Courses

Public Education

DIVERSITY ISSUES IN END OF LIFE CARE

This one-day course offers participants an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge to engage confidently with patients and their families in conversations about end of life care in cases affected by religious beliefs and practices. Using the examples of Islam and Judaism, this course gives an understanding of what it means to have a religious worldview.

By working through case studies drawn from a broad range of clinical settings, participants will develop the necessary skills and understanding required to offer the best end of life care to patients from different religious backgrounds.

Subjects covered will include:

Cultural vs. Religious Issues
Definition of death
What it means to be religious
Withholding & withdrawing treatment
Withholding & withdrawing nutrition & hydration
The role of Chaplains

This course was recently delivered in collaboration with doctors, nurses, chaplains, social workers and students of Barts Health NHS Trust. This built on a well received pilot previously delivered with the Royal Free Hospital, London and the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead.

Some participant feedback:

"I enjoyed having the discussions and learning from others experiences, as well as getting wide view perspectives"
"thought provoking and informative"
"very helpful for thinking about the spiritual and cultural issues relating to patients and families from Jewish and Muslim backgrounds"
"an inspiring day"

For further details please see the course leaflet or contact us.

ISLAM, MISCONCEPTIONS AND REALITIES - PERCEPTIONS AMONGST MUSLIMS AND NON-MUSLIMS

Islam is the second largest religion in the world (1.6 billion followers) and also in the UK (2.4 million). British Muslim self-understanding has developed as the result of a number of different factors such as Muslim-Non/Muslim relations and British socio-political and cultural contexts.

These questions of self-understanding and the relationship of Islam with wider British culture emerged after the mid-nineteenth century when Muslims began to settle in the UK in greater numbers, creating an extraordinarily diverse variety of communities with different ethnic backgrounds.

Today Islam is a high profile topic and the subject of much discussion, notably in debates about terrorism and multiculturalism. Some media coverage has perpetuated misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in Britain and this has influenced not only how others perceive Muslims but also how some Muslims now see themselves and others.

It is clear that a better understanding of Islam is now necessary for those living and working in the UK's multicultural society and it is our belief that this better understanding can help prevent tensions growing within and between our communities.

The one-day course looks at the following areas:

The history of the Muslim community in the UK
The diversity within the UK Muslim community with reference to ethnic, linguistic and social factors
Differences between faith and culture
How Islam is portrayed in the media and deconstructing misconceptions around Islam

This course was developed in co-operation with Cambridge City Council, after the City Council and Community Racial Harassment Service asked the Woolf Institute to deliver a course that would examine misconceptions around Islam. The course was delivered on several occasions, which were all well attended. The audience varied from statutory agencies like Police and Local Government officers to community leaders and students.

The feedback received was excellent:

"This was one of the best courses that I have been on this year"
"Very interesting and really informative"
"We were very pleased with the course and felt that our objectives were met with a successful outcome"

For further information please contact us.

FAITH LITERACY AND THE INTERFAITH ENCOUNTER IN THE UK

From our experience of working with a broad range of people from different faith communities and diverse work backgrounds it is clear that there is a greater need for education in faith literacy and also an understanding of the interfaith encounter within the UK.

This eight-week programme introduces the student to fundamental questions concerning the faith, beliefs and practices of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It also explores the diversity within each of the Abrahamic faiths as well as looking at contemporary questions and issues which the three faiths encounter in the UK today.

The course consists of six modules and two reading weeks. The first three modules introduce each individual faith in its diversity and the remaining three modules examine each faith in the context of the interfaith encounter in the UK.

This course can be delivered to any community or faith/interfaith group within the UK and can be tailored to your specific needs. It is taught by Woolf Institute tutors via evening seminars and e-learning.

This course has been previously delivered in conjunction with the Salford Diocese. In partnership with a team of interfaith coordinators within the Diocese, our courses have contributed to an increase in interfaith activity within the Diocese leading to a greater number of local activists within the parishes. In the words of the Diocesan co-ordinator, the courses have “opened-up Jewish-Christian relations in the North West.”

Comments from course participants:

“As a teacher of theology, philosophy and RE in a multi-cultural Catholic Sixth Form College, this course has been of exceptional value for my teaching and dialogue with students.”

“It was the chance to study theology academically for the first time”

“This course has given me a greater understanding of other faiths – especially what they actually believe in, as opposed to what we are told in the media”

For further information please contact us.

Faith, Belief and the Interfaith Encounter

For three years, the Woolf Institute worked with an Operational Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service delivering educational programmes in Faith, Belief and the Interfaith Encounter for its staff. The evaluation of these programmes points to an increase in confidence of staff members when engaging with faith communities, particularly amongst Police Community Support Officers. This increase in confidence arises from the teaching style of the Woolf Institute which provides a deeper knowledge of the three faiths and a safe space for discussions and questions. One of the major outcomes of these courses has been some demonstrable long-term behavioural change.

The programmes have also enabled a better understanding of faith and religious practices within the Unit. An increased confidence in being able ‘to ask questions’ contributed to a more open and frank discussion of faith amongst colleagues.

Comments from course participants:

"As a member of the Met Police I need to know about faith”

“On daily patrols, part of the engagement is building confidence with the public and reassuring them and talking to them. It is useful to know about the backgrounds people come from and to respect them in order to avoid causing offence"

“With regard to faith-related conflict, I have learned through the course about dialogue - that you can agree to disagree and this is the place to get to”

“After the course I have a better understanding of Judaism and, as a Muslim, I understand how similar it is to Islam. Before the course I couldn’t really approach (Orthodox Jews) now I am confident to approach them and talk to them"

For further information please contact us.

AN INTRODUCTION TO JEWISH-CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS

This course aims to introduce students to various aspects of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations past and present. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have many things in common but this has not prevented violence and wars occurring between the adherents of these three faiths. It is clear that a cornerstone of any future peaceful coexistence between these faiths is education; the alternative is ignorance which leads to prejudice and eventually people turn to violence and war.

The course consists of six modules and two reading weeks. Modules 1-3 cover historical and theological aspects of these faiths and modules 4-6 deal with the encounters between
them past and present.

For further information please contact us.

Woolf Institute