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Program Requirements
** This program is no longer offered. **
The Honours Religious Studies offers a degree of analysis and concentration beyond that of the Major program through coursework, intensive research and discussion with peer groups.
There are no prerequisites for entry to the program. Students must, however, maintain a program GPA and a CGPA of 3.00 (or 3.50 for First Class Honours).
While gaining general knowledge of the study of religion, students also develop more concentrated expertise in either the Western Religions or Asian Religions option.
The requirements set out below pertain to the Western Religions option.
Required Courses (9 credits)
-
RELG 204 Judaism, Christianity and Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Salvatore, Armando (Winter)
Winter
-
RELG 456 Theories of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Fall)
Fall and Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Majors and Honours students or with permission of the Instructor.
-
RELG 555 Honours Seminar (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Current trends in the study of religion, including the approaches of critical theory, feminism, post-modernism, and post-colonialism.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
Complementary Courses (51 credits)
51 credits selected with the following specifications:
3 credits introductory courses on Religions of Asia
6 credits of Scriptural Languages related to Western religious traditions (selected in consultation with the Program Adviser)
15 credits from Themes in Religion, Culture and Globalization
6 credits from Religions of Asia
21 credits chosen from courses on Western Religions, of which 3 credits must be a 500-level research seminar
3 credits from introductory courses on Religions of Asia:
-
RELG 252 Hinduism and Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E; Stainton, Hamsa (Fall)
Fall
-
RELG 253 Religions of East Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Bauer, Mika毛l (Winter)
Winter
-
RELG 387 Introduction to Jainism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course provides an introduction to Jaina religious culture, including elements of its history, philosophy, cosmology, and monastic and lay practices. It also focuses on constructions of Jainism芒鈥⑴絪 precept of universal non-violence (ahimsa), and addresses Jaina responses to contemporary social and ethical issues.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): RELG 252
-
RELG 388 Introduction to Sikhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the historical and religious context in which the Sikh religion developed, its principal doctrines, practices and institutions and its evolution from its origins to the present, both inside and outside India.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
6 credits from Western Religions - Scriptural Languages (Biblical Greek or Biblical Hebrew) chosen in consultation with the Program Adviser.
-
JWST 327 A Book of the Bible (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : One book of the Bible will be studied in its entirety in Hebrew. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Fall
Prerequisite: Knowledge of Hebrew
-
JWST 328 A Book of the Bible (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : One book of the Bible will be studied in its entirety in Hebrew. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Winter
Prerequisite: Knowledge of Hebrew
-
JWST 329 A Book of the Bible (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : One book of the Bible will be studied in its entirety in Hebrew. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Fall
Prerequisite: Knowledge of Hebrew
-
JWST 330 Topics in the Hebrew Bible (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : A selected topic of current interest in the Hebrew Bible will be studied in depth. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature, and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text. Students may read the text in Hebrew or in translation.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Abecassis, Deborah (Winter)
For detailed course content go to .
- RELG 381 Advanced New Testament Greek (3 credits)
-
RELG 390D1 Elementary Biblical Hebrew (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the grammar and syntax of Biblical Hebrew. Emphasis is placed on both the oral and the written language.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Brockman, Andrew (Fall)
Students must register for both RELG 390D1 and RELG 390D2.
No credit will be given for this course unless both RELG 390D1 and RELG 390D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
RELG 390D2 Elementary Biblical Hebrew (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : See RELG 390D1 for course description.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Brockman, Andrew (Winter)
Prerequisite: RELG 390D1
No credit will be given for this course unless both RELG 390D1 and RELG 390D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
RELG 390D1 and RELG 390D2 together are equivalent to RELG 390
- RELG 482 Exegesis of Greek New Testament (3 credits)
-
RELG 491 Hebrew Texts (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Translation and exegesis of selected texts.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia (Fall)
Fall
-
RELG 492 Hebrew Texts (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Translation and exegesis of selected texts.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia (Winter)
Winter
-
RELG 583 Hellenistic Religious Texts (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Translation and discussion of Hellenistic Greek texts pertaining to the study of topics in Early Christianity and Greco-Roman religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: RELG 482 or permission of the instructor.
15 credits from Themes in Religion, Culture and Globalization:
-
RELG 207 Introduction to the Study of Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken RELG 255.
Winter
-
RELG 256 Women in Judaism and Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The role of women in Judaism and Islam from the point of view of institutionalized religious traditions and of women's religious subjectivity; how women's spiritual and social roles within their religious traditions are shaped by Revealed Law, Holy Text and the Authority of Interpretation. Comparative sociology of religion approach.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Summer
-
RELG 270 Religious Ethics and the Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Goodin, David (Winter)
Fall: Macdonald Campus (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue). Winter: Downtown Campus.
