Program Requirements
The Major Concentration World Religions offers students a broad introduction to the study of the world's major religions, with the possibility for concentration in a student's specific areas of interest. Developing an understanding of methods and problems in comparative approaches to the academic study of religion will be encouraged.
Required Course (3 credits)
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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 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Fall) Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Fall and Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Majors and Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
Complementary Courses (33 credits)
33 credits, no more than 12 of which may be taken at the 200 level, selected with the following specifications:
World Religions: 24 credits chosen from the course lists on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and/or Hinduism and Buddhism according to the student's area of interest.
Themes in Religion, Culture, and Gloobalization: 9 credits from the course list below according to the student's area of interest.
World Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
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CATH 200 Introduction to Catholicism (3 credits)
Overview
Catholic Studies : An interdisciplinary study of the Roman Catholic tradition in its changing contexts. Traces major themes in the Catholic tradition. Emphasis will vary from year to year on spiritual, intellectual, institutional, cultural and historical dimensions.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Fall)
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CATH 310 Catholic Intellectual Traditions (3 credits)
Overview
Catholic Studies : This course examines Catholic intellectual perspectives, schools of thought, and major thinkers, with focus on topics such as God, faith and reason, the human person, history, culture and community. Will also examine the interaction between Catholicism and other perspectives and traditions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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CATH 340 Catholic Social Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Catholic Studies : Explores Catholic social and political thought from a comparative perspective. Topics may include the Church-State distinction, subsidiary, the common good, pluralism, the Catholic human rights revolution, natural law and the international order, Christian Democracy and the relationship between Catholicism, liberalism and communitarianism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Leahy, Anne (Winter)
Prerequisite: CATH 200, or permission of instructor
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ISLA 200 Islamic Civilization (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Keshavmurthy, Prashant; Ücüncü, Temel; Sabri, Zahra (Fall)
Fall
Note: All readings are in English.
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ISLA 210 Muslim Societies (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Medani, Khalid; Rahman, Md; Graham, Pascale (Winter)
Winter
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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 2015
Instructors: Bellavance, Éric (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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Winter)
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: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016
Instructors: Keiser, Jeffrey (Fall) Keiser, Jeffrey (Winter) Keiser, Jeffrey; Ricker, Aaron (Summer)
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 2016
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H; Waind, Jonathan; Fakhoury, Hadi (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 2015
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 2015
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 2015
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 2016
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (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: Summer 2016
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Summer)
Winter
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RELG 311 New Testament Studies 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the interpretation of the New Testament.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Tappenden, Frederick (Fall)
Fall
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RELG 312 New Testament Studies 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the critical study of the Gospels.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Tappenden, Frederick (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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Summer
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RELG 322 The Church in History 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A survey of major developments in the history of Christianity from the end of the apostolic age to 1500. Selected readings from primary and secondary sources will be used.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Kirby, W J Torrance (Fall)
Fall
**Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fourth lecture day.
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RELG 323 The Church in History 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Significant events and persons in the history of western Christianity from 1500 - 1948 will be studied. Attention is focused on mainline denominations in Britain and continental Europe.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Milner, Matthew (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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 326 Ancient Christian Church AD54 - AD604 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Significant persons and events from Nero's reign to the papacy of Gregory I. Attention to major Christian centres within the Roman Empire before Constantine, to the development of the Eastern Byzantine Church, and to the growth of the papacy in the West. Leading Christian theologians and thinkers will be studied.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H (Winter)
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RELG 333 Principles of Christian Theology 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the central categories of Christian theology. The course will include discussion of the nature of theology, and of all the primary areas of doctrine (Theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Anthropology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology). Throughout, a conscious attempt will be made to reflect on the Christian faith in the light of the contemporary apologetic situation.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Richardson-Bryson, Peter (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 334 Christian Thought and Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Explores the Christian narrative and theological worldview, in relation to western religion, ethics, philosophy, science, and culture, with reference to both primary and secondary literature.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Winter)
Winter and Summer
Prerequisite: One prior course in Christianity, or History of Western Thought or by 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 2016
Instructors: Richardson-Bryson, Peter (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: Fall 2015
Instructors: Marr, Lucille (Fall)
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 2015
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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Fakhoury, Hadi; Guyver, Jennifer; Livieri, Paolo (Winter)
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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: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Summer
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Marr, Lucille (Winter)
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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: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 434 Principles of Christian Theology 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course is a continuation of RELG 333.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Richardson-Bryson, Peter (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 333
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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: Fall 2015
Instructors: Farrow, Douglas B (Fall)
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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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
Hinduism and Buddhism
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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 2015, Summer 2016
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E; Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Fall) Kachroo, Meera Jo; Troughton, Thomas (Summer)
Fall
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RELG 253 Religions of East Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Harmony with nature, society, and cosmos to be explored through the religions of the Far East (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Shinto).
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Blake, Lisa; Li, Jingjing (Winter)
Winter
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Core course for the Women's Studies Minor program
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Panaioti, Antoine (Winter)
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of instructor
- RELG 344 Mahayana Buddhism (3 credits)
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RELG 348 Classical Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The study of classical Hindu values in historical context with reference to the goals and stages of life, traditional Hindu laws, ethics (including biomedical ethics), axiology and moral dilemmas in the Epics, gender differences, notions of orthodoxy, and the expansion of Hinduism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Sharma, Shital (Winter)
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
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RELG 352 Japanese Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of early Shinto mythology, Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, Neo-Confucianism and its influence upon the resurgence of Shinto during the Tokugawa period, folk religion and the New Religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 253 or permission of instructor
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RELG 353 Gandhi: His Life and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the life and thought of Gandhi.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Gollner, Michael (Winter)
Winter
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Liu, Cuilan (Winter)
Fall
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Soneji, Davesh (Winter)
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or Permission of the instructor.
