Special honor for Markus Tiedemann: The Chair of Practical Philosophy and Didactics of Philosophy at TU Dresden's Institute of Philosophy takes first place in the category of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Studies in the national "Professor of the Year" competition run by the UNICUM Foundation 2023. In Dresden, he is the only professor so far to have come first in this competition. At the same time, he is the first award-winning researcher from the humanities.

The competition for the title "Professor of the Year" has been organized annually since 2006 by the UNICUM Foundation under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. First, in this two-stage process, students, doctoral students and cooperation partners nominate professors for the title. In the second stage, an independent jury decides on the winner. The title honors exceptional commitment on the part of professors in preparing their students for the start of their careers.

Most of Markus Tiedemann's students have a clear vision of their future careers right from the start: They want to become teachers. Markus Tiedemann sees himself and his teaching as a role model: Good teachers are characterized by expertise, methodological competence and commitment. That's precisely where university teaching must lead the way." He succeeds in this endeavor by closely dovetailing theory and practice. He enhances projects on topics and concepts such as the culture of dispute, post-enlightenment society, transcendental tolerance education and normative integration not only with comprehensive specialized didactic training, but also with field trips and practical seminars, because, Tiedemann says, "Practice without theoretical reflection is blind, but pure theory is likely to be empty. We need to include internships, out-of-school learning locations, alternative professional fields, and current political challenges in university education."

Therefore, his research and teaching addresses issues such as de-radicalization processes among young people or the possibilities and limits of cooperation with out-of-school learning locations, adventure-based learning, and philosophical education. By providing a theoretical foundation and, at the same time, practical involvement, this enables prospective teachers to combine their teaching with excursions and class trips in a way that is beneficial to their specialist teaching, and also gives them an insight into possible fields of work outside of the school system. This approach is made possible by a dense network of cooperation partners and close collaboration with them. In several cases, this collaboration has gone so far that student projects have led to the revision and expansion of out-of-school learning locations. To give an example, students designed an accompanying event to the Future Food exhibition at the German Hygiene Museum, and developed the prototypes of the Thinking Stations at the German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven. Plans for the coming semesters include the development of teaching materials related to the Buchenwald and Theresienstadt memorial sites and a supplementary proposal on the topic of "Fair War" at the German Military History Museum. In May 2024, Professor Tiedemann's students will travel down the Elbe River in canoes as part of the "Cross-Connection" project to engage in discussions with citizens in five different communities on controversial topics such as migration, climate change, and fair war. It's not just such excursions that Tiedemann's students benefit from. In the lecture hall, too, they appreciate his vivid and motivating teaching and his respectful interaction, which creates a welcoming learning atmosphere.

Markus Tiedemann himself is grateful for this Germany-wide recognition of his teaching, for which he was nominated by his students: "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the students who nominated me for the selection process. I am aware of one of them, and I am speculating about others. If my speculations are correct, these people have just left the university with degrees and we are fortunate to have such competent and dedicated individuals working in our educational system."

Vice-Rector Academic Affairs, Prof. Michael Kobel, congratulates: "The University Executive Board warmly congratulates Professor Tiedemann! With his outstanding commitment to the training of our future teachers, he embodies the self-perception of TU Dresden as a societal actor to an exceptional degree. His courses address urgent ethical questions on human rights discourses, migration, pluralism, fake news and conspiracy theories. In doing so, he opens up enriching collaborations for his students with non-university institutions such as the Buchenwald Memorial site, the German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven, as well as other museums and theaters both in and outside of Dresden, from which they will also benefit as future teachers. TU Dresden as a university and as a place where teachers are educated in Saxony is extremely delighted that this commitment is now receiving such extraordinary recognition."

Contact:
Prof. Markus Tiedemann 
Chair of Practical Philosophy and Didactics of Philosophy
Tel.: +49 351 463-32576