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Protestant Theology

(Studying) theology today - outdated? Or is it perhaps particularly explosive and relevant in current times? And what can doing theology look like in current times?
The podcast of the Protestant Theology Department of the University of Wuppertal focuses on encounters and exchanges between and with people who can contribute their own perspectives and positions on different theological discourses, problem areas and challenges: What does theology (study) mean for your life? How do you live together with other people? What consequences and significance does this have for your professional and personal actions?

You can find all podcasts from the University of Wuppertal here.

Episode 1: Israel, anti-Semitism and Protestant religious education - how are they connected?

Religious education teacher Inga Effert and Old Testament scholar Thomas Wagner guide us through this episode of the podcast and reflect on what it means to do theology today (including in university) in the context of current challenges and demands. With this in mind, in the first episode of the podcast they look at Israel as a place of learning together with students, focussing on two key areas:

(1) What does the prevailing conflict do to our society and what does anti-Semitism mean as a lens through which many people view this conflict and related aspects?

(2) What does this mean for me as a religious education teacher in terms of school practice?

Play episode 1 Also on Spotify

2 Christmas - What awaits us and what do we expect?

Inga Effert and Thomas Wagner also lead us through episode 02 of the podcast series Theologie (studieren) heute. This episode focuses on Christmas and the expectations and hopes associated with it. Individuals express their expectations of the festive season. At the same time, the Christmas study conducted by the Bundeswehr University Munich for the seventh time in 2024 shows what the German public thinks about the organisation of Christmas. How do personal expectations and hopes relate to what media professionals turn these days into? They explore this question with Stefan Weinacht, professor of communication science at the Westfälische Hochschule Gelsenkirchen. The organisation of Christmas is a combination of public, private and media space. This can already be observed in this form in the Christmas story in Luke's Gospel and continues to this day. How these are combined in individual families in order to do justice to the feelings associated with Christmas is a task that everyone should answer before Christmas to make it a wonderful celebration.

Sources and references:

Play episode 2 Also on Spotify

Episode 3: Practical semester

Welcome to the third episode of our podcast!

Are you studying Protestant theology and about to start your internship semester? Then you've come to the right place!

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the practical semester - the longest practical phase for future teachers studying Protestant theology.

Religious education teacher Inga Effert guides us through the third episode of the podcast together with Katharina Urban, lecturer for the practical semester and religious education teacher at a grammar school in the Ruhr region. Together with students who have already completed the practical semester, they shed light on this practical phase from several angles. They focus on two key areas and always provide tips, impulses and food for thought from students for students:

  • The challenges of the school system: what can I expect in the school system and at the Centre for Practical Teacher Training (ZfsL)?
  • The importance of religion in the classroom: What does religion (teaching) mean for me as a religion teacher and what specifically characterises my subject?

    The episode was created in the context of several reflection sessions of the accompanying courses for the practical semester in Protestant theology

    . Listen in and prepare yourself optimally for your practical semester!

    Have fun listening!

    What comes when?

    00:00:00 Intro

    00:00:26 - Welcome and introduction of the hosts

    00:01:48 - Special features of the internship semester

    00:03:30 - Cooperation during the internship semester

    00:04:05 - Everything to do with school departments

    00:06:59 - Transition into the school system

    00:09:30 - Nora and Sofia on expectations and experiences in the school system and in the ZfsL

    00:17:25 - Transition

    00:19:53 - Ana and Pia on the question: What is religion (teaching) for me?

    00:30:13 - Lifeworld relevance, subject-specificity and opportunities of the practical semester

    00:38:35 - Tips and insights from practical semester graduates for prospective

    practical semester teachers

    Further links:

    Further information on the practical semester in

    NRW: https:

    //www.zfsl.nrw.de/minden-praxissemester

    General and subject-specific information on the BUW practical semester:

    soe.uni-wuppertal.de/de/studium/praxissemester-im-master/

    soe.uni-wuppertal.de/fileadmin/gsa/img-dokumente/FlyerPS/akt-2023/BUW-

    FlyerPS_fachspez_evangelischeReligionslehre-10-23.pdf

    Schulreferat Wuppertal: https:

    //www.wuppertal-schulreferat.de/home.html

Play episode 3 Also on Spotify