The Higher Education course intends – in the two locations (October – November 2019) – to focus on the religious facts and challenges of the modern world, with particular attention to everyday practices in public spaces such as schools. The aim is to provide useful tools to analyze and understand the cultural, religious, pedagogical and didactic aspects and to prepare intercultural education paths, in particular related to religious diversity and educational contexts that allow, on the one hand, the inclusion of foreign students, on the other hand, the spread of welcoming attitudes among Italians, also considering the cognitive and psychophysical difficulties that may be present in foreign students with special educational needs, which can be a further risk factor for marginalization and social exclusion.

A special focus will be dedicated to Islam, to the stereotypes related to it, to its representations and forms of communication, in order to analyze how the Islamic religion is lived in the school space, also considering the risks of violent radicalization generated by exclusion and marginalization in the school context and in the class group. A thorough and critical knowledge of this religion is useful in order to make the school context an environment of knowledge and relations with students and families.