-
RELG 271 Religion and Sexuality (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Exploration of intersections between religion, gender and sexuality in diverse cultural, historical and contemporary contexts.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Blake, Lisa; Robathan, Lucie (Winter)
Winter
-
RELG 309 World Religions and Cultures They Create (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Salvatore, Armando (Fall)
-
RELG 315 Special Topics in Religion 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in or between world religions.
Terms: Fall 2020, Summer 2021
Instructors: Kaell, Hillary Diane (Fall) Brockman, Andrew; Rosini, Amanda (Summer)
- RELG 317 Special Topics in Religion 2 (3 credits)
-
RELG 318 Special Topics in Religion 3 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in, or between, world religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 319 Special Topics in Religion 4 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in, or between, world religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 331 Religion and Globalization (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 319 when topic was "Religion and Globalization"
-
RELG 332 Conversations Across World Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Exploration of various themes across the world's religions, including a range of living faith traditions.
Terms: Summer 2021
Instructors: Robathan, Lucie; White, Anna Lee (Summer)
Prerequisite(s): One 200 level RELG course and permission of the instructor.
Field trips to local religious communities may be included as part of the course.
-
RELG 340 Religion and the Sciences (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Philosophies of science and of religion have created a more positive dialogue on questions of method, symbolism and rationality. Examines key issues (e.g. creation and evolution; objectivity and involvement; determinism and freedom) raised by natural and social sciences, and various possible solutions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fall and Summer
-
RELG 341 Introduction: Philosophy of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Introduction to the subject. Faith and reason, theistic arguments, values and destiny, the problem of evil, religious language.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Green, Garth (Fall)
Fall
-
RELG 345 Religion and the Arts 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in Religion and the Arts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 347 Topics in Religion and the Arts (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics in religion and the arts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 353 Gandhi: His Life and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the life and thought of Gandhi.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Sharma, Arvind (Fall)
Winter
-
RELG 355 Religion and the Arts 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in Religion and the Arts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 358 Religion and Cinema in India (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Fall)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken RElG 547 when topic was "Religion and Cinema in India".
This course may require additional contact hours for the screening of films.
-
RELG 361 Religious Behaviour (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the psychological origins of religion, of some aspects of the religious life (e.g. prayer, conversion, mystical experiences), and of some contemporary religious phenomena (e.g. marginal religious groups, the charismatic movement, glossolalia). The views of Freud and Jung are also considered.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
-
RELG 366 Rivers, Religion, and Environment in South Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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鈥攐r valuable 鈥榗itizens鈥� who must be recruited to do their part?
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): RELG 252 or Permission of Instructor
-
RELG 370 Religion and Human Rights (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
-
RELG 371 Ethics of Violence/Non-Violence (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Summer
-
RELG 375 Religion, Politics and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Winter)
Fall
Restriction: U2 and U3 students
-
RELG 376 Religious Ethics (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 377 Religious Controversies (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A comparative survey of types and topics of argumentation developed in the literature of controversy. Texts discussed include disputations, missionary sermons and polemical treatises.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
-
RELG 378 Pilgrimage, Heritage,
and Tourism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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鈥檚 Oratory) and adopts thematic approaches to pilgrimage and tourism in interreligious perspectives (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish).
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Winter)
Class work includes a local field visit
-
RELG 440 Global Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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鈥檚 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 鈥榬adical鈥� (Abrahamic) and 鈥榙ialogic鈥� (non-Abrahamic) religious traditions: from the West (also via labor-based migration), through Central and South Asia, to East and Southeast Asia.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 444 Indian Ocean Religious Networks (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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 鈥淚ndianization,鈥� reflection on 鈥渓ocalization,鈥� the 鈥淪anskrit cosmpolis,鈥� and emerging theoretical contributions based on current archaeological, epigraphic, and art historical discoveries in India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Deptl. approval: Nov.17, 2015.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): RELG 252 or permission of instructor
-
RELG 479 Christianity in Global Perspective (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Zink, Jesse (Fall)
Winter
Prerequisite: A 300 level course in Christianity or permission of the Instructor.
-
RELG 544 Ethnography as Method in Religious Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): A minimum of six credits in 300 level RELG courses and/or permission of the instructor.
