Political Didactics and Political Education
Welcome to the Department of Political Didactics and Political Education!
The Chair of Political Didactics and Political Education at the University of Hildesheim contributes to the professional development of future political educators in schools and extracurricular settings. Guided by the model of the reflective practitioner, teaching is structured around a spiral curriculum based on the pillars of learning to think politically, learning to act politically, and learning to research politically, which is closely interwoven with the concept of discovery-based learning.
Research focuses include political didactic (auto)biographical research, narrative-based political education, historical-political education (focus: former GDR), and emotions in the didactics of the humanities and social sciences. The research activities of the professorship are driven by the conviction that political didactics is an intervention-oriented discipline, which must therefore be conceived as a development-oriented (educational) science focused on subject-specific didactic problems. The research motto of the professorship can therefore be summarized as “From Practice – For Practice – With Practice” and is concretely reflected, among other things, in design-based research projects.
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News
Tito's Legacy – Exploring Post-Socialist Memory Culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina
As part of the project “Post-Socialist Cultures of Memory in Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” students from the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Hildesheim once again organized an excursion with students from the University of Sarajevo. This time, the trip took them to Sarajevo to follow in the footsteps of Tito, explore the 1984 Olympic Games, and reflect on memories of World War II—both then and now.
Under the direction of Dr. Anja Schade and her Bosnian colleagues Prof. Dr. Jasmin Hasanović and Amina Vatreš, the second exchange between the political science departments of the Universities of Hildesheim and Sarajevo, on the topic of “Post-Socialist Cultures of Memory in Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” took place during the week of May 25 – May 31, 2026, the second exchange between the political science departments of the Universities of Hildesheim and Sarajevo took place on the topic of “Post-Socialist Cultures of Memory in Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina.” With support from Erasmus+ funding, master’s students—primarily from the teacher education program—at the University of Hildesheim traveled to Sarajevo to explore, together with their Bosnian peers, the process of coming to terms with and the public representation of socialist Yugoslavia. It became clear how deeply the memory of the socialist era had been overshadowed by the wounds of the Balkan wars. Nevertheless, traces of that era—such as the Eternal Flame, street names, and memories of the Olympic Games—could still be found in Sarajevo’s cityscape. Monuments such as the memorial in Sutjeska National Park, as well as the museum in Jablanica and the associated commemoration of the founding of Yugoslavia through the partisans’ victory over the international occupying powers during World War II, left a lasting impression on the students. Today’s debate over the socialist legacy is particularly evident in monuments covered with graffiti expressing support for or opposition to Yugoslavia. Overall, it became clear how little both the history and the impact of World War II in the Balkans are reflected in German history textbooks, and how little is known about Yugoslavia’s special role during the Cold War. Particularly with an eye toward the accession of the Balkan states to the EU, greater public attention should be focused on this issue. After all, the experiences of the Balkan states during World War II, the so-called Cold War, and the Balkan Wars will soon become an integral part of the history of the EU.
The collaboration between the political science departments at the Universities of Hildesheim and Sarajevo on the topic of “Post-Socialist Culture of Remembrance in Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina” has been in place since fall 2023. The field trips to both Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina were funded by the DAAD’s Erasmus+ program, as well as by the Institute for Social Sciences and the Chair of Political Didactics and Political Education at the University of Hildesheim. We would like to thank the International Office at the University of Hildesheim for its extensive support.
Dr. Anja Schade
Presentation as part of the conference “Climate Justice: Climate Shapes Education—Integrating Global Learning, ESD, and Climate and Democracy Education”
On August 24, 2026, Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke will deliver a lecture titled “The Current State of Democracy Education” in Rehburg-Loccum as part of the conference “Climate Justice: Climate Shapes Education—Thinking About Global Learning, ESD, and Climate and Democracy Education Together,” organized by the Evangelical Academy of Loccum (in cooperation with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs).
