Profile and Career
The Religious Roots of Europe (RRE) is the first joint Master's programme at The University of Copenhagen and is offered by The Faculty of Theology in cooperation with three other Nordic universities (Aarhus University, Lund University, University of Oslo). Joint Master's programmes are desirable because of their natural international scope and due to the pooling of the competencies of more universities.
The aim of the RRE programme is to expose students to the traditions, formative processes, and mutual interactions in the ancient world of the three most influential religions at the root of European culture and history: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In this regard the programme is unique.
The three religions have traditionally been studied more or less separately. The RRE programme is about studying the three religions together in their formative period from a comparative perspective, using a variety of approaches, including historical, philological, social scientific, feminist and literary ones.
- International experience.
- Advanced knowledge about the religious traditions at the root of European culture in their formative periods.
- A deep understanding of the formative processes of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the parallels and differences between the three traditions, and the interaction of their followers.
- The ability to understand, describe and apply relevant scholarly theories and methods.
- Skills to communicate about the subject matter and about theoretical insights, and skills to transmit the acquired methods to others, both orally and in writing.
- The tools to evaluate critically the role of the three religions in contemporary society.
The importance of expertise in religion and in its role in society and culture is increasingly recognised. As a graduate of this programme you will be qualified for scholarly work, e.g. in PhD-programmes, as well as for teaching. You will also be able to enter into specialised occupations in government institutions or organisations dealing with culture, integration, diplomacy etc. and in private companies for example with business relations with the Middle East.
Here are some areas where RRE graduates work: