Religious Studies (Thesis): Bioethics (M.A.) (45 credits)
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please refer to Visual Schedule Builder. A technical issue is causing the "Terms offered" field to incorrectly report "this course is not currently offered" for many courses in the Course Catalogue.
Thesis Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOE 690 | M.Sc. Thesis Literature Survey. | 3 |
M.Sc. Thesis Literature Survey. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comprehensive literature survey in the general area of the thesis topic, to be completed in the first semester. | ||
| BIOE 691 | M.Sc. Thesis Research Proposal. | 3 |
M.Sc. Thesis Research Proposal. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent work under the supervision of the thesis advisor(s) leading to a thesis proposal. | ||
| BIOE 692 | M.Sc. Thesis Research Progress Report. | 6 |
M.Sc. Thesis Research Progress Report. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A status report on the progress in the thesis research. | ||
| BIOE 693 | M.Sc. Thesis. | 12 |
M.Sc. Thesis. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Independent work under the supervision of the thesis advisor(s) leading to a thesis manuscript. | ||
Required Courses (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOE 680 | Bioethical Theory. | 3 |
Bioethical Theory. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Overview of moral theoretical approaches to bioethics, as well as explorations of critical responses, meta-ethical foundations, methodological questions, and ethical issues arising in bioethics scholarship. | ||
| BIOE 681 | Bioethics Practicum. | 3 |
Bioethics Practicum. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Four hours per week supervised placement within health care settings (e.g., intensive care, family practice, clinical ethics committees). In addition, students shall be assigned for the last month of the term to a single intensive placement. Participation in rounds, case discussions, and a weekly seminar. | ||
| RELG 571 | Ethics, Medicine and Religion. | 3 |
Ethics, Medicine and Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The seminar will discuss a variety of topics related to medicine and religion from the point of view of ethics, such as the pact of care between a patient and a physician, the Hippocratic oath, the notions of autonomy and vulnerability, the definitions of personhood and human dignity, the question of rights for people with cognitive disabilities, the debate about the role of religion in bioethics. | ||
| RELG 645 | Methods in Religious Studies. | 3 |
Methods in Religious Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion, including: historical studies/textual hermeneutics; ritual/performance studies; and religion and modernity. | ||
Complementary Courses (9 credits)
9 credits at the 500 or 600 level, deemed necessary or accepted by the base faculty for the granting of a master's degree, in consultation with the supervisor.