Religious Studies

Religion deals with the most basic and ultimate questions of human existence: the meaning and purpose of life; the presence of death, sorrow and anxiety; the existence of God; questions of morality and justice; the possibilities of transcendence, salvation, and liberation for individuals and communities. Religion plays a central role in the construction of human cultures and societies, motivating and legitimating social, political, and ethical action. Religion has been and continues to be a powerful influence in literature, the arts, and history, as well as in current civil and global conflicts.

Religious Studies as an academic discipline does not indoctrinate in any religious tradition (though it may certainly help students clarify their own thinking and convictions). Rather, it takes a scholarly and analytical approach, and, as such, is open to students from all backgrounds, secular and religious. The academic study of religion examines the various religious traditions of the world, east and west, in their historical and contemporary contexts. It explores the various ways in which religion shapes culture and history, forms values, and authorizes human action. Thus Religious Studies is an integral part of the liberal arts curriculum.

Courses in Religious Studies are divided into three streams: Eastern Traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, East Asian Religions), Western Traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), and Religion and Culture. Introductory courses (at 1000 and 2000 level) lay the foundation for focused study of particular traditions and for courses that explore how religion relates to themes in the wider culture - such as in the arts, gender issues, and ethics (at 3000 and 4000 level).

The Humanities 1600-series is intended to provide an introduction to Humanities disciplines. These three-credit courses offered by the participating disciplines of Classics, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies are designed to acquaint beginning students with the methodologies typical of these disciplines and to familiarize them with the approaches taken as well as the sorts of themes pursued and questions raised in these disciplines.

Further information is available on request from the Department Office, Room 112, Hart Hall (364-2556).

RELIGIOUS STUDIES ELECTIVES

Those who wish to do electives may choose from Religious Studies courses in the 1600 series: 1641, 1651, and 1671; or from 2401, 2801, 2811, 2821, 2831, or 2841; or with appropriate prerequisites, several other courses in the Department.

Disciplinary B.A. Programs

MINOR in Religious Studies is 24 credits earned as follows:

6	from the Humanities 1600 Series
6	from Religious Studies at the 2000 level
12	from Religious Studies at the 3/4000 level, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor

MAJOR in Religious Studies is 60 credits earned as follows:

6	from the Humanities 1600 Series
6	RELG 2401 and 2801
3	RELG 3901
6	from RELG 3001, 3101
6	from RELG 3501, 3601, or 3701
15	from 3/4000 level Religious Studies courses, with at least 6 from 4000 level Religious Studies courses
18	credits from complementary courses in Arts and Letters, Humanities and Social Sciences, which may include further 2000 level Religious Studies courses, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor

HONOURS in Religious Studies is 72 credits earned as follows:

60	credits as in the Major, plus:
6	from RELG 4990
6	from Religious Studies at the 3/4000 level, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor

RELIGIOUS STUDIES COURSES

Note: The listing of a course in the Calendar is not a guarantee that the course is offered every year.

Note: Students must obtain a grade of at least C- in all courses used to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Otherwise, written permission of the appropriate Department Head or Program Co-ordinator must be obtained.

RELG 1641 (3CR)
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON THE BODY AND SEXUALITY
Format: lecture 3 hours
This course examines cross-cultural reflections on the human body and sexuality. The course will begin by situating these topics within the larger worldview of each tradition. In addition, it will examine issues of bodily functions, gender roles, sexual orientation, and related topics.

RELG 1651 (3CR)
CONTEMPORARY MYTHS
Format: lecture 3 hours
This course identifies and explores some of the most prominent of the myths that shape our perspectives on life and set our priorities for living. The kind of myths that will be considered are: a science myth, a sports myth, a sex myth, a society myth, a consumer myth, an ecology myth, and a religion myth.

