Dr. Joseph James Alvaro

Dr. Joseph James Alvaro brings more than two decades of international academic experience to his role as Associate Professor and Subject Lead for English and Communications at UCW. His expertise centers on critical discourse analysis, with particular focus on political discourse and media representations in multilingual contexts.

His international teaching portfolio spans prestigious institutions across three continents, including the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, City University of Hong Kong, South China Normal University, and Corpus Christi College. At UCW, he teaches Academic Writing and Critical Analysis & Writing, emphasizing critical inquiry with rhetorical sophistication. He guides students through complex processes of research synthesis, argumentative construction, and reflective analysis, preparing them to navigate academic and professional discourse with confidence.

Dr. Alvaro's experience includes designing English for Diplomatic Purposes curricula for EMBA students at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and serving as a Postdoctoral Fellow at City University of Hong Kong, developing specialized ESP courses for engineering students. As IELTS Examiner Coordinator for British Council (South China), he managed examiner training and quality assurance across regional testing centers. His teaching consistently receives exceptional student evaluations, with over 95% positive ratings as of Summer 2024.

Education

• Ph.D., English - City University of Hong Kong (2014)Dissertation: The Language of Ideology in China's English Press: Representations of Dissent
• MSc., Language pedagogy & TESOL. Aston University, UK (2007)

Refereed Journal Articles

• Alvaro, J. J. (2015). Analyzing China's English-language media. World Englishes, 34(2), 260–277. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12137
• Alvaro, J. J. (2013). Discursive representations of a dissident: The case of Liu Xiaobo. Discourse & Society, 24(3), 289–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926512471760
• Alvaro, J. J. (2013). Political discourse in China's English-language press. World Englishes, 32(2), 147–168. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12006
• Alvaro, J. J. (2004). Face-negotiation and politeness systems in an intercultural workplace. Chinese English Language Education Journal, 27(5), 45–57.

Book Chapter

• Bolton, K., & Alvaro, J. J. (2015). Political discourse and World Englishes. In C. A. Chapelle & L. Plakans (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. John Wiley & Sons.

Articles

• Alvaro, J. J. (2018, March 3). As soft power fails, China turns to sharper measures. Hong Kong Free Press. https://hongkongfp.com/2018/03/03/better-loved-feared-soft-power-fails-china-turns-sharper-measures/
• Alvaro, J. J. (2017, July 14). Death of Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo is a reminder that the road to democracy is a long one. Hong Kong Free Press. https://hongkongfp.com/2017/07/14/death-peace-prize-winner-liu-xiaobo-reminder-road-democracy-long-one/
• Alvaro, J. J. (2017, September 10). Human rights and Chinese culture: The nation has stood up; the individual, so far, has not. Hong Kong Free Press. https://hongkongfp.com/2017/09/10/human-rights-chinese-culture-nation-stood-individual-far-not/
• Alvaro, J. J. Running dogs vs. locusts. ResearchGate.
• Alvaro, J. J. The toolkit of national history: Reconstructing the past to formulate Hong Kong's future. ResearchGate.

Dissertation

• Alvaro, J. J. (2014). The language of ideology in China's English press: Representations of dissent (中 國 英 文 報 紙 中 的 意 識 形 態 語 言：對 不 同 政 見 的 描 述) [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, City University of Hong Kong].

Conference Presentations

• E-learning and EAP: Problems, solutions, & applications (2021), Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0nOQIDVfM&t=2903s
• Mob organizer: How China's state media portrays dissent (2013), City University of Hong Kong
• Re-imagining the Chinese hero (2013), University of Alberta, Edmonton
• Harmonious society? Political terms in China's English press (2012), Monash University, Australia
• The discourse of legitimization in China's English press: Notes on theory and practice (2011), City University of Hong Kong

Papers in Progress

• Alvaro, J. J. (2025) As if the words could do the work: The grammar of virtue and symbolic inclusion in Canadian university DEI statements. (In preparation for Text & Talk).
• Alvaro, J. J. (2025) Performing equity, containing change: The legitimation of DEI in Canadian universities. (In preparation for Critical Studies in Education).

Professional Service and Additional Activities

• Editorial Assistant for World Englishes and Writing & Pedagogy journals (2010-2014)
• Active membership in AILA (Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée), Second Language Studies, Languages Canada, and International Systemic Functional Linguistics Association
• Community volunteer service with Catholic Charities Men's Shelter, Vancouver
• Supporting faculty development through UCW's Centre for Teaching Excellence New Faculty Orientation initiatives