Our courses are aligned with the principle of research-based teaching and learning at the University of Oldenburg (policy paper) as well as with the emphasis on research integration set out in School III’s Concept for Teaching Excellence. This includes developing courses based on the lecturers’ current research projects, adopting a fundamentally research-oriented approach to the subject matter, and taking current research findings into account when designing and delivering the curriculum.

Within the framework of research-based and research-oriented teaching, students participate in the research process and play an active role in shaping it. This involves reflecting on relevant research questions, reviewing the current state of research and critically analysing individual research contributions on a specific topic, conducting methodologically guided investigations, as well as evaluating, interpreting, contextualising and presenting the findings.

For example, in the literary studies seminar, students examine the current state of research on Low German theatre from 1900 to 1945 and, on this basis, identify relevant research questions on this topic. In the linguistics seminar, students practise analytical skills in order to situate regional varieties of modern Low German within the Low German language area, taking into account dialectal features at various linguistic levels. And in the literary didactics seminar, the focus is on collectively addressing the question of how literary skills can be taught to pupils in the classroom using Birgit Lemmermann’s young adult novel *Ebbe un Hehn*.