RATIONALE FOR THE COURSE :

Religion has been a source of meaning and purpose for the vast majority of humankind since ancient times. There have been several religious traditions - simple and complex, highly organized and lesser so—which have evolved over the centuries and even the millennia. While religion promises to be a rich resource for civic peace and harmony, it has not always been so. There have been several instances of crippling repression within religious communities and also serious conflicts between communities with disparate belief systems. While the need for understanding, collaboration and mutual learning between these traditions has always been important, this is felt even more in our age of instant global communication, when conflicts can exacerbate rapidly.

There is an urgent need to restore the perceptual image and the more pressing ground reality of religion as a resource for personal and collective wisdom, freedom and empathy. Religious traditions need to be transformed into social resources for greater personal and social well-being. It is with this intent that the course in “Inter-Religious Traditions” has been curated.

The course attempts at going beyond a mere study of religious traditions, in order to include significant existential and social aspects of religious belief and practice.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES: 

Accordingly, the main objectives of the course are as follows:

1.   Valuing religious traditions as a source of meaning and purpose in human history and especially in our times.

2.   Becoming aware of the intricacies and nuances of belief and practice within different religious traditions.

3.   Understanding how different traditions have developed over time.

4.   Recognizing how different traditions have influenced one another.

5.   Appreciating the need for better inter-religious relations as a social resource in facilitating civic peace and harmony.

 

COURSE OUTCOMES :

 

The participants will be able to:

• Explain the major nuances within diverse religious traditions
• Clarify doubts about specific beliefs and practices
• Appreciate the contribution of different religions over time
• Engage in meaningful and objective conversations about different religions
• Undertake further advanced studies on religious studies with the course as the base

 

 

Conceived and Designed by : 

• Dr. (Fr.) Keith D’Souza, SJ, Director,  Department of Inter-Religious Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai 
• Ms. Shilpa Chheda, Curator, Heras Institute, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai 

 

Coordinator: 

Ms. Shilpa Chheda, Curator, Heras Institute, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai,

 

Platform: Classes will be conducted online. [Tuesday and Friday from 6.00 to 8.00 p.m.]

Eligibility criteria: Higher Secondary School Certificate (Grade 12)

Minimum attendance : 75%

 

Study Material : Will be provided by the resource persons

 

Duration: From July 2025 to March 2026

Hours: 96 HOURS ( 8 MODULES EACH OF 12 HOURS) + ASSIGNMENTS (3 hours per module) for the entire Diploma

Total 120 hours 

MODULE WISE – HOURS AND RESOURCE PERSONS

Module No. and Title	Hours	Resource Persons
1-THE PHENOMENON OF RELIGION	12	Dr. (Fr.) Keith D’Souza, SJ, Director, Department of Inter-Religious Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai    Dr. Anita Rane-Kothare, Head, Department of Ancient Indian Culture, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
2-VEDIC TRADITION AND PHILOSOPHY	12	Ms. Kanakavali Santhanam, Research Scholar, Department of Sanskrit, University of Mumbai    Ms. Shilpa Chheda, Curator, Heras Institute, St. Xavier’s College
3-JAINISM, BUDDHISM	12	Dr. Radha Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Ancient Indian Culture, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai   Ms. Shilpa Chheda, Curator, Heras Institute, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
4- BHAKTI, SIKH TRDITIONS	12	Ms. Shilpa Chheda, Curator, Heras Institute, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai  Dr. Davinderpal Kaur, Former Vice Principal, G.N. Khalsa College, Mumbai
5-JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS	12	Dr.(Fr.) Keith D’Souza, SJ, Director, Department of          Inter-Religious Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai   Mr. Royston Mascarenhas, IT Professional
6-ZORASTRIAN, ISLAMIC AND BAHAI TRADITIONS	12	Dr. Shehernaz Nalwalla, Former Vice Principal, Wilson College, Mumbai  Dr. Irfan Engineer, Director, Centre for Studies in Society and Secularism, Mumbai
7- INDIGENEOUS TRADITIONS	12	Dr. (Fr.) S. M. Michael, Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of Sociology, University of Mumbai  Dr. Pranoti Chirmuley, Head, Dept. of Sociology,                        St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
8- INTERRELIGIOUS CONFLUENCE	12	Prof. Ms. Amita Dhanda, Lawyer, Hyderabad,  Dr. (Sr.) Ananda Amritmahal, Former Principal, Sophia College, Mumbai  Dr. Harsha Badkar, Former Vice Principal, Wilson College, Mumbai  Dr. Shehernaz Nalwalla, Former Vice Principal, Wilson College, Mumbai,  Dr. Irfan Engineer, Director, Centre for Studies in Society and Secularism, Mumbai    Dr. (Fr.) Keith D’Souza, SJ, Director, Department of          Inter-Religious Studies, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai    Dr. (Fr.) Victor Ferrao, Prof. of Philosophy, Rachol Seminary, Goa

EVALUATION FOR CERTIFICATION: 

Evaluation: Quizzes and Assignments for Modules. Participation in the assessment is compulsory for a ‘Certificate of completion’ or the ‘Diploma’. If a participant does not complete the assessment then ‘Participation certificate’ will be issued. 

REGISTRATION LINK FOR THE COURSE:

https://forms.gle/pEScyFbRDt2E6NpV8

 

DETAILS ABOUT CERTIFICATION: 

 

There will be 4 types of certification:

 

FEES FOR THE COURSE (SUBSIDISED):

Participants can complete the entire diploma or select specific modules within the course. Once a module is selected, the entire module has to be covered.           

For Indian Participants:

Diploma Fees: 

• General Public : Rs. 5,000/- + GST Rs. 900/=Total 5900/- (no GST for St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai Staff or Students)
• Teachers and Students : Rs. 2,500/- + GST Rs. 450/=Total 2950/- (no GST for St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai Staff or Students)

Module Fees : 

For Foreign participants:

Diploma Fees:

• General Public: 500 US Dollars
• Teachers and Students: 250 US Dollars

Module Fees:

• General Public: 50 US Dollars
• Teachers and Students: 25 US Dollars

SEATS AVAILABLE:

 Total seats available for the course is 40. 

 

 

CONTACT PERSON: 

Ms. Shilpa Chheda : 9323980615, shilpa.chheda@xaviers.edu.in