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I The first
level: Introduction
1006. Introduction
to Religious Studies
A thematic, issues-oriented introduction to the study of religions.
While each section of the
course is different because it is taught by a different professor, the
issues and themes are common to all. Some of the themes and issues encountered
are prejudice, sexuality, death and after death, the long search, evil
and suffering, music and religion. The data to illustrate these themes
and issues are drawn from the religious traditions of the world. Fundamental
to the course, methodology is the identification of focal questions.
The intention of the course is to foster in students an active appreciation
of the religious dimension of life and to share with them the tools
to think critically about it. 6 credit hours.
II The second
level: The Tools
Students of religions
engage in the analysis of two main categories of expressions of religious
experience: sacred texts or narratives and sacred performances or rituals.
The intent of these courses is to investigate selected texts and rituals
in order that students might become familiar with the disciplinary conversation
swirling about these two general categories. In order to underscore
the importance of the Christian, and especially the Roman Catholic traditions
at St. Thomas, one of these two courses will each year be focused on
Christianity. In order to underscore the importance of the multicultural
character of the study of religions, one of these courses will each
year be focused on a range of religious traditions (not, of course,
excluding Christianity).
2313. Introduction
to the Hebrew Bible
This course will provide an introduction to the study of the Hebrew
Bible, commonly referred to by Christians as the Old Testament. A first
chapter will provide an overview of the history of Israel from the early
centuries of the second millennium B.C. to the end of the first century
A.D. A second chapter will look at the various canonical collections
of scriptural books accepted by the Samaritans, the Palestinian Jews,
the Jews of the Diaspora and Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians.
3 credit hours.
2333. Introduction
to the New Testament
This course will investigate the history of the growth of the New Testament
Canon of twenty-seven books and then study two major categories of New
Testament books: the Gospels and
the Pauline Corpus. Several special questions including the Synoptic
Question, the relationship between John and the Synoptics and the authenticity
of the Pauline Corpus will be briefly introduced. 3 credit hours.
2353. Introduction to the Qur'an
This course will look at the centrality of the Qur'an as the impetus
in the evolution of historical criticism, grammar, rational theology,
and exegesis in Muslim civilization. It will further explore the impact
of the recited text and written word in architecture and music. 3 credit
hours.
2413. Introductory Ritual Studies I
An inquiry into some of the issues in the study of rituals by means
of a close investigation of selected religious rites and more secular
examples of ritualizing. Examples might include Hindu pilgrimage, Christian
liturgy in its many forms, Shinto festivals, rites of passage from childhood
to adulthood (Bar Mitzvah in Judaism, sacred thread ceremony in Hinduism,
the Isanaklesh Gotal of Apache girls), Taoist death rites, and contemporary
behaviour at sporting events and music concerts. 3 credit hours.
2423. Introductory
Ritual Studies II
A continuation of the inquiry begun in Introductory Ritual Studies I.
3 credit hours.
III The third
level: The Streams
The Religious Studies Department offers courses in five streams: 1.
Themes and Issues, 2.
Roman Catholic Traditions, 3. World's Religions, 4. Ethics, and 5. Western
Christian Traditions. This organization is intended to help students
make their course selections and plan their programme of study. Students
may select courses from any stream. Majors are required to select at
least 21 credit hours, again from any stream. The courses with prerequisites
are so designated. The courses in the Themes and Issues stream are generally
most accessible to non-majors.
1st Themes
and Issues
2133. Religion
and Ecology
Many religious traditions display a variety of stances towards the environmental
crisis, ranging from indifference to reform. Through critical and comparative
study, this course explores religious approaches to ecology in a variety
of traditions. Topics may include environmental management, deep ecology,
ecoliberation, ecofeminism and cosmology. 3 credit hours.
