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Type

PhD Programme

Access mode

Programmed

Length

3 years

Location

Reggio Emilia

Language

Italian

Department

Department of Education and Humanities

Course presentation (FOR PhD course/Specialisation school ONLY)

Italian National PhD Program in Religious Studies – sources, norms, traditions and methods

The Italian National PhD Program in Religious Studies aims to be a place for training and boosting specialist knowledge concerning religious experience, its normative and theological expressions, and the heritage of sources and their interpretation. The aim is to create a scientific community open and attractive to the best national and international scholars and candidates that, in the context of growing religious illiteracy and religious climate change, is able to produce scientific knowledge regarding different beliefs and approaches from the past. The program operates within six curricula or disciplinary areas:

- Christianity
- Islam
- Judaism
- Buddhism and Religions of Asia
- Law and Religions
- AI and Religious Studies

They will each integrate exegetical, sociological, philosophical reflection and the competent implementation of historical and hermeneutic methods on written, iconographic, and oral sources, as well as theoretical issues.

For the first three years, the administrative office of Italian National PhD Program will be the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, which is also a partner of the consortium. Students will be enrolled by the administrative office of the program and they will be placed within the research groups of the partner Universities that provide the research grants according to the results of the selection process.

Info

Department: Department of Education and Humanities
Didactic method: PRESENCE
PhD Coordinator

Prof. Alberto Melloni

mail: alberto.melloni@unimore.it


PhD Organizational Secretariat

dottorato.drest@unimore.it


PhD Website

https://drest.eu/

More information

Italian second cycle master's degree (“Laurea Magistrale”, under D.M. 270/04 or “Laurea Specialistica”, under D.M. 509/99) or Italian degree obtained prior to D.M. 509/99 (the previous Italian regulations) or Second cycle Master's degree obtained abroad, equivalent to the above-mentioned Italian degrees and recognized as suitable for the admission to doctoral program.
Further information available in the Call.

The National PhD Program in Religious Studies (DREST) aims to foster the acquisition of the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary for research within universities and high-qualification centers at both national and international levels. Among its career opportunities, it aims to train future researchers capable of integrating into diverse academic and scientific contexts within the fields of historical, legal, philosophical, literary, linguistic, philological, and exegetical research.

DREST also aims to train professionals who can operate within the educational sector—both in schools of all levels and grades—as well as in multicultural training and cooperation contexts.

Furthermore, DREST intends to provide a third-level training opportunity for:

a) Highly qualified researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage;

b) Competent actors in religious diplomacy, international cooperation, and interreligious exchange;

c) Officials active in the relationship and dialogue between state legal systems and faith communities, and, more broadly, in religious pluralism within multicultural societies;

d) Content creators in dissemination and information, such as journalists and popularizers, aimed at curbing antagonisms and misconceptions that often slow down or jeopardize integration mechanisms within plural, multi-faith systems;

e) Specialists in strategic social sectors where a deep, diachronic knowledge of phenomena, sources, and issues related to the religious experience is required.

The scientific objective of the Italian National PhD Program in Religious Studies is to foster the acquisition and implementation of skills to carry out highly qualified research activities at the national and international level in all disciplinary sectors and fields of knowledge that cross or are crossed by religious experience.