Intersession Seminars 2017

INTERSESSION SEMINARS 2017
CRCS welcomes graduate students and the public to enroll in the following intersession seminars on religious and cross-cultural studies for credit or as auditors. Each course is offered for 3 credits (SKS). All courses are conducted in English. Each meets twice weekly, 3 hours per meeting, for a total of twelve meetings. The courses will be held between May 15 and July 31, with a two-week break for the Eid holiday. For further info, please contact Lina Pary at crcs@ugm.ac.id; office: 0274-544976.

***

Religion and Human Rights

Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir (Graduate School, UGM) and Dr. Suhadi (Graduate School, Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University)
Co-sponsored by the Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University’s Law School. Guest lecturers will include Tore Lindholm, Renata Arianingtyas, Lena Larsen, Mun’im Sirry, Brett Scharffs, and Heiner Bielefeldt
This course will introduce students to the many facets of the interface between the discourses of human rights and religion, with emphasis on the issue of freedom of religion or belief (FORB). It starts with an introduction to the main concepts of human rights, especially FORB, and how they have been understood by religious communities. It then looks at how commitment to the ideals of human rights has been translated into major international instruments as well as state regulation of religions. Case studies will be introduced to examine important issues for today’s Indonesia including human rights approaches to conflict as well as the state of advocacy for religious freedom. The next part of the course will be taught by a series of prominent guest lecturers on such topics as shari’a and human rights and the issue of hate speech and defamation of religion.  Finally the course will conclude with a reconsideration of the main philosophical and political challenges for FORB.

***

Muslim-Buddhist Relations

Prof. Dr. Imtiyaz Yusuf
Center for Buddhist-Muslim Understanding
College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University
This is a joint course between CRCS and the Graduate Program of Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, and is partly supported by Mahidol University’s College of Religious Studies.
This course introduces students to a comparative study of Buddhist and Islamic teachings and practices and to the history of Muslim-Buddhist relations. It will also examine the role of local, Asian and foreign political and religious organizations and their effect on Muslim-Buddhist relations in Asia today. It will study such contemporary developments as the Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 and the ongoing cases of conflict in Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The course will conclude with ideas for peace-building initiatives and dialogue between Muslim and Buddhist communities today.  After successful completion of this course, students will be able to: (1) learn about the main beliefs and practices of Buddhism and Islam in a comparative perspective, (2) understand and analyze the state of contemporary Buddhist-Muslim relations, including tensions, conflicts and the need for bridge building and conflict resolution.This course will introduce students to the many facets of the interface between the discourses of human rights and religion, with emphasis on the issue of freedom of religion or belief (FORB). It starts with an introduction to the main concepts of human rights, especially FORB, and how they have been understood by religious communities. It then looks at how commitment to the ideals of human rights has been translated into major international instruments as well as state regulation of religions. Case studies will be introduced to examine important issues for today’s Indonesia including human rights approaches to conflict as well as the state of advocacy for religious freedom. The next part of the course will be taught by a series of prominent guest lecturers on such topics as shari’a and human rights and the issue of hate speech and defamation of religion.  Finally the course will conclude with a reconsideration of the main philosophical and political challenges for FORB.

***

The Image of the Enemy

Dr. Kristian Steiner (Dep. Political Science, Malmo University) and Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Ahnaf (Graduate School, UGM)
Guest speakers will include  Dr. Samsurizal Panggabean (Dep. Politics and Government, UGM) and Dr. Gregory Vanderbilt (CRCS). This course in co-sponsored by CRCS and Malmo University’s cooperation with the Faculty of Political and Social Science of Gadjah Mada University.
The continuing threats of terrorism and communal violence in the contemporary context of rising religious fundamentalism and populism are inseparable from the production of images of the enemy. Radical political ideologies require justifications not only from religious and secular doctrines but also through the construction of perceived realities identified as threats in intergroup relations. This course concerns what enemy images are, how they arise and are used to justify war, what consequences they can lead to and how they can be counteracted. It introduces students to both theoretical discussions about enemy images and examples of their deployment in Western and Asian contexts. After completing the course, students will (1) able to independently identify and analyze enemy image constructions in different contexts, (2) have basic understanding of how enemy images and cultural violence can justify different forms of violence, (3) have basic understanding of theories explaining the acceptance of enemy images as well as how enemy images can be counteracted.

***

Look at the schedule of the Intersession Seminars here.
[wpdm_package id=’10746′]
[wpdm_package id=’10536′]