2163. Contemporary
Perspectives on Science and Religion (STS)
This course examines the recent debates over the relation between science
and religion. The last five years of the 20th Century have seen a resurgence
of interest in this relation. This has been sparked by developments
in the sciences, particularly in physics and genetics, as well as by
a newly-emerging understanding of what science is. The central questions
include whether science and religion are compatible and whether recent
developments in the sciences give new answers to religious and theological
questions. Readings will represent all sides of these debates. 3 credit
hours.
2173. Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding
Throughout the world, most religious traditions are involved both in
legitimating violence and
in building peace. This course critically and comparatively explores
the roles of religious leaders, symbols, discourses and actions in conflict-prone
settings. Topics may be related to identity-based conflict, genocide,
post-conflict reform and reconciliation. 3 credit hours.
2183. Religion and Politics (POLS 2323)
Religious traditions and actors mobilize and in turn are mobilized by
political movements at
international, national, and community-based levels. Within a multi
religious and comparative framework, this course explores the way in
which religious and political identities, actors and systems interact
on issues related, for instance, to religiously-based political parties,
democratization movements, nationalism, fundamentalism and the politics
of resistance. 3 credit hours.
2193. New Religious
Movements: "Cults" in the New Age
New religious movements often challenge the values and vision of mainstream
religious traditions. This course is a collaborative inquiry into the
historical and cultural contexts, self-understanding and practices of
such new religious movements as the Church of Scientology, the Branch
Davidians, the International Society for Krisha Consciousness, Euro-"Indians",
and the Vineyard Renewal. 3 credit hours.
2203. Health, Healing, and Religions
In many cultures, healers are religious specialists who understand illness
and health as
processes closely related to spiritual and ethical matters. This course
is a collaborative inquiry into health, sickness, and healing as religious
activity in a range of communities. Examples of loci of those communities
are Hindu North Indian, Kalahari Kung, Navaho, Palestinean of the first
fifty years of the common era, and mainstream North American. 3 credit
hours.
2213. Religion and Self-Discovery
The religious experience of humans is often expressed as a symbolic
journey of growth and
self-discovery. This reading course will explore the themes of quest,
path, goal, and union as expressed in classical and modern literature.
3 credit hours.
2223. Psychology of Religion
The examination of religious experience drawing from the classic approaches
to psychology
such as William James, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung, and their contemporary
interpreters. 3 credit hours.
2233. Women and Religion (GEND)
The course aims to study how i) women in history and in modern times
respond to socio-cultural restrictions and their attempts to create
spiritual and social alternatives, ii) how notions of asceticism and
sexuality are utilized as liberating and prescriptive modes. It will
examine feminist critiques to classical, medieval, and current texts
and thinkers. We will closely look at the assumptions that guide both
classical texts and modern critiques. 3 credit hours.
2253. Modern Trends in the Muslim World
The 18-19th centuries were a period of the distintegration of Muslim
Empires of the Ottomans and Moghuls and the concurrent expansion of
Colonial powers and global industrialization. This encounter led to
three responses amongst Muslim intellectuals: a return to traditionalism;
a reinterpretation of Islam, combining tradition and modernization;
and secular responses that separated religion and state, often reflecting
emergent political ideologies of nationalism and socialism. This course
will look at two examples of the current impact of these reform movements
in countries such as Iran, Libya, Algeria, Turkey, Syria, India, Pakistan,
and Egypt. 3 credit hours.
2263. Human Growth – Christian Spiritual Development
All world religions offer a spirituality to their followers. This course
will use categories developed by modern psychology (Erickson, Kohlberg,
Fowler, Jung, Keen, and Keegan) to understand the stages in the spiritual
life tradition in Christianity. It will then attempt to develop an appreciation
of the various "schools" as well as modern holistic spirituality.
3 credit hours.
2273. Death and Dying (GERO)
This course explores a wide range of topics in the area of death and
dying. As a fundamental issue for human beings, these phenomena require
investigation from a variety of perspectives. The course considers aspects
of death and dying that are religious, philosophical, psychological,
and sociological in nature. Further, the course is concerned with both
practical and theoretical issues that arise from the relationship between
aging, and death and dying. 3 credit hours.
