4 Tryohsvyatitelska St., 01001, Kyiv, Ukraine

Phone/fax: (044) 279 4812; 279 0418;
e-mail: cerif@alfacom.net;
http://www.cerif.com.ua

The Department of Religion Studies has functioned as an autonomous unit within H.Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy since 1991 and is, in fact, the only academic structure in this field in Ukraine. Its task is not merely to organize and carry out research in relevant issues of religion studies but to coordinate it within the country, help train research personnel in religion studies. Its researches are guided by the principles of objectivity, historical approach, pluralism of outlooks and confessional freedom. The Department hosts a Specialized Academic Council for conferring academic degrees in religion studies and the Coordinating Council on Religion Studies. The Department is headed by professor A. M. Kolodny, Dr. of Phil., Deputy Director of the NAS Institute of Philosophy.

The principal study areas of the Department are:

– permanent studies of religious processes in Ukraine, in particular, of interconfessional and intraconfessional relations, nontraditional religiosity and preparation of research papers as well as respective scholarly-and-analytical and expert documents on the basis of these studies;

– preparation of new academic and popular publications, in particular, «The History of Religion in Ukraine” in 10 volumes and «The Dictionary of Religion Studies”, academic editing and publication of writings by distinguished Ukrainian theologians;

– coordination of religion studies conducted at Academy institutes and religion study institutions of Ukraine;

– setting up of academic relations with international religion studies institutions and organizations, with research institutions of various countries in order to promote collaboration in the investigations of religion as a spiritual phenomenon, in the study of the state-church relations, freedom of belief;

– organization and conducting of academic conferences in religion studies, seminars, work shops etc.;

– well wishing communication and interested cooperation with theologians of various confessions active in Ukraine.

The Department also carries out work to provide the teaching process in religion studies at the universities of Ukraine with the methodological materials. Jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science and some Kyiv institutes, the Department held the conference «Religion Studies as a Subject”. In particular, the scholars of the Department provide the teaching process in religion studies at the National University ‘Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’.