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Program Requirements
Students wishing to study at the Honours level in two disciplines can combine Joint Honours Program components in any two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs."Â
Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department to discuss their course selection and their interdisciplinary research project (if applicable).
Students in Joint Honours must maintain a program GPA and a CGPA of 3.00 (3.50 for First Class Honours) and attain a B- or higher in each program course. No overlap is allowed between the courses forming each segment of the Joint Honours program.
Students in Joint Honours Component Religious Studies choose either the Western Religions or Asian Religions option.
It is possible for students following either the Western Religions or the Asian Religions option of the Joint Honours Component Religious Studies to combine their program with the Joint Honours Component Philosophy and Western Religions as the Religious Studies program broadens the material included in the Philosophy and Western Religions program.
The requirements set out below pertain to the Asian Religions option.
Complementary Courses (36 credits)
36 credits selected with the following specifications:
3 credits from Introductory Courses
3 credits from Advanced Courses
9 credits from Two Groups (Asian Religious Traditions, History and Philosophy) with at least 3 credits from each group
6 credits in Religion and Culture courses
15 credits, selected in consultation with an adviser, from Religious Studies (RELG) courses (or Approved Related Courses in Other Departments) at the 300-level or above, of which 9 credits must be at the 400-level or above
Introductory Courses
3 credits from:
-
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 2011
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Winter)
- Winter
-
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Billings, Drew (Fall) Billings, Drew (Winter)
- Fall, Winter and Summer
-
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 2011
Instructors: Levy, B Barry; Fletcher, Charles Douglas; Aitken, Ellen (Winter)
- Winter
Advanced Courses
3 credits from:
-
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 2010, Winter 2011
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
-
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 2011
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
- Winter
- Restriction: For Religious Studies Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
Two Groups
9 credits selected from two groups with at least 3 credits from each group:
Asian Religious Traditions
-
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 2010
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E; Sharma, Shital (Fall)
- Fall
-
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 2011
Instructors: Hori, G (Winter)
- Winter
-
RELG 254 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: Fall 2010
Instructors: Singh, Manjit (Fall)
- Fall
-
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: Winter 2011
Instructors: Hori, G (Winter)
- 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: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
History and Philosophy
-
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: Fall 2010
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Fall)
- Fall
- Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of instructor
-
RELG 344 Mahayana Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Investigation of Mahayana schools of thought based on reading of key sutras and commentarial literature.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Lai, Lei Kuan (Fall)
- Fall
- Prerequisites: RELG 252 or RELG 253.
-
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 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
-
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 2010
Instructors: Young, Katherine K; McCann, Erin; Pokinko, Tomasz (Fall)
- Fall
- 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: Winter 2011
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Winter)
- Winter
- Prerequisite(s): RELG 252 or RELG 253
- This course is expected to be offered every 3 years
Religion and Culture
6 credits from:
-
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Labrecque, Cory (Fall) Labrecque, Cory (Winter)
- Fall: Macdonald Campus (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue). Winter: Downtown Campus.
-
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Cere, Daniel M (Fall) Cere, Daniel M (Winter)
- Fall and Winter
-
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: Summer 2011
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Summer
- Prerequisite: RELG 252 or RELG 253 or permission of instructor
-
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 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Core course for the Women's Studies Minor program
- Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
-
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: Summer 2011
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Fall
-
RELG 346 Myth and Symbol in Hindu and Buddhist Art (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
-
RELG 353 Gandhi: His Life and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Sharma, Arvind (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 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Prerequisite: RELG 252 or Permission of the instructor.
-
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: Summer 2011
Instructors: Turenne, Philippe (Summer)
- Summer
-
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 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Winter and Summer
-
RELG 375 Religion and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the sociology of religion in the light of the contemporary debates regarding secularization, the relation of religion and politics, and the emergence of new religious movements.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Fall
- Restriction: U2 and U3 students
Religious Studies (RELG)
15 credits, selected in consultation with the program adviser, from Religious Studies (RELG) courses at the 300-level or above, of which 9 credits must be at the 400-level or above.
A maximum of 6 credits from other departments may be used toward this requirement (see list below).
Approved Related Courses in Other Departments
The list below is NOT comprehensive. Students may take approved related courses in other departments of the Faculty of Arts, such as Anthropology, Art History, Classics, English, History, Italian Studies, Philosophy, and Sociology selected in consultation with the program adviser.
