The research fellowship is a requirement to earn an Advanced Master in Ecumenical Studies.
Students participate in a WCC programme or commission—this year these include the Child Rights Programme, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, Commission on Faith and Order, and Programme on Economy of Life—and then submit an essay on their experience.
The research fellowship is designed to offer insight into the practical work of an ecumenical organisation or a specialised institution related to ecumenism. The visiting research fellowship is meant as an exposure to the life and practice of ecumenical work on an international level.
The main task of the students during the period of the visiting research fellowship is to interact with the staff by focusing on a specific topic or question related to the work of the programme.
The WCC, as a receiving institution, will offer the visiting research fellows the opportunity to gain insight into a selected field of research or practical work.
As they begin their fellowship, the students will receive an introduction to the present structure of the WCC, and their respective areas of research. They all also participate in the WCC Staff Planning Days from 26 February to 1 March, joining in the prayers, Bible studies, and plenaries.
The fellowships will end on 28 March.
"The internship opens up new horizons for the Bossey students,” said Rev. Dr Benjamin Simon, professor for Ecumenical Social Ethics and incoming dean of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. “They can experience in a very concrete way how their theology studies, particularly in the previous semester in Bossey, are put into practice in the various areas at WCC. Theological formation is the foundation of any of our programs at WCC."