The Seminars will begin with a 2-day policy dialogue for senior scholars and practitioners followed by a 10-day writing workshop for students. Students attending the workshop will have the possibility to participate in the policy dialogue as observers.

The Seminars aspire to become a hub for innovative reflection on religion and politics and to form a new network of scholars and leaders equipped with the religious knowledge, academic training and policy expertise to effectively engage major policy debates on religion and global affairs. Students will explore key themes emerging in the field of religion and global politics and meet with religious leaders, scholars and policy-markers from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The program will include public panels, lectures by experts in the field and research seminars with members of the steering committee. Keynote speakers from the 2023 edition included Olivier Roy (European University Institute), Kristina Stoeckl (LUISS), Cenap Aydin (Istituto Tevere), Scott Appleby (University of Notre Dame), Mohammed Hashas (LUISS) and Anna Rowlands (Durham University), among others.

Accommodation and Meals
Participants will be offered a single bedroom (with bathroom) at the Australian Catholic University’s newly renovated center on the Janiculum hill. Breakfast, working lunches and a number of evening meals are included in the program
Tuition

Thanks to generous funding from the University of Notre Dame and Hanns Seidel Stiftung, tuition for the 2-week program (including accommodation, meals as above and participation in the international symposium) will be 500euros (excluding travel costs, which will be the responsibility of the participant). Students who do not have access to research funds may apply for a limited number of scholarships through the program.

Venue and Visits
Most lectures and writing workshops will be held at the University of Notre Dame Rome Global Gateway near the Colosseum in Rome. The program will also include daily visits to major institutions and personalities engaged in religion and global policy making in the city, such as Foreign Embassies to the Holy See, religious organizations, international institutions, and pontifical institutes active in interreligious dialogue, immigration and conflict resolution.

Writing Workshop
The program is primarily aimed at Doctoral students although advanced MA students with particularly strong applications may be considered. During the writing workshop, graduate students will present early stages of their research, including dissertation chapters, theoretical frameworks, fieldwork strategies and articles to be submitted for publication.

Each day will include a discussion seminar and a writing forum in which students will present their work and receive feedback from a core of scholars teaching in the seminars. Throughout the week, students will also visit Rome-based religious-political institutions and attend a number of keynote lectures with established scholars in the field of religion and politics. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a formal certificate of participation.