RELG 1661 (3CR)
RELIGION AND POPULAR CULTURE
Format: lecture 3 hours
This course examines various points at which religion and culture collide. Various media will be utilized (film, music, fashion, literature) in order to interpret some of the complex relationships that form and maintain contemporary Western identity. Topics covered will include cultural uses of religious symbolism and story, the power of popular piety, and the Western tendency towards consumption and commodification of religious traditions.

RELG 1671 (3CR)
SACRED SPACE AND HOLY LAND
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 1671 (Sacred Space and Pilgrimage)
This course examines how the phenomena of "sacred space" and "pilgrimage", or "sacred journey", originate and give expression to core beliefs, symbols, and devotion of various world religions. Particular attention is focused upon ancient and contemporary Jerusalem, a hotly contested site of holiness for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

RELG 2401 (3CR)
INTRODUCTION TO EASTERN RELIGIONS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2211
This course introduces the origins, history, philosophy and practice of the major religions of India, China, and Japan, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto.

RELG 2801 (3CR)
INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN RELIGIONS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2201
This course examines the history, beliefs, practices, and contemporary socio-cultural significance of what are conventionally called the Western religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The course will also briefly examine Ancient Near Eastern religions (Egyptian and Mesopotamian), Greco-Roman paganism, as well as Zoroastrianism and Baha'i.

RELG 2811 (3CR)
INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE I: HEBREW BIBLE
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2001
An introduction - in English translation - to the literature of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Selected passages are discussed in the context of Israel's history, religion, and society, set against the backdrop of the Ancient Near Eastern civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. We will seek to understand why these texts and the religion they represent have been so influential and in what ways they still illuminate and speak to the human situation today.

RELG 2821 (3CR)
INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE II: NEW TESTAMENT
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2011
This course discusses the literature of the New Testament, in English translation, in light of the historical and cultural conditions from which it emerged. The New Testament is analyzed both as a witness to Jesus and to Christian origins, and as a text which has exerted enormous creative power within human culture and history.

RELG 2831 (3CR)
FAITH AND DOUBT
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2501
Consideration of western theism in terms of possibilities and forms of religious knowledge, rationality of belief in God, the challenge of the problem of evil, and the nature and significance of religion.

RELG 2841 (3CR)
THE APOCALYPTIC CONSCIOUSNESS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2031
A study of the apocalyptic consciousness in ancient documents and in modern thought, particularly with reference to ideas about the Day of Judgment and Second Coming. In addition to biblical and non-biblical texts, students will reflect on contemporary portrayals of the apocalyptic image in art, literature and film. Modern manifestations of the apocalyptic cult will be explored, with specific reference to cults of expectation.

RELG 3001 (3CR)
HINDUISM
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3261
A study of Hinduism, examining its origins, history, philosophy, and culture. The course will treat ancient, classical, medieval and modern periods, and conclude with a discussion of the challenges facing contemporary Hinduism.

RELG 3101 (3CR)
BUDDHISM
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3271
A study of Buddhism, examining its origins, history, philosophy and cultures. The course will treat the three major strands of classical Buddhism, and conclude with an analysis of the growing phenomenon of Western Buddhism.

RELG 3301 (3CR)
RELIGIONS OF CHINA
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
This course will study the religious traditions of China, examining the basic ideas and concepts underlying Chinese religion and the ways in which these ideas were implemented. The course will look in detail at both Confucianism and Daoism, at Chinese folk religion, and at the adaptation of Buddhism to China. It will conclude with an evaluation of the current state of religion in China.

RELG 3311 (3CR)
RELIGIONS OF JAPAN
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
This course will study the religious traditions of Japan, examining the underlying ideas and concepts of Shinto, including its relation to Shamanism, the nature and role of Kami, the role of purity and aesthetics, and its political functions. The introduction and adaptation of Buddhism and its relation to Shinto will be discussed, as will the modern day "new religions" which form such a vital part of contemporary Japanese religious practice. The influence and roles of Confucianism and Daoism will also be briefly covered.

