Religions, institutions, politics: a comparative reading

Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: Orazio CONDORELLI

Expected Learning Outcomes

The student who successfully attends the course will be able to learn the principles that regulate the relationships between the religious order and the political order in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious law traditions.

The knowledge of the fundamental issues of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious law traditions constitutes a guide for a conscious orientation in the problems emerging from the relationships between religion, politics and law in the multicultural and multi-religious context of the contemporary legal order.

Course Structure

The course intends to offer the basic notions for understanding the historical developments and current dynamics of the relationships between religions, politics and law. Materials for the study of the various themes will be made available to students through the Studium platform.

Required Prerequisites

None

Attendance of Lessons

Highly recommended. Through the lessons, the teacher will accompany the students in a gradual and agile process of understanding and learning the fundamental themes of the course.

Detailed Course Content

1. Historical basis and sources of law: Jewish law, canon law, Islamic law.

2. Divine law and human law; God's rights and human rights.

3. Religion and political power: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.

4. Religious affiliation, conversion and apostasy.

5. Marriage and family; the legal status of women.


Textbook Information

Non attending students:

Strumenti e percorsi di diritto comparato delle religioni, second edition, ed. by Silvio Ferrari (il Mulino, Bologna 2022), pp.17-22, 25-32, 33-40, 41-49, 83-96, 97-105, 107-112, 123-131, 135-164, 193-219, 231-241, 245-282, 293-298, 407-434, total amount 208 pp.

And: Silvio Ferrari, Diritti dell’uomo e diritti di Dio. Una tensione ineliminabile?, in Rivista di filosofia del diritto, giugno 2017, pp. 165-180 (students may ask the teacher for this text).

Attending students: without prejudice to the usefulness of using the recommended manual for non-attending students, for attending students the topics and related sources (laws, decisions, etc.) will be indicated by the teacher during the lessons and posted in advance on the Studium platform.


Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1Strumenti e percorsi Chap. 1
2Strumenti e percorsi Chap.2
3Strumenti e percorsi Chap. 3
4Strumenti e percorsi Chap. 1, 2, 3
5Ferrari, Diritti dell’uomo e diritti di Dio
6Strumenti e percorsi Chap. 37
7Strumenti e percorsi Chap.38
8Strumenti e percorsi Chap. 39
9Strumenti e percorsi Chap.12, 13, 14
10Strumenti e percorsi Chap. 17, 18, 19
11PLEASE NOTE. The programming reflects the "average" contents of the program, relative to the parts that will be covered in the lessons.

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

Attending students. Oral examination. As an alternative, written examination, according to the indications that will be given during the lectures. The examination - be it oral or written - will focus on the topics covered in class, for which students will have to use the materials that will be provided by the teacher and placed in advance on the Studium platform. Students will obviously be able to refer to the recommended text for the preparation of the exam, according to the instructions given each time by the teacher in class.

Non-attending students. Oral examination. The examination will focus on the topics covered in the recommended textbook.

For all students. To pass the exam, you should have at least sufficient knowledge of all the thematic areas relating to the chosen program (either attending or non-attending students).

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

The list is purely indicative, and takes into account both the topics covered in class and those detailed in the recommended text. Obviously, questions will be formulated by the teacher in line with the different study paths actually followed by the students (attending or non-attending).

Sources and fundamental principles of Jewish law.

Sources and fundamental principles of canon law.

Sources and fundamental principles of Islamic law.

Divine law and human law.

God’s rights and human rights.

Religion and political power in Jewish law

Religion and political power in Christianity: Christian dualism.

Religion and political power in Islam.

Inclusion in the religious community (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

The abandonment of the religious community (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

Exclusion from the religious community (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

Principles of marriage and family law (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

The problem of interreligious marriages (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

The legal status of women (Judaism, Christianity, Islam).