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Peking University joins Faith Foundation’s global network of universities to discuss religion in the modern world

Peking University has become the first Chinese University and the seventh in the world to partner with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faith and Globalisation Initiative.

The Initiative is a global network of leading research universities committed to exploring the complex interrelationship of faith and globalisation. It seeks to provide current and future leaders with the tools and analysis to understand the important role religion plays in the modern world.

The course at Peking University will offer students the opportunity to take part in a global discussion critically examining the role of faith, secularism and interfaith engagement in today’s world.

Tony Blair has articulated his excitement at the unique contribution Peking University can bring to this initiative,

“I very much welcome the fresh outlook Peking University will offer with their world class teaching and research facilities and unique cultural perspective. In a country that is experiencing massive internal migrations and increasingly religious adherence, I welcome Peking University’s groundbreaking efforts to address these issues by directly focusing on interfaith relations”

“This marks an important moment for Peking University as they demonstrate their eagerness to open up their University and forge links with their international counterparts. It is another example of China adapting to their place in a globalised world and a significant step forward for those trying to promote religious and cultural understanding in future leaders and policy makers.”

The course means that Peking University will establish teaching links with leading research Universities spanning several continents. A quarter of the course will be taught alongside partner Universities including the National University of Singapore, Durham University in the UK, Yale University in the USA, Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, McGill University in Canada and the University of Western Australia.

In August Peking University students will cement some of these global links as a group of their students join with their counterparts in a faith and globalisation conference at the National University of Singapore to discuss their different perspectives on the question of the role of faith and globalisation. This will bring together students from the seven universities and is an opportunity for a genuine and in-depth exchange of ideas across different continents, faiths and nationalities.

Peking University will very quickly be taking the themes of the course beyond the University when alongside the Tony Blair Faith Foundation they will bring together policy makers, academics and business leaders for a co-sponsored discussion forum at the Beijing Forum 2010, under the general theme of “The Harmony of Civilisations and Prosperity for all – commitments and responsibilities for a better world”. 

The team at Peking University is also excited to be joining the initiative and establishing new global links. In 2009 the Academy of Religious Studies (ARS) of Peking University was established, which is an inter-disciplinary research institute about religious studies. ARS has organized professors in different schools and departments who are interested in religious studies, and they will co-instruct in the course “Faith and Globalization”.