RELG 3411 (3CR)
GENDER ISSUES IN EASTERN RELIGIONS
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3900, 4280
This course examines the role that gender plays in the context of myths, scriptural texts, rituals and doctrine, in the major religious traditions of the East. Attention will be paid to such matters as sexuality and sexual orientation, the body, feminism and other critical approaches, political rights and responsibilities, access to religious experience, and spiritual leadership.

RELG/HIST 3481 (3CR)
RELIGION IN CANADA
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Second-year standing and at least six credits in History at the 1000 or 2000 level; or permission of the Department.
Note: This course is cross-listed as HIST 3481 and may therefore count as 3 credits in either discipline.
This course surveys the history of religion in Canada from the pre-European period to the 1980s. It focuses on religious traditions which developed or were established early in Canadian history - aboriginal, Christian, and Jewish - but others are also included. The content includes both traditional topics such as influential individuals, writings, and institutions in relation to the state and public life, as well as themes from the newer socio-cultural history of religion.

RELG 3501 (3CR)
JUDAISM
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801, or 2811; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3241
This course examines the roots and various expressions of Judaism in the ancient world up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE and the rise of Rabbinic Judaism. Jewish life in the medieval world and the Islamic East, as well as the emergence of Kabbalah, are also discussed. The course then examines the emergence of various expressions of modern Judaism, including religious Zionism. The core convictions, sacred texts, institutions, and practices of Judaism will be analyzed within these historical contexts.

RELG 3601 (3CR)
CHRISTIANITY
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 2831; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 2511
A consideration of the central beliefs and forms of the Christian tradition in terms of their origins and relevance for today.

RELG/HIST 3611 (3CR)
CHRISTIANITY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 2821 or 3601 or third or fourth year History Major; or permission of the Department
Note: This course is cross-listed as HIST 3611 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.
Exclusion: RELG 3601
This course examines the crucial, defining crises of the ancient Christian communities in the social, political, and cultural context of Late Antiquity (roughly, 2nd to 6th centuries CE/AD) and the Roman Empire. Early Christianity is analyzed as a social movement, as a religious movement with a developing belief system, and as an historical phenomenon embedded within historical events and processes.

RELG/HIST 3621 (3CR)
CHRISTIANITY IN CHRISTENDOM
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 3601 or 3611 or third or fourth year History Major; or permission of the Department
Note: This course is cross-listed as HIST 3621 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.
Exclusion: RELG 3620
A consideration of Christianity at the height of its political power in the middle ages.

RELG/HIST 3631 (3CR)
CHRISTIANITY IN THE REFORMATION ERA
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3601 or 3611 or 3621 or third or fourth year History Major; or permission of the Department
Note: This course is cross-listed as HIST 3631 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.
A consideration of the reasons for and impact of the divisions in Christianity instituted by the Protestant Reformation.

RELG/HIST 3641 (3CR)
CHRISTIANITY AND MODERN STATES
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3601 or 3611 or 3621 or third or fourth year History Major; or permission of the Department
Note: This course is cross-listed as HIST 3641 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.
Exclusion: RELG/HIST 3641 (The Modern Church)
A consideration of how secularization has occurred in various modern states and of the sphere of influence that remains for religion in these circumstances.

RELG 3661 (3CR)
THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION AND THE UNIVERSITY
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 3601; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 2601
This course will introduce students to a consideration of the relationship between the Christian tradition and the origins and philosophy of the university, science, education and the liberal arts. The student will be encouraged to explore the complex inter-relatedness of litterae and religio and scientia, especially the creative tensions among these ways of knowing.

RELG 3701 (3CR)
ISLAM
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3291
This course traces Islam from its origins in the life and activities of Mohammed through to contemporary world Islam and its diverse responses to the challenges of "modernity" and the West. The world view, institutions, rituals, and practices of Islam will be studied within these changing historical and cultural contexts. Effort will be made throughout to gain insight into the religious, spiritual impulses which animate Islam and unite devout Muslims.

