Prof. Dr. Gunda Werner

Professor, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Associated Professorship

Professor of Dogmatics and History of Dogma

Vita

 Professional activity

• since March 01, 2022 Professor of Dogmatics and History of Dogma at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Ruhr University Bochum
• November 4, 2021 Appointment to the Chair of Dogmatics and History of Dogma at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Ruhr University Bochum
• since October 2021 Deputy Head of the Institute for Systematic Theology and Liturgical Studies at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria
• October 2021-2021 Head of the Institute for Systematic Theology and Liturgical Studies at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria
• Since May 2019 First Chairwoman of AGENDA Forum katholischer Theologinnen e.V.
• Since April 2018 Professor of Dogmatics, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria
• February/March 2018 Visiting fellow at Boston College and Fordham University New York
• October 2017 to March 2018 Substitute Professor of Dogmatics and History of Dogma at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Ruhr University Bochum (W3)
• September 2017 Appointment as Professor of Dogmatics at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz
• October 2016 to March 2018 Professor of Dogmatics at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (junior professorship)
• Since March 2016 Editor of the Christianity section in the 08 Churches and Religious Culture, Encyclopaedia of Modern Times: Updates and Extensions, Metzler-Verlag/Brill-Verlag, Stuttgart/Amsterdam
• October 2015 to March 2016 Substitute professor for the Chair of Dogmatics and Propaedeutics (W3) at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• February 2012 to October 2016 Research assistant at the Chair of Dogmatics and History of Dogma at the Ruhr University Bochum (Prof. Dr. Georg Essen), habilitation project; teaching and project management of the InStudies project "Ambiguity of the Religious" and the project "Research-based Learning"
• August 2010 to October 2011: 400 days on a bicycle from Bonn to Tokyo; field study for the scientific project "Subjectivation Processes - End of Dialogue?"
• February 2010 to April 2010 Visiting Scholar at the School of Theology at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio, USA
• January 2008 to November 2009 Consultant at the Central Committee of German Catholics, Bonn; member of the joint staff for the 2nd Ecumenical Kirchentag Munich 2010
• June 2005 to December 2007: Scientific advisor in the Education and Human Rights Department at the Franciscan Mission Headquarters, Bonn. Initiation and scientific support of a pilot project on milieu-sensitive educational work in collaboration with Prof. Michael Ebertz, Freiburg
• October 2003 to May 2005 Consultant in the area of pastoral preparation and follow-up at the World Youth Day Office, Cologne
• January 2000 to December 2000 Pastoral care worker and nursing assistant at the Lebenshaus hospice, Münster, scientific development of a pastoral care concept
• February 1996 to December 2000 Freelance work as a consultant in the education sector
• February 1996 to March 1999 Consultant in extracurricular school pastoral care, Gemen Youth Castle, Gemen
• March 1998 to December 1999 Nursing assistant at the Klarastift retirement home, Münster

Education

• January 13, 2016: Venia Legendi for the subject of dogmatics and history of dogma awarded by the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Ruhr University Bochum
• October 28, 2015: Habilitation at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the Ruhr University Bochum at the Chair of Dogmatics and History of Dogma: "Die Freiheit der Vergebung. A freedom-theoretical reflection on the prerogative of God in the sacramental act of penance", supervised by Prof. Dr. Georg Essen (Dogmatics) and Prof. Dr. Markus Knapp (Fundamental Theology)
• February 4, 2005 Doctorate at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster with the distinction "summa cum laude": "Does faith make you happy? Freedom and Relation as an Experience of Personal Salvation History", supervised by Prof. Dr. Thomas Pröpper (Dogmatics) and Prof. Dr. Udo Schmälzle (Pastoral Theology)
• October 1994 to March 1998 Studied Catholic theology and philosophy at the Philosophical-Theological College of the Franciscans and Capuchins in Münster; degree: intermediate diploma, overall grade: very good (1.3)
• 1982 to 1991 St. Adelheid-Gymnasium in Bonn-Pützchen; graduation, Abitur grade 2.0
• 1988 to 1989 Senior High School Reynoldsburg, Ohio USA. Exchange student. Final grade of the senior class: (A+: very good)

