Protestant Theology

A degree in Protestant Theology opens up a wide range of prospects: it caters to both academic and societal or socio-political interests in questions of theology and religion, as well as to individual interests in matters of transcendence and questions of faith. Last but not least, the career prospect of becoming a teacher in conjunction with a degree in Protestant Theology is certainly an attractive one.

The Protestant Theology programme at the Hanover campus takes these prospects into account in a wide variety of ways: with the aim of developing the academic and pedagogical expertise of future religious education teachers, it combines research-based learning with the development of theological theory from the perspectives of biblical studies, systematic theology, history and religious education, and seeks to explore the relationships between theology, religion and faith, between sociality and individuality, between self-reference and world-reference, and between immanence and transcendence, both historically and in the present day. Taking into account the currently debated structural developments in denominational religious education in Lower Saxony, denominationally-cooperative courses run in collaboration with the Department of Catholic Theology form an integral part of the curriculum.

Particular mention should be made of the specific mentoring programme, which runs alongside the degree course, designed to develop professional skills for a career in teaching Protestant Religious Education. Individual support is provided as part of the mentoring scheme for teacher training students.

The Institute’s activities are characterised by a close-knit network of collaborations: the integration of the various training phases takes place within the Religious Education Teacher Training Network. Here, current issues relating to the training and professional development of religious education teachers are discussed in close collaboration with subject specialists and trainee teachers from the respective teacher training colleges, as well as with colleagues working in continuing professional development. A permanent research network is maintained through the Institute’s own Research Forum and the Lower Saxony Doctoral Society, which spans the Braunschweig, Hanover, Hildesheim and Lüneburg campuses. With regard to institutional networks, the Department of Protestant Theology is a member of the nationwide Conference of Institutes for Protestant Theology, the Theological-Pedagogical Study Commission of Lower Saxony, and committees and working groups operating at the interface between church and school, such as the Ecumenical Symposium of Representatives of Theological Scholarship and the Churches.

International links, including those with Drury University (Springfield, Missouri) and Duke University (USA), as well as with Zwolle (Netherlands) and Sibiu Hermannstadt (Romania), round off the teaching, learning and research activities of the Department of Protestant Theology.