1961 - 1969 Studies of English, German and Philosophy at the Universities of Freiburg, Kiel and Bonn;
Academic teachers: Walter Rehm, Franz Link; Richard Alewyn, Benno von Wiese, Arno Esch
1968 - 1969 Lektor for German at the University of Leicester, UK
1969 Promotion at the University of Bonn; Dissertation on the poetry of Dylan Thomas (published in 1971); Mentor: Prof. Dr. Arno Esch.
1969 Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Bochum (Chair: Prof. Dr.Dietrich Rolle)
1971 - 1972 Speaker for the Non-Professorial Members of the Philological Departments and Non-Voting Member in the Faculty; work on several search committees and curricular reform; development of a new introductory course for students of English (with Elmar Lehmann a. o.)
1973 - 1974 Exchange Professor in the English Department at the University of St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1974 - 1976 Associate Professor (tenure track) at the University of St. Louis; teaching for the American Studies Program; work in curricular reform and interdisciplinary teaching; preparing a major thesis (Habilitation) on nineteenth-century parody (part one published in 1976)
1976 Full Professor (C 3) for U. S. Literature at the University of Osnabrueck
1978 - 1979 Dean of the Fachbereich Aesthetik und Kommunikation (Arts and Literature Section);
1979 - 1999 served as head of the department and member of Senate committee for Curricular Affairs several times; conferences organized with Hartmut Lutz and Sigrid Markmann; organized exchanges with universities in Texas, New York, Hull; external examiner for American Studies at the University of Hull;
2000 - 2002 Senator of the University of Osnabrueck
2007 Retirement
2008 Guest Professor Universidad de Buenos Aires (Cultural Studies)
References: Kuerschners Gelehrtenlexikon, Who is Who in Germany, Anglistenspiegel,
Membership: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Amerikastudien, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Jugendbuchforschung, Amerikazentrum Hamburg; CAAR (all until 2008).