Since its inception, the University College for Teacher Education Vienna/Krems has evolved into the largest private University College for Teacher Education in Austria. Its ecumenical trusteeship of Christian churches, its six locations, as well as its cooperation with other religious communities has turned the University College for Teacher Education Vienna/Krems into a unique place of learning and teaching in Austria, Europe and beyond.

On 18 October 2017 the college will be celebrating its 10 Year Anniversary. Please save the date. On 19 October 2017 a conference „Religious Diversity: Live – Learn - Explore“ will be held. From 9.00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. workshops and lectures on Early Child Education, Primary/Secondary and Higher Education research will be offered. The conference will conclude with a panel discussion on inter-faith competences in the reformed teacher training program (PädagogInnen Bildung NEU). Please register at susanne.scherf(at)kphvie.ac.at 

Conference on Religious Diversity

In the 21st century, Western societies and cultures are marked by a proliferation of religions and denominations. What has once been an almost uniform array of Christian societies has gradually been replaced by a variety of religions as integral parts of post-modern, multi-dimensional life worlds. The increasing presence and significance of religions represent a stark counter-trend to tendencies towards secularization in Europe, as well as defying any attempt to shield religious aspects from any perception of “reality”.

Today, many decry an erosion of religious sensitivity. Therefore, religions have been termed the bottleneck for all discourse on diversity. Education must also foster any competence on diversity management and promote social cohesion through constructive dialogue. In this regard, special competences on how to deal with religious diversity and differences are vital.

The conference addresses religious diversity in various educational contexts: first, by presenting concrete research projects; second, by discussing the design of diverging educational concepts. The main conference focus is on the role of inter-faith competences in Teacher Training programs in Austria.

 Organizing Team

Nicolae Dura, Alfred Garcia Sobreira-Majer, Heinz Ivkovits, Fatima Ursula Kowanda-Yassin, Thomas Krobath, Ingrid Kromer, Karsten Lehmann, Doris Lindner, Pavel Mikluscak, Edith Petschnigg, Susanne Scherf, Bernhard Schörkhuber, Amena Shakir, Helena Stockinger (Kooperationspartnerin KU Linz)

Conference Program (german)