Code of Conduct

The Center for Religious Studies (CERES) is a community of students, lecturers, researchers, and staff members from diverse cultural backgrounds. This diversity enriches CERES’s activities and fosters a vibrant, dynamic environment. Mutual respect among all CERES members is a fundamental condition for maintaining a healthy working and learning environment.  

As a part of Ruhr University Bochum, CERES explicitly states that it does not tolerate:

1)    discrimination due to

2) harassment, 3) violence, 4) stalking and 5) bullying.

CERES accepts responsibility within its area of authority to ensure that individuals’ personal rights and boundaries are respected and upheld in accordance with the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz), including privacy rights. For detailed explanations, see https://uni.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/compliance-guidelines. This pertains to students as well as instructors and other staff.

The abovementioned actions infringe upon the rights of affected individuals to human dignity, sexual self-determination, and freedom of expression. Such behaviour negatively affects the working and learning environment and disrupts both work processes and academic progress. These types of stress may lead to psychological and physical illness and can therefore pose mental and physical threat. 

Those affected by any of the aforementioned have every right to seek advice and lodge a complaint. The university expressly encourages this right to be exercised and support to be claimed.

At CERES, the Gleichstellungs-, Diversitäts- and Inklusionsbeauftragten (https://ceres.rub.de/en/people/equality-diversity-inclusion/) serve as an initial point of contact. They provide first guidance and, where appropriate, connect individuals with the responsible university offices, such as the central Gleichstellungs- and Diversitätsbeauftragten (https://www.chancengleich.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/index.html.en; https://einrichtungen.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/rub-anti-discrimination-office) of Ruhr University Bochum.