Religious studies courses and programs

MINOR in Religious Studies is 24 credits earned as follows:

MAJOR in Religious Studies is 60 credits earned as follows:

An honours program is available in religious studies. The program is an opportunity to do a sustained and in-depth research project in an area of student interest while being supervised by a faculty member. This involves writing a thesis in the final year of study and is the equivalent of taking two 3-credit courses.

Eligible students in their third year of a religious studies major must meet the following criteria:

• maintain an average GPA of 3.0
• consult with the program advisor
• consult with the supervising faculty member

In their third year, interested students should reflect on their studies to date and come up with their own idea for a project. They may choose from a broad range of possible subjects. Students should then approach their preferred faculty supervisor for guidance. A written proposal is due at the end of the winter term of the third year. Research might begin as early as the summer before fourth year.

CENL/RELG 1001: Intro to Compassionate Communities
Dr. Leslie Shumka

 ​​What does a compassionate community look like and could it become a model for addressing social injustices such as the poverty, housing insecurity, and loneliness in our midst? We’ll discuss how understanding compassion more fully and using it as a driver of social action we are able to transform our communities for the benefit of all members.


RELG 1661: Religion and Popular Culture
Dr. Gabriel Paxton

​​This course examines various points at which religion and culture collide. It utilizes various media (film, music, fashion, literature) in order to interpret some of the complex relationships that form and maintain contemporary Western identity. Topics include cultural uses of religious symbolism and story, the power of popular piety, and the Western tendency towards consumption and commodification of religious traditions. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)


RELG 1681: The Quest for Enlightenment: The Search For Perfection in Asian Religions
Dr. Barb Clayton

What is the best life one can live? And what roles do yoga, meditation, Qigong, and other contemplative bodily practices play in this context? Learning with experts from within and beyond our community, members of this experiential learning course will pursue these questions as we work together to understand diverse Asian religions' imaginings of the good life.


RELG 2821: Intro to the Bible II: The New Testament 
Dr. Fiona Black

This course discusses the literature of the New Testament, in English translation, in light of the historical and cultural conditions from which it emerged. It analyzes the New Testament both as a witness to Jesus and to Christian origins, and as a text which has exerted enormous creative power within human culture and history. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: RELG 2011) Requisites: None


RELG 3311: Religions of Japan
Instructor TBA

This course will study the religious traditions of Japan, examining the underlying ideas and concepts of Shinto, including its relation to Shamanism, the nature and role of Kami, the role of purity and aesthetics, and its political functions. The introduction and adaptation of Buddhism and its relation to Shinto will be discussed, as will the modern day "new religions" which form such a vital part of contemporary Japanese religious practice. The influence and roles of Confucianism and Daoism will also be briefly covered. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG 3601: Christianity
Dr. Gabriel Paxton

This course examines in detail the enormous breadth and richness of the Christian tradition, beginning with its historical and theological roots in the Jewish tradition and ending with some of the challenges faced in the contemporary world. It traces a path through key topics including theological thought, mystical experience, devotional practice, artistic expression, and ideological influence. The aim is to represent Christianity in its many facets and forms so as to appreciate its fundamental and ongoing significance in shaping Western cultural identity. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG 3901: Approaching the Ultimate
Dr. Gabriel Paxton

This course examines various kinds of religious phenomena, including mystical experience, sacred texts, religious ethics, and ritual, and explores the different ways the discipline of Religious Studies understands and interprets them. It explores major theoretical approaches, including text-historical, phenomenological, gender-critical, philosophical, and cultural-critical, and assesses them critically for their value in the study of religion. [Note 1: This is a required course for all Majors and Honours students in Religious Studies and is recommended for those taking a Minor.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of RELG 3901 previously offered with a different title) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG 3981: Religious Ethics & the Environment
Dr. Barbra Clayton

This course investigates the role that various religions play in human interaction with the environment and explores how religions are responding or not responding to environmental problems. It examines various religious perspectives on nature and examines critically scholarship which applies religious perspectives to issues in environmental ethics. It also considers the religious basis of contemporary environmental thinkers and movements and examines the worldview assumptions and values that underlie so-called secular approaches to environmental issues. (Format: Seminar 3 Hours) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG 4421: Eastern Religions & Modernity
Dr. Barbra Clayton

This course examines the contemporary state of Eastern Religions. It discusses the recent histories of Eastern Religions, and looks at the challenges of science, consequences of colonialism, movements of political independence, and issues of poverty and social justice. It studies particularly these traditions' encounter with the West, and their responses to the cultural exchange that ensues from this encounter. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.] (Format: Seminar 3 Hours) Requisites: None.


