Research

Forschung
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Besides teaching, research is an essential part of the scientific work at the university. On this page we introduce the subject of religious education studies as well as the research and work priorities of the chair. In addition, we provide information about the qualification work supervised by the chair.

 

Professional profile of the chair

Would you like to know what religious education studies is and who studies this subject? Are you interested in finding out what a chair holder does and what challenges religious education studies has to face in the present?

Prof. Ulrich Kropač and Klaus König describe the profile of the chair in short videos under the motto "5 questions for...". First, the two interview partners introduce themselves:

 

Vorstellung

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5 questions to ...

What is religious education studies

Frage 1

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What are the challenges facing religious education studies?

Frage 2

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What does a chair holder do?

Frage 3

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Who studies the subject religious education studies?

Frage 4

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Religious education is indispensable! Why?

Frage 5

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Research at the chair

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kropač and Klaus König represent the following main areas of research and work at the chair, which are reflected in various conferences, projects and publications.

Professor Kropač’s research interests are:

  • Bible didactics in schools in the postmodern age
  • Religious education in state schools in postmodern societies
  • Natural sciences and theology: perspectives in philosophy of science and religious education
  • Conceptual questions in religious education
  • Organizing academic conferences on (fundamental) questions in religious education

You can find a detailed description (in German) here. Details on past and current projects are available in German in the KU’s research database. The publication list is available on the KU publication server edoc.

 

Klaus König’s work covers the following topics: 

  • Religious learning in the context of history
  • Music in religious studies classes
  • Religious studies teaching and religious culture
  • Textbooks for religious studies for use in Mittelschule in Bavaria

You can find a detailed description (in German) here. Details on past and current projects are available in German in the KU’s research database. The publication list is available on the KU publication server edoc.

Final Thesis

Final thesis

As qualification theses for the completion of a course of study, the chair supervises bachelor, master, master and admissions theses. Structured supervision is offered for these in the form of the BA-MA-Kolleg. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kropač and Akad. Dir. Klaus König, numerous theses have been written over the years.

Current promotion projects

  • Bradl, Martina: Schulpastoral im Horizont performativer Orientierung. Begriffe - Kriterien - Ansätze. (working titlel)
  • Kehrer, Laura: Schulkultur und Kirche - Notfall- und Krisenseelsorge nach einem Todesfall vor den Herausforderungen einer pluralen Schülerschaft. (working title)
  • Mayer, Claudia: Soziale Arbeit: (k)ein Ort für Religion? Religionssensibilität als religionspädagogischer Schlüsselbegriff in der Professionalisieriung von Sozialer Arbeit. (working title)
  • Wohner, Michael: Jugendtheologie - Grundlagen, Chancen und Grenzen eines religionsdidaktischen Prinzips für den Religionsunterricht in der Sekundarstufe. (working title)

Completed promotions

Chrostowski, Mariusz

Chrostowski, Mariusz: "Schulpastoral für alle!." Religionspädagogische und pastorale Prämissen und Konzepte in der deutschen Schulpastoral als Impulsgeber für ein schulpastorales Modell in Polen am Beispiel der Diözese Lomza.

The doctoral procedure was completed in October 2019. The dissertation is in the process of publication.

Frasch, Peter

Dissertation Frasch
© LIT

Frasch, Peter: Fantasie als Weg zur Wirklichkeit? Kulturhermeneutische Analyse christlicher Traditionsbestände im modernen Fantasy-Film vor dem Hintergrund religiöser Bildungsprozesse. Berlin 2018

"There is a deep magic over this land - it determines all our fates" (from "Narnia").

At the beginning of the 21st century, stories such as "Harry Potter" or "The Lord of the Rings" triggered a real "fantasy boom" and the question arises as to what actually constitutes the appeal of these books and films.

The present cultural hermeneutic analyses show that these fantastic stories contain a wealth of implicit religious elements and quite deliberately process people's dreams and hopes. Due to their considerable reception, these films also have an influence on the development of young people's religious identity, which poses new challenges for religious education studies.

(blurb)

Klenk, Cordula

Dissertation Klenk
© Kohlhammer

Klenk, Cordula: Religiöse Elternbildung. Perspektiven für junge Eltern in der Erwachsenenbildung. Stuttgart 2018.

The birth of the first child is a critical life event for young parents, which can also trigger a change in the shape of adult religiousness. The author investigates how parents can be supported in reflecting their own religious disposition and relate it correlatively to changing questions of life and faith. Thus, she does not place the religious education of the child, but rather the parents at the centre of adult educational processes. A religious parental education understood in this way follows the approaches of crisis, biography and empowerment orientation. On the basis of these three time-diagnostic orientations, already existing offers of religious parental education are critically examined and perspectives are developed for a religious parental education that is consciously placed within the framework of religious adult education.

(blurb)