TU Dortmund recommends the gender*star
"The TU Dortmund sees itself as a university of lived and valued diversity. Language shapes perception, thinking and behavior. Therefore, TU Dortmund recommends that its students and employees strive for inclusive and gender-appropriate language."
This is stated in the recommendation letter, which was written under the leadership of Prof. Sigrid Nieberle (Institute for Diversity Studies, Cognition ∩ Literature ∩ Media ∩ Language). Furthermore, the two-page document provides an overview of different possibilities of gender-equitable language use and gives concrete examples of its application.
In recent years, the Equal Opportunity Office has repeatedly received inquiries on the topic of gender-equitable language. Students, scientists and also administrative employees have requested assistance in the use of gender-equitable formulations. The Diversity* Working Group took these requests as an opportunity to draft a recommendation. The Senate has now taken note of these recommendations.
Explicitly recommended is the use of the gender* asterisk because it makes room for all gender identities: "The so-called truncation from the programming language stands in the machine language context for all other alphanumeric characters; in the human language context, the asterisk symbolically stands for that blank space in which female, male and non-binary people are represented."
Alternative variants that facilitate gender-appropriate communication depending on context and situation are also possible and are explained in the recommendation. It remains important to note, however, that using the purely masculine form is no longer appropriate. For example, the recommendation clarifies, "The generic masculine common in German violates the principle of appropriateness by merely 'including' or even associatively excluding women and non-binary people."
Recommendation of the TU Dortmund University on gender-equal language
More information
Lesch's Cosmos "Gender - Delusion or Science?" - the ZDF program from the Terra X series looks at research findings on the effects of gendered language. Does gendering change the way we think? Does our language affect our behavior? Is a gender-equal world better for men?
Please confirm video activation.
After activation, cookies will be set and data is sent to YouTube (Google).
To the Google Privacy Policy
* The Diversity WG was established by the Rector in 2020 and works cooperatively on diversity issues at TU Dortmund University. In addition to the Rector, experts from all status groups at TU Dortmund University who deal with diversity issues in their work or research are represented in the WG. These include the Equal Opportunity Officer and the Head of the Equal Opportunity, Family and Diversity Office as well as representatives of several faculties, DoBus, AStA, the Student Advisory Service, the International Office, the zhb and the administration.
Search & People Search
Calendar
To event list
Location & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dortmund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dortmund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station (“Dortmund Universität”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station (“Dortmund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 15 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop “Dortmund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dortmund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dortmund Universität S”.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dortmund Universität S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).