On the professional side of my life, I am a Conversation Analyst who uses audio and video recordings to study social interaction. I am an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Communication at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Using audio and videotapes of interaction, I analyze the principles relied upon and the methods used for agreeing and disagreeing, seeking information, negotiating responsibility for blameworthy and praiseworthy deeds, and dealing with potentially conflictual situations. I analyze discursive practices used in social, medical, legal, and organizational contexts. I received a Garfinkel-Sacks Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the American Sociology Association Section on Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Conversation Analysis.
On the personal side of my life, I live with my wonderful husband, Roger, a cat and two dogs. In our garden we have perennials and grow vegetables. We constructed two bird feeders for our backyard, and we set up a couple of bird-cams near the feeders.
