, 2016-present
• Content Developer, Online Writing Lab (OWL), Purdue University, 2015-2016
• Chair, Second Language Studies/ESL Graduate Symposium, Purdue University, 2015
• Graduate Instructor, Content Developer, Oral English Proficiency Program, Purdue University, 2014-2016
• Certified Rater, Purdue University's Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT), 2014-2016
• Conference Proposal Reviewer, Second Language Studies Graduate Symposium, Purdue University, 2015, 2014, and 2012
• Graduate student representative, Second Language Studies Program Faculty Search Committee, Purdue University, 2013-2014
• Chair, ESL Speaker Series, Second Language Studies/ESL Graduate Organization, Purdue University, 2013-2014
• Event Planning Committee, Second Language Studies/ESL Graduate Organization, Purdue University, 2011-2013
• Instructor, Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) Program, Department of English, Purdue University, 2010-2014

Professional affiliations

• International Linguistic Association (ILA)
• International Association of World Englishes (IAWE)
• The American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Research and professional interests

• World Englishes/sociolinguistics
• Second language writing/writing studies
• Corpus linguistics
• TESOL
• Applied linguistics

Selected publications

• Thomas, S. (2021). Perceiving Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” through Sociolinguistic and World Englishes lenses. In K. West &  L. T. Moser (Eds.), Critical Insights: Amy Tan (pp. 42-57). Amenia, NY: Salem Press.
• Thomas, S. (2021). Code-switching in spoken Indian English: A case study of sociopolitical talk. Journal of Contemporary Philology, 4(1), 7-40. https://doi.org/10.37834/JCP2141007t
• Thomas, S. (2021). English in the United Arab Emirates. World Englishes, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12560
• Thomas, S. (2017). Journalogue: Voicing student challenges in writing through a classroom blog. Educational Technology & Society, 20(1), 112-122.
• Thomas, S. (2016). [Review of the book Teaching and Learning English in the Arabic-Speaking World]. World Englishes, 35(4), 618-621.
• Silva, T., Thomas, S., Park, H. K., & Zhang, C. (Sept, 2014). Scholarship on L2 Writing in 2013: The Year in Review, SLW News. http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolslwis/issues/2014-09-24/6.html
• Silva, T., Lin, M-H., & Thomas, S. (Oct, 2013). Scholarship on L2 Writing in 2012: The Year in Review, SLW News. http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolslwis/issues/2013-10-07/9.html

Awards and honors