RELG 3811 (3CR)
GENDER ISSUES IN WESTERN RELIGIONS
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3900, 4280
This course examines the role that gender plays in the context of myths, scriptural texts, rituals and doctrine, in the major religious traditions of the West. Attention will be paid to such matters as sexuality and sexual orientation, the body, feminism and other critical approaches, political rights and responsibilities, access to religious experience, and spiritual leadership.

RELG/PHIL 3891 (3CR)
INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Six credits in Philosophy; or permission of the Department
Note: This course is cross-listed as PHIL 3891 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.
A study of selected primary sources in the Indian philosophical tradition, from the Vedas and Upanishads to the recent work of thinkers like S. Radhakrishnan. Topics usually include the nature of reality, moral obligation, Divinity, selfhood and freedom, the philosophy of love, and various social and political issues.

RELG 3901 (3CR)
THEMES AND THEORIES IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401, 2801; or, permission of the Department. This is a required course for all Majors and Honours students in Religious Studies, and is recommended for those taking a Minor.
This course examines various kinds of religious phenomena, including mystical experience, sacred texts, religious ethics, and ritual, and explores the different ways they are understood and interpreted in the discipline of Religious Studies. Major theoretical approaches, including text-historical, phenomenological, gender-critical, philosophical, cultural-critical, are explored and critically assessed for their value in the study of religion.

RELG 3911 (3CR)
CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES (WESTERN)
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 3601 or PHIL 2701; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3541
A consideration of the nature of ethics will be followed by exploration of some of the most prominent contemporary ethical issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, ecology, gay rights, racism, and sexism.

RELG 3921 (3CR)
EASTERN RELIGIONS AND CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
A discussion of the Eastern Traditions' responses to contemporary ethical issues, such as those of abortion, euthanasia, ecology, and bio-medical technologies. The course will look at both classical and contemporary perspectives.

RELG 3931 (3CR)
THE BIBLE AND THE ARTS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 2811 or 2821; or permission of the Department
This course will explore major biblical themes in the art and literature of the western world, looking at ways in which themes such as creation, liberation, salvation, resurrection, and fulfilment have been portrayed and interpreted in literature, the visual arts and music. The focus will be on the widespread influence of the Bible and biblical motifs on Western culture.

RELG 3941 (3CR)
RELIGION, REVOLUTION AND VIOLENCE
Format: lecture 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401 and 2801; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3231
This course examines the development and historical manifestations of ideologies of violence and nonviolence within the major world religions, with special attention to how these ideologies continue to play themselves out in contemporary global and national conflicts.

RELG 3951 (3CR)
ETHICS IN BUSINESS
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Open to third and fourth year students; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3550
A consideration of how ethics is and may be involved in business practice for individuals and corporations.

RELG 3961 (3CR)
ETHICS IN BUSINESS CULTURE
Format: lecture 3 hours
Prereq: Open to third and fourth year students; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3550
A consideration of the challenges posed for business ethics by the power of the limited liability corporation and its expansion into the transnational corporation and the global economy as reflected in the World Trade Organization.

RELG 3971 (3CR)
RELIGION IN FILM
Format: lecture 2 hours, laboratory 2.5 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401 and 2801; or permission of the Department (RELG 2811 and 2821 are also strongly recommended)
This course examines the cultural legacy and/or influence of various religious traditions and scriptural texts in the modern medium of film. It begins, with an examination of some great religious "epics", and then considers more recent cinematic treatments of religious themes and figures.

RELG 3981 (3CR)
RELIGIOUS ETHICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
What role does religion play in our interaction with the environment? This course examines various religious perspectives on nature and environmental ethics. Focusing primarily on Eastern traditions, the course begins by reviewing the concept and place of nature in various religions, and then critically examines scholarship which applies religious perspectives to issues in environmental ethics. We will also consider the religious basis of certain environmental thinkers and movements.

