Rüdiger Ahrens

Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Ahrens is a leading German scholar in English Literature and Didactics, holding the Chair of Subject Didactics - Modern Foreign Languages with a focus on English Language and Literature Didactics at the University of Würzburg. His career spans over five decades, marked by extensive research, teaching, and international collaboration.

Education:

• Studied English/American Studies, Romance Languages (French, Spanish), Philosophy, Education Sciences, and Library Science at the Universities of Göttingen, Dijon, London, and Erlangen (1959–1964)
• Habilitated at the University of Hannover (1967–1970)

Research Interests: Prof. Ahrens's work focuses on English Renaissance literature (especially Shakespeare and Francis Bacon), 18th-century English literature, literary theory and criticism, and modern anglophone literatures and cultures. He has also pioneered research in teaching literature and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) didactics, exploring innovative methodologies like digital storytelling, AI in language teaching, and virtual reality for cultural learning.

His research projects include CoTeach - Fully Immersive Learning Environments in Foreign Language Teaching, DiSo-SGW, and StoryTimE: Digital Storytelling with Tablets in Primary School English Education, emphasizing differentiation, individualization, and inclusion in EFL classrooms.

Scientific Awards:

• Bayerischer Verdienstorden (2012)
• Palmes Académiques (2012)
• American Order of Merit (2008)
• International Peace Prize by the American Biographical Institute (2005)
• Order of the British Empire (OBE) (2004)
• Verdienstkreuz am Bande der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (1999)
• Honorary doctorates from Caen (1996) and Nanchang (1995)

International Collaborations & Guest Professorships: He has held guest positions at Cambridge, Beijing, Tokyo, Caen, London, Nanchang, Vancouver, and Toronto, fostering global academic partnerships.

Professional Memberships:

• International Association of University Professors of English (IAUPE)
• Modern Language Association of America (MLA)
• Deutscher Anglistentag
• Deutsche Shakespeare-Gesellschaft
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Amerikastudien
• Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea