What do foreign languages have to do with the environment? Language learning, a passion for literature and culture, and environmental protection — can these really go together? And can we actually save the world with that?!
Languages, cultures, and literatures have always fascinated me. This passion drove me through my education and brought me to Humboldt University in Berlin, Goldsmiths’ College in London, and Georgetown University in Washington DC. As a university professor, I now get to engage with this exciting field every day, above all with the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language. I learned my craft in classrooms, seminar rooms, and lecture halls in Bonn, Halle-Wittenberg, and Dortmund, before finding my academic home at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, where I am Professor of English Language Education (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).
Of course, learning English is first and foremost about using the language well. But my passion extends further: How can the humanities help address the critical issues of our time — nature, environment, and sustainability in particular? These are some of the questions I explore in my articles and books, lectures, and seminars. If these questions resonate with you, I would love to hear from you, and I look forward to dialogue and exchange.