Religious Studies Joint Honours Component (B.A.) (36 credits)
Offered by: Religious Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36
Program Description
The B.A.; Joint Honours - Religious Studies Component focuses on the methodological approaches to the study of religious traditions, including the teachings, and history of those traditions.
Students wishing to study at the Honours level in two disciplines can combine Joint Honours program components in any two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs".
Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department to discuss their course selection and their interdisciplinary research project (if applicable). A 3-credit Joint Honours thesis related to the student’s area of focus must be submitted. The Joint Honours thesis topic must be approved by a Religious Studies adviser. A supervisor will be appointed to guide the student.
Students in Joint Honours program must maintain a program GPA and a CGPA of 3.00 (3.50 for First Class Honours) and attain a B- or higher in each program course. No overlap is allowed between the courses forming each component of the Joint Honours program.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Degree Requirements — B.A. & Sc. students
This program is offered as part of a Bachelor of Arts & Science (B.A. & Sc.) degree.
To graduate, students must satisfy both their program requirements and their degree requirements.
- The program requirements (i.e., the specific courses that make up this program) are listed under the Course Tab (above).
- The degree requirements—including the mandatory Foundation program, appropriate degree structure, and any additional components—are outlined on the Degree Requirements page.
Students are responsible for ensuring that this program fits within the overall structure of their degree and that all degree requirements are met. Consult the Degree Planning Guide on the SOUSA website for additional guidance.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| RELG 207 | Introduction to the Study of Religions. | 3 |
Introduction to the Study of Religions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course is an introduction to classic and contemporary approaches to the academic study of religions. This includes perspectives from philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, phenomenology, and feminism. Students are also exposed to applications of these perspectives from visiting scholars who treat some aspect of a religious tradition in light of current-day interests and events. The primary objective is to introduce students to the principal theories and methods that have shaped our understanding of religion, its various meanings as well as its roles and functions in society. | ||
| RELG 456 | Theories of Religion. | 3 |
Theories of Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history of the academic study of religion from its beginnings in the 19th century until the present. Key texts by figures such as Max Muller, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Mircea Eliade, Claude Levi-Strauss and Clifford Geertz will be studied. | ||
| RELG 489 | Joint Honours Thesis. | 3 |
Joint Honours Thesis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the research and writing of a Joint Honours thesis. Formulation of a coherent thesis based on independent research. Upon approval from adviser, production of a Joint Honours thesis based on original proposal. | ||
Complementary Courses (27 credits)
6 credits from core courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CATH 220 | Selected Topics in Catholic Studies. | 3 |
Selected Topics in Catholic Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A review of selected topics in Catholic studies. | ||
| RELG 201 | Religions of the Ancient Near East. | 3 |
Religions of the Ancient Near East. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the religions of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Syria-Palestine (excluding Israelite religion) from the fourth to first millennium B.C.E. Themes that will be discussed include: gods and goddesses, divine kingship, deification of kings, temple cult, death and afterlife, magic, piety, oracles, prayer, lament, myth and epic. | ||
| RELG 202 | Religion of Ancient Israel. | 3 |
Religion of Ancient Israel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the religion of Ancient Israel by a study of selected texts (narratives, laws, prophetic sayings, wisdom traditions, and psalms) from the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament in translation. | ||
| RELG 203 | Bible and Western Culture. | 3 |
Bible and Western Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. To provide students of the humanities with knowledge of the Bible as a tool for interpreting religious references in Western literature, art and music. Biblical stories (e.g. Creation, Exodus), key figures (e.g. David, Job, Mary), and common motifs (e.g. Holy City, Pilgrimage, Bride) are explored, then illustrated by later cultural forms. | ||
| RELG 204 | Judaism, Christianity and Islam. | 3 |
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions. | ||
| RELG 210 | Jesus of Nazareth. | 3 |
Jesus of Nazareth. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A critical study of selected ancient and modern accounts of the aims and person of Jesus. Attention will be given also to the question of the historical sources and to the relationship between faith and history. | ||
| RELG 212 | Introduction to African Religions and Cultures | 3 |
