Karen Adams

Emeritus Professor,

English

Other ASU affiliations

Center For Asian Research

Ross-Blakley Hall 156 PO Box 871401 TEMPE, AZ 85287-1401
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Long Bio

Karen L. Adams is a Professor in the Department of English. Her interests are in the study of language in its social and linguistic context and cover areas in sociolinguistics, pragmatics, and discourse analysis. She has authored and co-authored articles in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, the Journal of Sociolinguistics, Language Sciences, Journal of Language and Social Psychology and Pragmatics. She has co-edited volumes on Southeast Asian linguistics and on English language policy and has a monograph with Pacific Linguistics, Australian National University. Her refereed book chapters appear in volumes from Palgrave Macmillan, John Benjamins and University of Toronto Press. She is also affiliated with the Center for Asian Research and was a co-Principal Investigator on a Department of Education Title VI NRC grant and the PI on a Title VI UISFL grant.

Education

Ph.D. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
M.A. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
B.S. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Curriculum Vitae

Research Website URL

Research Website

Publications

Karen L. Adams & Thomas John Hudak, eds. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Lao Studies. (2010).
Karen L. Adams. Conceptual Metaphors of Family in Political Debates in the USA. Politics, Gender and Conceptual Metaphors (2009).
Karen L. Adams. Arizona AAPI and Language Issues. The State of Asian American & Pacific Islanders in Arizona (2008).
Wei Li , Christopher Airries, Angela Chia-Chen Chen, Karen L. Leong, Verna Keith, and Karen Adams. Surviving Katrina and Its Aftermath: Evacuation and Community Mobilization by Vietnamese Americans and African. Journal of Cultural Geography (2008).
Karen L. Adams. Talking about Families to Create Winning Identities. Rhetorical Aspects of Discourses in Present-day Society (2008).
Shoichi Iwasaki, Andrew Simpson, Karen Adams & Paul Sidwell, eds. Papers from the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (SEALS XIII: 2003). (2007).
K. J. Leong, C. Airriess, A. C-C. Chen, V. Keith, W. Li, Y. Wang, K. Adams. From Invisibility to Hypervisibility: The Complexity of Race, Survival, and Resiliency for the Vietnamese-American Community in Eastern New Orleans. Through the Eye of Katrina: Social Justice in the United States (2007).
Karen L. Adams, Thomas J. Hudak, F.K. Lehman, eds. Papers from the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistic Society (SEALS VII). (2004).
Adams, Karen, Hudak, Thomas, Lehman, F K. Papers from the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society 1997. Program for Southeast Asian Studies, ASU (2004).
Adams, Karen:Hudak, Thomas: Lehman, F K. Papers from the 7th Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (SEALS) 1997. Program for Southeast Asian Studies, ASU (2004).
Karen L. Adams and Thomas J. Hudak, eds. Papers from the Sixth Annula Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistic Society (SEALS VI). (2001).

Research Activity

Chen,Angela Chia-Chen*, Adams,Karen Lee, Keith,Verna M, Le,Thuy-Kim Pham, Leong,Karen, Li,Wei. SGER Collaborative Research: Surviving Katrina and its Aftermath: A Comparative Analysis of Community Mobilization and Access to Emergency Relief. NSF-EHR(11/1/2005 - 9/30/2007).
Adams,Karen Lee*, Butler-Diaz,Jacqueline Sue. Southeast Asians in Arizona: Thirty Year Anniversary Oral History and Museum Project. ARIZONA HUMANITIES COUNCIL (11/5/2004 - 12/31/2006).
Adams,Karen Lee*. RE-ENVISIONING SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM. ED(7/1/2002 - 6/30/2005).
Adams,Karen Lee*. NRC FOR SE ASIAN STUDIES 1997-2000. ED(8/15/1997 - 8/14/2000).

Courses

2025 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
ENG 312	English in its Social Setting
LIN 516	Pragmatics/Discourse Analysis

2024 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
LIN 515	American English
ENG 414	Studies in Linguistics

2024 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
LIN 655	Adv Disciplinary Discourses

2023 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
ENG 312	English in its Social Setting
LIN 515	American English

2023 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
ENG 312	English in its Social Setting
LIN 516	Pragmatics/Discourse Analysis

2022 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
ENG 312	English in its Social Setting
LIN 515	American English

2022 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
ENG 414	Studies in Linguistics
LIN 616	Adv Studies Discourse Analysis

2021 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
APL 555	Disciplinary Discourses
LIN 515	American English

2021 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
LIN 516	Pragmatics/Discourse Analysis
LIN 615	Adv Studies Sociolinguistics

2020 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
ENG 312	English in its Social Setting
LIN 515	American English

