FALL 2009

RELG 1671 (3CR) - Sacred Space and Holy Land
Instructor: John Perkin
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
Prereq: 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
Instructor: Barbra Clayton
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 2821 (3CR) - Introduction to the Bible II: New Testament
Instructor: Fiona Black
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 analysed both as a witness to Jesus and the Christian origins, and as a text which has exerted enormous creative power within human culture and history.

RELG 2831 (3CR) - Faith and Doubt
Instructor: Andrew Wilson
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: 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 3811 (3CR) - Gender Issues in Western Religions
Instructor: Fiona Black
Format: Seminar 2 Hours
Prereq: RELG 2801; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 2900, 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 3901 (3CR) - Themes & Theories in Religious Studies
Instructor: Andrew Wilson
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 3981 (3CR) - Religious Ethics & the Environment
Instructor: Barbra Clayton
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
Instructor: Barbra Clayton
Format: Seminar 3 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 4991 (3CR) - Creation and Evolution
Instructor: Andrew Wilson

WINTER 2010

RELG 1661 (3CR) - Religion and Popular Culture
Instructor: Andrew Wilson
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 2801 (3CR) -Introduction to Western Religions
Instructor: Fiona Black
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 2841 (3CR) - The Apocalyptic Consciousness
Instructor: John Perkin
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
Exclusion: RELG 2031

A study of the apocalyptic consciousness in ancient documents and in modern though, 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
Instructor: Barbra Clayton
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department.

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 3601 (3CR) - Christianity
Instructor: Andrew Wilson
Format: Lecture 2 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 origin and relevance for today.

RELG 3921 (3CR) - Eastern Religion & Contemporary Ethical Issues
Instructor: Barbra Clayton
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department.

A discussion of the Estern Traditions' response to contemporary ethical issues, such as those of abortion, euthanasia, ecology, and bio-medical technologies. Theh course will look at both classical and contemporary perspectives.

RELG 3931 (3CR) - The Bible and The Arts
Instructor: John Perkin
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 fulfillment 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 3991 (3CR) - Topics in Biblical Studies
Instructor: Fiona Black
Format:
Prereq:

RELG 4821 (3CR) - Sacred Texts in Western Religions
Instructor: Fiona Black
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
Prereq: RELG 2811 or 2921, 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.