Continuation of "Journalism on religion" training programme in 2025
Cluster of Excellence and School of Journalism qualify media professionals to deal with religious issues – “There is a growing need among journalists for knowledge regarding proliferation of religious conflicts” – Positive evaluation among participants leads to continuation of training programme
Together with the Catholic School of Journalism ifp, the University’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” will continue its “Journalism on Religion” training programme, the only such programme in Germany. Lectures will be given by professors from the Cluster of Excellence, members of religious and non-religious groups, and journalists who specialize in religious matters. Participants will also visit sites of religious relevance. The programme, which is unique in the German-speaking world, will run from January 2025 to June 2026 in five modules in Berlin, Münster, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne and Munich. Deadline for registration is 1 October 2024. Further information on registration and important dates can be found below.
“Religious affiliations are currently playing a role in many conflicts around the world”, says theologian and Cluster of Excellence speaker Prof. Dr. Michael Seewald. “However, formal affiliation to a religious community is declining in Western societies. There is a great need for knowledge about such somewhat contradictory phenomena. The second run of the training programme ‘Journalism on Religion’ gives media professionals access to the expertise of our research network. Quality journalism is one of the cornerstones of a functioning democracy, since it helps the public discern religious dynamics, discuss religious conflicts, and focus on the power of religions to shape society. This is exactly what the training programme ‘Journalism on Religion’ is about”.
Head of Research Communication at the Cluster of Excellence, Viola van Melis, adds that the training programme has proven to be an effective instrument for strengthening specialist and science journalism. “There was positive feedback about the programme from those who took part in the first run, all of whom work for large media companies, especially with regard to the range of topics, experts and excursions, and they fed their newly acquired knowledge into their articles in rich and diverse ways. This has encouraged us to continue, especially given increasing conflicts over religious rights and practices”.
Topics of the training programme
The training programme focuses on how the increasing plurality of worldviews is dealt with politically and socially; growing antisemitism; new ideological movements and the significance of digitalized public spheres; the constitutional law on religion; international conflicts about religion in the past and present; and the relationship between religion and violence, as well as between religion and gender. The programme also provides many insights into Jewish, Christian and Muslim life in Germany today. (vvm)
Training programme:
Module 1, 22-24 January 2025, Berlin: Religion, politics, law: Ensuring that the practice of religion remains unhindered
Module 2, 9-11 July 2025, Münster: Plurality of worldviews: Religions and the Tolerance of Ambiguity
Module 3, 8-10 October 2025, Frankfurt am Main: Belonging or exclusion: Jewish life in Germany
Module 4, 28-30 January 2026, Cologne: Us and them: Religious conflicts and their political consequences
Module 5, 24-26 June 2026, Munich: Ideological movements and conspiracy theories: Religions in the digital age
Each module begins on Wednesday at 4 pm and ends on Friday at 1.30 pm.
Seminar management
Burkhard Schäfers, ifp (seminar leader)
Registration
Please register via the ifp website.
Partners and sponsors
The training programme “Journalism on Religion” is a project run jointly by the Catholic School of Journalism ifp and the University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”. The programme is sponsored by the supporter association of the ifp (Fifp).
Fee
3,950 € for all five training modules, including accommodation and meals at each location (reduced fee 3,800 €). Deadline for registration: 1 October 2024.