Folia Canonica 11. (2008)
NEWS IN BRIEF - Nikos Maghioros: The Profile of the European Thematic Network on Religion and State Interaction
260 NEWS IN BRIEF 1. The role of religious perceptions in the configuration of political and economic behaviours. 2. The protection of religious freedom concerning the individual, State and religious communities. 3. The relations of religion, religious structures and democracy. 4. The fundamentalist phenomenon in all its expressions (genesis, social and political dimension) 5. The conditions and forms of realization of an ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. The specific objectives, related to the rationale of the Network and the generic objectives aim: 1. To identify the existing teaching methods and materials and to place them at the disposal of the members of the Network with the aid of databases. This will contribute to understanding the academic diversity. 2. To adopt the tuning methodology that will enable the Network to inform the academic institutions on the philosophy of the Declaration of Bologna, to contribute to facilitating the recognition and comparability of diplomas, to improve quality control by establishing common criteria and to insert an evaluation system of credit recognition, in the frame of the “two cycles” system. 3. To elaborate educational and pedagogical methods regarding the adequate teaching and the science policies of specific subject areas, promoting innovation in teaching methods and creating a model curriculum structure for each identified area and for all degree programmes which are involved. In other words, to produce an undergraduate training course and a master degree programme. 4. To encourage synergies between universities, faculties, departments, institutes and research centres of Theology, Religious Studies, Humanities, Law, Social and Political Sciences in Europe, creating a forum, a platform, a point of reference. 5. To build bridges between the above mentioned institutions and governmental and non-governmental organizations, religious communities, professional bodies and associations, promoting the dialogue between education and society, public and private. 6. To support and expand students and staff mobility programmes. 7. To meet with other similar European or Intercontinental Networks and to approach the Eastern European countries as well. 8. To establish a long-term framework, through which this process of dialogue and cooperation can remain at the same level of quality and intensity beyond the time scale of the Thematic Network Project. 9. To establish a “European Institute for Religion and State Studies”.
