Welcome to the department Gender Studies of the Ruhr-University Bochum

Gender Studies in a relatively young research discipline, in which the categories of gender and sex are analyzed in varying historical, cultural, and political contexts. Gender shows the social and cultural constructions of sex, gender, and their associated roles and norms. Gender as a social category does not stand alone, rather always in combination with other categories such as race, ethnicity, and age.

Students learn an intersectional approach to gender hierarchies and realities and cast critical perspectives on gender and gender relationships. Research areas and discourses include postcolonial studies, disability, studies, masculinity, queer studies, and critical whiteness. Interdisciplinarity shapes researching and teaching gender here at Ruhr-University Bochum. At home at the Faculties of Social Science, History and Philology, the department and its two study programmes are conducted by six network chairs with expertises in Gender Studies. Researchers, teachers and students equally benefit from the dynamic scientific processes evolving from this fruitful intedisciplinary fusion of research and teaching. The knowledge and competency about how social injustice works, how social categories are constructed and how to develop strategies to implement equal opportunities, are essential key qualifications which gain more and more importance in today's societies.