The ReCuPL programme has five teaching modules (30 ECTS): Religion and Law; Cultural Pluralism and Religious Freedom; Defining Religion: Historical Perspective; Religious Governance and Political System; Methodology of PhD Research.

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Teaching Activities Plan 2024/2025: donwload by clicking here. 

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Rationale of teaching modules:

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Module 1. Religion and Law
This module introduces doctoral students into the socio-legal analysis of governance of religious diversity and legal implementation of religious freedom focusing on the public dimension of religious and cultural life. Different areas of analysis will be examined including religion and national and international legal/judicial systems; national and local implementation of religious freedom worldwide; municipal administrations and faith communities within various legal, social and cultural contexts. This module offers socio-legal theoretical frameworks and methods of analysis explaining the possibilities of comparative research of national legislation and international legal framework focusing on the processes of juridification/judicializatioin of religion and legal culture; development and implementation of multiculturalist policies; religion and legal developments in post-conflict societies. It addresses the legal status of religious communities, the presence of legal norms concerning religion/secular culture in public institutions like schools, hospitals, and courts, as well as issues related to religion in the workplace. Furthermore, it explores the permissible limitations imposed on religious freedom and the intersecting rights examining most controversial legal cases around the globe. 

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Module 2. Cultural Pluralism and Religious Freedom
This module focuses on the sociological definitions of the concepts of religion, culture and religious freedom emphasizing private and public meanings they imply. It introduces the keycharacteristics of cultural and religious diversity and religious pluralism considering them as descriptive and normative principles of modern and traditional cultures and societies along with the sociological dimensions of religious freedom. The lectures in this module offer knowledge about the crucial role played by religion within different socio-political and cultural environments broadly exploring classical and contemporary socioreligious theories and various methods of empirical analysis. Theoretical perspectives of secularisation, deprivatization and individualization of religion, multiculturalism/interculturalism and political secularism will be studied showing the way religions can provide the encompassing cultural codes for civil societies. The phenomenon of increasing cultural and religious diversity will be studied along with the analysis of models of national citizenship and the process of national identity formation, emphasizing the crucial role of religion as a marker of cultural difference. Therefore, broader conceptions of the public sphere, democracy, justice, inclusion, rights, and freedoms are considered along with the changing characteristics of religious phenomenon in the context of national and global societies.

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Module 3. Defining Religion: Historical Perspective
This module is designed to provide doctoral students with a rich socio-historical framework for understanding religious phenomena, with a particular focus on the concept of religious diversity and pluralism as integral and evolving aspects of both modern and traditional cultures and societies. It delves into the historically informed approach, which involves assessing, questioning, and elucidating the ways in which "religions" intersect with established boundaries, authority structures, and the identities of social and cultural life. The lectures within this module offer a compelling analysis of several critical themes, including the relationship between religion, memory, and the nation-state; the role of rituals, heritage, material culture in shaping national identity; the socio-historical conditions that have contributed to the diversification of religious and non-religious life; historical models of interfaith, intra-religious, and secular dialogue; the development of collective identity and citizenship in both ancient and modern societies; the examination of historical forms of religious and secular commitment and civic engagement; the exploration of historical patterns in migration processes and the diffusion of transnational religious influences. Additionally, the module delves into the analysis of the historical discourses surrounding tolerance and religious freedom illustrating the perspective of historical hermeneutics of religion.

 

Module 4. Religious Governance and Political System
This module primarily focuses on the socio-political dimensions surrounding the governance of religious diversity and religious freedom within the public sphere. Political systems and cultures, their compatibility with religious freedom and religious pluralism, state-based discrimination of religion, and societal-level of discrimination on the bases of religion are examined in this module. The module equips students with theoretical frameworks and sociopolitical analytical tools for managing religious and cultural diversity, with a strong emphasis on the importance of comparative political analysis at the age of globalization. It delves into complex issues like the dynamics of secularism and religious discrimination, religious and political conflicts, religious fundamentalism, as well as political theology. Relationship of democracy and religious freedom, role of Europeanization process, multi-level governances of religious and cultural pluralism are considered by illustrating a variety of political systems and governmental policies in the sphere of religious/cultural diversity management in the healthcare system, social services, economic organizations and various NGOs. The role of international organizations and networks is studied in this module to differentiate models of political secularism in various countries and to specify the compatibility/connection and challenges of liberal political ideas of religious freedom and equality with democratic/authoritarian regimes and diversified political party systems. 

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Module 5. Methodology of PhD Research
The module provides a solid education in the field of methodology of social research analyzing the role of cultural and religious phenomena in fostering the meanings of normative, communicative and symbolic aspects of public life and day-to-day relations. This module empowers doctoral students with qualitative and quantitative techniques that characterize the methods of data collection, processing and interpretation in the sphere of interdisciplinary research of religion, culture and public life. Special attention is paid to the theoretical, analytical, empirical and ethical aspects of research in this field. As an outcome, the students will acquire the competences of application of a broad array of quantitative and qualitative methods of research and integrate various theoretical approaches across the disciplines dealing with public dimensions and conditions of religious and cultural pluralism. This module develops research sensitivity toward identifying religious/cultural characteristics of public life with the following task of developing research methodologies and collaborative projects of research in this sphere, thus transforming theoretical knowledge into a practical tool suitable for designing actions to effectively address the challenges and complexity of studied filed. This module nourishes doctoral students with knowledge regarding research design and statistical methods of research, as well as develops practical skills of conducting research with various softwares for the purposes of qualitative and quantitative research.

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