Introduction to African Religions and Cultures Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the varied and diverse peoples and cultures of Africa, taking religion as the starting point for understanding their ways of life. Focus on themes and categories such as cosmology, family and social structure, history, arts, gender and sexuality, and mythology. Examination of the ways traditional forms of religion, Christianity, and Islam have played a fundamental role in shaping the realities of African societies as well as African diaspora traditions. | ||
| RELG 252 | Hinduism and Buddhism. | 3 |
Hinduism and Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The interaction of Hinduism and Buddhism in India with special reference to the law of Karma, caste, women, ritual, death, yoga, and liberation. Determination of interpretative principles for understanding the religious psychology of Hindus and Buddhists. | ||
| RELG 253 | Religions of East Asia. | 3 |
Religions of East Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces East Asia's major religions comparatively by addressing the continuous exchange of ideas and practices between traditions. Rather than adopting a mere chronological approach, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism will be discussed thematically, taking in to account topics such as gender constructs, the secular and the sacred, material culture, and the apparent contrast between doctrine and practice. | ||
| RELG 254 | Introduction to Yoga Traditions. | 3 |
Introduction to Yoga Traditions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course is an historical and thematic investigation into yoga, including its classical formulations, esoteric practices, and contemporary developments and debates. It explores early yoga traditions as well as the development of modern yoga in India and “the West,” along with themes such as the body, asceticism, secularism, and cultural exchange. | ||
| RELG 270 | Religious Ethics and the Environment. | 3 |
Religious Ethics and the Environment. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology. | ||
| RELG 271 | Religion and Sexuality. | 3 |
Religion and Sexuality. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of intersections between religion, gender and sexuality in diverse cultural, historical and contemporary contexts. | ||
0-6 credits of Classical language courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLAS 210 | Introductory Latin 1. | 3 |
Introductory Latin 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course designed for beginners with little or no background in Latin. Introduction to basic grammar, vocabulary, morphology. Reading of simple sentences and connected passages. | ||
| CLAS 212 | Introductory Latin 2. | 3 |
Introductory Latin 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continued introduction to Latin grammar, vocabulary, and morphology. Reading of more complex sentences and longer connected passages. | ||
| CLAS 215 | Intensive Introductory Latin. | 6 |
Intensive Introductory Latin. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course designed for beginners with little or no background in Latin. Intensive introduction to grammar, vocabulary, morphology; the reading of sentences and connected passages. Equivalent to CLAS 210 and 212. | ||
| CLAS 220 | Introductory Ancient Greek 1. | 3 |
Introductory Ancient Greek 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course designed for beginners with little or no background in ancient Greek. Introduction to basic grammar, vocabulary, morphology. Reading of simple sentences and connected passages. | ||
| CLAS 222 | Introductory Ancient Greek 2. | 3 |
Introductory Ancient Greek 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continued introduction to ancient Greek grammar, vocabulary, and morphology. Reading of more complex sentences and longer connected passages. | ||
| CLAS 225 | Intensive Introductory Ancient Greek. | 6 |
Intensive Introductory Ancient Greek. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course designed for beginners with little or no background in ancient Greek. Intensive introduction to grammar, vocabulary, morphology; the reading of sentences and connected passages. Equivalent to CLAS 220 and 222. | ||
| CLAS 310 | Intermediate Latin 1. | 3 |
Intermediate Latin 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Review of Latin grammar, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary while introducing students to techniques and strategies for reading Latin poetry and prose. | ||
| CLAS 312 | Intermediate Latin 2. | 3 |
Intermediate Latin 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continued mastery of the language, with emphasis on translation of Latin texts. | ||
| CLAS 315 | Intermediate Latin 2: Selections. | 3 |
Intermediate Latin 2: Selections. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of selected works in Latin. Topic varies by year. | ||
| CLAS 320 | Intermediate Ancient Greek 1. | 3 |
Intermediate Ancient Greek 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Review of grammar, vocabulary, and syntax of Ancient Greek through translation of selected ancient texts. | ||
| CLAS 322 | Intermediate Ancient Greek 2. | 3 |
Intermediate Ancient Greek 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continued mastery of the language, with emphasis on translation of ancient Greek texts. | ||
| CLAS 326 | Intermediate Ancient Greek 2: Selections. | 3 |
Intermediate Ancient Greek 2: Selections. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Translation of ancient Greek texts selected from a given topic, theme, genre, or author. Texts and authors change from year to year. | ||
