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Martha Sidury Christiansen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics/TESOL, Co-Principal Investigator of Project RESPETO, Bicultural-Bilingual Studies

Martha Sidury Christiansen, Ph.D.

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Bio

Martha Sidury Juárez López Christiansen was born in Veracruz, México, where she initiated her career in English language teaching. She has taught middle and high school students, adult refugees, immigrants, and international students at multiple community colleges and universities across Mexico and the U.S. Additionally, she often consults for non-profit organizations and school districts serving the linguistic needs of multilingual populations in the U.S. Dr. Christiansen’s research centers on how transnational multilingual individuals construct and negotiate their identities through language use. Her work is grounded in three interconnected areas of inquiry. First, she explores how multilingual and transnational youth acquire digital literacy skills within online communication, expanding the concept of multiliteracies. Second, Dr. Christiansen challenges traditional academic writing and research methodologies by integrating Mexican perspectives and methodologies to decolonize knowledge production. Lastly, her research examines the intersection of race and language through a raciolinguistic lens. Dr. Christiansen’s interdisciplinary research has extended beyond traditional fields into areas such as cultural and language awareness, decolonial qualitative methodology, and multilingual/second language writing and technology. Her publications have appeared in leading journals, and she regularly presents on the use of technology for language teachers at national and international conferences.

 

Teaching

  • Sociolinguistics
  • Digital Literacies
  • Technology for Qualitative Research

 

Research Interests

Her research explores the complex interplay between digital literacy, language ideologies, and identity among multilingual communities. With a focus on sociolinguistics and digital literacies, Dr. Christiansen’s work illuminates how technology shapes communication and cultural practices in our interconnected world.

 

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Foreign, Second, and Multilingual Language Education (cognate areas in sociolinguistics and multilingual writing), Ohio State University, 2013
  • M.A., English Composition and Linguistics Graduate Certificate in TESOL Indiana University, Indiana University - Purdue University, 2007
  • B.A., English Language Teaching and Literature, Universidad Veracruzana, 2002

 

Honors and Awards

  • Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Fellow for Effective Teaching Practices and Inclusive Teaching and Equitable Learning
    • Year Awarded: 2023
  • Faculty Leadership Fellow for The Advancing Next-Gen Faculty Leadership Fellow Program. Provost Office of Academic Affairs
    • Year Awarded: 2021-2022
  • Fulbright Scholar, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, México
    • Year Awarded: 2017

Presentations

  • Keynote Speaker, The 8th ICOLLITE International conference on language literacy culture and education (ICOLLITE).
    • Venue: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Virtual
    • Presentation Date: July, 2024
  • Invited Seminar, Reading and Writing Academic Texts in English.
    • Venue: Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Virtual
    • Presentation Date: May, 2024
  • Keynote Speaker, Wisconsin Mariachi’s Academia Popular Project (WISMAP).
    • Venue: University of Wisconsin, Oshk osh
    • Presentation Date: April, 2024
  • Keynote Speaker, Critical sociolinguistic awareness in the classroom: Empowering our students' languaging practices.
    • Venue: Siempre Bilingüe. San Antonio ISD
    • Presentation Date: January, 2024
  • Invited speaker for seminar series, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). Chronotopes and Identity.
    • Venue: Virtual
    • Presentation Date: October, 2023
  • Invited Speaker, Digital Discourse and Virtual Media Lab (DDVM) at the University of South Florida Speaker series. The complexities of online identity construction for multilingual speakers: The intersection between multimodality, literacy, and culture.
    • Venue: Virtual
    • Presentation Date: April, 2023

