One of the missions of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) is to encourage the study of religious freedom in university institutions through its inclusion in academic curricula. During the academic year 2023, the IIRF had the opportunity to work closely with the School of International Relations of the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT) of Costa Rica. As part of the course “International Political Economy”, which is taught by the IIRF’s International Director, Dr Dennis P. Petri, an assignment was included to invite students to explore the nexus between international political economy and religious freedom.
The assignment followed the “Collaborative Online International Learning – COIL” model, which is a model for teaching and learning that promotes the development of intercultural competence through a shared online multicultural learning environment. COIL assignments are projects that involve collaboration between instructors and students from different countries, cultures and languages, using technology to facilitate communication and co-creation of knowledge.
In partnership with the IIRF, the COIL aimed to deepen the understanding of the intricate relationship between religious freedom and political economy. Students had the opportunity to engage with experts from the IIRF through a series of lectures, and then apply their insights by developing a blog post for publication on the IIRF website.
The students, organized in groups, conducted independent research on the topic to supplement the knowledge gained from the lectures, exploring academic articles, case studies, and reports to broaden their perspectives and deepen their insights.
Two blogs were selected for publication on the IIRF website:
- Beyond the Flames: Islamic Mosque Resilience and Economic Threads Unraveled
- Exploring the nexus between religious freedom and economic development
We invite you to read these interesting contributions from the students of the International Relations undergraduate program at the Latin American University of Science and Technology in our news section.