Dr Ania de Berg

Lecturer in German

I came to Sheffield Hallam in 2013 after having worked at universities in Germany, Poland and the UK, including the University of Sheffield, University of York and Leeds Metropolitan University. 

I hold an MA and PhD in German and I have taught both the German language and more specialised content courses. I love teaching, and my aim is to communicate my own enthusiasm to my students and help them become confident communicators across cultures as well as accomplished linguists.

My publications include a monograph on German-language travel literature and a co-edited volume on remembrance in Austrian literature and film. In recent years, I have become particularly interested in issues of intercultural communication.

Teaching
• German at undergraduate level
• German business, society and culture

Teaching interests
• use of interactive tools in the classroom
• original sources (press,TV, film and literature) as didactic materials
• teaching `outside the classroom' – projects, workshops and other activities that foster independent thinking and communicative skills

Research interests
• intercultural communication
• travel literature
• modern German and Austrian culture

Rachel Bower

Senior lecturer in French and business English

Having specialised in French, German, international marketing and international contract law at university, my first career was in international sales and marketing, where I utilised my language skills on a daily basis to secure sales, develop the company brand, and organise the company's presence at overseas exhibitions.

I then launched my own languages consultancy business offering bespoke language support to international companies and SMEs. Having made the transition into education, I have worked in a range of contexts, my most recent role being national lead for the Labour government's National Teaching and Learning Change Programme, which aimed to improve teaching and learning in a range of curriculum areas across the post 16 sector. Our regional and national events enabled language teachers to share best practice, and to develop new skills, including coaching skills to enable their colleagues to continue to improve language teaching and learning in their institution.

I bring a dynamic and enthusiastic teaching style to classroom activities and was awarded the Sheffield Business School Teaching Excellence award in 2011. I have carried out research projects in listening strategies in the target language, autonomous learning and in employability skills for linguists, for which I was made a Fellow of the Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning at the University of Plymouth.

Above all, I am passionate about language learning and the unique skills which a languages graduate brings to the workplace.

Teaching interests
• listening in the target language
• experiential learning in real-life scenarios of languages in the workplace
• developing speaking confidence in the target language
• job application and interview skills in the target language

Teaching
• French and business English at undergraduate level

Research interests
• listening in the target language
• languages and entrepreneurship
• employability skills in the languages graduate

Christine Lyne

Languages subject group leader

`I have worked in the languages subject group at Sheffield Hallam University for over 20 years, teaching Spanish, business English and academic study skills for international students. 

`After graduating with a BA (Honours) in Applied Language Studies I worked in Latin America for three years and travelled extensively throughout the region.  Since returning to the UK, I have taught in several  further education and higher education institutions and pursued my research interests in a variety of fields.  These include, developing interactive materials for virtual learning environments, encouraging learner autonomy, using e-portfolios to assess independent learning and developing translation and interpreting skills in a vocational context. 

`As well as having the opportunity of teaching languages at all levels, something which I enjoy immensely, I am also involved in developing international links with Spanish speaking universities and Spanish placement companies.  Ensuring students have a positive and rewarding experience during their time abroad is one of the key aspects of my work.

`I am very proud to lead a team of committed, inspirational tutors who provide outstanding teaching and support to language students at Sheffield Hallam. '

Dr Armelle Blin-Rolland

Lecturer in French

I was born in Brest (Brittany). After gaining my first degree in German studies at the University of Western Brittany, I moved to Bangor, North Wales and completed an MA in European studies and a PhD in French studies, while teaching French as a graduate teaching assistant.

After obtaining my PhD I worked as a teaching fellow at the University of Bath for one year, teaching French and French in the international business context, before taking up a position as lecturer in French at Sheffield Hallam University.

Teaching
• French language at undergraduate level
• business, society and culture

Research interests
• adaptation from/into literature, film, TV and comics
• French-language popular culture (bande dessinée in particular)
• theories of voice in literature and film
• the fantastic in French-language film and comics

Dr Anja Louis

Senior lecturer in Spanish

Since completing my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Hispanic Studies at Birkbeck College (University of London),  I have worked in both the private and public sectors throughout Europe.   My professional experience includes managerial positions in the international book business, lectureships at higher education institutions both in the UK and Spain, and running an international coaching business. During my rich and varied working life I have led cross-cultural teams, managed international projects, worked on the design of computer programmes and delivered weekly literary talks on a Hispanic radio programme.

In the classroom I frequently introduce my own professional experience to provide students with real-life scenarios.  My teaching style is centred on participatory forms of learning and I actively encourage self-directed inquiry or research. I am caring, creative and gregarious; I strive to motivate students to find their own voice and achieve their own forms of success. I feel honoured to have been nominated for the Inspirational Teacher’s Award 2012 by my students.

Teaching interests
• inquiry-based learning
• the interface of teaching and coaching
• film as a learning tool
• cross-cultural awareness and transnational identity

After having published widely in the interdisciplinary area of law and Spanish popular culture, my current research interests have moved into fields of an intercultural nature:

• intercultural communication
• transnational cinema
• cross-cultural coaching and training