The Master of Arts programme “Religion and Global Futures” will equip you with knowledge and skills that enable you to understand contemporary and emerging forms of religion, both from a global perspective and in relation to questions of global futures. You will receive support in cultivating research and critical thinking skills. These skills are essential for understanding some of the most prominent global issues of our time concerning our shared futures. The programme explores how religion is implicated in issues of climate change, resource scarcity, pandemics, social discrimination and inequality, international conflict and terrorism, neo-imperialism, poverty, (ethno)nationalism, migration and social cohesion. 

As a graduate of this programme, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to work in various fields which address these and similar challenges. In addition to drawing on valuable insights and skills offered by the Study of Religion, the programme also allows you to develop interdisciplinary knowledge by engaging with other fields of research at University of Bayreuth, including sustainability, political science, economic history, global nutrition and public health, anthropology, sociology, Islamic studies, and African studies. Our programme is informed by innovative research in the Study of Religion and adjacent fields which foregrounds dynamics of plurality and relationality. You will not only have opportunities to develop basic knowledge of specific religious traditions and geographic regions, but also to examine translocal movements, encounters, and interdependencies between different religious groups and traditions.