-
EAST 354 Taoist and Buddhist Apocalypses (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Visions of the end of the world in Medieval Chinese Buddhist and Taoist literature will be contrasted with Western apocalyptic materials. The course will trace the development of Buddhism and Taoism in China, focusing on millennarian movements, soteriology, public worship, and ritual.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
-
EAST 551 Technologies of Self in Early China (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Readings on self-cultivation drawn from Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist philosophic texts of early China (5th-2nd centuries B.C.) in translation will be compared with historical and archaeological materials on the evolving construction of the "individual'' in Chinese social structure, military organization, political and ritual codes.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Prerequisite (Undergraduate): One advanced course in EAST or permission of the instructor
-
ISLA 410 History: Middle-East 1798-1918 (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WW I. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ patterns of alliances.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Fall
- 3 hours
-
ISLA 411 History: Middle-East 1918-1945 (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The impact of WW I on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Fall
- 3 hours
-
ISLA 505 Islam: Origin and Early Development (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- 3 hours
-
ISLA 510D1 History: Islamic Civilization - Classical (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The origins of the early Islamic state in Arabia and the Umawi Caliphate. The growth of an Islamic civilization, and the "Abbasi Empire" until the Seljuk period. The rise of the Fatimis. The Caliphate of Cordoba.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Fall and Winter
- 3 hours
- Students must register for both ISLA 510D1 and ISLA 510D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 510D1 and ISLA 510D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
ISLA 510D2 History: Islamic Civilization - Classical (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : See ISLA 510D1 for course description.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 510D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 510D1 and ISLA 510D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
ISLA 511D1 History: Islamic Civilization - Mediaeval Era (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The Seljuks, and the medieval synthesis. The Moors in Spain and North Africa. The Crusades. The Mongols and the destruction of the Baghdad Caliphate. The Mamluk, Persian, Turkish and Indian Empires until 1700.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Abisaab, Rula (Fall)
- Fall and Winter
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: Either ISLA 200 or ISLA 350
- Students must register for both ISLA 511D1 and ISLA 511D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 511D1 and ISLA 511D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
ISLA 511D2 History: Islamic Civilization - Mediaeval Era (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : See ISLA 511D1 for course description.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Abisaab, Rula (Winter)
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 511D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 511D1 and ISLA 511D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
ISLA 531D1 Survey Development of Islamic Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : A survey of the development of the major intellectual traditions of Islamic civilization in medieval and modern times.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- 3 hours
- Students must register for both ISLA 531D1 and ISLA 531D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 531D1 and ISLA 531D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
ISLA 531D2 Survey Development of Islamic Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : See ISLA 531D1 for course description.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 531D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 531D1 and ISLA 531D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
-
JWST 211 Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Levy, B Barry (Fall)
- All texts will be read in English
-
JWST 252 Interdisciplinary Lectures (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Alitowski, Liane (Fall)
-
JWST 316 Social and Ethical Issues Jewish Law 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : A brief introduction to the nature and history of Jewish law. Topics include: redemption of hostages; abortion; death and dying.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
-
JWST 359 Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- All texts in English
The following approved courses offered by Jewish Studies require a reading knowledge of Hebrew:
-
JWST 330 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 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: Knowledge of Hebrew
-
JWST 345 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : An introduction to the study of Rabbinic texts.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Hundert, Daniel Leib (Winter)
- All readings in English
-
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: Fall 2010
Instructors: Levy, B Barry (Fall)
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 512
-
JWST 511 Jewish Bible Interpretation 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The issues, problems, approaches, and texts of Jewish Bible interpretation in medieval, renaissance, early modern, and modern times. Interpretation in the Geonic, Ashkenazi, Sefardic, North African, Italian, European, Yemenite, North American and Israeli centres of Jewish Learning.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 512
-
JWST 535 Exegetic Midrash (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
-
JWST 543 Maimonides as Parshan (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Biblical Interpretation in the Guide of the Perplexed and related writings.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Kaplan, Lawrence (Fall)
- Requires Departmental approval
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 540
-
JWST 550 The Bible in Hebrew Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Biblical themes, issues, and characters as they emerge from a comparison of Scripture and various Hebrew essays, poems, plays, short stories and novels of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Readings in Hebrew
-
JWST 556 Modern Parshanut 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : A specialized study of one aspect of modern Jewish Bible interpretation.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 560
-
JWST 573 History of Hebrew Bible Text (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The text of the Hebrew Bible as it evolved between antiquity and the most recent printed edition. Attention will be given to the accurate reconstruction of the Bible from primary and secondary witnesses: Greek and Aramic translations, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient quotations, and the Massoretic notes and lists.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Prerequisite (Undergraduate): permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 507
Faculty of Arts—2010-2011 (last updated Jan. 19, 2011) (disclaimer)