Gießener Graduiertenzentrum Kulturwissenschaften (GGK) / International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC)

The syllabus forms the basis of each seminar, serves as a reference for the entire semester and is curiously awaited by students on the first day of the semester. However, syllabus design is more than just distributing the "material" to the sessions: clear and structured syllabi make a significant contribution to the success of your course and have a positive effect on motivation and learning success.In this workshop we will cover some basics and strategies for an effective, meaningful design of your syllabus. The following questions are in the focus:
• How do I define the overall topic, individual session topics as well as teaching and learning goals for my seminar?
• How do I plan the course of the seminar, and which phases are involved?
• How do I structure the teaching / learning sequences?
• How do I find the 'right' or appropriate methods?
After some thematic input and joint introduction to the topic, we will work on your own seminar plans as examples in a second, practically oriented work phase. Please bring them to the event or upload it to StudIP in advance!

Many offerings of the Teaching Centre can be credited as working units in the basic certificate “Kompetenz für professionelle Hochschullehre” (Competencies for Professional University Teaching) of the Hochschuldidaktisches Netzwerk Mittelhessen (HDM). For further information, please contact the HDM directly.
A related course on „Designing a Course Session” will be held by Prof. Claudia Hattendorff on November 3, 2025.

In the framework of a cooperation between the project Network for Impactful Digital Teaching Skills (NIDIT) and the GCSC Teaching Center, NIDIT lecturer Richard Vargas (International Training Team) will host the workshop “Basic Didactic Principles and Teaching Methods” for members of the IPP “Literary and Cultural Studies” on October 23rd from 10 am to 1 pm.


This practical training is a preparatory teaching session for participants of the IPP workshop series, but members of other JLU centers such as GGK, GCSC, GGL, and GiZo among others can participate. The aim of this workshop is twofold. On the one hand, it puts forward the discussion of teaching methods and approaches as well as the implementation of interactive tools for teaching and learning processes that IPP participants can use on either digital or face-to-face teaching environments. On the other hand, this workshop seeks to broaden participants’ teaching skills when teaching in different formats.

Many offerings of the Teaching Centre can be credited as working units in the basic certificate “Kompetenz für professionelle Hochschullehre” (Competencies for Professional University Teaching) of the Hochschuldidaktisches Netzwerk Mittelhessen (HDM). For further information, please contact the HDM directly.

//Richard Vargas (JLU - Network for Impactful Digital International Teaching Skills – NIDIT)