Only training programme in Germany in “Journalism on Religion” starts in January 2025
Cluster of Excellence and School of Journalism ifp qualify media professionals to deal with religious issues such as antisemitism, racism and new ideological movements
Antisemitism or racism, conflicts over religious practices such as the burkini and circumcision, and new ideological movements. To provide media professionals with expertise on religious matters, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster and the ifp School of Journalism are offering the “Journalism on Religion” training programme, the only one of its kind in Germany. The current programme starts in Berlin in January 2025.
The in-service programme qualifies journalists from political, cultural and specialist editorial offices to report on religious belongings and conflicts in pluralistic societies in a sound and critical way. Lectures will be given by researchers from the Cluster of Excellence, members of religious and non-religious groups, and journalists who specialize in religious matters. There will also be visits to religious sites such as synagogues, churches, mosques and temples, as well as diverse insights into Jewish, Christian and Muslim life today.
Unique in the German-speaking world, the training programme will take place from January 2025 to June 2026 in five modules in Berlin, Münster, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne and Munich. Lecturers from the Cluster of Excellence include the sociologist of religion Detlef Pollack, the historian Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, the Catholic theologian Michael Seewald, the Islamic theologian Dina El Omari, and the communication scientist Thorsten Quandt.
“A diversity of religious and non-religious beliefs can generate social conflicts”, says Cluster of Excellence speaker Michael Seewald. “Part of our research is to look at how social belongings arise, how conflicts over them are regulated, and how equality is achieved. Through this training programme, we can offer media professionals scholarly insights into such complex phenomena; indeed, science-based reporting is one of the cornerstones of democracy”.
The programme addresses the way in which the increasing diversity of beliefs is dealt with politically, legally and socially, conflicts over religious practices such as headscarves and crucifixes, church labour law, religious freedom and challenges faced by religious constitutional law. It also deals with the background to antisemitism, ideological movements and conspiracy theories in digital worlds, international conflicts over religion in the past and present, and the relationship between religion, violence and gender.
Burkhard Schäfers, seminar leader at the Catholic School of Journalism ifp, highlights the programme’s importance for editorial offices: “The Middle East conflict shows that journalists need specialist knowledge on the subject of religion in order to be able to ask relevant questions and to understand how events fit into the wider picture”.
Viola van Melis, Head of the Centre for Research Communication at the Cluster of Excellence, says that the training programme has proven to be an effective tool for strengthening specialist and science journalism. “Those from large media organizations who participated in the programme were positive with regard to the variety of issues covered, the experts involved, and the excursions undertaken; in many cases, they were also able to feed their new knowledge into their reporting. This encourages us to continue with the programme”. (vvm/tec)
Program
Module 1: Religion, politics, law: The undisturbed practice of religion shall be guaranteed
Module 1: Religion, politics, law: The undisturbed practice of religion shall be guaranteed
Date: 22.-24.01.2025
Location: Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Haus, Ziegelstraße 30, 10117 BerlinMittwoch, 22.01.2025 bis 16.00 Uhr Anreise (Arrival) 16.00 Uhr Begrüßung und Einführung (Welcome and introduction) Burkhard Schäfers
