From February 2019: New course on "Religious competence in the migration society"

Why religious literacy?

Our society is characterized by social, cultural, economic and religious diversity. Different religious groups come together in public life. This raises questions about religious practices, associated worldviews and lifestyles, which are not only politically powerful and represented in the media as a result of migration and refugee movements, but also directly confront people in dealing with differences and religion as a social reality.

Increasing complexity due to migration raises questions about how to deal with religious diversity. For many people with a migration background, religion is an important part of their identity. In a professional context, professionals are not only confronted with religious diversity, but also with their own relationship of closeness or distance to religion. This leads to a field of tension that requires both knowledge of and reflection on religion(s). Religious competence is made up of

• Knowledge of religion as an identity-forming and cultural affiliation and how to deal with religious diversity. Religious competence combines religious sensitivity with an orientation towards action in plural-religious situations
• Knowledge competence between cultural, religious studies and everyday understanding of religion
• Self-competence as a reflexive moment of one's own religious closeness or distance and the associated handling in a pluralistic society
• Intervention skills in the sense of the ability to act in inter- and intra-religious conflicts and religious claims to validity and truth

Goals

The participants

• acquire basic knowledge about religions, religious practices, world views and lifestyles and are aware of the diversity of religious beliefs, their forms of community and practice in different socio-cultural contexts
• know the legal requirements and are aware of the relationship between religion and the state
• learn to deal with religious validity and truth claims and learn to apply interventions in a religion-sensitive manner
• reflect on their own closeness to and distance from religion, develop a professional attitude in their work context and act as multipliers in religious issues
• expand their communication and conflict resolution skills

Target group

The course is aimed at people who have to deal with religious diversity in their work context.

Speakers

Georg Nuhsbaumer, theologian, Head of Social Issues at Kardinal König Haus; Prof. MMag.a Dr.in Regina Polak MAS, Institute for Practical Theology, University of Vienna, Research Network "Religion in the Context of Migration"; Prof. Dr. Wolfram Reiss, Institute for Systematic Theology and Religious Studies, Board of CEURABICS - Center for Euro- pean-Arab & Islamic-Christian Studies; Univ.Prof. Dr. Wolfram Reiss, Institute for Systematic Theology and Religious Studies, Director of CEURABICS - Center for European-Arab & Islamic-Christian Studies; Mag.a Kathrin Ruth Lauppert-Scholz, cultural mediator Granatapfel; Prof.in Dr.in Anne Koch, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Salzburg, trainer at Occurso e.V. for interreligious conflict mediation, etc.

Date & participation fee

• Wednesday, February 13, 2019 to Friday, February 15, 2020, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day
• 14 course days with additional excursions, reflection and practical units in the period from February 2019 to February 2020
• € 1.390,- incl. lunch, refreshments during breaks and scripts