Dr Jones's main research interests include discourse analysis, health communication and language and sexuality. For the past fifteen years he has worked with colleagues such as Ron Scollon and Sigrid Norris in developing an approach to discourse analysis called mediated discourse analysis, an approach that focuses on how people use discourse along with other cultural tools to accomplish concrete social actions. This approached is outlined in his book Discourse in Action: Introducing Mediated Discourse Analysis (edited with Sigrid Norris, Routledge 2005). He has applied this approach to variety of domains including computer mediated communication, sexual interaction, drug abuse, disability and collaborative writing. He is currently working on a number of projects including an examination of the role of discourse in the management of risk in everyday life and an exploration of practices of collaborative writing in the creative communication industries.
Publications
- Jones, Rodney (2004) The problem of context in computer mediated communication. In Discourse and Technology: Multimodal Discourse Analysis. Edited by Philip LeVine and Ron Scollon. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, pp. 20-33.
- Jones, Rodney (2005) Mediated addiction: The drug discourses of Hong Kong youth. Health, Risk and Society, 7(1), 25-45.
- Jones, Rodney (2005) You show me yours, I'll show you mine: The negotiation of shifts from textual to visual modes in computer mediated interaction among gay men. Visual Communication, 4(1), 69-92.
- Jones, Rodney (ed.) (2005) Discourse in Action: Introducing Mediated Discourse Analysis. (co-edited with Sigrid Norris). London: Routledge.
- Jones, Rodney (2006) Interactional dynamics in on-line and face-to-face peer-tutoring sessions for second language writers (co-authored with Angel Garralda, David C. S. Li, and Graham Lock). Journal of Second Language Writing, 15, 1-23.
- Jones, Rodney (2007) Imagined comrades and imaginary protections: Identity, community and sexual risk among men who have sex with men in China. Journal of Homosexuality, 53(3), 83-115.
- Jones, Rodney (2008) Advances in Discourse Studies (co-authored with Vijay Bhatia and John Flowerdew). London: Routledge.
- Jones, Rodney (2008) The role of text in televideo cybersex. Text and Talk, 28(4), 453 - 73.
- Jones, Rodney (2009) Inter-activity: How new media can help us understand old media. In New Media and Linguistic Change. Edited by C. Rowe and E. Wyss. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press, pp. 11-29.
- Jones, Rodney (2009) Technology and sites of display. In Handbook of Multimodal Analysis. Edited by Carey Jewitt. London: Routledge, pp. 114-146.
