INTRODUCTION: UPDATING DISCOURSE/S ON METHOD/S

The focus on the need to define the method of “rightly conducting one’s reason, and seeking truth in the sciences” (in René Descartes’ superb 1637 formulation) (Descartes 1965) has repeatedly been foregrounded during the evolution of English Studies, particularly in Italy. The broad domain of English Studies can encompass a wide variety of fields, including applied/applicable sociolinguistics, cultural studies, literature/s in the English language/s, film, gender, the history of the English language/s, humour, media, terminology and lexicography, theatre, translation, interpreting and language teaching. This rich panorama entails variations in methodological approaches that are also made necessary by the contemporary poly-cross-media environment(s), with its multifaceted, ever-emerging, technologically driven communicative resources. Accordingly, the purpose of this special issue is to reconsider a number of methods and approaches with their theoretical grounding, functioning, sociopolitical implications and potential for cross-fertilization of ideas. The contributions explore key contemporary concerns in the domain of research and language teaching and have been grouped into two main sections, discourse analysis and translation studies, the latter of which also features a study dedicated to the impact of blended (or entirely computer-based) teaching models and social media applications on English Language Teaching.