My interests bring critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics into conversation with feminist media studies. I am interested in representations of women's agency, education and work in Pakistani and Indian news and digital media, and in the ways ideology is expressed in English-language fiction.
My master’s thesis used critical discourse analysis to explore social inequality in The White Tiger. My undergraduate dissertation examined the question of native-like speech.
Critical discourse analysisCorpus linguisticsLanguage and genderFeminist media studies
Language & power
How word choices and patterns can shape representations of social inequality.
Women in media
How news and digital media portray women’s education, work and agency.
Literature & society
How English-language fiction can be read alongside questions of class and ideology.
Education research
A published study using PISA 2022 mathematics data from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Reading between the linesMahnoor’s master’s thesis studied social inequality in The White Tiger through critical discourse analysis.Illustrative photo: Daniel Forsman / UnsplashLanguage beyond the pageHer experience includes an August to October 2020 radio jockey internship with Radio Jaras, alongside her work in English teaching.Illustrative photo: Lucas Alexander / Unsplash
Try it yourself
A sentence. Two perspectives.
Small changes in wording can change what a reader notices.
Language exploration
The committee rejected the proposal.
The committee is named first, making the decision-maker prominent.
Illustrative example, not a finding from Mahnoor’s research
A few things to discover
Did you know?
Small details, bigger stories
Mahnoor’s academic work spans literary discourse analysis and a published study of PISA 2022 mathematics achievement.
1 of 8
An academic journey
Follow the milestones
Open a year to see what happened.
2017 · Beginning with English
Began the BS English (Language & Literature) program at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Participated in the university’s 2nd International Conference on Linguistics & Literature in December.
2021 · Bachelor’s degree
Completed the BS with a CGPA of 3.66/4.00. The undergraduate dissertation was titled Why Can't We Speak Like a Native?
2022 · A scholarship and a new chapter
Received the NPU President Scholarship, First Prize, and began postgraduate study at Northwestern Polytechnical University.
2023 · University recognition
Received the Outstanding International Student Ambassador award on 13 September 2023.
2025 · Master of Literature
Graduated on 21 June 2025 in English Language and Literature, with an overall weighted average of 82.69/100.
2026 · Published research
First-listed author of a July 2026 article on mathematics achievement in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, published in the International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews.
Research vocabulary
Ideas, explained
Select a term to learn more.
Critical discourse analysis
A way of studying language in its social context, asking how texts and speech relate to power, inequality and ideology.
Look for: who is named, who is left unnamed and which descriptions recur. “The committee rejected the proposal” makes an actor explicit; “The proposal was rejected” does not name one.
Corpus linguistics
The study of language using a collection of texts, called a corpus. Researchers examine patterns across many examples rather than relying on a single passage.
For example: a collection of news articles could be searched for the words appearing near “education.” The collection’s dates, outlets and selection rules matter when interpreting the patterns.
Feminist media studies
An approach to studying media that examines gender, representation and power, including whose voices are heard and how people are portrayed.
A question to ask: is a woman represented as making a decision, or only as someone affected by another person’s decision? The answer depends on the specific text and context.
Agency
A person’s capacity to act and make choices. In media research, this can include examining whether people are represented as active decision-makers.
In context: a story about education might describe a woman choosing a course, starting an organization or negotiating an obstacle. Researchers can examine how those choices are expressed.
PISA
The Programme for International Student Assessment is an international assessment coordinated by the OECD. It measures 15-year-old students’ knowledge and skills in areas including mathematics.
Concordance
A list of examples of a search word or phrase, shown with text before and after it. It helps a researcher examine use in context.
Try it: compare several sentences containing “work.” Does the word refer to employment, effort or a piece of writing?
The way people, events or ideas are portrayed. A text selects descriptions, voices and details, and those choices shape the picture a reader receives.
Example: two stories about the same event can quote different people and emphasize different consequences.
Research evidence
The material used to support an interpretation or claim. Depending on the project, it might include passages from a novel, a collection of media texts or survey data.
A useful distinction: an interesting question is a starting point. A finding needs an analysis and evidence that readers can assess.
Two universities · Two academic chapters
Places that shaped the work
Explore Mahnoor’s academic background alongside the universities’ history and campus settings.
Located in Xi’an, China, NWPU is also known as NPU. The university has a strong institutional focus on aeronautics, astronautics and marine technology, alongside its wider academic community.
Mahnoor’s chapter
Master of Literature in English Language and Literature, conferred 21 June 2025. Her thesis examined social inequality in The White Tiger through critical discourse analysis.
