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Faculty of Humanities and Theology

The institute introduces itself

Even if it surprises many: Dortmund is more than the home of the BVB. Dortmund is a city of diversity and contrasts - and also an innovative location for theology. Our institute conducts Catholic theology in a city that is characterized by

  • a multicultural and multireligious society
  • a plural field of religions and religious phenomena
  • an exceptionally broad cultural offer
  • a wide range of wealth and poverty
  • the character of a working-class city and a metropolis of knowledge
  • People in search and full of hope
  • ...

Through this, our way of doing theology is continually inspired and challenged to discuss and understand ancient religious texts and traditions anew. The Institute for Catholic Theology questions culture, society, politics and religions from a theological perspective, while remaining open to criticism from other areas of life and science. We do not do theology "in a quiet chamber", theology has too much to say for that!

Our research focuses are correspondingly broad, ranging from animal theology to image theology, from intercultural exegesis to political theology, from interreligious learning to the theology of the Psalter.

In the diverse courses of study at the Institute, students acquire competencies to pose the question of God and the world again and again in different contexts from a theological perspective and to critically reflect on possible answer perspectives.