Didactic and other qualifications

• Since 2020 participant in the University of Graz program to increase the proportion of female scientists in university management positions
• 2018-2019 Unistart management certificate course at the University of Graz
• 2012-2013 Certificate from the Higher Education Didactic Training NRW through successful participation in the higher education didactic qualification program of the Ruhr University Bochum
• 2009 Certificate from the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in Human Resources Management
• 2008 Diploma in Theme-Centered Interaction (TCI) according to Ruth Cohn, Ruth Cohn Institute Geneva
• 1996 to 2008 Training in Theme-Centered Interaction (TCI) according to Ruth Cohn, Ruth Cohn Institute Geneva
• 1997 to 2002 Further training in conflict management, social management, psychodrama, communication training, open space for pedagogical-didactic aptitude, leadership and management skills

Activities within the framework of academic self-administration

Karl-Franzen-University Graz

• Member of the Appointments Committee for Pastoral Theology
• Member (second chairperson) of the Appointments Committee for Fundamental Theology
• Member (second chairperson) of the Moral Theology Appeals Committee
• 2019: First representative at the Association of Catholic Theological Faculties

Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen

• Member of the Faculty Council
• Member of the doctoral committee
• Member of the Equal Opportunities Commission

 Ruhr University Bochum

• Member of the doctoral committee (winter semester 2015/16 to summer semester 2016)
• Member of the Faculty Council (summer semester 2015)
• Spokesperson of the Mittelbau of the Faculty of Catholic Theology (April 2015 to April 2016)
• Second representative at the Catholic Theological Faculty Association (2012 to 2016)
• Member of the habilitation commission (winter semester 2012/13 to summer semester 2016)
• Mentor for students in the second subject B.A. (February 2012 to September 2016)
• Representative of the Faculty of Catholic Theology for the optional area (winter semester 2013/14 to summer semester 2016)
• Member of the commission for the allocation of funds to improve the quality of teaching/QVM (November 2014 to October 2015)
• Member of the Tenure-Track Ecclesiastical Law Appointment Committee (November 2014 to February 2015)
• Member of the Evaluation Commission for Junior Professorships in Canon Law (2013)

Memberships

• European Society for Catholic Theology
• AGENDA Forum of Catholic Women Theologians e.V.
• Research Group Communicative Theology
• American Academy of Religion
• German University Association
• Working Group of German-speaking Fundamental Theologians and Dogmatists

(Academic) activities in the academic and non-academic field

• Since May 2019 First Chairwoman of AGENDA Forum katholischer Theologinnen e.V.
• Since February 20182nd Chairwoman of AGENDA Forum of Catholic Women Theologians e.V.
• Since May 2017 Assessor on the board of AGENDA Forum of Catholic Women Theologians e.V.
• Since May 2016 member of the management team of the International Research Group on Communicative Theology
• 2012 Co-initiator of the network for young researchers in systematic theology
• 2007 - 2015: Author for the area of children's and youth worship services for Bergmoser & Höller Verlag, Aachen
• February 2008 to December 2011 Research project "Subjectivation Processes - End of Dialogue? Thinking theology with Judith Butler" (as monograph "Pharesia als freiheitlicher Widerstand. A contribution to understanding Judith Butler's philosophy of the subject as a theory of power" in preparation)