2283. Religion and Art (FNAR)
Focusing primarily on the Western religious traditions, this course
will examine the art and
architecture of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in historical context.
Themes to be studied may include: the image of the Divine, iconoclasm,
shrines and pilgrimages, patronage, the appropriation of sacred space,
sacred music, performance art, and food. 3 credit hours.
2293. Religion and Sexuality
An examination of the understanding of the nature of human sexuality
with specific reference to religious and theological frameworks. Issues
studied may include sexuality as foundational in personal dignity and
integrity, marriage, relationality, communication, the commodification
of sexuality, systematic abuses and neglect of sexuality. 3 credit hours.
2nd Roman
Catholic Traditions
2613. Basic
Issues in Theology
An introduction to the basic precepts, methods, and resources of theology.
An examination of challenges to theology will provide an understanding
of the present state of theological concerns. 3 credit hours.
3033. Saints and Heretics: The Historical Development of the Church
A selective study of the significant events and influences on the Christian
Church from its origins until the early modern period. The role of scripture,
theology, institutional developments, and social and political movements
which influence the development of the Church's own understanding of
its nature and function will be examined. 3 credit hours.
3043. The Contemporary Church
A study of the factors leading to, and continuing to influence, the
decrees of the Second Vatican Council which inform the Roman Catholic
Church in its present state. Selected issues which display the range
of opinions and discussion concerning contemporary Catholicism will
be examined. 3 credit hours.
3323. The Book of Isaiah
Description under Western Christian Traditions.
3343. The Gospel of John
Description under Western Christian Traditions
3353. Christian Liturgy and Sacramental Life
All world religions strive to sustain and intensify the lives of their
followers through rituals
which put them in contact with the purifying and nourishing power of
the sacred. The Christian religion does this primarily in the rituals
of Baptism and Eucharist. This course will attempt to examine this ritual
process in terms of an evolutionary understanding of reality. 3 credit
hours.
3363. Jesus of Nazareth – Christ of Faith
Biblical commentators of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries focused
their attention on
what can be historically verified about Jesus in the New Testament,
and contrasted this understanding of Jesus with that of the first-century
Church's faith in Jesus. This course will give particular attention
to distinguishing between the Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith
as expressed in the New Testament. It will also address the development
of the New Testament itself. 3 credit hours.
3373. Jesus the Christ as Understood Throughout History
After reviewing the interpretations of Jesus Christ in the councils
of the early Church and in the works of the reformers of the sixteenth
century, the course will focus on the Christian interpretations of Jesus
as found in the contemporary authors such as Rahner, Schillebeeckx,
MacQuarrie, and Pannenberg. 3 credit hours.
3393. Theological Synthesis
The study of the contributions of the different aspects of theology
to a comprehensive understanding of human experience. Practical implications
examined include religious pluralism and theological discourse with
other scholarly disciplines. A background in theology is strongly suggested
as prerequisite for this class. 3 credit hours.
3rd World’s
Religions
3063. Judaism
The course will explore the varied expressions of the Jewish people,
including the role of the
Torah, medieval Jewish philosophy and kabbalah, and the piety of early
Hasidism. We will conclude with a look at the current denominations
of Jews in North America. 3 credit hours.
3073. Islam I
A survey of the history of the Muslims from Arabia to Central Asia,
and from Africa to North
America. The course will look at the Qur'an and the life of Muhammad,
the belief system of
Muslims, the literature and philosophy of Muslim civilization, and images
of Islam in the media. 3 credit hours.
3083. Islam II
The course will focus on a particular facet of Islamic thought such
as philosophy, literature, art and architecture, or sufism. 3 credit
hours.
3433. Religious Traditions of China and Japan
We shall investigate what scholars are saying about the religious traditions
of China and Japan: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, and the
"popular" religions. 3 credit hours.
