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Overview

Religious Studies explores the religions of the world in their cultural, social, and historical contexts. You have the option to specialise, for example, in the fields of history of religion of the ancient Near East and the ancient world, history of the Jewish religion, history of the Christian religion, history of the Islamic religion, history of the Indian and Indian-derived religions, history of religion of East Asia.

• Start: Winter semester and summer semester
• Application: Restricted.
• Taught in: German
• 2-subject programme: 2. subject required - table of combinations

Details

Religion as part of communication and culture

Religious studies explores the religions of the world in their cultural, social, and historical contexts. Alongside the study of culture-specific developments, it is dedicated to the systematic exploration of religion as a general part of social communication and cultural production. Religion is examined here in its interactions with other cultural areas such as politics, business, law, economics, art, etc.

The interdisciplinary, research-oriented structure of the degree course, which is held in close cooperation between various historico-philological and socio-cultural disciplines, ensures a comprehensive and diversified education which is practically unmatched by any other religious studies location in Germany.

Religious traditions past and present

Substantive and theoretical perspectives are closely related in religious studies. In the individual courses, both aspects are therefore always present, but with differing emphasis. Courses with a systematic focus address empirical material with theoretical questions and in so doing, are oriented to the issues and methods of social and cultural studies (for example sociology, political science, ethnology, psychology, science of history and law, and economics).

In the substantive area, a wide range of courses is available to you, in which you first acquire basic knowledge of the major religious traditions in the past and present. In the course of your further studies, you can extend this basic knowledge according to your own interests. You can specialise, for example, in the fields of ancient religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hindu religions, Buddhism, Taoism, or Confucianism.

Empirical religious studies draws on the methods of historical science and quantitative and qualitative social research. The sources for religious studies are oral traditions, archaeological finds, texts, historical sources, iconographic materials, observed acts, and qualitative and quantitative data. Ist objects of analysis can be individual periods of time, regions, cultures, as well as specific topics that are comparatively processed from a diachronic and synchronic perspective.

Application

General requirement: You need at least a high school degree to study this programme. For admission and successful studies a high standard of German language skills is required.

This programme is restricted, application at the University online portal.

• Please use the online application.
• International Students: Please read the application informationen of our International Office.

• Online admission times: Winter semester: from june up to july 15th.; Summer semester: from december up to january 15th.
• General admission information

Student Counseling

Hanna Steppat (Studienkoordination)
Building FNO, Room 01/178
Tel.: +49 234/32 -28272
E-Mail: Hanna Steppat
Office hour: Di 10-12 h
Homepage Student Counseling

Sekretariat Religionswissenschaft
Building FNO, Room 01/174
Tel.: +49 234/32 -28272
E-Mail: Sekretariat Religionswissenschaft
Office hour: Mo 10-12 h, Mi 13:30-15 h, Do 14-15 h
Homepage Student Counseling

Fachschaft Religionswissenschaft (Beratung durch Studierende)
Building FNO, Room 01/182
Tel.: +49 234/32 -26490
E-Mail: Fachschaft Religionswissenschaft
Office hour: n.V.
Homepage Student´s representatives