| ISLA 322D1 | Lower Intermediate Arabic. | 3 |
Lower Intermediate Arabic. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions. | ||
| ISLA 322D2 | Lower Intermediate Arabic. | 3 |
Lower Intermediate Arabic. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See ISLA 322D1 for course description. | ||
| RELG 257D1 | Introductory Sanskrit. | 3 |
Introductory Sanskrit. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. To develop basic language and reading skills. | ||
| RELG 257D2 | Introductory Sanskrit. | 3 |
Introductory Sanskrit. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See RELG 257D1 for course description. | ||
| RELG 264 | Introductory Tibetan 1. | 3 |
Introductory Tibetan 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the language of Classical Tibetan, specifically Tibetan script and basic grammar. | ||
| RELG 265 | Introductory Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Introductory Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A continuation of the introduction to the language of Classical Tibetan, specifically Tibetan script and basic grammar. | ||
| RELG 357D1 | Sanskrit 2. | 3 |
Sanskrit 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced grammar and vocabulary with readings in epic and similar texts. | ||
| RELG 357D2 | Sanskrit 2. | 3 |
Sanskrit 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See RELG 357D1 for course description. | ||
| RELG 364 | Intermediate Tibetan 1. | 3 |
Intermediate Tibetan 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced Tibetan grammar, and translation of selected Tibetan texts. | ||
| RELG 365 | Intermediate Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Intermediate Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of advanced Tibetan grammar and translation of selected Tibetan texts. | ||
| RELG 381 | Advanced New Testament Greek. | 3 |
Advanced New Testament Greek. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A review of grammar and syntax with an emphasis on rapid reading of sections chosen from different parts of the New Testament. | ||
| RELG 390D1 | Elementary Biblical Hebrew. | 3 |
Elementary Biblical Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the grammar and syntax of Biblical Hebrew. Emphasis is placed on both the oral and the written language. | ||
| RELG 390D2 | Elementary Biblical Hebrew. | 3 |
Elementary Biblical Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See RELG 390D1 for course description. | ||
| RELG 457D1 | Advanced Sanskrit. | 3 |
Advanced Sanskrit. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Critical reading of selected Sanskrit texts. | ||
| RELG 457D2 | Advanced Sanskrit. | 3 |
Advanced Sanskrit. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See RELG 457D1 for course description. | ||
| RELG 464 | Advanced Tibetan 1. | 3 |
Advanced Tibetan 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Translation of specially selected Tibetan texts. | ||
| RELG 465 | Advanced Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Advanced Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of translation of specially selected Tibetan texts. | ||
| RELG 491 | Biblical Hebrew Narratives. | 3 |
Biblical Hebrew Narratives. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exegesis and translation of certain narratives from the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible. | ||
| RELG 492 | Biblical Hebrew Poetry. | 3 |
Biblical Hebrew Poetry. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Translation and exegesis of certain poetic passages of the Masoretic Hebrew Bible and or Qumran corpus. | ||
15-21 credits from advanced courses at the 300 level or higher:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CATH 335 | Confessions of Saint Augustine. | 3 |
Confessions of Saint Augustine. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A close reading of Augustine's monumental Confessions- the odyssey of a restless soul seeking rest in God alone (conf. 1.1.) | ||
| CATH 375 | Topics in Catholic Theology. | 3 |
Topics in Catholic Theology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A review of selected topics in Catholic Theology. | ||
| RELG 300 | Second Temple Judaism. | 3 |
Second Temple Judaism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of Jewish history and thought from Ezra to the Mishnah; religious developments and groups, e.g., apocalypticism, Hellenistic Judaism, Essenes, Pharisees, Early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism; and Biblical Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Paul, Mishnah and Midrashim. | ||
| RELG 302 | Literature of Ancient Israel 1. | 3 |
Literature of Ancient Israel 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the literature of Ancient Israel in English translation. Reading and interpreting representative selections. | ||
| RELG 303 | Literature of Ancient Israel 2. | 3 |
Literature of Ancient Israel 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Approaches to historical-critical scholarship and to the historical background of the Old Testament. Part of the course will be an examination of methods of biblical analysis through the use of learning cells. | ||
| RELG 307 | Bible, Quran and Interpretations. | 3 |
Bible, Quran and Interpretations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures. | ||
| RELG 309 | World Religions and Cultures They Create.. | 3 |
World Religions and Cultures They Create.. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The constitution and mutual entanglements of selected religions and cultures originating and thriving in varied regional contexts. Focus on highlighting the symbolic (visual, aural) expressivity of religions via ritual, myth, and rational speculation and its impact on high and popular cultures. | ||
