Religion and Public Diplomacy

Since the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325, various churches have been engaged in diplomatic services, both in regard to other churches and in relation to various emperors, presidents, and other rulers. In the shadow of the Ecumenical Movement, a new world order emerged, which opened the path for a new sort of diplomacy, which exercises its influence on church diplomacy. Previously diplomacy depended on the ownership of information, where legates carried a message. Now, with the emergence of new information technologies and globalization, diplomacy no longer entails owning the message, but rather finding ways to inform and influence the general public, i.e. public diplomacy. This course explores how public diplomacy can potentialy reshape church diplomacy, and how this may affect the mission of the Church and its work for restoring unity. The course also raises ethical and moral issues in regard to church diplomacy.By the end of the course the student is expected to:be able to identify and to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the field of public diplomacy;display advanced insight into how public diplomacy might relate to religion;demonstrate an historical and geopolitical understanding of diplomatic relations; critically reflect on various models of church diplomacy.