The campus setting
The university’s campus guide describes Youyi Campus near Xi’an’s historic West Market, and Chang’an Campus at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. Chang’an’s setting includes landscaped gardens and lakeside walks.
A public university in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, IUB traces its origins to Jamia Abbasia, established in 1925 by Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V.
Mahnoor’s chapter
BS English (Language & Literature), conferred 30 August 2021. She completed 130 credit hours with a CGPA of 3.66/4.00. Her dissertation was titled Why Can't We Speak Like a Native?
A university across the region
IUB’s official overview lists Abbasia, Baghdad-ul-Jadeed and Khawaja Fareed campuses in Bahawalpur, with sub-campuses serving other parts of the region.
Mahnoor participated in the 2nd International Conference on Linguistics & Literature, 6–8 December 2017. She later received a certificate for event organization at the 3rd conference, 26–28 February 2019.
From language study to research
The undergraduate dissertation focused on the question of native-like speech. Her later master’s thesis moved toward critical discourse analysis and social inequality in literature.
Master of Literature, English Language and Literature
Northwestern Polytechnical University · 82.69/100 overall weighted average
Thesis: Reflecting Social Inequality in The White Tiger: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Degree conferred 21 June 2025. Thesis adviser: Liu Fei, School of Foreign Studies.
More about the degree
The official award is a Master of Literature in English Language and Literature. The transcript records an overall weighted average of 82.69/100 and a compulsory-course weighted average of 84.50/100.
2017–2021
BS English (Language & Literature)
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur · CGPA 3.66/4.00
Dissertation: Why Can't We Speak Like a Native?
Degree conferred 30 August 2021 · 130 credit hours.
03 / Selected work
Publication
Published research · July 2026
Qureshi, M. M., Abbasi, M. S., & Mahmood, A. (2026). Mathematics achievement and conditional performance in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan: A PISA 2022 analysis. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 7(7), 4467–4479.
First-listed author. The study examines mathematics achievement and conditional performance using PISA 2022 data from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Two games, each with 10 sequential challenges. Complete a challenge to unlock the next. The sentence lab includes academic phrasing and evidence-based reasoning.
Click Test sound to check audio
01 / Research connections
Core concepts
Select a term, then its meaning. Complete all three pairs to unlock the next challenge.
Challenge 1 of 10
Choose a term to begin.
02 / Graduate sentence lab
Calibrate a claim
Arrange all the phrase tiles to satisfy the brief. Select an assembled tile to remove it.
Challenge 1 of 10
Build the sentence, then check it.
Think like a researcher
Four quick discoveries
Try a question from each research area. Every answer comes with an explanation.
0 of 4 questions explored
Language & power
Which sentence makes the decision-maker explicit?
Choose an answer to explore the idea.
Corpus linguistics
What does a concordance help you see?
Choose an answer to explore the idea.
Education research
Which age group does PISA assess?
Choose an answer to explore the idea.
Literature & evidence
What best supports an interpretation of a novel?
Choose an answer to explore the idea.
Research rabbit holes
Facts worth a second look
A little background on the ideas behind her interests.
A word has neighbours
Concordances show words and phrases with the text around them. A search result becomes a starting point for understanding context.
“The committee rejected the proposal” names an actor. “The proposal was rejected” leaves that actor out. The event is similar, but the information foregrounded is different.
More than a word count
A repeated word can be a clue. Looking at the surrounding passages helps a researcher understand how it is used.
Her documented activities also include sport, performance and public speaking.
On the court
Netball
School certificates from 2014–2015 record participation and a winner award at a district girls’ high school tournament.
On stage
English theatre
A 2016 certificate of honour recognizes participation in an English play at Government Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur.
Finding a voice
English debate
A 2017 consolation certificate records participation in English debate at the same university.
Behind the scenes
Conference organization
Helped organize the 3rd International Conference on Linguistics & Literature at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 26–28 February 2019.
Quick discovery
Guess the unexpected chapter
Which sport appears in Mahnoor’s school award records?
Choose an answer to reveal a small part of her story.
Selected work, unpacked
What connects these projects?
The master’s thesis: language and inequality
Reflecting Social Inequality in The White Tiger: A Critical Discourse Analysis brings a literary text into dialogue with questions of social inequality. It anchors Mahnoor’s academic background in language, literature and power.
The published article: education across contexts
The July 2026 publication focuses on mathematics achievement and conditional performance in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan using PISA 2022. Mahnoor is the first-listed author, alongside Misbah Shafait Abbasi and Amir Mahmood.
Research interests: representation and agency
Her interests include corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of Pakistani and Indian news and digital media, with attention to women’s agency through education and work. These are research directions, distinct from the completed thesis and published article.