3453. Religious Traditions of India I
An inquiry into the religious traditions of India, including Hinduism
in its many varieties, early Buddhism, and Jainism. 3 credit hours.
3463. Religious Traditions of India II
A continuation of the inquiry begun in The Religious Traditions of India
I. The investigation in this course will include Islam, Sikhism, and
Hinduism. 3 credit hours.
3473. Native American Religions (NATI)
An inquiry into the issues in the study of Native American religions,
and the results of that
study. The focus will be on some of the diverse religions of First Nations
people in what is now Canada and the United States. 3 credit hours.
3483. Miigmag and Maliseet Religions (NATI)
An inquiry into aspects of the religious traditions of Miigmag (Nova
Scotia: Mi'kmaq) and
Maliseet people, and the issues arising from the study of those traditions.
3 credit hours.
4th Ethics
2293. Religion
and Sexuality
An examination of the understanding of the nature of human sexuality
with specific reference to religious and theological frameworks. Issues
studied may include sexuality as foundational in personal dignity and
integrity, marriage, relationality, communication, the commodification
of sexuality, systematic abuses, and neglect of sexuality. 3 credit
hours.
2513. Foundations of Christian Ethics
An examination of the theoretical base and the significance of Christian
ethics with an analysis of some of its central aspects such as the foundational
role of love, critical thought and engagement,
conscience and responsibility, and understanding contemporary dilemmas.
3 credit hours.
3513. Bioethics (CRIM)
This course considers developments in medicine (human and veterinary)
and biology that are raising religious and ethical issues of importance
to the human community. The course will show what problems already exist
and are likely to exist in the near future, as well as approaches that
might be useful with respect to their solutions. Topics will include
new technologies in human reproduction, control of the genes and recombinant
DNA in life forms, the meaning of personhood in relation to abortion
and euthanasia, behaviour control, genetic counselling, the need for
legal restraints, and responsibility for formulating laws and regulations.
Method will include lectures, group discussions, seminars, essays, and
reading recent literature on the subject. This course requires students
to have a previous course in ethics or critical theory. 3 credit hours.
3523. Environmental Ethics
This course considers uses and abuses of the environment that are raising
religious and ethical issues of importance to its integrity. Subjects
to be covered include concepts and assumptions about the environment,
the rights of nature, anthropocentrism and biocentrism as bases of conflicting
values about nature and environment, developing an ethic of respect
regarding the environment, and reflection upon the formulation of policy,
laws, and regulations. 3 credit hours.
3553. Islamic Ethics and Spirituality
This course will look at the various forms of Islamic spirituality,
as expressed by individuals and organized orders. It will explore the
symbolic path of the mystic and how it coalesced with popular piety
and sainthood. It will also look at the ethical systems of rational
mystics who combined theology, philosophy, and mysticism. 3 credit hours.
3573. Religion and Social Ethics
The study of the relationships which shape the nature of human interaction
informed by or oriented towards values and specific goals. The role
of religious beliefs and communities in analyzing and responding to
economic, social, and political problems will be examined. 3 credit
hours.
3583. Media and Ethics (CRIM)
A critical and foundational examination of the role and function of
media in Western society, focussing on its formative influence on religion
and culture. Issues may include the business of news, entertainment,
the nature of advertising, and religion and media. This course requires
students to have a background in ethics and/or critical theory. 3 credit
hours.
3593. Moral Development
An examination of the processes and elements through which persons develop
a critical perspective and appreciation of the role of value in their
lives and in the social order. This course requires students to have
completed previous work in ethics. 3 credit hours.
5th Western
Christian Traditions
3113. Issues
in Christian Diversity I
The study of the historical, political, and theological factors which
resulted in the Reformation movement in the Christian Church. Individual
figures, new denominations, and the social and cultural developments
which follow the Reformation will be examined. 3 credit hours.