Voluntary activities

• Member of the board #OutInChurch since Janaur 2023
• January 2022 - January 2023: Steering group #OutInChurch
• Since 2021: Member of the advisory board of Sela Institute for Christian Yoga, Witten
• Since April 2019: first chairwoman of AGENDA - Forum of Catholic Women Theologians e.V
• January 2018- April 2019: second chairwoman of AGENDA - Forum of Catholic Women Theologians e.V
• April 2017 - January 2018: Theological assessor on the board of AGENDA - Forum of Catholic Women Theologians e.V.
• Since October 2017: Mentor in the Lore Agnes project of the Ruhr University Bochum: Theological research for women - a mentoring program for female students in the Master's or third study phase of the Master's degree
• Since July 2017: Central Committee of German Catholics, Bonn: Member and spokesperson of the interreligious working group "Women's Peace Networks"
• May 2016 to May 2017 German Protestant Church Congress, Berlin: Member of the "Spiritual Center" project management team
• July 2012 to April 2018 Parish of St. Peter and Paul, Bochum: Collaboration in the "Ü30 Church"
• Since January 2013 Member of the Association for the Promotion of the Art Church Bochum: "Art in Christ-König"
• July 2014 to July 2015 German Protestant Church Congress, Stuttgart: Chair of the "Endlichkeit" evening series project management team
• October 2013 to October 2016 Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe / AIDS-Hilfe Bochum: Collaboration in the anonymous telephone counseling service

Focus of Work

Queer theology, Facing the Unexpected (DFG project 2023-2026), Intersectionality research - concrete visualization of 'hidden patterns', Communicative theology / public theology in its relevance for contemporary societies, Logics of communitization in modernity and late modernity

Publications (selection)

Monographien

• Judith Butler und die Theologie der Freiheit, Bielefeld 2021.
• Die Freiheit der Vergebung. Eine freiheitstheoretische Reflexion auf die Prärogative Gottes im sakramentalen Bußgeschehen, Regensburg 2016.
• Macht Glaube glücklich? Freiheit und Bezogensein als Erfahrung persönlicher Heilszusage, Regensburg 2005.

Sammelwerke

• [zusammen mit Saskia Wendel, Jessica Scheiper] Ewig wahr? Zur Genese und zum Anspruch von Glaubensüberzeugungen, Freiburg i.Br. 2023
• [zusammen mit Michael Brinkschröder, Jens Ehebrecht-Zumsande, Veronika Gräwe, Bernd Mönkebüscher] #OutInChurch – für eine Kirche ohne Angst, Freiburg u.a. 2022.
• [zusammen mit Ute Leimgruber] Gott. Macht. Öffentlich. Frauen im Spannungsfeld von Kirche und Öffentlichkeit, Mainz 2021.
• [zusammen mit Konrad Hilpert, Stefan Leimgruber, Jochen Sautermeister] Sexueller Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen im Raum von Kirche. Analysen – Bilanzierungen – Perspektiven, Freiburg 2020.
• [zusammen mit Bernhard Grümme] Judith Butler und die Theologie. Herausforderungen und Rezeption, Berlin 2020.

Aufsätze

• Und weiter ,dicke Bretter bohren'. Bleibende Anliegen der theologischen Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, in: Irmtraud Fischer / Edith Petschnigg (Hrsg.): Genderforschung brauchen wir das? 25 Jahre Fakultätsforschungsschwerpunkt Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung an der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät Graz, (Theologie im kulturellen Dialog. Herausgegeben von der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz Band 39) Innsbruck – Wien 2021, 37-54.
• Apokalyptische Symbolik in der pfingstlichen Vorstellungswelt – Herausforderungen und Pragmatik. Eine kritische Perspektive, in: Leandro L.B. Fontana und Markus Luber, Politischer Pentekostalismus. Transformation des globalen Christentums im Spiegel theologischer Motive und pluraler Normativität (Weltkirche und Mission 18), Regensburg 2023, 174-182.
• “Add Teresa of Avila and Stir”—Why Adding Women Does Not End Exclusion Mechanisms in (Theological) Science, in: Religions 2023, 14:1391, 1-18.
• A symmetry in Confession as a Cause of Sexual and Spiritual Violence—Dogma Historical Resources for Making Changes to Confession in Terms of Clerical and Sacramental Theology, in: Religions 2022, 13(4), 307; 1-10.

Websitelink to my Publications

Keywords

Gender and religion, queer theology, intersectionality, Catholic theology/church, 19th century history of theology, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler

Casegroup

Social Sciences