Syrian Orthodox Faith and Life (in Swedish)

Academic year 2025/2026

Overview  

This course is intended for youth in the Syrian Orthodox Church in Sweden. The overall purpose of the course is to offer Syrian Orthodox youth an opportunity to both deepen their theoretical and practical knowledge of their Church’s teaching and life, and to develop their ability to reflect on, explain and talk about what they have learned. This course consists of four modules:

Module 1, Sources of the Syrian Orthodox Church, which deals with the ways in which tradition has been expressed through history, that is, through the scriptures, the Church Fathers, liturgy and Church law;

Module 2, Church History and Faith, which addresses the Syrian Orthodox Church’s history and faith in relation to developments in the early Church, with a special focus on Antioch;

Module 3, Patristics, which focuses on significant Church Fathers of the Syrian Orthodox tradition in five particular eras, namely, the apostolic, pre-Chalcedonian, post-Chalcedonian, post-Islamic and the present;

Module 4, Liturgy, which addresses important aspects of the liturgical life of the Syrian Orthodox Church, that is, the mystery of baptism, chrismation and the Eucharist, as well as the daily prayers (Shimo) and the prayers of the Church year (Fanqitho och M’ad’dono).

Learning Approach

At Sankt Ignatios Folkhögskola, the overarching principle that guides learning is that all knowledge is intersubjective.

Knowledge is dialogue, which requires humility and empathy.

This course is built on collaborative and dialogical learning where participants actively shape not only their common learning journey but also the course itself. The content, materials, and methods will be adapted in real time based on participants’ needs, interests, and input. Beyond mastering subject matter, a central goal is for each participant to become aware of how shared learning experiences and dialogue transforms their thinking, practice and identity. Through dialogue, narrative, group discussions, shared reflection, creative expression, and collective exploration, participants develop awareness of their own growth while supporting others’ development. The learning community becomes a space where everyone’s experiences and questions not only enrich understanding but actively guide the direction of the course, helping each person to integrate learning into their own life context in meaningful, personally transformative ways.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the participants are (individually and collectively) expected to be able to:

• tell the story of church beginnings in ways that connect history with life in different Swedish communities today; 
• use Church Fathers’ teachings to address current situations and show why they still matter;
• explain church services through both study and personal participation;
• discuss challenges in Sweden using examples from participants’ own experiences in various social settings;
• evaluate traditional sources through group discussion to show their meaning for today, and;
• share how learning in a group has helped them bridge Syrian Orthodox tradition with their daily life in Sweden, giving examples of how they’ve found new ways to express their faith in their local context.
  

Other requirements 

Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to participate in all course activities, both by being present and playing an active role in scheduled sessions and by completing assignments outside of scheduled lessons. If participants miss lessons, they may be required to complete extra assignments to fulfill the learning outcome requirements of the course. For the course to be considered complete, 80% attendance and participation are required. 

The syllabus was established by the Teachers’ Collegium on December 20^th 2023.
The Deans Council revised the syllabus on February 26^th and March 18^th 2025.