| RELG 311 | Formation of the New Testament. | 3 |
Formation of the New Testament. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the formation and interpretation of the New Testament, excluding the Gospels. | ||
| RELG 312 | The Gospels. | 3 |
The Gospels. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the critical study of the Gospels. | ||
| RELG 313 | Topics in Biblical Studies 1. | 3 |
Topics in Biblical Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in biblical studies. Topic varies by year. | ||
| RELG 315 | Special Topics in Religion 1. | 3 |
Special Topics in Religion 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics of current interest in or between world religions. | ||
| RELG 316 | New Religious Movements. | 3 |
New Religious Movements. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A critical analysis of the origins, character and influence of one or more religious movements of the 19th C. and beyond, with special attention to their religious principles and social function. | ||
| RELG 317 | Special Topics in Religion 2. | 3 |
Special Topics in Religion 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics of current interest in, or between, world religions. | ||
| RELG 318 | Special Topics in Religion 3. | 3 |
Special Topics in Religion 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics of current interest in, or between, world religions. | ||
| RELG 319 | Special Topics in Religion 4. | 3 |
Special Topics in Religion 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics of current interest in, or between, world religions. | ||
| RELG 322 | Church and Empire to 1300 . | 3 |
Church and Empire to 1300 . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of major institutional developments in the history of Western Christianity in Church and Empire from the end of the apostolic age to 1300. | ||
| RELG 323 | Church and State since 1300. | 3 |
Church and State since 1300. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Significant events and persons in the history of Western Christendom from 1300 to the present. | ||
| RELG 325 | Varieties Religious Experience in Christianity. | 3 |
Varieties Religious Experience in Christianity. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of varieties of religious experience in Christianity. | ||
| RELG 326 | Christians in the Roman World. | 3 |
Christians in the Roman World. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A social-historical examination of Christians within the complex cultural, political, ethnic and religious contexts of later Greco-Roman antiquity, focusing on changing relations among different varieties of Christian, as well as on interactions and conflicts among Christians, Jews and polytheists. Other topics to be considered include martyrdom, orthodoxy and heresy, and Gnosticism. | ||
| RELG 331 | Religion and Globalization. | 3 |
Religion and Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of the distinctive ways in which the world's religions are shaping and are shaped by the dynamics of globalization. It examines the multiple intersections of religion and globalization through a variety of themes and case studies in human rights, development, education, ecology, gender, and conflict | ||
| RELG 332 | Conversations Across World Religions. | 3 |
Conversations Across World Religions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of various themes across the world's religions, including a range of living faith traditions. | ||
| RELG 333 | Principles of Theology. | 3 |
Principles of Theology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the central questions, claims, and categories of Christian thought, considered in their narrative and credal context, with discussion of the nature of theology and the relation between faith and reason. | ||
| RELG 334 | Theology of History. | 3 |
Theology of History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Christian readings of history, and especially of the present age, including apocalyptic literature and political theology. | ||
| RELG 336 | Contemporary Theological Issues. | 3 |
Contemporary Theological Issues. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of contemporary theological issues. Topic varies by year. | ||
| RELG 337 | Themes in Buddhist Studies. | 3 |
Themes in Buddhist Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A focused examination of major themes within a branch of Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana Buddhism. Emphasis will be placed on both the close study of primary texts (in translation) in historical context and the application of recent methods to fundamental Buddhist concepts, ritual practices and community institutions. | ||
| RELG 338 | Women and the Christian Tradition. | 3 |
Women and the Christian Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Survey of women's involvement in the Christian tradition. Topics include feminist interpretation of scripture, ideas of virginity, marriage and motherhood, mysticism, asceticisms, European witchhunts, contemporary women's liberation theories. | ||
| RELG 341 | Introduction: Philosophy of Religion. | 3 |
Introduction: Philosophy of Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the subject. Faith and reason, theistic arguments, values and destiny, the problem of evil, religious language. | ||
| RELG 344 | Mahayana Buddhism. | 3 |