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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 2015
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Fall)
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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: Fall 2015
Instructors: Sharma, Shital (Fall)
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RELG 378 Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism in South Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An exploration of the relationship of pilgrimage and tourism in contemporary South Asia. Beginning with the classical foundations of Hindu pilgrimage in Indic civilization, the coursework puts pilgrimage in South Asia in critical perspective by exploring new motivations for religious travel in Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist contexts.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Fall)
Prerequisite: RELG 252
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 451 Zen: Maxims and Methods (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Through the reading of such key Zen writings as The Platform Sutra and selections from Zen Masters Chinul of Korea and Dôgen of Japan, an attempt will be made to relate Zen anecdote to meditational practice.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: van der Braak, Andreas (Fall)
- RELG 452 East Asian Buddhism (3 credits)
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RELG 453 Vajrayana Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the history, philosophy and practices of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Winter)
Prerequisite: RELG 344.
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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: Fall 2015
Instructors: Soneji, Davesh (Fall)
Winter
Prerequisite: RELG 252
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisites: 6 credits in Indian religions, philosophy of religion, philosophy, or permission of the instructor
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RELG 547 Special Topics in Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A research-oriented seminar dealing with topics in Hindu studies.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Soneji, Davesh (Fall) Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Winter)
Fall and Winter
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 2016
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Winter)
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RELG 549 Japanese Buddhist Philosophy (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Major figures of the Kyoto School of Buddhist philosophy (Nishida, Tanabe, Nishitani), emphasizing their intellectual debts to both modern European philosophy (Hegel, Neitzsche, Heidegger) and Mahayana Buddhism (Zen and Pure Land Buddhism).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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 2016
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (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: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in Indian religions
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RELG 554 Religions of South India 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Analysis of the following: sampradaya; ubhayavedanta; comparison of Visistadvaita and Saiva Siddhanta with reference to selected themes that illustrate the Tamil contribution; the relationship of theology to the sociology of knowledge in Tamilnad.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 553
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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: Fall 2015
Instructors: van der Braak, Andreas (Fall)
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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Soneji, Davesh (Winter)
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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Themes in Religion, Culture and Globalization
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ANTH 318 Globalization and Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Anthropology : The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 207 The Study of World Religions 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Primal Religions.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Fakhoury, Hadi; Waind, Jonathan; Stenzel, Julia (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 208 World Religions and the Cultures They Create (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Provides students with an introduction to the world's major religions and how they have affected all areas of thought and culture, politics and society within ancient and modern societies. Lectures and assignments will explore the role of religion in shaping the social sciences, commerce, fine arts, music and literature, law, and medicine. The course will focus on specific historical and contemporary case studies to enable students to develop skills in analyzing such cultures through the use of historical, anthropological, sociological and archaeological approaches, among others. No prior knowledge of religion is required.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Salvatore, Armando (Fall)
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RELG 255 Introduction to the Study of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to classic and contemporary approaches to the academic study of religion that includes perspectives from philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, phenomenology, and feminism.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Fall)
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Summer
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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: Fall 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Goodin, David (Fall) Goodin, David (Winter)
Fall: Macdonald Campus (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue). Winter: Downtown Campus.
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RELG 271 Sexual Ethics (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the social construction of sexual identity and of selected issues regarding sexual behaviour.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016
Instructors: Waind, Jonathan (Fall) Waind, Jonathan; Koloszyc, David Jacob (Winter) Waind, Jonathan (Summer)
Winter
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RELG 315 Special Topics in Religion 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in or between world religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 317 Special Topics in Religion 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Topics of current interest in, or between, world religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015
Instructors: Waind, Jonathan; Nelson, Samuel (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 319 when topic was "Religion and Globalization"
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RELG 332 Conversations Across World Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An intensive, team-taught summer course that follows themes across the world's religions. Students will participate in conversations, lectures, and field visits related to a range of living faith traditions that are represented in Montreal and surrounding areas.
Terms: Summer 2016
Instructors: Sasson, Vanessa Rebecca (Summer)
Prerequisite(s): One 200 level RELG course and permission of the instructor.
**Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the third lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.**
This fee of $160 is charged to all students registered in RELG 332 Conversations Across World Religions which is a two-week intensive interfaith course taught by 7 scholars. The fee is used to support the cost of transportation and meals for daily field trips which are compulsory for all students.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall and Summer
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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 2015
Instructors: Green, Garth (Fall)
Fall
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
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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: Fall 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Cere, Daniel M (Fall) Cere, Daniel M (Winter)
Winter
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Summer
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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: Fall 2015
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Fall)
Fall
Restriction: U2 and U3 students
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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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 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Fall) Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Fall and Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Majors and Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: De Vries, Roland James; Nelson, Samuel (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: A 300 level course in Christianity or permission of the Instructor.
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): A minimum of six credits in 300 level RELG courses and/or permission of the instructor.
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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 2016
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
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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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Fiasse, Gaelle (Winter)
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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 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 573 Religions in Globalizing World (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: Winter 2016
Instructors: Salvatore, Armando (Winter)