Marinella Caruso

Dr. Marinella Caruso is a sociolinguist and applied linguist serving as Cassamarca Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of European Languages and Cultures, School of Humanities, at the University of Western Australia, where she coordinates the Italian Studies program. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Università di Bergamo in Italy and pursued PhD studies at UWA. Her honours dissertation was published as a book, marking the beginning of her academic career. Previously, she served as a Lecturer in the School of Languages (Italian) at Flinders University from 1998 to 2000 before joining UWA.

Caruso's research interests include Italian linguistics, sociolinguistics, language contact in migration contexts, Italian language attrition and maintenance across generations of Italian migrants in Australia, second language education and policy, application of Q methodology to language learner motivation, and the scholarship of teaching and learning encompassing flipped classrooms, blended learning, adaptive learning technologies, and online feedback. She has authored the monograph Italian language attrition in Australia: The verb system (Franco Angeli, 2010) and co-edited Enabling Learning: Language Teaching for Australian Universities (ANU Press, 2024) with John Kinder and Nicola Fraschini. Recent publications feature “Italian clubs and migrant identity: A cross-generational perspective” (2025, with Isabella Karelis), “‘It’s the Best Way to Learn’: Face-to-Face Attendance in University Language Courses” (2025, with Bonnie Thomas et al.), and co-edited “La bontà infinita ha sì gran braccia”: Essays in Honour of John J. Kinder (Franco Cesati Editore, 2025, with Josh Brown). Her accolades include the joint 2024 Western Australian Association for Teachers of Italian Exemplary Teacher Award, 2023 Dante Alighieri Culture Award, 2023 School of Humanities Teaching Excellence Teaching Award Commendation, and 2016 UWA Award for Exceptional Contribution to Education Futures. Caruso has secured grants exceeding $60,000, including the 2023 ACIS Publication Grant and multiple Education Futures Grants, and engages in university communities of practice on active learning, inclusive teaching, and academic integrity, alongside collaborations with Italo-Australian organizations.

Professional Email: marinella.caruso@uwa.edu.au