Course

Religion and Public Diplomacy

Since the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325, various churches have been engaged in diplomatic services, both in regard to other churches and in relation to various emperors, presidents, and other rulers. In the shadow of the Ecumenical Movement, a new world order emerged, which opened the path for a new sort of diplomacy, which exercises its influence on church diplomacy. Previously diplomacy depended on the ownership of information, where legates carried a message. Now, with the emergence of new information technologies and globalization, diplomacy no longer entails owning the message, but rather finding ways to inform and influence the general public, i.e. public diplomacy. This course explores how public diplomacy can potentialy reshape church diplomacy, and how this may affect the mission of the Church and its work for restoring unity. The course also raises ethical and moral issues in regard to church diplomacy.

 

By the end of the course the student is expected to:

  • be able to identify and to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the field of public diplomacy;
  • display advanced insight into how public diplomacy might relate to religion;
  • demonstrate an historical and geopolitical understanding of diplomatic relations;
  • critically reflect on various models of church diplomacy.

A Common Word between Us and You, 13 October 2007. An open letter and call from Muslim leaders to Christian leaders. (E-resource via Canvas). 16 pages.

Bozeman, Adda B. (2010). Politics and Culture in International History. From the Ancient Near East to the Opening of the Modern Age. Second Edition. New Brunswick, USA & London, UK: Transaction Publisher (522 pp.).

Cull, Nicholas J. (2019). Public Diplomacy. Foundations for Global Engagement in the Digital Age. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press (170 pp.).

Luttwak, Edward N. (2009). The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire. Harvard (426 pp.).

McDonagh, Pihilip & Manocha, Kishan &, Neary John & Vásquez Mendoza, Lucia (2021). On the Significance of Religion for Global Diplomacy. London, UK & New York, NY: Routledge (157 pp.).

Said, Yasid, Demiri, Lejla (2018). The Future of Interfaith Dialogue: Muslim-Christian Encounters through A Common Word (Cambridge University Press), 334 pages.

Seib, Philip (2013). Religion and Public Diplomacy. Global Public Diplomacy. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan (220 pp.).

Stummvoll, A. Alexander (2018). A Living Tradition. Catholic Social Doctrine and Holy See Diplomacy. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books (186 pp.).

The schedule is available at the latest one month before the course starts. We do not recommend that you print the schedule as some changes may happen.

Open the Schedule

Michael Hjälm

Head of Department of Eastern Christian Studies, Doctor of Theology, Senior Lecturer

michael.hjalm@ehs.se

Sara Gehlin

Teol. dr, Senior lecturer, Head of subject

sara.gehlin@ehs.se

Grades

A = Excellent, B = Very good, C = Good, D = Satisfactory, E = Sufficient, Fx = Insufficient, F = Insufficient

Examination Format

  • Papers
  • Seminars
  • Take-home examination
  • Written examination

A Bachelor’s degree in Theology (equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen) from an internationally recognized university, or equivalent competence. Proficiency in English by means of an internationally recognized test, e. g. TOEFL, IELTS or equivalent.

Established by Subject Representative College at Enskilda Högskolan Stockholm on December 15, 2020.