Academic year 2026/2027
Overview
The place of religion in the public life of society has been questioned since the rise of the secular realm and anti-religious politics. Today, Religion is back in academic discussions, but it is entering a world in which secular reason and post-totalitarian societies have become the challenges. In this new situation, the discussion of religion enters.
The course explores how religious education and church-based practices can contribute to the strengthening of civil society in post-totalitarian contexts. The primary case explored in the course is Ukraine and Orthodox Christianity, with particular attention to the ways religious narratives, institutions, and educational practices respond to experiences of repression, war, and social transformation.
Learning Approach
At Sankt Ignatios Folkhögskola, the overarching principle that guides learning is that all knowledge is intersubjective.
Knowledge is dialogue, which requires humility and empathy.
This course is built on collaborative and dialogical learning where participants actively shape not only their common learning journey but also the course itself. The content, materials, and methods will be adapted in real time based on participants’ needs, interests, and input. Beyond mastering subject matter, a central goal is for each participant to become aware of how shared learning experiences and dialogue transforms their thinking, practice and identity. Through dialogue, narrative, group discussions, shared reflection, creative expression, and collective exploration, participants develop awareness of their own growth while supporting others’ development. The learning community becomes a space where everyone’s experiences and questions not only enrich understanding but actively guide the direction of the course, helping each person to integrate learning into their own life context in meaningful, personally transformative ways.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the participants are (individually and collectively) expected to be able to:
- discuss in an informed way how totalitarian regimes function (according to Arendt) and contribute with their own perspectives how religious education can foster the courage to act within the structures of education itself;
- reflect on their personal and collective responsibility, exploring their own capacity to act courageously and ethically in societal, community, and educational contexts;
- employ collaborative practices in church-society relations, and
- reflect on their own contexts and together with others design ideas or projects whereby the Church can promote democracy, participation in civil society, and representative governance
Other requirements
Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to participate in all course activities, both by being present and playing an active role in scheduled sessions and by completing assignments outside of scheduled lessons. If participants miss lessons, they may be required to complete extra assignments to fulfill the learning outcome requirements of the course. For the course to be considered complete, 80% attendance and participation are required.
The Deans Council revised the syllabus on January 14, 2026.