Gender Diversity Certificate for Master Students
Due to globalization, migrational processes, changes in values, in roles, and life plans, the social, cultural, and economic connections gain in diversity and complexity. Topics on equal opportunity, social inequality, gender mainstreaming, and diversity management are becoming more relevant, both in professional and social contexts. This is why the Leuphana University Lüneburg is now extending its offer of a Gender-Diversity-Certificate to graduate students.
An Offer for Students at the Leuphana Graduate School
The Gender-Diversity-Certificate is a voluntary program for all graduate students at the Leuphana University Lüneburg. The Gender-Diversity-Certificate will allow the students to verify their expertise on the reflection and the critical analysis of gender relations, accessibility, social inequality, and societal heterogeneity. To obtain the certificate, students have to gain 15 credit points, that are to be acquired in the modules of the Gender-Diversity-Certificate, integrated in the master program. In this context, students can work on their chosen gender-diversity research questions from a variety of fields.
Your Advantages
This certificate allows you to
- consider equal opportunities and gender justice as contemporary topics in social and professional contexts.
- gain a basic introduction into the theories and methods of gender, diversity, and intersectionality research. This could be especially relevant for those who are interested in an academic career.
- discuss current relevant topics and challenges in an inter and transdisciplinary way.
- question the norms and stereotypical attributions.
- to reflect on and assess the current societal discourse and the strategies on institutionalization regarding diversity and equality.
- strengthen and expand your key qualifications in the areas equal opportunities, equality, and diversity management.
- obtain a certificate for the gained knowledge on gender and diversity.
Overview of the certificate's structure
semester | ModulE | COURSES | CP |
---|---|---|---|
1st Semester (WiSe) | Interdisziplinary Basics
| Course on gender- and diversity-theories in the module „Engaging with Knowledge and Sciences”
E-learning-unit on theories | 2 weekly semester hours / 5 CP |
2nd Sem. (SoSe) | Research Methods | Workshop on methods of gender- and diversity-research in the module „Reflecting Research Methods“ E-learning-unit on methods | 2 weekly semester hours / 5 CP |
2nd Sem. (SoSe)
or
3rd Sem. (WiSe)
| Epistemological perspectives and transformation | A certificate-relevant course based on the majors of the master's program (depending on capacity)
or A certificate-relevant course in the module „Connecting Science, Responsibility and Society“ | 2 weekly semester hours / 5 CP
or
2 weekly semester hours / 5 CP |
Information on Registration
The registration for the certificate generally occurs with the successful registration for the module “Interdisziplinäre Grundlagen” (“Interdisciplinary Basics”). Please also register for this certificate additionally via this e-mail address gdz-master@leuphana.de, to gain access to the right of precedence in subsequent modules.
Please register at least six weeks before the beginning of the semester, by sending your first name, last name, your study program, your semester, and whether or not you have already attended some classes for the certificate (and which ones) to gdz-master@leuphana.de.
By enrolling in the certificate, you will have priority registration (for one certificate-related course per semester). Should you no longer be interested in pursuing the certificate, please send an email to gdz-master@leuphana.de.
Documenting the Exams and the Issuing of the Certificate
Once you have completed all courses, please send an overview of those course, incl. the exam number, that you have passed as part of the certificate to this email address gdz-master@leuphana.de.
A confirmation will be filled out and sent to the student service for approval by the authorized advisor.
Information for teachers and students:
The master’s program complementary studies at the Leuphana University Lüneburg is not just inter- and transdisciplinary, but also conversational. Its goal is, to encourage critical thinking in students and to occupy a comprehensive, reflexive perspective. This is the context in which the Gender-Diversity-Certificate is embedded in the complementary studies of the master’s program. The seminars will be attended by students of various fields of studies and majors. This gives students of the educational sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, sustainability sciences, cultural studies, the natural sciences, economic sciences, and of the sciences of technology, the opportunity to discuss and learn about Gender and Diversity Studies with an interdisciplinary approach. The comprehension of discrimination, structures or practices that foster inequality or societal gender relations is generally not based on a single scientific field of studies, but on a variety of scientific perspectives. They enable specific approaches that complement each other, even if these are not always easy to combine. At the same time, it is the goal of the certificate to aid students in the conversational and critical reflection of their gained insights, while developing personal and social-communicative abilities through respectful discussions in an interdisciplinary context.