Keynote presentation as part of the workshop “Education and Learning in Later Life: Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Perspectives and the Classification of Key Areas of Learning” organized by the Geragogy Working Group
On June 26, 2026, Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke will present as part of the workshop “Education and Learning in Later Life: Inter- and Transdisciplinary Perspectives and Classification of Key Learning Areas,” organized by the Geragogy Working Group of the German Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics in cooperation with the German Center for Aging Issues (DZA) and the Federal Government’s 10th Commission on Aging, Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke will deliver a keynote address on the topic “Political Education—Goals, Formats, Challenges” in Freiburg.
Conference: "An Inclusive Society?! Perspectives from the Social Sciences and Educational Practice"
On May 11–12, 2026, the Academy for Political Education in Tutzing, in cooperation with the DVPW section “Political Science and Political Education,” will host the conference “Inclusive Society?! Social Science Perspectives and Educational Practice" (Chairs: Jörg Siegmund/JProf. Dr. Luisa Girnus/Prof. Dr. Isabelle-Christine Panreck/Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke). The conference program, registration details, and further information can be found here.
Presentation as part of the 2026 kubi-online Annual Conference
On April 29, 2026, Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke will deliver a keynote address titled “Democracy Education – But Aesthetically!? On the Understanding, Practices, and Structures of Cultural Democracy Education" organized by the Federal Academy for Cultural Education in Wolfenbüttel, a keynote speech on the topic “What is Democracy Education?” (see conference program).
Presentation as part of the 14th International Congress of the Ernst Troeltsch Society
On April 9, 2026, Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke will deliver a lecture titled “Is Conflict the Main Thing? A (Self-)Critical Perspective on Political Education” at the University of Hildesheim as part of the 14th International Congress of the Ernst Troeltsch Society (see conference program).
Discussion with the Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister of Lower Saxony
On January 20, 2026, Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke delivered a lecture titled “Democracy Education in Schools – Goals, Everyday Reality, and Outlook” as part of the spring reception “Education Strengthens Cohesion – Learning in a Democratic Society” ("Bildung stärkt Zusammenhalt – Lernen in einer demokratischen Gesellschaft") hosted by the Education Committee of the BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN parliamentary group in the Lower Saxony State Parliament. Following the lecture, Lower Saxony’s Minister of Culture and Deputy Minister-President, Julia Willie Hamburg, and Marc Partetzke engaged in a discussion on the topic.
Appointed to the commission
Prof. Dr. Marc Partetzke was appointed by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs as an expert member of the commission tasked with developing the core curriculum for politics in lower secondary education (2025–2027). He was elected by the State School Advisory Council.
Hildesheim - Sarajevo
The Department of Political Science (Chair of Political Didactics and Civic Education) at the University of Hildesheim and the Department of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo are currently working to strengthen their ties. As part of an initial one-year project (2025–2026) on the topic of “Post-socialist memory culture,” two consecutive seminars will be held in the winter semester of 2025/26 and the summer semester of 2026. The aim is to examine the different forms of socialist systems using the examples of the GDR and Yugoslavia, as well as the narratives that still exist today and their impact on current politics on the European continent. To this end, students will engage with aspects of both socialist systems in hybrid sessions and, as part of the Erasmus+ program, will first travel to Germany for one week and then to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the summer of 2026.
Science Communication
- “If not at the university, then where?” ("Wenn nicht an der Uni, wo dann?") – Political Participation and Democratic Dialogue on Campus (Conversation with Lena Ulbricht and Sara Reinke, UHiversum | The University of Hildesheim Magazine, Fall 2025/26); published on October 1, 2025
- UHiversum Talks Anniversary Double Episode: Hold My Mic – the season finale of science questions (Hold My Mic – das Staffel-Finale der Wissenschaftsfragen); published on August 5, 2025
- Historical-Political Education. Podcast “The History Lesson: Didactics in Dialogue” ("Die Geschichtsstunde: Didaktik im Dialog") (together with Julia Thyroff and Franziska Rein); published on May 20, 2025.
