FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Gender and Diversity Certificate for master’s students is an optional addition to your studies that can be integrated into any degree granted by Leuphana Graduate School. It certifies expertise in the fields of gender and diversity acquired through a total of three seminars and 15 credit points in courses that enable the critical analysis of gender, inclusion and exclusion, power and protest, social inequality, diversity and difference, and equality of opportunity. 

Issues of gender and other forms of social difference shape every aspect of culture, politics, society and economy. And yet they are frequently overlooked in many fields of study and research. The study of gender, diversity and social difference can thus broaden, enrich, challenge or transform established approaches. This can help students gain a fuller or more accurate understanding of the world they inhabit and develop the tools to think critically about the ways in which they might help shape it. It can help prepare students for professional careers within civil society organisations, politics, the cultural sector, or in business and industry.

For master’s degree students planning on pursuing a PhD or an academic career, engagement with Gender Studies and related fields of study can facilitate an encounter with theories, methods and debates that have shaped the humanities and social sciences more broadly. These related fields of study include Queer Studies, Transgender Studies, Migration Studies and Disability Studies. The certificate provides an opportunity to engage with these and other critical scholarly approaches.

Yes. 

The certificate is made up of three seminars.

• ‘Introduction to Theories of Gender and Diversity’, taught in the winter semester within the ‘Engaging with Knowledge and Sciences’ module in Complementary Studies.
• A seminar marked with the ‘Gender-Diversity-Zertifikat’ tag within the ‘Reflecting Research Methods’ module in Complementary Studies. Taught in the summer semester.
• Free choice. Here you are able to either deepen your existing knowledge or pursue new interests by choosing one of the Gender and Diversity Certificate seminars offered within the ‘Connecting Science, Responsibility and Society’ module in Complementary Studies (usually in the winter semester) or one of the Gender and Diversity Certificate seminars that may be offered within your major (in winter or summer).
  
   

Yes. Registration is possible at any time. However, if possible, you should register for participation six weeks prior to the start of the lecture period. Once registered, you will be entitled to early enrolment for one seminar within the certificate per semester.

To register, simply use this online form.

If you are no longer interested in acquiring the certificate, please de-register via: gdzmaster@leuphana.de.

You can find courses offered within the Gender and Diversity Certificate via myStudy. Search for the “Gender-Diversity-Zertifikat” tag using the “Extended Search Options” tool. You can also register for courses via myStudy. An overview of all courses can also be found here.

Yes. Once you have completed all three seminars, please send details (course names, dates (i.e. semesters) completed, and examination numbers) along with your Transcript of Records to gdzmaster@leuphana.de. A document of confirmation will then be sent to Student Services on your behalf, and you will be issued with the certificate.

Please write to gdzmaster@leuphana.de to find out whether a particular seminar can be recognised within the Gender and Diversity Certificate. Please indicate whether the seminar was formally part of the certificate program. If not, please include the official seminar description from myStudy along with the syllabus/reading list.

Yes. However, please make sure that you have enough time remaining to complete all three seminars, if you have not done so already. As this can be time-consuming, it is best to register for the certificate early in your studies.

Once you have completed all three seminars, please send details (course names, dates (i.e. semesters) completed, and examination numbers) along with your Transcript of Records to gdzmaster@leuphana.de. A document of confirmation will then be sent to Student Services on your behalf, and you will be issued with the certificate.

In principle, yes this is possible. Please write to gdzmaster@leuphana.de. Include the title of the course and the official course description along with the syllabus/reading list and a copy of your Transcript of Records (or equivalent) from the university at which you studied, providing evidence that you passed the seminar.

Yes, this is encouraged! If your seminar includes a substantial engagement with questions of gender and/or diversity or related issues we will be happy to include it in the certificate program. Related issues include but are not limited to questions of sexuality, disability, racism, migration, diaspora, intersectionality, queerness, antisemitism, indigenous issues, transgender issues. If you are unsure whether your seminar is a good fit, please feel free to get in touch with us at gdzmaster@leuphana.de.

To include your seminar in the certificate program, simply add the “Gender-Diversity-Zertifikat” tag in myStudy. The list of tags is included under the “Content/Inhaltliches” section you will be asked to complete when entering the details about your seminar to myStudy. If you cannot add the tag yourself, please write to us at gdzmaster@leuphana.de and we will be happy to do it for you. Once the tag has been added, a member of the Gender and Diversity Certificate team will take a look at the seminar and either approve its inclusion or approach you with a request for further information. Seminars can be taught in either English or German and within Complementary Studies or one of the majors. Seminars taught by both regular teaching staff (Deputatslehre) and guest lecturers (Lehraufträge) can be included within the certificate.

The inclusion of your seminar within the certificate program will not entail any additional work on your behalf. Students enrolled in the certificate are eligible for early enrolment in one certificate seminar per semester.

If you have questions about the certificate, you can contact either gdzmaster@leuphana.de or the Academic Director of Gender Studies, Dr. Ben Trott (ben.trott@leuphana.de), who is responsible for the certificate.

In addition to the university’s Central Equal Opportunities Officer and the Decentral Equal Opportunites Officers located within each of the schools, as well as the Ompudsperson for Students and Teachers and the Student Union (AStA), there are also a series of other services available and contact points in case you encounter problems or difficulties.

You can find a list of the services and contact points here.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES OFFICER

Dr. Kathrin van Riesen
Universitätsallee 1, C7.323
21335 Lüneburg
Tel.: +49 4131 677 1060
kathrin.van_riesen@leuphana.de

DECENTRAL EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES OFFICERS IN THE SCHOOLS
The contact details for the dencentral equal opportunities officers in the schools can be found here. 

OMBUDSPERSON FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Thies Reinck, M.A.
Universitätsallee 1, C10.319
21335 Lüneburg
Tel.: +49 4131 677 1087
thies.reinck@leuphana.de

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

Dr. Anja Soltau
Universitätsallee 1, C14.130a
21335 Lüneburg
Tel.: +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
Tel.: +49 4131 677 2401
claudia.echelmeyer@leuphana.de

STUDENT UNION (ASTA LÜNEBURG)
AStA Website
buero@asta-lueneburg.de

PSYCHOLOGISCHE BERATUNGSSTELLE (PBS) STUDIERENDENWERK OST NIEDERSACHSEN
Online counseling of the psychotherapeutic counseling centre
Registration: Sylvia Goeritz

Tel. +49 4131 9927-601

pbs.lg@stw-on.de