Essen College of Gender Studies

In 2013, the College will be able to look back on 15 years of pioneering work in Gender Studies and promoting young researchers in the field. The interdisciplinary connections between its members continue to serve as a strong basis for joint research projects. Given the increasing acceptance of sex and gender as an analytical category in medical research and with respect to the design of a gender-sensitive healthcare system, this is a field of growing importance among the College’s research priorities. A Research Unit focusing on gender aspects in medicine is conceivable for the future.

In addition to its continuing work in establishing Gender Studies as a cross-sectional research programme, the College intends to make supporting young researchers a priority. It also sets out to extend its existing initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of the gender dimension as a mark of quality in research among young academics of all faculties, and to identify starting-points for the development of forward-looking research topics in the different disciplines. This includes continuing scientific lecture series, workshops and the activities of the EKfG Young Researchers Forum, as well as exploring the possibilities for establishing a graduate school in gender studies.

The College will also continue to explore how different perspectives of inequality may be integrated more fully in its research programme and which realms of diversity studies can link up meaningfully with the EKfG. The aim is to support and strengthen research at the UDE in this field and establish the College as a visible research institution with an innovative set of priorities.