Associate Professor Kerry Mullan

Kerry Mullan teaches French language and culture at all proficiency levels, and sociolinguistics. Her main research interests are cross-cultural communication and differing interactional styles – particularly those of French and Australian English speakers. She also researches in the areas of intercultural pragmatics, discourse analysis, language teaching and conversational humour.

Awards

• 2020  Research Excellence Leadership Award, School of GUSS
• 2016 Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, Government of France
• 2012 Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence and Outstanding Contribution to the Development of the Diploma of Languages, School of GUSS, RMIT University
• 2011 ALTC Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
• 2010 Teaching Excellence Award, Higher Education (Humanities and the Arts), RMIT University
• 2010 Teaching Excellence Award, School of GUSS, RMIT University
• 2009 Teaching Excellence Award, School of GUSS, RMIT University
• 2007 Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, La Trobe University

Grants

• 2019 (ongoing) Community Languages Victoria. Quality teaching for community languages schools: Evidence-based development of a teacher training program. CIs Dr Jing Qi, A/Prof. Kerry Mullan and Ms Guosheng Chen
• 2019  New Colombo Plan mobility grant for students for 2019 global intensive study tour New Caledonia in the 21st Century (consortium application with the University of Melbourne)
• 2018 Visiting scholarship June, funded by Université Paul-Valéry (Montpellier 3)
• 2017 Visiting scholarship January, funded by Griffith University, Brisbane
• 2015 Visiting scholarship December, funded by Griffith University, Brisbane
• 2015 Visiting scholarship October, funded by Université Paul-Valéry (Montpellier 3)
• 2015 Visiting scholarship September, funded by Griffith University, Brisbane
• 2014 Visiting scholarship October, funded by Université Paul-Valéry (Montpellier 3)
• 2012 Humour in social interactions in French and English, funded by: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) / French Embassy
• 2011 Humour in social interactions in French and English, funded by: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) / French Embassy
• 2011 Visiting scholarship June, funded by Région Languedoc-Roussillon

Current research projects

• “Transnational Coronavirus humor”. CIs (Australia/New Zealand team): A/Prof. Kerry Mullan (RMIT), Dr Jesscia Milner Davis (University of Sydney), Dr Michael Meany (University of Newcastle), Dr Ying Cao (Wuhan Polytechnic University), Prof. Robert Phiddian (Flinders University).
• “Humour in social interactions in French and English”. CIs: A/Prof. Kerry Mullan (RMIT), Prof. Christine Béal (Praxiling, Université Paul Valéry).
• “From Perception to Oral Production”. CIs: A/Prof. Kerry Mullan (RMIT), Prof. Christine Béal, Dr Caroline David, Dr Cecile Poussard (Praxiling, Université Paul Valéry), Prof. Laurence Vincent-Durroux (LIDILEM, Université Grenoble Alpes).
• “Conceptualising Teacher Quality for Community Languages Schools: Developing a Teacher Education Model". CIs Dr Jing Qi, A/Prof. Kerry Mullan, and Ms Guosheng Chen (GUSS).

• Convenor, Language Studies
• Associate Professor, French Language Courses
  

• Supervision short course, RMIT University 2019
• Integrating Academic and Professional Communication Skills into Tertiary Teaching, Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and Learning RMIT University 2014
• Supervision of Higher Degrees by Research, Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and Learning RMIT University 2011
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, RMIT University 2009 (updated 2012)
• Graduate Certificate in University Teaching, University of Melbourne 2009
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, RMIT University 2009
• PhD (Linguistics), La Trobe University 2006
• BA (Hons), La Trobe University 2000
• RSA Cambridge Certificate Course in TEFLA (Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults), International House Hastings, UK 1994

Member of editorial committee

• Book Review Editor, Journal of French Language Studies
• Studii de lingvistica
• Cahiers de Praxématique
• The French Australian Review
  

Professional interests

President, ISFAR (Institute for the Study of French Australian Relations)

Research committee member, ISFAR (Institute for the Study of French Australian Relations)

The Institute for the Study of French-Australian Relations (ISFAR) was founded in 1985. ISFAR conducts research and serves as a resource centre in all areas of French-Australian relations – historical as well as contemporary – and in the sciences and technology as well as in the humanities.

The Institute organises a number of scholarly, educational and cultural events each year. Its meetings and colloquia cover a wide range of activities, reflecting its members' broad range of interests. Its publication, The French Australian Review, published twice yearly, records the results of research on French-Australian connections.

Chair of the Board, Australasian Humour Studies Network

The Australasian Humour Studies Network (AHSN) is dedicated to research into comedy and humour-related topics and to connecting humour scholars in different academic disciplines and locations across the world. The network has grown from 40 members and 10 discipline areas from its inception in 1997 to over 350 scholars and practitioners in more than 25 different disciplines and professions.

The network offers a program of annual conferences, webinars and other resources, including links to the International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS), other regional humour research groupings and the International Summer School in humour and laughter. AHSN conferences encourage participation from all disciplines, perspectives, practitioners, and academic specialists, since multi-disciplinary enquiry is key to achieving significant insights into the complexity of humour.

Convenor, The Melbourne Salon

The Melbourne Salon is a joint venture between RMIT University, the Institute for the Study of French-Australian Relations and the Alliance Française de Melbourne.

It is a place where curious and open-minded people can engage in French-Australian cross-cultural dialogues. Talks will usually be in English; you may participate in the subsequent discussions in French or English.

The Melbourne Salon aims to:

• broaden understanding of French and Australian perspectives on contemporary topics through conversation, debate and discussion
• draw participants from a wide range of backgrounds: parents, teachers, academics, journalists, writers, musicians, educationalists and others who share an interest in discussing ideas in a convivial atmosphere

Other professional interests

• AFM (Alliance Francaise de Melbourne)
  
• AHSN (Australasian Humour Studies Network)
• ALAA (The Applied Linguistics Association of Australia)
• AFLS (Association for French Language Studies)
• AFTV (Association of French Teachers in Victoria)
• ASFS (Australian Society for French Studies)
• Australian Linguistic Society
• Community Languages Australia Academic Forum
• French Assist Melbourne, Honorary French Consulate, Melbourne 
• HERDSA (Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia)
  
• ISFAR (Institute for the Study of French-Australian Relations)
  
• ISHS (International Society for Humor Studies)
• LCNAU (Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities)
  
• MLTAV (Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria)
• PIG Pacific Interest Group, University of Melbourne
  
• RIRH (Réseau interdisciplinaire de recherches sur l'humour)
• Social and Global Studies Centre
• RFP (Réseau Francophone de Politesse)