Grants, Patents and Clinical Trials

  • Funded External Awards Joel Alejandro Mejia (PI), Sidury Christiansen (Co-PI) 50%,). "Racial Equity: Rhetorical Engineering Education to Support Proactive Equity Teaching and Outcomes (RESPETO). National Science Foundation (DRL) Award # 2315095.
    • Total Amount: $3,641,116
    • Duration: 09/01/23 – 08/31/28
  • Pathways UTSA Educational Research Training Program: P-20 Pipeline Issues (R305B16008). National Center for Education Research (NCER) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Collaborator.
    • Total Amount: $12,000
    • Duration: 2022
  • "Project SELF: Secondary English Learners and Families Advancing Academic Literacy in the Content Areas PI's/Co-PI's; Shared credit: Lindahl, Kristen PI - 15.00% Solis, Jorge Co-PI - 15.00% Yazan, Bedrettin Co-PI - 15.00% Huang, Hsuan-Hua Becky Co-PI - 15.00% Henderson, Kathryn Co-PI - 10.00% Christiansen, Martha Sidury Co-PI - 10.00% Kisselev, Olesya Co-PI - 10.00% Tian, Zhongfeng Co-PI - 10.00%," Sponsored by US Dept of Education.
    • Total Amount: $2,462,113.00
    • Duration: September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2026
  • “TELL-TX Teachers of Adult English Language Learners in Texas.” PI: Juliet Langman, PI, 34%, Martha Sidury Christiansen, Co-PD/PI, 33%, Kristen Lindahl, Co-PD/PI, 33%, (2019). TX A&M Univ 711. RG3.
    • Total Amount: $150,000
    • Duration: 2019
  • Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award in Mexico. “Integrating Technology in English Language Learning and Teacher-Training.” Fulbright Scholar in residence at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes.
    • Total Amount: $16,700
    • Duration: 2017
  • International Network Project (REDES) / Red Internacional: Lenguaje Aprendizaje e Interculturalidad. (2015). Proyecto: “Trayectorias de aprendizaje de profesores de lenguas transnacionales.” PI: Nelly Paulina Martínez Trejo, Co-PI: Irasema Mora Pablo, Co-PI: Martha Sidury Christiansen, 30%. Mexican Government, Ministry of Education.
    • Total Amount: $31,000
    • Duration: 2015
  • Dissertation Grant, Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing, (2012). Ohio State University, “Language and Literacy Practices of Second Generation Mexican Bilinguals.” PI Martha Sidury Christiansen, 100%.
    • Total Amount: $2,000
    • Duration: 2012

Publications

  • Christiansen, M. S. (2024). “Pochas sin identidad”: Raciolinguistic ideologies in the construction of mexicanidad in online spaces. International Multilingual Research Journal, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2024.2342726
  • Christiansen, M. S. (2023). Building identity and authenticity: Exploring the spatiotemporal aspects of language teaching in a mariachi class. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 0(0), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2164176
  • Christiansen, M. S., & Tian 田中锋, Z. (2023). Critical language awareness in L2 writing: Starting por la autorreflexión, 自我反省. Journal of Second Language Writing, 60, 101008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.101008
  • Lam, W. S. E., & Christiansen, M. S. (2022). Transnational Mexican Youth Negotiating Languages, Identities, and Cultures Online: A Chronotopic Lens. TESOL Quarterly, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3145
  • Christiansen, M. S. (2020). Identity and empowerment: Vernacular English features used by bilingual Mexicans online. Language@Internet, 18(2). http://www.languageatinternet.org/articles/2020/christiansen
  • Christiansen, M. S. (2019). “Listisimo para los #XVdeRubi:” Constructing a chronotope as a shared imagined experience in Twitter to enact Mexicanness outside of Mexico. Lingua, 225, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2019.05.002
  • Christiansen, M. S. (2018). ‘¡Hable Bien M’ijo o Gringo o Mx!’: Language ideologies in the digital communication practices of transnational Mexican bilinguals. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2016.1181603
  • Christiansen, M. S. (2017). Creating a Unique Transnational Place: Deterritorialized Discourse and the Blending of Time and Space in Online Social Media. Written Communication, 34(2), 135–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088317693996
  • Christiansen, M. S. (2015). ‘A ondi queras’: Ranchero identity construction by U.S. born Mexicans on Facebook. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 19(5), 688–702. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12155