Mahayana Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of Mahayana schools of thought based on reading of key sutras and commentarial literature. | ||
| RELG 348 | Classical Hinduism. | 3 |
Classical Hinduism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Surveys classical Hinduism through Sanskrit learning traditions. Topics include: Vedic literature, fables, ethics, statecraft, erotics, liberation, and epic literature. | ||
| RELG 350 | Bhakti Hinduism. | 3 |
Bhakti Hinduism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Foundation of theism in the Upanisads, Epics, Gita and puranas; image worship and temple religion in the Agamas; Vaisnavism, Saivism, Saktism, and competition with Buddhism and Jainism; the relation of Bhakti and Tantra; interaction of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. | ||
| RELG 352 | Japanese Religions: History and Thought. | 3 |
Japanese Religions: History and Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides an in-depth introduction to the religious traditions of Japan from the emerging of the Japanese state to the role of religion in contemporary Japan. Kami worship, the Buddhist tradition, Yin Yang divination, Confucianism, and the modern construct of Shinto are addressed in an interdisciplinary approach, taking into account insights from the fields of History, Literature, and Art. | ||
| RELG 353 | Gandhi: His Life and Thought. | 3 |
Gandhi: His Life and Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the life and thought of Gandhi. | ||
| RELG 354 | Chinese Religions. | 3 |
Chinese Religions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the diverse religiosities in the Chinese cultural sphere. Examination of the everyday practice of ancestor worship, longevity practices, morality, rituals, and the veneration of deities and spirits. | ||
| RELG 355 | ||
Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. | ||
| RELG 358 | Religion and Cinema in India. | 3 |
Religion and Cinema in India. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Surveys religion in India through key films, assuming no prior knowledge of South Asian cinema. Discussions will focus on issues of religion, visual culture, and representation in the study of Indian film. Thematic focus will vary from year to year, on a range of topics such as nationalism, devotion, secularism, and censorship. | ||
| RELG 366 | Rivers, Religion, and Environment in South Asia. | 3 |
Rivers, Religion, and Environment in South Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This class explores the significance of major South Asian river systems, including Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, and Yamuna, in classical and contemporary terms. In Hindu scriptures, rivers may be incarnate, emplaced goddesses; in contemporary South Asia, rivers are central to Hindu pilgrimage while facing environmental pressures from pollution, overuse, flooding, and drought. Finally, rivers of the Indian subcontinent cross and delineate international boundaries, creating friction between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. As key lifelines shared in multi-religious South Asia, are rivers vulnerable wards of the state—or valuable ‘citizens’ who must be recruited to do their part? | ||
| RELG 368 | Japanese Religions in Pop Culture. | 3 |
Japanese Religions in Pop Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the representation of religion in today’s Japanese popular culture. Through the exploration of religious narratives, symbolism and concepts in manga, anime, film and short novels, students will study the way religion is perceived in contemporary Japan. The distinction between the secular and the sacred, and the clash between modernity and Japan’s pre-modern religious traditions will be examined from an historical, anthropological and literary point of view. | ||
| RELG 369 | Tibetan Buddhism. | 3 |
Tibetan Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Buddhism has been central to Tibetan culture and identity since the 7th century CE. This course introduces key aspects of the history and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, including: early history, political and sectarian developments, the spread of Tibetan Buddhism outside of Tibet, and the myth of "Shangri-La". | ||
| RELG 370 | Religion and Human Rights. | 3 |
Religion and Human Rights. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Social justice and human rights issues as key aspects of modem religious ethics. Topics include: the relationship of religion to the modem human rights movement; religious perspectives on the universality of human rights; the scope and limits of religious freedom; conflicts between religion and rights. | ||
| RELG 371 | Ethics of Violence/Non-Violence. | 3 |
Ethics of Violence/Non-Violence. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Forms of violence and the reaction of religious groups are assessed both for their effectiveness and for their fidelity to their professed beliefs. Different traditions, ranging from the wholesale adoption of violent methods (e.g., the Crusades) to repudiation (e.g., Gandhi; the Peace Churches). | ||
| RELG 372 | Hindu Goddesses. | 3 |
Hindu Goddesses. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The mythology, theology, soteriology, history, ritual, and texts of the goddess-centred (Sakta) branches of Hinduism. | ||
| RELG 373 | Christian Ethics of Love. | 3 |
Christian Ethics of Love. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will focus on the philosophical sources of love and on their uses by Christian authors. By comparing both their premises and methods, we will see how different authors in a particular tradition (Christianity) offer various answers to the themes of love, friendship and charity. | ||
