Language Lessons as a Space for Transformation

Experiencing and reflecting on sustainability in university Russian language teaching

Abstract

Despite the growing importance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in educational policy frameworks, its systematic integration into university-level language teaching remains limited. This article explores the potential of a communicative Russian language course as a transformative space for sustainability-oriented learning. Drawing on a B2/C1 university course centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on SDG 4 (Quality Education), the article presents a theory-informed conceptual approach to integrating ESD into advanced language instruction.
The theoretical framework combines Global Citizenship Education, Environmental Literacy, cultural sustainability, intercultural learning, and Critical Literacy. These approaches are operationalized through a pedagogical framework that links language progression with competences in language-mediated perception, evaluation, and action. Using a detailed course plan and illustrative examples, the article demonstrates how global discourses on sustainable development can be critically explored, discussed, and related to students’ biographical and professional perspectives. It suggests that language instruction may contribute meaningfully to sustainable development by fostering reflective, discursive, and action-oriented engagement with societal challenges.