-
RELG 571 Ethics, Medicine and Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 572 Religion and Global Politics (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 573 Religions in Global Society (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
6 credits from Religions of Asia:
-
RELG 254 Introduction to Yoga Traditions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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 鈥渢he West,鈥� along with themes such as the body, asceticism, secularism, and cultural exchange.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Stainton, Hamsa (Winter)
Fall
-
RELG 337 Themes in Buddhist Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 339 Gender & Sexuality in Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Religious perspectives on the body, gender and sexual activity in Buddhist cultures.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Core course for the Women's Studies Minor program
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
-
RELG 342 Theravada Buddhist Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The evolution of doctrines, practices and institutions explored through critical survey of Pali Canon (in translation), focusing on the dialogues of Gotama Buddha and his community during its first five centuries and on the historical accounts contained in the codes of monastic discipline.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of instructor
- RELG 344 Mahayana Buddhism (3 credits)
-
RELG 348 Classical Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Surveys classical Hinduism through Sanskrit learning traditions. Topics include: Vedic literature, fables, ethics, statecraft, erotics, liberation, and epic literature.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Sharma, Arvind (Winter)
All texts are read in English translation; no prior knowledge is assumed.
-
RELG 350 Bhakti Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Stainton, Hamsa (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
-
RELG 352 Japanese Religions: History and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Bauer, Mika毛l (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 253 or permission of instructor
-
RELG 354 Chinese Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course studies the Confucian classics, philosophical and religious Taoism, and Neo-Confucianism and also examines the syncresis between the Chinese religions and Indian Buddhism.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Lai, Rongdao (Fall)
Fall
-
RELG 356 Gender & Sexuality in Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Religious perspectives on the body, gender and sexual activity in Hindu cultures. Topics include: dharma and sexual practice; female sexuality; Bhakti and Tantra; same-sex relations; hijras; eroticism in the literary, visual, and performing arts; colonialism, Hindu nationalism, and the politics of gender.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or Permission of the instructor.
-
RELG 369 Tibetan Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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".
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Fall)
-
RELG 372 Hindu Goddesses (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The mythology, theology, soteriology, history, ritual, and texts of the goddess-centred (Sakta) branches of Hinduism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
RELG 442 Pure Land Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: six credits in EAST/RELG or permission of instructor
-
RELG 451 Zen Buddhism: Poetry
and Art (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A general overview of Japanese Zen Buddhism through the reading of poetry, diaries, sculpture and architecture.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Bauer, Mika毛l (Fall)
Prerequisite: six credits in EAST/RELG or permission of instructor
- RELG 452 East Asian Buddhism (3 credits)
-
RELG 453 Vajrayana Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the history, philosophy and practices of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 344.
-
RELG 454 Modern Hindu Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Sharma, Arvind (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: RELG 252
-
RELG 455 Religion and the Performing Arts in South India (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 363
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RELG 545 Ramayana: Multiple Lives (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Stainton, Hamsa (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: RELG 252 Hinduism & Buddhism
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RELG 546 Indian Philosophy (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisites: 6 credits in Indian religions, philosophy of religion, philosophy, or permission of the instructor
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RELG 548 Indian Buddhist Philosophy (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Winter)
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RELG 549 Japanese Buddhism in Historical Context (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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RELG 551 Special Topics in Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A research-oriented seminar dealing with topics in Buddhist studies.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Lai, Rongdao; Bauer, Mika毛l (Winter)
Fall and Winter
Prerequisite: RELG 344 or Permission of instructor.
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RELG 552 Advaita Vedanta (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The relation of Nyaya-Vaisesika and Mimamsa to Kevaladvaita with concentration on Sankara's Brahmasutrabhasya, Pada 1 and 2.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Sharma, Arvind (Fall)
Prerequisites: 6 credits in Indian religions
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RELG 553 Religions of South India 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics include: definitions of Tamil identity, the relation of akam to bhakti poetry, the theology of the Alvars and Nayanmars, inter-religious and sectarian competition, the motif of pilgrimage, questions of caste and women.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in Indian religions
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RELG 554 Religions of South Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course familiarises students with major issues in the interpretation of South Asian religions with concern for historical-, regional-, and socio-political studies. Students will become conversant with the work of key contributors in the study of South Asian religions in terms of methodologies, major works, and the reception and audience of their writings.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credits in Asian religions or permission of the instructor.
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RELG 556 Issues in Buddhist Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
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RELG 558 Indian Tantric Traditions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Study of esoteric Tantric culture (philosophy, ritual, pilgrimage, art, and iconography) with focus on either Hindu or Buddhist Tantric traditions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisites: Any two 300-level courses in Hinduism or Buddhism.