| RELG 375 | Religion, Politics and Society. | 3 |
Religion, Politics and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of contemporary religious traditions in the light of debates regarding secularization, the relation of religion and politics, and the interaction of religion with major social institutions. | ||
| RELG 376 | Religious Ethics. | 3 |
Religious Ethics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A discussion of ethical theory will provide the background for an analysis of the relationship between religious world views and moral reason. Attention will be given to the way in which the dominant religious traditions view the exemplars of religious virtue, and to how the virtues exemplified are related to and justified by the faith tradition in which they operate. | ||
| RELG 378 | Pilgrimage, Heritage, and Tourism. | 3 |
Pilgrimage, Heritage, and Tourism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the history of pilgrimage and emergence of religious tourism in global contexts. Introduces the religious heritage of Montreal and its history as a Roman Catholic pilgrimage centre (St. Joseph’s Oratory) and adopts thematic approaches to pilgrimage and tourism in interreligious perspectives (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish). | ||
| RELG 380 | Religion, Philosophy, Modernity. | 3 |
Religion, Philosophy, Modernity. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Through primary source readings, this class will examine the intellectual history of this change, will identify the agents of this change, both philosophical and theological, and will consider the significance and implications of inhabiting a 'modernity' that is, and understands itself as, 'secular.' Charles Taylor's recent book, A Secular Age, narrates a historical development, from a 'pre-modern' condition, in which it was 'virtually impossible not to believe in and encounter God,' to a modern and contemporary situation in which 'faith is an embattled option.' Within the 'context of our self-understanding,' 'secularism' has become a 'default option.' | ||
| RELG 382 | Contemporary Theory of Religion . | 3 |
Contemporary Theory of Religion . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The key methodological controversies fueled by the systems of certain phenomenologists of religion (e.g., Rudolf Otto, Mircea Eliade, and Wilfred Cantwell Smith). The intellectual space that emerged as a result will be explored, in particular, the convergence of method and normativity in religious studies. | ||
| RELG 399 | Christian Spirituality. | 3 |
Christian Spirituality. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar exploring the phenomena of internal religious experience in their relation to received formularies of Christian thought and practice. | ||
| RELG 407 | The Writings. | 3 |
The Writings. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Job with some attention to Proverbs and Ecclesiastes (in English translation). | ||
| RELG 408 | The Prophets. | 3 |
The Prophets. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of significant texts selected from the prophetic tradition in the Old Testament. | ||
| RELG 419 | Religious Heritage and Tourism. | 3 |
Religious Heritage and Tourism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to heritage studies through the lens of religious studies, including spiritual, socio-economic, and political aspects of the expanding heritage phenomena, along with the contestations it can provoke. Topics include tourism, museums, intangible heritage practices, ritualization, the repatriation and destruction of heritage objects. | ||
| RELG 422 | Medieval Religious Texts. | 3 |
Medieval Religious Texts. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of the interaction of Neoplatonic, Peripatetic, and Aristotelian schools of thought with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the early medieval period down to the Renaissance and early stages of the western Enlightenment traditions. | ||
| RELG 423 | Reformation Thought. | 3 |
Reformation Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of issues and persons in Europe and the British Isles that contributed to ecclesiastical and social change during the 16th and early 17th centuries. | ||
| RELG 434 | Advanced Theology. | 3 |
Advanced Theology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of the nature of theology, and particular theological loci, through readings in major theologians. The Lord’s Prayer is added to the Nicene Creed as a second lens for theological study. | ||
| RELG 440 | Global Islam. | 3 |
Global Islam. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Western scholarship has oscillated between orientalizing Islam and co-opting it into the Western (Abrahamic) fold of religious traditions. The course will challenge both perspectives by exploring Islam’s dynamic unfolding across a variety of civilizational regions and during subsequent epochs. Its patterns of premodern globalization are nowadays retrieved, sometimes by fitting Islamic cultures into neoliberal patterns of globalization, more often by sidelining or overlaying the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states. The course will show how Islamic traditions have, both in history and in the present, developed unique intellectual tools and practical resources to interface both with ‘radical’ (Abrahamic) and ‘dialogic’ (non-Abrahamic) religious traditions: from the West (also via labor-based migration), through Central and South Asia, to East and Southeast Asia. | ||
