Dr Erika Darics

Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics

Erika Darics

I consider myself an interdisciplinary scholar who works at the intersection of applied linguistics,  (computer-mediated) discourse analysis and business and organizational communication. I am very passionate about language awareness and  critical discourse consciousness in soft skill education. Most of my work is inspired by my drive to promote the importance of empirical, qualitative linguistic-discourse analytical research.

I lead our unique interdisciplinary joint honours program BSc Business management and English Language, contribute to the work of the editorial board of Discourse, Context and Media, and serve as the Vice President for Europe, Africa and the Middle East at the Association for Business Communication.  

Undergraduate Modules

  • LE2003/2103 Introduction to Intercultural Communication
  • LE2007/2104 Language at Work
  • LE3024/3111 Leadership and Management Communication 
  • LE3025/3112 Advanced Leadership and Management Communication

 


Postgraduate Modules

  • LEM001 Analysing Discourse

I am interested in supervising PhD theses in the broad areas of business and professional communication  and/or digital discourse. 

I am keen to work with candidates who take a discourse analytic/linguistic approach, with a clear idea of practical relevance of their work. Example topics include:

  • (critical) discourse analysis of corporate communication genres
  • language of marketing and branding, verbal identity
  • workplace communication (spoken, written, digital)
  • digital communication and social media for business and professional purposes

 

I am also interested in working with candidates with an interest of exploring the role of (critical) language awareness and discourse awareness as key soft skills, for example in management and entrepreneurship education and professional practice. 

Books

Darics, E. and Koller, V. (2018). Language in Business, Language at Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Darics, E 2016,Writing online: a guide to effective digital communication at work. Corporate Communication Collection, Business Expert Press, New York, NY (US).

Darics, E (ed.) 2015,Digital business discourse. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke (UK). DOI:10.1057/9781137405579

Book Chapters

Bernie, C. M. and Darics, E. (2017). Swearing at colleagues through instant messaging: Changing norms of social interaction in the workplace context. In. K. B. Fagersten & K. Stapleton,  Advances in Swearing Research. New Languages, New Contexts. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing. pp. 43-64

Journal Articles

Darics, E. and Koller, V. (in press). Social actors ‘to go’. An analytical toolkit to explore agency in corporate communication. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly.

Darics, E. and Clifton, J. (2018) Making applied linguistics applicable to business practice. Discourse analysis as a management tool. Applied Linguistics. published ahead of press https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amy040


Media appearances and publications

Darics, E. (2018) Why Study English Language or Linguistics at A levels and beyond. English and Media Centre. 3/09/2018 https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/why-study-english-language-or-linguistics-at-a-level-and-beyond

Darics, E. (22 June 2018) The Power of Language. Podcast.https://www.happymelly.com/the-power-of-language/

Darics, E. (2016). Looking under the bonnet of annoying management speak. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/looking-under-the-bonnet-of-annoying-management-speak-61443
                - re-printed in The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/there-s-no-i-in-management-speak-a7113536.html

Darics, E. (2016). How language shape the way we work? CCISC blog. https://ccisc.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/how-language-shapes-the-way-we-work/

Darics, E. (2014). Watch where you put that emoticon AND KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN. The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/watch-where-you-put-that-emoticon-and-keep-your-voice-down-22512

- re-printed in The New Statesman: http://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/2014/02/watch-where-you-put-emoticon-and-keep-your-voice-down

Darics, E. (2014). The wrong online persona can make you a social media casualty. The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/the-wrong-online-persona-can-make-you-a-social-media-casualty-23056

  • Keynote lecture at the International and Intercultural Management Day, Université Paris Nanterre, France, November 2017
  • Keynote address  and workshop at the Unicollaboration Research Methods Seminar, University of Valencia, Spain, October 2017
  • Keynote lecture at the University of Warwick 20th Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics (WICAL): Linguistics and business- the case of the pink fluffy slippers and the iPad, 27-29 June 2017
  • Panel member for Aston Outreach event entitled: Your digital brand: empowerment in the digital world, February 2017, London -Oracle
  • Language at work. Invited guest lecture at the University of Huddersfield, November 2016.
  • The role of Language in Corporate Communications. Invited lecture at the Professional Communicator’s conference. Birmingham, June 2016.
  • E-leadership. Organizational Strategy and New Media, Invited as a plenary speaker and advisor for Cross Comm group at the University of Southern Denmark,, May 2016, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • The language of the Office. Public lecture for ASTON 50 celebrations. April 2016. Birmingham UK.
  • Tools of Trade of Speechwriting. Invited seminar at the Speechwriter’s and Business Communicator’s Conference. April 2016, Oxford, UK.
  • Digital Communication at work. Invited research talk at the Budapest Business School. February 2016, Budapest, Hungary
  • Editorial board member of  Discourse, Context & Media
  • Centre for Critical Enquiry into Society and Culture (CCISC), Aston University
  • Association for Business Communication (ABC), principal investigator for the European Network of Professional Communication
  • Language and New Media SIG, British Association of Applied Linguistics
Room: MB733B
Phone:  0121 204 4155
Email:  e.darics@aston.ac.uk
Office Hours: 
Please book via WASS or send an email.