Study with University of Cambridge professors and lecturers
A comprehensive, in-depth academic course addressing inter-religious relations from different disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, philosophy, theology, history and comparative study.
Course leader
Professor Esra Özyürek, Dr Safet HadžiMuhamedović, Dr Iona Hine
Target group
No prior subject knowledge is required, but you are expected to have a strong interest in the field of interfaith studies and a readiness to engage with academic learning styles. A diversity of opinions and experiences is expected and encouraged.
You may be a student seeking to deepen and extend your existing field of study, a researcher exploring new territory, a practitioner welcoming the chance to develop your professional expertise, a faith leader wanting to learn and reflect through comparative study, or another kind of curious learner looking to understand inter-faith relations from different perspectives.
They welcome applicants without any discrimination based on ability, class, sex, gender identity or expression, sexuality, ethnicity, race, national origin or religion.
To be able to fully benefit from the course, you should be able to read and discuss complex academic texts in English.
Participation in the Summer School is subject to payment of the relevant registration fee. We offer a bursary scheme (reduced fee) for applicants from the Global South (following the UN definition) and others from disadvantaged backgrounds, in keeping with the University’s commitment to Widening Participation. See further details in the bursary section.
Course aim
An interactive course
The Summer School is taught by University of Cambridge academics. Building on our extensive research and teaching expertise, we will guide you through a mixture of lectures, seminar discussions, interactive workshops and immersive exercises. You will have a chance to engage in the Cambridge tradition of Scriptural Reasoning, visit an online photographic exhibition of Shared Sacred Landscapes, try out your own talents for visual research, and create your own inter-faith archive!
The course structure has been revised, based on feedback from our previous participants.
Each day includes a three-hour scheduled teaching session, hosted by your convenors. During these sessions, you will have lectures, masterclasses, and workshops with different members of the teaching team. At the end of each session, you will have chance to question the convenors and to continue informal conversations with other participants.
Between sessions, you will have exercises to complete, and the opportunity to interact with one another in the online learning environment.
Course content
- religious plurality & social change;
- faith-based responses to life elsewhere in the universe;
- indigenization;
- migration;
- empathy;
- shared & syncretic landscapes
Engaging traditions
- Scriptural Reasoning;
- religion & gender;
- visions of hell;
- theology & poetry across religious traditions;
- music;
- photography & cognitive mapping;
- religious conversion;
- religious encounters in history and today
- religion & conflict;
- problems of violence and evil;
- colonialism, nationalism & religion;
- methods & methodologies for the research of interfaith and inter-religious relations: archival, visual, ethnographic, phenomenological, hermeneutic
Those who complete the Summer School will:
- demonstrate familiarity and critical engagement with different theoretical and practical approaches to interfaith relations;
- understand the benefits and limits of historical, anthropological, philosophical, theological and visual methods in the study of inter-faith relations;
- gain practical experience in archival, visual and autoethnographic research;
- gain expertise to be academic researchers, teachers, activists, religious leaders, writers, artists, public speakers, event organisers or consultants in the field.l
- have a grasp of Scriptural Reasoning and engage in critical, comparative reading of scriptures;
- be able to discuss the relations between religious plurality, politics and subjectivity;
- develop an awareness of historical and contemporary inter-faith relations and challenges;
- locate connections between your studies/work and scholarship on inter-faith relations;
- have a grasp of Scriptural Reasoning and engage in critical, comparative reading of scriptures;
- be able to discuss the relations between religious plurality, politics and subjectivity;
- develop an awareness of historical and contemporary inter-faith relations and challenges;
- gain expertise to be academic researchers, teachers, activists, religious leaders, writers, artists, public speakers, event organisers or consultants in the field.
Credits info
Recognition and accreditation
Credits
Those wishing to seek credits from their home institutions may opt for an additional summative assignment (a 2000-word essay) due two weeks after the course.
Whilst we do not offer credits ourselves, we can write to your home institution to indicate that the Summer School, at Level 1 (FHEQ 4) offers knowledge equivalent to 4 US credits, 7.5 ECTS or 15 FHEQ.
Fee info
GBP 750: By 30 April
GBP 1000: From 1 May to 20 June
For further information, please click the "LINK TO ORIGINAL" button below.