Presentations

Karen L Adams. Getting Heard and Receiving Talk as marginalized Debate participants. Panel on 'Listener Activities'. 11th International Pragmatics Conference (Jul 2009).
Karen L Adams. Conceptualizing Talk about Families in Televised Political Debates in the USA. 18th International Congress of Linguists, Seoul, Korea (Jul 2008).
Adams, Karen. English Language Policies in the USA and Arizona: Kicking Language Around for Political Gain. Invited Lecture, Department of English, University of Aarhus, Denmark (Nov 2006).
Adams, Karen. Talking about families to create winning identities. Rhetoric in Society 2006, University of Aalborg, Denmark (Nov 2006).
Wei, Li, Airries, Chris, Chen, Angela, Keith, Verna, Adams, Karen, Leong, Karen. Surviving Katrina and its Aftermath: A comparative analysis of evacuation and community mobilization by Vietnamese Americans and African Americans in an Eastern New Orleans Suburb. Third International Race, Ethnicity, and Place Conference (Nov 2006).
Adams, Karen. Proud Journey Home. Exhibit at Tempe Historical Museum: 30th anniversary of the Cambodian, Lao and Vietnamese Communitie (Oct 2005).
Adams, Karen. Truths, Lies and Misrepresentations. 9th International Pragmatics Association Meetings (Jul 2005).
Adams, Karen. Truth, Lies and Misrepresentations. 9th International Pragmatics Association, Riva del Garda, Italy (Jul 2005).
Adams, Karen, Hudak, Thomas, Lehman, Kris. Papers from the 7th Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (SEALS) 1997. Program for Southeast Asian Studies (May 2004).
Adams, Karen, Hudak, Thomas, Lehman, Kris. Papers from the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society 1997. Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (May 2004).

Honors / Awards

Founder’s Day Faculty Achievement Award in Service, February 24, 2011. ASU Alumni Association.

Award of Merit. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). For Proud Journey Home Exhibit, Tempe Historical Museum, (Funded by AHC Grant), September 2006.

Best Adaptation to Stated Theme Award. Museum Association of Arizona. For Proud Journey Home Exhibit. (Funded by AHC Grant.) 2006.

Diversity Award, Community Group/Organization Award, City of Tempe, Tempe Human Relations Commission. Southeast Asian Advisory Committee to the Tempe Historical Museum. January 16, 2006. (Proud Journey Home Exhibit funded by AHC Grant)

Founder’s Day Faculty Achievement Award in Research, April 8, 2004. ASU Alumni Association.

Service

Associate Chair, Department of English (2013-2016)
Pacific Linguistics, Editorial Board (2004 - 2011)
Graduate Committee, Member (2010 - 2011)
Ph.D. Committee Rhetoric/Composition/Linguistics, Co-Director (2010 - 2011)
Search Committee, Phonetics/Phonology, Chair (2010 - 2011)
Pacific Linguistics, Editorial Advisory Board (2004 - 2010)
Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, General Editor (1992 - 2010)
Department of English, Interim Associate Chair (2009 - 2010)
Search Committee, Historical Linguistics, Chair (2008 - 2010)
Personnel committee, Chair, fall 2007, member fall, 2008 (2007 - 2008)
Pacific Linguistics, Editorial Advisory Board (2004 - 2008)
Discourse & Society, Editorial Board (1988 - 2008)
Ph.D. committee, member (1997 - 2008)
Ph.D. Rhetoric/composition/Linguistics-Admissions committee, co-chair (1997 - 2008)
Ph.D. concentration in Rhetori/Composition/Linguistics, CO-director (1997 - 2008)
Department of English, Interim Associate Chair (2008 - 2008)
Center for Asian Research, Publications Board Member (2006 - 2008)
Center for Asian Research, Executive Board (2006 - 2008)
Institutional Review Board-Human Subjects, Member (1998 - 2008)
Program for Southeast Asian Studies, Program Director (2004 - 2007)
International Lao Studies Organization, Conference Organizer (2005 - 2007)
Second International Conference on Lao Studies, Committee Chair, Organizing Committee (2005 - 2007)
American Association for Applied Linguistics, Reviewer of abstracts for 2007 conference (2006 - 2006)
Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, General Editor (1992 - 2006)
Center for Asian Studies and Program for Southeast Asian Studies, Member of Review Committee (2006 - 2006)
Personnel Committee, member (2004 - 2006)
Center for Asian Studies, Review Committee, Southeast Asian Representative on Seven Year Review Committee (2005 - 2006)
Committee on Transdisciplinary Graduate Faculty for SILC, Committee member (2005 - 2005)
Center for Asian Studies, Advisory board member (2001 - 2005)
Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, Outside reviewer on Promotion to Full Professor (2005 - 2005)
Vice-Provosts Office, Faculty Mentor Program (2004 - 2005)
Committee on Linguistics, member (2004)
International Association of World Englishes, Panel Chair and co-organizer with graduate student, R. Fox-Clemens (2003 - 2004)
Fulbright, mentor to Fulbright Junior Scholar, Botir Djuraev. CREES, ASU (2003 - 2004)
Search committee-Director Women's Studies Program, Chair (2003 - 2004)
Women's Studies; personnel advisory committee 2003-04, member (2003 - 2004)
American English and Culture Program, International Teaching Assistant Program, ITA evaluation panel (2004 - 2004)
ASU/Motorola Great Communities Seed Grant, PI, $7999 (2003)
Association for Asian Studies, forum on Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, board member representing Laos (2003)
CLAS Dean's Faculty Advisory Committee, chair 2002-03; member 2000-02 (2003)
CLAS Senate, English, Senior Senator (2003)
International Pragmatics Association, Chair, Session at 2003 meeting (2003)
Linguistic Society of America, committee chair (2003)
MA English-Linguistics concentration, admissions, member (2003)
Program for Southeast Asian Studies, member executive board (2003)
graduate committee, member (2003)

Expertise Areas

Sociolinguistics

Linguistics

Linguistics - Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis