About

Dr. Marnie Jo Petray, Associate Professor of TESOL, teaches graduate applied and theoretical linguistics. She coordinates and directs the Graduate TESOL Program, which she developed and founded in 2014-2015. Dr. Petray holds a PhD in English linguistics and a Graduate Certificate in ESL from Purdue University. She is certified by TESOL International Association in English Language Teaching Leadership Management and earned certifications for Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment and Promoting Active Learning by ACUE: Association Of College and University Educators in Fall 2021.

Dr. Petray previously served as Director of the TESL Program at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA from 2005-2013 and has also taught undergraduate linguistics, American literature, and first-year writing for the SRU English Department.

Her current research focuses on linguistic discrimination, linguistic pedagogy, and the status of linguistics in second language studies. Recent work includes Linguistic Discrimination in US Higher Education co-edited with G. Clements (Routledge, 2021) and Linguistic Foundations for Second Language Teaching and Learning (Cambridge UP, forthcoming 2023) co-edited with K. Sands, G. Clements, and L. Santelmann.  Other published research appears in the International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, and HUMOR: The International Journal of Humor Research. She is also interested in humor studies and West African languages. She has presented nationally and internationally at venues including the TESOL International Convention, the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, the Modern Language Association Convention, the International Society for Humor Studies, the International Association for World Englishes, and the World Congress of Applied Linguists.