RELG 4821: The Authority of the Text
Dr. Fiona Black

This course examines the nature of scripture and what (or who) gives it authority. Through study of the related phenomena of interpretation, sacredness, and canonicity in biblical traditions, this course addresses questions of the origins of sacred texts and how such texts establish and sustain the religious, cultural, and social lives of communities. It explores how and with what results culturally and historically diverse interpretive communities have made fresh appropriations of scriptural traditions through various strategies of interpretation. It also asks what is at stake in these deliberations, who benefits, and how power operates or shifts via the various ideological mechanisms that serve to authorize scripture. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.] (Format: Seminar 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of RELG 4821 previously offered with a different title) Requisites: None.

RELG 1621: Death in Asian Religions
Instructor TBA

This course examines the practices and beliefs concerning death and the afterlife in six religious traditions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, 'folk' or 'popular' religion, Shinto, and Hinduism. It compares beliefs and practices related to death and the afterlife in these traditions and examines the diversity that exists both between and within these religions. (Format: Lecture 3 hours) (Exclusion: RELG 1991 Death and the Afterlife in Asian Religions) Requisites: None.


RELG 1641: Religion, the Body, Sexuality
Dr. Fiona Black

This course investigates the role the human body plays in the world's Western religious traditions (predominantly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), namely, how the body affects or facilitates worship of the divine and what the related rites, practices, and texts have to say to us as physical beings. It considers such issues as bodily functions, gender roles, and sexual orientation. The course pays considerable attention to the intersections of religion and culture as they inform what it means to be an embodied believer. It also considers why the human imagination seems to need to conceive the divine in bodily form. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of RELG 1641 previously offered with a different title) Requisites: None


RELG 2411: Mother Earth, Father Sky 
Dr. Barbra Clayton

This course employs experiential and project-based learning to explore the deep roots of the environmental crisis in the western religious and scientific worldviews, and then looks at alternate ways of conceiving and acting on the human relation to nature, focusing on Asian and indigenous views.


RELG 2991: Religion & Politics in North America
Dr. Gabriel Paxton

This course is an investigation into the various ways religion and politics interact within the North American context. Students will be introduced to a range of critical perspectives relevant to the study of religion and politics, covering important topics such as: religion and identity politics, religion and labour, distinct voting behaviors among religious groups, and the intersections between church, state & modern civil society. In addition, this course will cover divergences in American and Canadian civil society/politics, by examining the rise of religious populism in the U.S. and the challenge of pluralism in both nations. 


RELG 3001: Hinduism
Dr. Barbra Clayton

A study of Hinduism, examining its origins, history, philosophy, and culture. The course will treat ancient, classical, medieval and modern periods, and conclude with a discussion of the challenges facing contemporary Hinduism. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: RELG 3261) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG 3501 Judaism
Dr. Fiona Black

This course examines the roots and various expressions of Judaism in the ancient world up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE and the rise of Rabbinic Judaism. Jewish life in the medieval world and the Islamic East, as well as the emergence of Kabbalah, are also discussed. The course then examines the emergence of various expressions of modern Judaism, including religious Zionism. The core convictions, sacred texts, institutions, and practices of Judaism will be analyzed within these historical contexts. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: RELG 3241) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG 3941: Religion, Revolution, Violence
Dr. Fiona Black

This course examines the development and historical manifestations of ideologies of violence and nonviolence within the major world religions, with special attention to how these ideologies continue to play themselves out in contemporary global and national conflicts. (Format: Lecture 2 Hours) (Exclusion: RELG 3231) Requisites: 3 credits from RELG; 3 credits from RELG at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department - Must be completed prior to taking this course.


RELG4991: Religion, Populism and Nationalism in the Modern World
Dr. Gabriel Paxton

This course aims to introduce students to the historical intersections between religion, populism, and nationalism in the 20th century. Students will begin by exploring the political philosophy behind nationalism, religious-nationalism, and populism. From there, they will examine global case studies of these movements and assess how they have shaped the geopolitical landscape of the last century. From the First World War to the present day rise of “illiberal democracies” this class will examine the "why" and "how" of political theologies and their real-world implications.