An International Symposium Titled "Sprache, Literatur, Kultur und Nachhaltigkeit. Perspektiven aus DaF/DaZ, Sprach-, Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften" was held at our University

The international academic program titled "Sprache, Literatur, Kultur und Nachhaltigkeit. Perspektiven aus DaF/DaZ, Sprach-, Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften / International Symposium on Language, Literature, Culture and Sustainability: Perspectives from DaF/DaZ, Language-, Literature- and Cultural Sciences" was held on October 9–10, 2025, with the cooperation of the Faculty of Culture and Social Sciences and the School of Foreign Languages, the University of Heidelberg and the University of Bielefeld, and with the financial contribution of DAAD.

The event's organizing committee included Prof. Dr. Aysel Uzuntaş, Prof. Dr. Leyla Coşan, Prof. Dr. Michael Waltisberg, and Prof. Dr. Damaris Borowski. Academicians, researchers, and students from various universities in Türkiye, Germany, and Azerbaijan participated in the program.

The symposium's opening speech was delivered by our Vice Rector and Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Aysel Uzuntaş. In her speech, Prof. Dr. Uzuntaş emphasized the transformative role of language, literature, and culture in the context of sustainability, stating that this symposium is an important platform for promoting interdisciplinary dialogue, Turkish-German academic collaboration, and intercultural communication. Prof. Dr. Fikret Jahangirov, Vice Rector of Baku Slavic University, emphasized the importance of language and culture studies in fostering thought and awareness-raising regarding environmental and social issues. Prof. Dr. Leyla Coşan, Director of the School of Foreign Languages, emphasized the synergy created by Turkish-German collaboration in scientific and cultural fields, stating that such events contribute to a shared vision of the future.

Following the opening, keynote speakers Prof. Dr. Hacı Halil Uslucan from the University of Duisburg-Essen and Prof. Dr. Ernst Struck from the University of Passau provided comprehensive assessments of the cultural and linguistic representations of sustainability in their presentations.

The two-day program addressed current and interdisciplinary topics such as "sustainability in language teaching," "representations of sustainability in literature and culture," "sustainability and social diversity," "linguistic pluralism," and "the climate crisis and its cultural implications." Speakers in the sessions shared original examples of sustainability discussions in fields such as linguistics, literary and cultural studies, and teaching German as a foreign and second language.

On the second day of the program that began with keynote speakers Prof. Dr. Carola Surkamp and Dr. Zuzana Münch-Mankova, featured presentations on sustainability education through language education and literature were carried out. Field studies and practical applications of teaching German as a Foreign Language in Türkiye were also presented, with examples.

The program emphasized that sustainability should be addressed not only in its environmental but also in its cultural, linguistic, and social dimensions, striving to provide participants with an interdisciplinary perspective.

The program concluded with a general evaluation and closing session.