We are aware that this might create new challenges for students and teachers. The latter comes from a variety of fields of studies with different prioritizations of gender and diversity research. You are asked to make your teaching content available for a wide target group. From your field of study, you will (among other things) refer to findings in discrimination research, research of racism, research on anti-Semitism, a reflexive, positivist-functionalist or critical-emancipatory oriented diversity research, and women’s- and gender research, research on social inequality or the concept of intersectionality etc. The following questions could be addressed during the seminar:
What do gender- and diversity-oriented perspectives mean, specifically regarding the scientific consideration of various societal fields of action? How does the accessibility of a field of study change, when observed from an intersectional point of view? Are there blind spots (discrimination, inequality/injustice etc.), that become visible when regarded from a new perspective? Which consequences could there be? What does this mean for the configuration and the triggering of societal changes? Which insights and innovative approaches are necessary in the sciences and the research processes, to be able to carry out such a change in perspective?
Students should get to know important questions about justice and inequality from different points of view with the help of the teachers and integrate those in their own research topics. The different disciplinary approaches, questions, and methods of analysis are already a change in perspective, which can be a challenge on their own, though it is mostly an incentive and enrichment.
It is important to us, that the topics and contents of the courses (literature, terminology, privileges, etc.) are continuously discussed and questioned in a constructive-critical manner.
Information for teachers:
As teachers you can make your seminar with connections to gender and diversity research available for the participants of the certificate, by tagging your course just so in myStudy. Should you be interested or have any questions, please contact:
Claudia Echelmeyer (komplementaer.gs@leuphana.de) or
Dr. Anja Thiem (anja.thiem@uni.leuphana.de).
Further Contact Points
In addition to the equal opportunities officer and the ombudsperson for students and teachers, there are further contact persons. Generally, every person with managerial or supervision tasks, as well as representatives of the AStA are approachable.
You can find information and services here. The list below can also be downloaded here.
Equal Opportunities Officer
Dr. Kathrin van Riesen
Universitätsallee 1, C7.323
21335 Lüneburg
Fon +49.4131.677-1060
kathrin.van_riesen@leuphana.de
DECENTRALIZED EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENTS
They can be found here.
Ombudsperson for Students and Teachers
Thies Reinck, M.A.
Universitätsallee 1, C10.319
21335 Lüneburg
Fon +49.4131.677-1087
thies.reinck@leuphana.de
Managing Director of the Graduate School
Dr. Anja Soltau
Universitätsallee 1, C14.130a
21335 Lüneburg
Fon +49.4131.677-2400
anja.soltau@leuphana.de
Deputy Managing Director of the Graduate School
Claudia Echelmeyer, M.A.
Universitätsallee 1, C14.125
21335 Lüneburg
Fon +49.4131.677-2401
claudia.echelmeyer@leuphana.de
ASTA LÜNEBURG
AStA Website
buero@asta-lueneburg.de
PSYCHOLOGISCHE BERATUNGSSTELLE (PBS) STUDENTENWERK OST NIEDERSACHSEN (FÜR STUDIERENDE)
Online counseling of the psychotherapeutic counseling centre
Michaela Himstedt, Dipl.-Psychologin, Psychologische Psychotherapeuting
Tel.: 0531/391-4935
m.himstedt@stw-on.de
In case of a conflict, we ask you to please contact one of the people/places mentioned above as soon as possible, to commence a conversation, since an early intervention is the best precondition to react to disagreements productively.
Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
Equal Opportunities Office
Universitätsallee 1
Building 7, 3rd floor, room 302
21335 Lüneburg
Fon 04131.677-1063
genderdiversity@leuphana.de