| RELG 442 | Pure Land Buddhism. | 3 |
Pure Land Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The concept of Buddha Countries and Pure Lands in Buddhism, the Western Pure Land of Amida (Jodokyo) and its basic scriptures, the Chinese Buddhist schools, the introduction to Japan and the foundation of the Pure Land school by Honen, the Pure Land School of Shinran and its development, and the other Pure Land related schools. | ||
| RELG 444 | Indian Ocean Religious Networks. | 3 |
Indian Ocean Religious Networks. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar class explores cultural exchanges among maritime networks of Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims in South Asia and Southeast Asia, in classical, pre-modern, and contemporary terms. Key themes to be considered include: sovereignty, society, and religion, within the context of historically evolving cultural relations around the Bay of Bengal. Taking an inter-religious approach to understanding maritime cultural interactions, class readings and discussion include: foundational theories of “Indianization,” reflection on “localization,” the “Sanskrit cosmpolis,” and emerging theoretical contributions based on current archaeological, epigraphic, and art historical discoveries in India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Deptl. approval: Nov.17, 2015. | ||
| RELG 449 | The Religion of the Samurai. | 3 |
The Religion of the Samurai. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The religious and philosophical developments within the samurai class throughout the Edo (1600-1868) and early Meiji periods (1868-1912), including: an inquiry into the rise of new Buddhist and Shinto schools, the influence of Neo-Confucianism, the development of nativism and finally the invention of the Bushido. | ||
| RELG 451 | Zen Buddhism: Poetry and Art. | 3 |
Zen Buddhism: Poetry and Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A general overview of Japanese Zen Buddhism through the reading of poetry, diaries, sculpture and architecture. | ||
| RELG 453 | Vajrayana Buddhism. | 3 |
Vajrayana Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism, approached predominantly through the genre of life writing/sacred biography. | ||
| RELG 454 | Modern Hindu Thought. | 3 |
Modern Hindu Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the developments in religious thought with special reference to such thinkers as Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswati, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Gandhi, Tilak, Aurobindo, and Radhakrishnan. | ||
| RELG 455 | Religion and the Performing Arts in South India. | 3 |
Religion and the Performing Arts in South India. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course focuses on the place of religion in historical representations and performance practices of "classical" South Indian performing arts such as Bharatanatyam dance and Karnatak music. In particular, it lays emphasis on politics of the twentieth-century reinvention of these arts by elites in the Tamil and Telugu-speaking regions. | ||
| RELG 459 | Bhagavadgita and Mahabharata . | 3 |
Bhagavadgita and Mahabharata . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of the history, diversity, and influence of the Mahābhārata tradition, including the many lives of the Bhagavadgī, the Sanskrit epic itself as well as retellings from different religious and performative contexts. Topics explored include religious perspectives on death; debates about morality, violence, and political power; classical Indian aesthetics; devotional (bhakti) traditions; colonial and post-colonial constructions of religion; and contemporary reflections on caste and gender. | ||
| RELG 470 | Theological Ethics. | 3 |
Theological Ethics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines ancient and modern sources of Christian moral thought against a backdrop of contemporary alternatives. | ||
| RELG 479 | Christianity in Global Perspective. | 3 |
Christianity in Global Perspective. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines varied expressions of Christianity as a global religion with a particular focus on Asia, Africa and Latin America from the 18th century to the present. | ||
| RELG 502 | Greco-Roman Judaism. | 3 |
Greco-Roman Judaism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The religion and literature of wisdom and apocalyptic traditions, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo and Josephus, with special attention to the Jewish matrix of Early Christianity. | ||
| RELG 532 | History of Christian Thought 1. | 3 |
History of Christian Thought 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The development of Christian theology in the Patristic and Medieval periods. Focus on the controversial development of Christian doctrines and disciplines through intensive exposure to primary texts. | ||
| RELG 533 | History of Christian Thought 2. | 3 |
History of Christian Thought 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The development of Christian theology in the Reformation, Post Reformation and Modern periods through intensive exposure to primary texts. | ||
| RELG 544 | Ethnography as Method in Religious Studies. | 3 |
Ethnography as Method in Religious Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Ethnography as method informs disciplines from Area Studies and anthropology to linguistics and religious studies. Students will acquire a critical perspective on emic/etic subjectivity in Religious Studies, and a framework to apply ethnography in their research. Coursework covers classic ethnographies, new interventions, and ethnographies of particular relevance for religious traditions in a given year. | ||
