The main aim of the project is to educate and train post-graduate students from Bosnia-Herzegovina and the region in the field of religion and various phenomena (politics, nationalism, violence, human rights, social justice, gender etc.) linked to the principal subject. The structure of the lectures and the participating Faculty strongly emphasize an international approach, in the framework of the globalizing world. The project is based on extensive co-operation with the Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS) at the University of Oslo and the Arizona State University.
Religion is an important factor in political conflicts and conflict solutions world wide. The applicant and its partners recognize the importance of a scientifically based knowledge of religion. Such knowledge is of particular importance given the challenges faced by societies in dealing with the political and cultural impact of religions in today's world. A comprehensive and sustained interdisciplinary approach to issues regarding religion and religious communities should contribute to overcome destabilization and animosity and to create a stable and lasting peace in the area.
The primary objective of the new M.A. degree program in religious studies is to provide a central place within the University of Sarajevo for academic study of religion. This study of religion will be comparative and interdisciplinary, and will focus upon scholarly issues that cut across traditional religious communities and confessions. The program is designed for all graduate students who wish to explore issues of religious identity in modern society. Because of the recent addition of religious studies into the public school curriculum, the program will also address the needs of pre-service and in-service public school teachers wishing to ground themselves in the academic study of religion.