Margaret Gonglewski

Margaret Gonglewski (PhD, Georgetown University) is Associate Professor of German and International Affairs and Director of GW’s German Language Program. Her teaching and mentoring at GW have been recognized with the Bender Teaching Award and the CCAS Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising. She is co-author of Treffpunkt Deutsch, a widely used introductory German textbook.

Her scholarship focuses on second language acquisition and pedagogy, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches that connect language and culture learning to broader professional contexts. She has been a leader in the field of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP), particularly Business Language Studies, initiating the relaunch of the academic journal Global Business Languages and serving as lead editor. She currently chairs the LSP Special Interest Group of the ACTFL, the national organization for language educators.

As Faculty Coordinator of Business Language Programs at the George Washington University Center for International Business Education and Research, she designs cross-disciplinary projects linking language study with international business, and mentors faculty in initiatives such as the Business Language Case Fellowship program. A complementary focus of her research and curriculum development is sustainability. Her publications on teaching sustainability in advanced-level German language classes and in seminars such as Green Germany: Sustainability Meister or Myth? highlight her commitment to preparing students for global challenges. Productive collaboration with sustainability-focused GW colleagues across disciplines is key to her work: With colleague Anna Helm (International Business) she has published articles and green business cases; she was awarded a seed grant from the Sustainability Research Institute with Nina Kelsey (Public Policy) for their project examining climate activism in Germany and the U.S.. In 2025 she was appointed Faculty Director of Academic Sustainability Programs within GW’s Alliance for a Sustainable Future, with responsibility for advancing sustainability education across the university.