Academic Staff > Academic Staff > Manuel de Jesús VELáZQUEZ LEóN
Manuel de Jesús Velázquez León teaches English at the Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), Guangdong, China. He holds a PhD in the sciences of education. León is a James Madison Fellow, a Visiting Scholar of the University of McGill, and has lectured in the universities of Western Ontario, McGill and Sherbrook.
León's main interest is in the formation of university students that will use English as a tool in their profession. He is also interested in the history and culture of the English-speaking countries, a field on which he has taught and has published articles as well as a couple of textbooks. He has also worked on the translation and publishing of several literary works.
In León's view, language and culture constitute an inextricable unity and teaching English as a foreign language is not merely providing students with a tool for their professions; it implies a productive conflict with the cultures that use English as a means of expression. He also holds that authentic texts from the English-speaking cultures must be used in learning situations and that learning the foreign language and culture is an educational process that must contribute to the students' integral education as conscious moral members of society. Finally, he holds that the educational process must be based on relationships of respect and mutuality.
