Integrative Religious Education in Europe: A Study-of-Religions ApproachThis book is a contribution to the development of the young discipline of the didactics of the Study of Religions (Religionswissenschaft) in international perspective. Integrative religious education refers to education about different religions in classrooms with children of various religious and non-religious backgrounds. Cornerstones of recent debates about theory and methodology in the academic study of religions and in education are discussed in the first chapter. They form the basis of the following analysis and evaluation of current approaches to integrative religious education in Europe, with a special focus on England and Sweden. Particular attention is paid to the different underlying concepts of religion, education and ways of representing religious plurality in these approaches. Building on a discussion of the current situation of teaching and learning about religions in schools in Europe in the context of wider cultural, social and political debates, the book concludes with the suggestion of a framework for integrative religious education in Europe, from a perspective that combines insights from the study of religions and education. |
Contents
2 | |
5 | |
26 | |
Chapter II | 86 |
Current approaches to RE in England | 111 |
Curriculum and Assessment Authority | 115 |
Approaches to teaching Christianity | 187 |
Chapter III | 211 |
The concept of religion | 236 |
The representation of religions | 245 |
The notion of education in Swedish RE | 282 |
Chapter IV | 290 |
Integrative RE in the European context | 312 |
A framework for integrative RE in Europe | 353 |
The potential of integrative RE | 388 |
437 | |
The history of integrative RE in Sweden | 219 |
Aims and contents of integrative RE in Sweden | 226 |