Viola van Melis16.30 Uhr Religion, Politik, Recht: Eine Einführung (Religion, Politics, Law: An Introduction) Fabian Wittreck 18.30 Uhr Abendessen (Dinner) 19.30 – 20.30 Uhr Gespräch: Journalismus im Feld von Religion und Politik (Dialogue: Journalism in the field of religion and politics) Christoph Strack Donnerstag, 23.01.2025 09.00 Uhr Religionspolitik: Grundlagen und Fallbeispiele (Religious policy: foundations and case studies) Matthias Kortmann 12.00 Uhr Mittagessen (Lunch) 13.30 Uhr Besuchsprogramm mit Gesprächen im Sri-Ganesha-Hindu-Tempel und im
buddhistischen Fo-Guang-Shan-Tempel (Visiting program with talks in the Sri-Ganesha-Hindu-Temple and in the Buddhist Fo Guang Shan Temple)Christoph Strack
Vilwanathan Krishnamurthy
Miaoshiang Shih
Wolfgang Wulf18.00 Uhr Abendessen (Dinner) 19.00 – 20.30 Uhr Religion in der Verfassung – ein Blick auf Europa (Religion in the constitution – a look at Europe) Dieter Grimm Freitag, 24.01.2025 Gespräche über Religionspolitik (Talks on religious policy) 09.00 Uhr Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands (Humanist Association of Germany) Katrin Raczynski 10.00 Uhr Katholisches Büro in Berlin (Catholic Office in Berlin) Karl Jüsten 11.00 Uhr Die Linke (Die Linke) Petra Pau 12.00 Uhr Schlussrunde (Final round) Burkhard Schäfers
Viola van Melis12.30 Uhr Mittagessen, anschließend Abreise (Lunch, followed by departure) Referentinnen & Referenten / Gesprächspartner
- Dieter Grimm
Professor (em.) für Öffentliches Recht, Bundesverfassungsrichter a.D., Berlin (Professor (emeritus) of Public Law, former judge at the Federal Constitutional Court, Berlin) - Karl Jüsten
Leiter Katholisches Büro, Berlin (Director of the Catholic Office, Berlin) - Matthias Kortmann
Interdisziplinäre Juniorprofessur „Religion und Politik“, TU Dortmund, und Kooperationsprojekt Exzellenzcluster „Religion und Politik“, Universität Münster (Interdisciplinary Junior Professor “Religion and Politics”, TU Dortmund; sub-project Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, University of Münster) - Vilwanathan Krishnamurthy
Initiator des Sri-Ganesha-Hindu-Tempels, Berlin (Founder of the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple, Berlin) - Petra Pau
MdB, Religionspolitische Sprecherin der Gruppe Die Linke im Bundestag, Berlin (Member of the Bundestag, spokesperson on religious policy for Die Linke in the Bundestag, Berlin) - Katrin Raczynski
Bundesvorstand, Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, Berlin (Federal Executive Board, Humanist Association of Germany, Berlin) - Miaoshiang Shih
Meisterin, Fo-Guang-Shan-Tempel, Berlin (Master, Fo Guang Shan Temple, Berlin) - Christoph Strack
Leiter Bereich Religionspolitik, Deutsche Welle, Berlin (Head of Religious Policy department, Deutsche Welle, Berlin) - Viola van Melis
Leiterin Zentrum für Wissenschaftskommunikation, Exzellenzcluster „Religion und Politik“, Universität Münster (Head of the Centre for Research Communication, Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, University of Münster) - Fabian Wittreck
Leiter des Instituts für Öffentliches Recht und Politik, Exzellenzcluster „Religion und Politik“, Universität Münster (Director of the Institute for Public Law and Politics, Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, University of Münster) - Wolfgang Wulf
Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Fo-Guang-Shan-Tempel, Berlin (Public Relations, Fo-Guang-Shan Temple, Berlin)
- Dieter Grimm
Module 2: Plurality of worldviews: Religions and the tolerance of ambiguity
Module 2: Plurality of worldviews: Religions and the tolerance of ambiguity
Date: 9-11 July 2025
Location: Münster
Program will follow
Module 3: Belonging or excluded: The lives of religious minorities in Germany
Module 3: Belonging or excluded: The lives of religious minorities in Germany
Date: 8-10 October 2025
Location: Frankfurt am Main:
Program will follow
Module 4: Us and them: Religious conflicts and their political consequences
Module 4: Us and them: Religious conflicts and their political consequences
Date: 28-30 January 2026
Location: Cologne
Program will follow
Module 5: Ideological movements and conspiracy theories: Religions in the digital age
Module 5: Ideological movements and conspiracy theories: Religions in the digital age
Date: 24-26 June 2026
Location: Munich
Program will follow
Seminar management, partners and sponsors
Seminar management
Burkhard Schäfers, ifp (seminar leader)
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.