| RELG 545 | Ramayana: Multiple Lives. | 3 |
Ramayana: Multiple Lives. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focus on the Rama story in South Asia. Exploration of the multiple versions of the narrative from classical Sanskrit textual versions, to rural vernacular retellings, to contemporary TV versions, and examination of the various religious, social, cultural and political significations of the narrative in these contexts. | ||
| RELG 546 | Indian Philosophy. | 3 |
Indian Philosophy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the orthodox systems of Hindu Philosophy leading up to Vedanta i.e., Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Yoga and Mimamsa, which will include discussion of such topics as: grounds for belief and disbelief in God, the nature of revelation, means of knowledge, etc. | ||
| RELG 547 | Special Topics in Hinduism. | 3 |
Special Topics in Hinduism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A research-oriented seminar dealing with topics in Hindu studies. | ||
| RELG 548 | Indian Buddhist Philosophy. | 3 |
Indian Buddhist Philosophy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The rise of buddhist schools of philosophy, especially the Theravada and Sauntrantika, as an attempt to systematize the canonical teachings and defend Buddhism against its critics. | ||
| RELG 549 | Japanese Buddhism in Historical Context. | 3 |
Japanese Buddhism in Historical Context. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This research-oriented seminar critically analyses key-questions from the field of pre-modern Japanese Buddhism. By engaging with recent research, students are expected to adopt an interdisciplinary approach and address questions and methodologies from both History and Buddhist Studies. | ||
| RELG 551 | Special Topics in Buddhism. | 3 |
Special Topics in Buddhism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A research-oriented seminar dealing with topics in Buddhist studies. | ||
| RELG 552 | Advaita Vedanta. | 3 |
Advaita Vedanta. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The relation of Nyaya-Vaisesika and Mimamsa to Kevaladvaita with concentration on Sankara's Brahmasutrabhasya, Pada 1 and 2. | ||
| RELG 556 | Issues in Buddhist Studies. | 3 |
Issues in Buddhist Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A graduate seminar taught by the Numata Visiting Professor on critical issues in contemporary Buddhist Studies. Emphasis will be placed on the intensive application of different methods - philological, philosophical or social scientific - to some area of modern Buddhist research. | ||
| RELG 558 | Indian Tantric Traditions. | 3 |
Indian Tantric Traditions. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study of esoteric Tantric culture (philosophy, ritual, pilgrimage, art, and iconography) with focus on either Hindu or Buddhist Tantric traditions. | ||
| RELG 559 | Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives. | 3 |
Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar addresses religion, caste, and the Dalit community (formerly known as "untouchables" in India through a range of historical and ritual contexts. Topics include representation in the Hindu textual tradition, colonialism, conversion, caste-based violence, caste and nationalism, non-Brahmin political assertion, and the contemporary reservation system. | ||
| RELG 560 | Buddhist Poetry. | 3 |
Buddhist Poetry. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Since the time of Buddha, poetry has been used by Buddhist to express devotion, to compose philosophical treatises, and to communicate insight into the experience of awakening. The seminar's content will vary, treating the history, poetics, esthetics, roles and genres of Buddhist poetry in India, Tibet, China and Japan. | ||
| RELG 570 | Research in Interfaith Studies. | 3 |
Research in Interfaith Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the complex entanglements ofreligious and cultural traditions. The intersectinguniverses of practice and meaning originating from different inflections of the tension betweenimmanence and transcendence, combininghistorical and theoretical approaches. | ||
| 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 572 | Religion and Global Politics. | 3 |
Religion and Global Politics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of the resurgence of global religions in geo-political and international relations in the post Cold-War era. It examines the complex roles that religious traditions play in democratization, human rights, conflict, and development. | ||
| RELG 573 | Religions in Global Society. | 3 |
Religions in Global Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar is devoted to the study of a plurality of often intersecting religious traditions in a globalizing world, based on interdisciplinary scholarship drawing from history, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. It starts from locating religious phenomena within intersecting social, cultural and political fabrics around the world. It articulates the relation between a multi-faith appreciation of the role of religions in a variety of societies and the emergence of diverse patterns of secularity in them. It facilitates a rich understanding of a complex past to shed light on the new challenges of globalization, including the opening of horizons of postsecular understandings and arrangements. | ||