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RELG 559 Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisites: RELG 252 and one 300 level course or higher in South Asian Religions
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RELG 560 Buddhist Poetry (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
21 credits from Western Religions (3 credits of which must be a 500-level research seminar):
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JWST 510 Jewish Bible Interpretation 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The issues, approaches, and texts of Jewish Bible interpretation between the Biblical and Talmudic eras: Bible interpretation in the Bible; in Greco-Roman Jewish literature; in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Targumim, and Talmudim; early Samaritan interpretation, Bible interpretation in ancient synagogue art, and in the massoretic literature.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 512
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RELG 201 Religions of the Ancient Near East (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 202 Religion of Ancient Israel (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
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RELG 203 Bible and Western Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Rosini, Amanda; Fishley, Daniel (Winter)
Fall and Winter
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RELG 204 Judaism, Christianity and Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Salvatore, Armando (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 210 Jesus of Nazareth (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Fall)
Fall, Winter and Summer
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RELG 300 Second Temple Judaism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 302 Literature of Ancient Israel 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the literature of Ancient Israel in English translation. Reading and interpreting representative selections.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 303 Literature of Ancient Israel 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kirkpatrick, Patricia (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 307 Bible, Quran & Interpretations (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Fall)
Winter
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RELG 308 Ancient Bible Translations (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Canonical changes, literary alterations, translation techniques, hermeneutical strategies, variant readings, and textual histories of the books of the Hebrew Bible as evidenced in the ancient versions, primarily the Septuagint. (No knowledge of Greek or Hebrew is required.)
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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RELG 311 Formation of the New Testament (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the formation and interpretation of the New Testament, excluding the Gospels.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 312 The Gospels (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the critical study of the Gospels.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 313 Topics in Biblical Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics in biblical studies. Topic varies by year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Winter
-
RELG 314 Topics in Biblical Studies 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in or between world religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Summer
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RELG 322 Church and Empire to 1300
(3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 323 Church and State since 1300 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Significant events and persons in the history of Western Christendom from 1300 to the present.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 324 Armenian Apostolic Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : History of the Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church from its foundation to the present: apostolic beginnings; St. Gregory the Illuminator and the establishment of Christianity in Armenia in the fourth century; development of doctrine, ecumenical discussions; theology, mystical thought, liturgy, sacred art and architecture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 322
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RELG 325 Varieties Religious Experience in Christianity (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A survey of varieties of religious experience in Christianity.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Winter)
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RELG 326 Christians in the Roman World (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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RELG 333 Principles of Christian Theology 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 334 Christian Thought and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Examines selected cultural and countercultural features of Christianity, with attention to theological anthropology and, for example, to political and legal philosophy, or social and bioethics, or the creative arts.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Fall)
Winter and Summer
Prerequisite(s): One prior course in Christianity, or permission of the instructor.
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RELG 336 Contemporary Theological Issues (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of contemporary theological issues. Topic varies by year.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: De Vries, Roland James (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: 3 credits in Christianity or permission of instructor
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RELG 338 Women and the Christian Tradition (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fall
Core course for the Women's Studies Minor program
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RELG 373 Christian Ethics of Love (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Fiasse, Gaelle (Fall)
Winter
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RELG 379 Eastern Orthodox Christianity (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics in the history, theology, spiritual practices, liturgical arts, and literatures of the Greek, Slavonic, Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, and related Christian traditions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Restriction(s): For U2 students and above and not open to students who have taken RELG 232.
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RELG 380 Religion, Philosophy, Modernity (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.'
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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RELG 399 Christian Spirituality (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Seminar exploring the phenomena of internal religious experience in their relation to received formularies of Christian thought and practice.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Fiasse, Gaelle (Fall)
Summer
- RELG 407 The Writings (3 credits)
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RELG 408 The Prophets (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of significant texts selected from the prophetic tradition in the Old Testament.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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RELG 420 Canadian Church History (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A survey of the major Christian traditions in Canada from the settlement of New France to the present. Lectures and seminars with use, where possible, of primary source materials.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Fall)
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RELG 423 Reformation Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Bogert-Winkler, Hilary (Winter)
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RELG 434 Principles of Christian Theology 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course is normally pursuant to RELG 333. It examines in more depth methodological issues as well as particular themes in theology, christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology, through readings in major theologians.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite(s): RELG 333 or permission of the instructor.
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RELG 470 Theological Ethics (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Examines ancient and modern sources of Christian moral thought against a backdrop of contemporary alternatives.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Winter)
Fall
Prerequisites: One course in theology or Christian thought and one course in philosophy or ethics.
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RELG 502 Greco-Roman Judaism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
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RELG 532 History of Christian Thought 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : 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.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite: At least six (6) credits at the 300 level in Christianity or the Christian Bible.
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 320
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RELG 533 History of Christian Thought 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The development of Christian theology in the Reformation, Post Reformation and Modern periods through intensive exposure to primary texts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: At least six (6) credits at the 300 level in Christianity or the Christian Bible.
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 327
Courses Offered by Other Units
Up to 6 credits of courses from other units may be chosen by Honours students with prior approval from the Religious Studies Honours program adviser.