3123. Issues in Christian Diversity II
A study of the religious and political tensions which have characterized
the Christian Church, and the attempts made to overcome these divisions.
Specific focuses will include the ecumenical movement, the establishment
of the World Council of Churches, and the Second Vatican Council. 3
credit hours.
3133. From Hope to Solidarity: Liberation Theologies in the Americas
Grounded in the politics of solidarity, liberation theologies represent
a new paradigm of experiencing, building and analyzing community in
the Americas and elsewhere. This course explores the development of
liberation theologies, with possible reference to Latin American, feminist,
postcolonial (black and well as indigenous), gay/lesbian and Canadian
voices, among others. 3 credit hours
3323. The Book of Isaiah
This course will study the book of Isaiah as an example of prophetic
literature. It will treat such questions as the authorship, dating,
unity, background, and theology of the book. Particular passages will
be singled out for more detailed study. 3 credit hours.
3343. The Gospel of John
This course will study the gospel of John as one of the four canonical
gospels. It will treat such questions as authorship, dating, background,
sources, and theology of the gospel. Particular passages will be singled
out for more detailed study. 3 credit hours.
3623. The God of Christians
A theological reflection on a central Christian mystery, the Trinity.
An attempt to understand the meaning of belief in one God in three Persons
by considering scriptural, conciliar, and theological sources. 3 credit
hours.
3643. Christianity and Contemporary Society
An examination of the status of Christian religious communities and
religious beliefs in contemporary society. Issues to be examined may
include religious movements and politics, religion and public education,
religion and codes of public morality, religion and pluralism. 3 credit
hours.
3653. Christianity and Feminism in Conversation
How do women name the divine? Can a male saviour save women? What is
the Christian understanding of humanity? How do women experience sin
and grace in their lives? Is the bible really Good News for women? What
do feminist spiritualities look like and what aspects of the human do
they celebrate? These questions are at the heart of traditional Christian
teaching: the doctrine of God, Christology, anthropology, ethics, ecclesiology,
biblical interpretation, and spirituality. They have inspired lively
conversations among contemporary Christian theologians and laity throughout
the world, and have contributed towards the growth of a substantial
body of literature. By addressing the above questions and studying related
texts, this course will consider the impact of feminist consciousness
on the development of Christian theology. 3 credit hours.
IV. The
fourth level: Integration
3993. Religious
Studies: Scope and Methods
An in-depth analysis of selected issues in Religious Studies, focusing
on the distinctive concerns of the discipline and the furthering of
research skills appropriate to it. The course fosters reflection on
the variety of methods used in Religious Studies, mindful of the need
of senior students to integrate their four years of learnings in the
discipline. Enrolment limited to students in fourth year. 3 credit hours.
4003. Honours Thesis Research and Proposal
Designed for students who are considering advanced study, this course
will consider a variety of research strategies in the field of Religious
Studies. The final project will be an Honours thesis proposal. Normally
taken in the second semester of a student's next to final year, this
course is required for continuation into the Honours Programme. 3 credit
hours.
4013. Honours Workshop
By focussing on methodological problems specific to the students' areas
of focus, this course will serve to complement the thesis process and
aid reflection on disciplinary and interdisciplinary questions. 3 credit
hours.
4026. Honours Thesis
The student will select an advisor from the Department members by the
end of the first semester in their 3rd year. The student, in consultation
with their advisor, will submit a thesis proposal which must be approved
by the Department by the end of the student's third year of studies.
The thesis is written in the fourth year of studies. 6 credit hours.
4163-73. Independent Study
A course of independent study under the supervision of the Religious
Studies Department.
Students will normally collaborate on a description of the study project
with the staff member
or members who will guide the independent study. This description must
be approved by the
Department Chair and submitted to the registrar for his records. 3 or
6 credit hours.
4183-93. Special Topics
The content of this course changes from year to year reflecting the
strengths of the faculty and the particular needs of the students. It
will involve an advanced treatment of some aspect of the religious dimension
of human experience. 3 or 6 credit hours.
