Kasseler University causes excitement with new gender language!

Kasseler University causes excitement with new gender language!

The debate about gender -friendly language at universities is currently receiving new impulses at the University of Kassel. An internal proposal of the Center for Teachers: Inner Education (ZLB) causes excitement and discussions. This emerges from a report by HNA that describes the Situation in detail.

The ZLB's proposal includes a comprehensive wording for exams that should explicitly address non-binaries and trans people: "Pupils, students, non-binous learners at schools as well as those who do not want to assign themselves any gender category." This step is supported by the University of Kassel, whereby it is emphasized that the recommendation should only apply to the examinations of teacher candidates.

reactions to the recommendations

The feedback on this new wording is mostly positive, whereby the university strives to develop a language that includes all identities. But there are also critical voices, especially from the ranks of the ring of Christian-democratic students (RCDS). His chairman, Jonas Wagemann, expresses that the complexity of the new wording is perceived as a linguistic hurdle. He calls for a simplification in order not to complicate access to language unnecessarily.

The Ministry of Culture in Wiesbaden has not yet commented on the proposal because it comes from an internal letter. The Ministry of Science, on the other hand, explains that gender with special characters falls under the freedom of science, but the corresponding service instructions are applied to state administrative files.

background and context

The discussion about gender -sensitive language is not new at the University of Kassel. As early as 2021, an incident made headlines when a teacher student was deducted points due to the use of the generic masculine. Such events illustrate how sensitively the topic is treated at the university.

But not only in Kassel is discussed over -appropriate. At the Goethe University in Frankfurt, the topic is also of central importance. The university emphasizes the role of language as an important tool for participatory and inclusive communication. By considering gender diversity in the language, a contribution to equality should be made, the discrimination is reduced and appeals to all identities.

In this context, the suggestion to supplement your own pronouns in email signatures and use neutral spoils is particularly relevant. Such recommendations are already actively communicated at the University of Kassel. "The University of Kassel sees itself as a gender -righteous university and strives to make communication as discriminatory as possible," says a message.

Overall, it can be seen that the debate about gender -friendly language at universities is in full swing. The developments at the University of Kassel and the associated reactions of the students and institutions are part of a broader discourse on equality and inclusion in the academic world. The challenge is to find a balance between language sensitivity and intelligibility in order to do justice to everyone involved.