Theresa Catalano, associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, and Peiwen Wang, TLTE research/teaching assistant, are analyzing official U.S. government discourse regarding the virus — such as use of the phrase “Chinese virus” — in a variety of news and social media sources, as well as public comments connected to those sources.

Researchers are examining how certain language used in political discussion helps shape policies, and are assessing ways to combat potentially unjust measures.