Universität Wien

020047 VO VO Religion and Society (2025W)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 2 - Evangelische Theologie
MIXED
Moodle

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Details

Language: English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 01.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 08.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 15.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 22.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 29.10. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 05.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 12.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 19.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 26.11. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 03.12. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 10.12. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 17.12. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 07.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 14.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 21.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG
  • Wednesday 28.01. 18:30 - 20:00 Hörsaal 1 Schenkenstraße 8-10 5.OG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Students will improve their understanding of scholarly, political, and social debates about various forms of religious extremism.
Students will get an overview of extremist interpretations of various religions.
Students will explore of the relationship between religion and politics in Europe.
Students will discuss different debates and developments regarding religious extremism in Europe.

Assessment and permitted materials

Oral exam lasting 20 minutes each, with 3 questions asked on various areas of the lecture. There are 4 exam dates in total. The first takes place in person, the others online. Individual exam appointments are also possible.
The first exam date is the last course date on January 28.
The second exam date is February 10.
The third exam date is March 14.
The fourth exam date is June 28.
Students must register for all exams in person with the instructor.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

50% of the exam questions must be answered correctly in order to pass the exam. This means that at least one of the three exam questions must be answered correctly and another must be answered partially correctly.
The questions are asked in the form of an exam interview, i.e. there will also be follow-up questions.
Those who can answer two of the three questions completely receive a grade of 3, those who answer two completely and one partially correct receive grade 2. Grade 1 would be all questions correctly.

Examination topics

The course content:
Religion, State and Society in Europe, Definitions of extremism and debates, Muslim (Sunni and Shiite) extremism, Jihadi Terrorism/ISIS in Europe, Religious Extremism in Christianity (Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Coptic extremism), Jewish extremism in Judaism, Extremism in Buddhism, Hinduism/Hindu Nationalism, Sikh and Shinto extremism, cults and extremist new religious movements, radicalisation and deradicalisation in Europe

Reading list

Thierry Balzacq & Elyamine Settoul (eds.) 2022: Radicalization in Theory and Practice. Understanding Religious Violence in Western Europe. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Lo Mascolo, Gionathan (ed.) 2023: The Christian Right in Europe. Movements, Networks, and Denominations. Bielefeld: [transcript]

Veronika Hofinger / Thomas Schmidinger 2020: 'Muhajirun' from Austria. Why they left to join ISIS and why they don't return. Journal of Deradicalization, Spring 2020, Nr. 22, pp. 287-317

Thomas Schmidinger 2022: Profiting from Crisis? Catholic Traditionalism during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society. Volume 8, Issue 2, 6 December 2022, pp. 466-486

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Fr 24.04.2026 11:45