4203. Special Topics in Roman Catholic Theology
The content of this course changes from year to year reflecting the
strengths of the scholar
occupying the Pope John XXIII Chair of Studies in Catholic Theology.
3 or 6 credit hours.
Cross-Listed Courses
Western Christian Traditions
3213. The Early Church (HIST)
This course deals with the beginnings and early development of the Christian
Church up to the end of the sixth century and the time of Gregory the
Great. During this period, we will examine such things as the early
spreading of the Church to the West, the relations between the Church
and the Roman Empire, and then the relations with the Germanic Kingdoms.
An effort will be made to point out the impact that these different
cultures had on the developing Church. We will also examine the emergence
of institutions such as the papacy and monasticism. In the course of
this semester, there will also be a brief look at doctrinal and liturgical
developments in the Early Church. 3 credit hours.
3223. The Medieval Church (HIST)
This course deals with the history of the Church from the time of Gregory
the Great in the sixth century to the end of the fifteenth century.
For the most part, we will deal with the Western Church, although there
will be some treatment of the relations that existed with the East.
The theme that will run throughout the course is that of the interaction
between the Church and the society of this period. Among the topics
that will be covered are: the Merovingian and Carolingian Church and
the role of such leaders as Charlemagne; the Gregorian Reform Movement
and the clash with the Emperor; the development and contribution of
monasticism to medieval society; the emergence of the pilgrimage and
the crusade; the religious unrest of the later Middle Ages; and the
growth of the medieval papacy. 3 credit hours.
3413. God in Western Thought
A survey, through lectures, readings, and discussion, of Western philosophical
speculation
regarding the divine. Themes: theism and atheism in classical antiquity;
demonstrations of
God's existence in medieval philosophy; the effect on religious belief
of empiricism, idealism, Marxism, and existentialism. Prerequisite:
PHIL 1013 and 1023, or permission of the instructor. 3 credit hours.
3813. Religion and the Church in Canada to 1763
A history of the Christian church in Canada during the French regime.
The course will deal with the role of religion in the early exploration
and settlement of Canada. Among the topics discussed will be: the role
of missionaries in New France and Acadia, their encounter with the aboriginal
peoples of the area, and their relations with settlers, merchants, and
fur traders; the relationship between the church and the royal government
in New France; and the establishment of ecclesiastical institutions
during the period and the role they played in the society of New France.
3 credit hours.
3823. Religion and the Church in Canada, 1763-1867
A history of the Christian church in British North America. The course
will deal with the development of the church as well as its impact on
society in British North America. Topics dealt with: the impact of the
British rule on the Roman Catholic Church after the conquest; the emergence
and growth of some of the principal religious denominations; the institutional
development of the church; and relations among the various Christian
churches, including relevant issues like the clergy reserves, education,
and the question of the established church. 3 credit hours.
3833. Human Rights and the Church (HMRT 3053)
This course will focus on the role of the People of God in the practice
of human rights. The
rights of all in the Church will be examined in the light of Ecclesiastical
Law. The action of the Church in the protection and promotion of human
rights will be explored in terms of the Church as community for witness,
hope, and liberation. Selected human rights initiatives of Church organizations
will be considered. 3 credit hours.
3423. Reason and Religion
A survey of issues and authors, both classical and contemporary, in
the philosophy of religion. Consideration will be given to the following:
defining religion, religious experience and faith, the problem of evil,
the meaning of religious language, the question of life beyond death.
Prerequisite: PHIL 1013 and 1023, or permission of the instructor. 3
credit hours.
3543. Existential Philosophy
A study of existential thinking, its fundamental structure, and its
importance for a contemporary understanding of the human situation.
Prerequisite: PHIL 1013 and 1023 , or persmission of the instructor.
3 credit hours.
NOTE: Not all courses listed are offered each year. Please consult
with the Department Chair for more information about current and planned
course offerings.
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