Integrative Gendering

Leuphana University, as a Bologna model university commissioned by the state and as one of the first universities in Germany, started to deal with the requirements of the Bologna process in 2006/2007.  Unique and far-reaching concepts were discussed and subsequently implemented. It was the order of the day to also break new ground in gender equality work and to use the opportunity to structurally reflect and consider gender diversity aspects at all university levels and in all fields of work in teaching, research and university management, as well as to promote heterogeneity and anti-discrimination. In the course of this, the concept of integrative gendering was developed, which was expanded after only a few years in the sense of an intersectional understanding to include the topic-area of diversity. This concept, which was developed at Leuphana, has evolved into a guiding principle for action.

"Integrative Gendering and Diversity" aims to change both subject and university cultures and to communicate gender diversity competence as a key competence to academics and teachers as well as to learners. The concept addresses the content level, the behavioural level as well as the awareness level and focuses in particular on the transfer and facilitation of gender-diversity-knowledge. This enables the actors to build up gender- and diversity-related competences in the various fields of action at higher education institutions. Gender and diversity aspects are thus also part of higher education personnel development planning alongside higher education didactics. Integrative therefore also means teaching gender and diversity in workshops and specialised events, through specific sequences and specific didactics. The objectives of the approach are, for one, the integration of gender and diversity aspects in all study programmes and in study programme modules. Secondly, the gender diversity competence of academics and teachers is to be strengthened.

Based on these objectives and the approaches of integrative gendering and diversity, all teachers are encouraged to integrate gender and diversity aspects into their teaching. The gender diversity certificate has been structurally anchored in the interdisciplinary area of complementary studies at Leuphana College. In this context, findings from women's-, gender-, intersectionality-, inequality- and diversity research are included in all perspectives as a cross-cutting theme in the individual courses. Likewise, the Equal Opportunities Office and, more recently, the Teaching Service offer "peer-to-peer" and "expert-to-expert" counselling services that support the integration of gender and diversity aspects in studies, teaching and curricula. The principle of integrative gendering and diversity is also firmly anchored in Leuphana University's quality management and system accreditation processes.

As current development paths, the establishment and progressing implementation of the network for gender and diversity research and the development of a gender diversity certificate for master students can be pointed out. The network "Gender and Diversity Research" at Leuphana University is a professional, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary as well as university-political network of academics, which has been pursuing a variety of goals since its foundation in 2016.