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Yale and NUS link up ‘Exemplifies the new world globalization has brought about’ says Professor Volf

On the 5th of November Yale University and the National University of Singapore linked up via video conference for a joint seminar on the topic "Religions in the Contemporary World". This is the latest connection between the two universities, who have had two exchanges previous to this. The Rt Hon Tony Blair led the seminar at Yale, the session.

Alan Hurst of Yale questioned how far values are shared across the religions using his Mormon faith as an example as its core values come from his distinctive interpretation of Christianity.

Mr Blair acknowledged that there are distinct differences between religions but stressed the huge amount that people of faith have in common.

Interestingly, Shafiqah Song of NUS highlighted the comparative approaches to interfaith work in the East and West: "Interfaith initiatives tend to be top down in Singapore, but in the US, the subject is a much more grassroots affair."

Both universities are part of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation's Universities Programme which seeks to highlight the pivotal role that faith has to play in our globalised world, where different spheres are increasingly interconnected. The Foundation believes that intelligent and sustained reflection on the crucial issues of faith and globalization can lead to the deeper understanding and the kind of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence that will be vital in the 21st century.

These collaborations are great examples of the unique offerings of the Universities Programme. The course links up thinking from leading research universities across the world and provides a platform for engagement allowing each perspective and angle of the debate to be explored.

"The only adequate way to explore the relation between world faiths and globalization is to do it as a collaborative effort among persons and institutions of higher learning from different parts of the globe. Linked as we were across 12 time zones through video-conferencing, we were exemplifying the new world globalization has brought about as well as, each from our own vantage point, contributing to a better understanding of the intersection between faith and globalization." Miroslav Volf, Professor of Theology at Yale

"Although religions have a transcendent element, they are also deeply rooted in place, in local norms and cultures. The collaboration with Yale for "Religions in the Contemporary World" has allowed students to compare how religions fit and operate in the societies they know. This is a significant addition to our teaching. Students from different backgrounds and cultures often meet in the modern university. But with this module, they have been doing more than meeting. They have been sharing perspectives on a topic for which perspective really matters," said Professor John Richardson, Director of the University Scholars Programme at NUS