Digital Environments and Religions
People
Course director
Assistant
Description
The course offers an introduction to the relationship between religions and digital environments, outlining a historical and theoretical framework with a particular focus on two case studies: the pastoral reflection of the Catholic Church on social media, and interreligious communication. In the first lesson, the history of the development of the field known as digital religion will be reconstructed. The second lesson will provide examples of negotiation between the demands of certain religious traditions and the implicit normativity conveyed by digital technologies. The third and fourth lessons will be dedicated to the first case study, exploring the Catholic Church’s stance on the internet and social media. The fifth lesson will focus on the second case study, examining forms of interreligious contact or communication in digital environments and discussing the most promising theoretical and practical perspectives.
Objectives
This course aims to provide students with:
- A foundational understanding of the field of digital religion studies.
- Insight into the key challenges that religious traditions face in digital environments, with a particular focus on the Catholic Church’s perspective.
- An introduction to interreligious communication in digital environments, exploring its challenges and opportunities.
Teaching mode
Online
Learning methods
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Examination information
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Bibliography
- Interreligious contact and media: introduction (Anna Neumaier & Gritt Klinkhammer (2020), Religion, 50:3, 321-335.)
- The big friendly counter-space? Interreligious encounter within social media (Anna Neumaier (2020), Religion, 50:3, 392-413.)
- The space between us: considering online media for interreligious dialogue (Ruth Tsuria (2020), Religion, 50:3, 437-454.)
- Towards Full Presence: A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media (Dicastery for Communication (2023))
