CQUniversity Sydney academic Dr Irene Hoetzer is the sort of teacher all students should be willing to learn from.

She is an outspoken woman who brings a wealth of ideas, issues and teaching experience to her students studying law and popular film and culture.

If you are inside Irene's orbit of ideas, expect to be engaged. She challenges her students to hold opinions and to think about the big issues facing the world, such as women's political and social advancement, environmental law, animal rights, poverty and conflict.

Born in Frankfurt/Main, the only child of a Polish-born mother and German father, Irene grew up in post-war Germany where she learnt about the horrors of war, political repression and discrimination.

During the war her grandfather publicly opposed the Nazi regime while her grandmother actively sheltered the politically dispossessed and homeless. These life-risking experiences left an indelible mark on Irene's upbringing and contributed to her strong sense of moral integrity and social justice.

Irene was raised in a loving and supportive family environment. Before migrating to Australia, Irene's father was an outstanding striker in the German state (Hessen) soccer team well before the ‘beautiful game' became a global phenomenon. Her father's fondness and respect for all living things shaped Irene's attitude and philosophy and she is quick to defend the rights of animals. Her mother's linguistic skills were also passed on and Irene excels at interpreting and speaking many different European languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish and Serbian.

After Irene's family settled in Newcastle, Irene attended the academically selective high school and subsequently worked at Newcastle University as an ESL and German (language, literature and film) teacher. Her first doctoral thesis on gender identity and feminism was completed in 1993.

It was Irene's particular flair with languages and attendance at a Human Rights Conference in Venice in July 2004 which led to an attractive job offer with the United Nations in Geneva.  However, due to a near fatal work accident, in which Irene's ex-husband was seriously injured, Irene remained in Newcastle as his carer until she began teaching at CQUniversity Sydney in July 2005.

Dr Hoetzer is not one to rest on her laurels. Since taking up her lecturing position at the Sydney campus she has begun a second doctoral research degree at Macquarie University. Dr Hoetzer is undertaking a comparative study of environmental law and human rights between the developing and developed world - from an ecofeminist perspective.

- thanks to Chris Keane for compiling this article.