RLBcB555 Religions in Conflict

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Aleš Chalupa, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Attila Kovács, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Radek Kundt, Ph.D. (lecturer)
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Mgr. et Mgr. Miroslav Vrzal, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kristýna Čižmářová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! RLBcB405 Religion and Violence
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Conflicts, as an integral part of all religions, represent an essential subject of the study of religions. In addition to the wide range of forms conflicts can take in religions, they play a vital role in negotiating various interests within and between specific religions. The course offers a fundamental insight into this complex issue, both in terms of possible thematic diversity and in terms of the various theoretical perspectives and methods of its exploration.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
  • recognize the most common forms of conflict within and between specific religions;
  • distinguish the basic theoretical and methodological approaches used in the analysis of religious conflicts;
  • explore a selected religious conflict on the basis of a clearly formulated research question and its framing analysis;
  • present and defend the results of a preliminary analysis of a selected religious conflict.
    • Syllabus
    • The Concept of the Holy War in the Hebrew Bible: The Genocide That Did Not Take Place (Dalibor Papoušek)
    • Violence and Conflict in Roman Religion: Gladiators, Vestal Virgins and the Persecution of Christians (Aleš Chalupa)
    • The Christianization of Europe: The Role of Theology, Political Power and Social Structure in the Spread of Christianity among European Pagans (Jan Reichstäter)
    • Between Revolt and Pacifism: Anabaptists and Secular Power (Jana Valtrová)
    • The Flower War in the Aztec Concept: War Conflict as a Source of Human Sacrifices (Dalibor Papoušek)
    • Violence, Conflict, and Islamist Movements (Attila Kovács)
    • Buddhism and Violence (Martin Špirk)
    • Indian Nationalism (Tereza Menšíková)
    • New Religious Movements in Conflict with Majoritarian Society (Jakub Cigán)
    • Satanism (Miroslav Vrzal)
    • Self-violence as a Path to Spiritual Experience: Extreme Rituals in the Context of Contemporary Alternative Spirituality (Jana Nenadalová)
    • Evolution of Aggression, Intergroup Conflict and Religion (Radek Kundt)
    Teaching methods
    Lectures, written essay defended in a colloquial debate.
    Assessment methods
    10 bonus points for participation in direct teaching.
    Colloquium evaluation includes:
  • written essay (0-60 points; 60%);
  • written presentation of the essay (0-10 points; 10%);
  • oral presentation of the essay (0-10 points; 10%)
  • oral defence of the essay (0-20 points; 20%).
    A minimum of 60 points (60%) in the overall assessment is required for successful completion.
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Study support
    https://elf.phil.muni.cz/23-24/course/view.php?id=8057
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    The course is taught once in two years.
    The course is taught in blocks.
    Teacher's information
    The electronic course support (detailed instructions, completion requirements, and study materials) is maintained on the Elf platform (https://elf.phil.muni.cz/). You can find the course in Elf under the course title.
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2026, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2026/RLBcB555