Bio
Bio
Jürgen Kurtz studied English as a foreign language, psychology, and physical education at the University of Dortmund (now TU Dortmund University) (1981-1986). In 1986 and 1988, he passed the first and second state examination for secondary school teachers in Germany with distinction (comparable to MA TESOL and MA Physical Education). In 1989, he obtained his doctorate (Dr. phil.) in cognitive psychology and first language acquisition (1989, summa cum laude), and in the year 2000, he received his habilitation degree in TEFL, i.e. the formal qualification to independently teach and examine the subject at university level, both from Dortmund University (venia legendi: “Englische Sprache und ihre Didaktik” (lit. ‘English Language and its Didactics’).
Dr. Kurtz taught English as a foreign language and physical education at different types of school and levels of instruction in the German cities of Bergkamen and Dortmund (1986-2000). During this professional period, he also served as an adjunct EFL curriculum advisor for the Ministry of Culture and Science of the federal German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Apart from this, he mentored student teachers in their TEFL practicum, and worked as a textbook consultant for EFL publishing houses in Germany. Furthermore, he gave TEFL courses as an adjunct lecturer and as a part-time seconded English teacher and TEFL research assistant at Dortmund University (1996-2000).
Dr. Kurtz has been a full professor of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) at JLU Giessen since 2011, after moving from Karlsruhe University of Education where he held a full professorship in English and foreign language teaching research (2001-2011). While there, he served as dean and associate dean, as founding director of the Institute for Foreign Language Teaching Research, and as chair of the English department. From 2008-2010, he also taught as an adjunct course lecturer at Dortmund University again. In 2011 and 2012, he was a visiting professor to Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada. At JLU Giessen, he chaired the English Department from 2013 to 2015.