The block seminar and excursion course will take place in Cairo, Egypt the week of April 6-12, 2026.
The theme is interreligious encounter and the negotiation of religious differences from classical antiquity until the present. Cairo offers an especially rich site for the exploration of these themes. Throughout history, Egypt has witnessed the rise and fall or empires; the transition from polytheism and syncretism to monotheism, as exemplified by the Exodus narrative in the Hebrew Bible, the persistence of Coptic Christianity, and the rise of Islam and Arabic culture in the region. We will visit the Giza pyramids complex and the adjacent, newly completed Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and Old Cairo or Coptic Cairo, as well as other sites of cultural and religious significance.
- Docente: Rosario Daga Portillo
- Docente: Loren Stuckenbruck
- Docente: Robert Yelle
Religious freedom, toleration, freedom of conscience: this idea,
enshrined in constitutions, statutes, and international treaties, is
regarded as one of the signal achievements of our modern, secular age.
Often called the “first freedom” and distinguished as the foundation and
precedent for other human rights, religious freedom has a more complex
history than is commonly recognized. We will examine the development of
this idea chronologically in European civilization, and look for
cross-cultural parallels in such places as ancient India and the Islamic
world. Authors who will be given special consideration include Martin
Luther, Roger Williams, John Locke, and Humphrey Prideaux, among others.
The class will be conducted in English. Written coursework may be
submitted in German or English.
- Docente: Henrike Engelhardt
- Docente: Robert Yelle
This seminar explores how political authority and legal unity have been conceptualized, justified, and contested in societies marked by religious plurality. Modern, secular legal systems are characterized by the centralization of sovereign authority in the nation state, and by the principle of equal treatment under law. At the same time, as a result of the principle of religious toleration, these systems often exhibit significant cultural and religious diversity. These two tendencies – the unity of law and the diversity of religions – exist in tension and can come into conflict, particularly when religious communities seek a degree of self-governance, which requires legal pluralism.
- Docente: Henrike Engelhardt
- Docente: Martin Lehnert
- Docente: Robert Yelle
In diesem Grundkurs werden Grundthemen und zentrale Theorien der
Religionswissenschaft anhand ausgewählter Texte von Klassikern und
Klassikerinnen vorgestellt und diskutiert. Damit werden wesentliche
Linien der religionswissenschaftlichen Forschungsgeschichte
rekonstruiert. Diese Einführungsveranstaltung dient als gute Basis für
die Orientierung auf religionswissenschaftliche Ansätze, was besonders
wichtig für Studienanfänger ist. Lektüre auf Deutsch und Englisch.
- Docente: Silviu-Vasile Rosu
- Docente: Robert Yelle
Der Kurs hat die Aufgabe, im weiten Feld der Religionsgeschichte zu orientieren. Ausgehend von der „Annahme, dass es auf der Welt eine Vielzahl Religionen gibt, die sich untereinander als Mitglieder einer Klasse wahrnehmen“, (Stausberg 2020, 18) werden unter Verwendung eines breiten Religionsbegriffs eine Vielzahl an Sinnstiftungen, Praktiken, Orientierungsmustern und Traditionen erkundet, um Ausgangspunkte für historische und systematische Vertiefungen zu identifizieren. Für die Auswahl des Materials sind folgende Schwerpunkte leitend:
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- Docente: Lorenz Trein