RELG 4401 (3CR)
HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM IN LITERATURE
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3001 or 3101; or permission of the Department
A seminar-style course treating several genres of Hindu and Buddhist literature. The course will begin with a study of classical texts, such as the Hindu epics and the Buddhist canon, and will conclude with a discussion of contemporary literary works.

RELG 4411 (3CR)
ADVANCED STUDIES IN EASTERN THOUGHT
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3001 or 3101; or permission of the Department
A seminar-style course on Eastern philosophies, focusing on the traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The course will examine both classical systems of thought and their modern interpretations.

RELG 4421 (3CR)
EASTERN RELIGIONS AND THE CHALLENGE OF MODERNITY
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401 and either 3001 or 3101; or permission of the Department
A senior-level course studying the contemporary state of Eastern Religions. The course will discuss the recent histories of the Eastern Religions, looking at the challenges of science, the impact of colonialism, movements of political independence, and issues of poverty and social justice. It will particularly study these traditions' encounter with the West, and their responses to the cultural exchange that ensues from this encounter.

RELG 4601 (3CR)
RECENT CHRISTIAN THOUGHT
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3601; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3531
Consideration of influential directions in recent theology with focus on approaches such as secular theologies, political theologies, liberationist theologies, feminist theologies, environmental theologies, process theologies, and post-modern theologies.

RELG 4801 (3CR)
MODERN WESTERN CRITIQUES OF RELIGION
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2831; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3521
Consideration of challenges to religion by prominent modern thinkers such as Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Feuerbach, Darwin and Nietzsche.

RELG 4821 (3CR)
SACRED TEXTS IN WESTERN RELIGIONS
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2811 or 2821, and one of 3501, 3601, or 3701; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3251
This course examines the phenomena of "sacred text" (scripture) and "sacred tradition" within Judaism (Torah), Christianity (New Testament), and Islam (Quran). The course addresses questions of the origin of sacred texts and how they nourish the religious, cultural, and social life of a community. It explores how diverse Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities at different periods in their histories have made fresh appropriations of the scriptural tradition through various strategies of interpretation.

RELG 4841 (3CR)
SEXUALITY AND THE BIBLICAL TRADITION
Format: seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2811 and 2821; or permission of the Department
This course will focus on the history of sexuality in the biblical and post-biblical traditions. The course examines, first, the Bible's treatment of the subject of sex (including bodily purity, reproduction and sexual orientation) through the close reading of biblical texts. It then looks at the Bible's influence on this subject in the history of Judaism and Christianity, and, finally, in the modern, secular era.

RELG 4950/4951 (6/3CR)
INDEPENDENT STUDY IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Format: Independent Study
Prereq: Permission of the Department/Program Advisor. Students must obtain consent of an instructor who is willing to be a supervisor and must register for the course prior to the last day for change of registration in the term during which the course is being taken.
Note: A program on Independent Study cannot duplicate subject matter covered through regular course offerings.
Note: Students may register for RELG 4950/51 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.
This course permits senior students, under the direction faculty members, to pursue their interest in areas not covered, or not covered in depth, by other courses through a program of independent study.

RELG 4990 (6CR)
HONOURS THESIS
Format: independent study/thesis
Prereq: Permission of the Department
Independent research and thesis writing under the direction of a member of the Department, for students in the Religious Studies Honours program.

RELG 1991/2991/3991/4991 (3CR)
SPECIAL TOPIC IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Format: Variable
Prereq: Set by the Department/Program when the topic and level are announced
Note: When a Department or Program intends to offer a course under this designation, it must submit course information, normally at least three months in advance, to the Dean.
Note: Students may register for RELG 1991/2991/3991/4991 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.
This course either focuses on topics not covered by the current course offerings in a department or program or offers the opportunity to pilot a course that is being considered for inclusion in the regular program.