Department of Religion

Dunton Tower 2121
    Telephone: 788-2100

The Department
    Chair of the Department: J.G. Ramisch
    Departmental Supervisor of Graduate Studies:  A.R. Gualtieri

The Department of Religion offers programs of study leading to the degree
of the Master of Arts.

Master of Arts

    Admission Requirements

    The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program is an
    honours bachelor's degree in religion (or the equivalent) with at
    least high honours standing.

    Applicants who do not hold an honours degree in religion (or the
    equivalent) will be required to register in a qualifying-year program
    before proceeding to the master's program.

    The regulations governing the qualifying year are outlined in the
    general section of this calendar.

    Program Requirements

    The student will choose a program of study concentrating on one of
    the following major areas: comparative religion, with special
    emphasis on one of the major traditions; biblical and ancient near
    eastern studies; and modern religious thought and culture. Candidates
    must follow either a thesis or non-thesis program. The specific
    requirements are as follows:

    Thesis Program

    *   Seminars equivalent to one full course in major area
    *   Seminars equivalent to one full course, selected from one or both
        of the other areas
    *   Tutorial in major area for one-course credit
    *   Thesis (equivalent to two full courses) on a topic in major area,
        which must be defended at an oral examination

    Non-Thesis Program

    *   Seminars equivalent to three full courses; of these, at least two
        half-course seminars must be from the major area, at least two
        from a second area, and at least one from the remaining area
    *   Comprehensive reading course in major area
    *   One additional course in major area

    The student's program will be worked out in consultation with, and
    with the approval of, the department's supervisor of graduate studies
    and its committee on graduate studies. The prescribed program will
    take into account the student's background and special interests, as
    well as the research interests and competence of the staff.

    Deadlines

    Thesis Proposal: In the case of the thesis program, full-time
    students will normally submit their thesis proposal to the thesis
    proposal board by the end of the first month of their second term in
    the M.A. program.

    Thesis: The candidate will inform the thesis supervisor two weeks in
    advance of the date on which he intends to submit copies of his
    thesis. The date of the defence will be set upon submission of the
    thesis and will take place no sooner than two weeks after the date of
    submission. This assumes a minimum of four weeks between the
    candidate's statement of intent and the defence.

    Language Requirements

    The student will be required to acquire, or to demonstrate that
    he/she already has, a reading knowledge of whatever language is
    essential to his/her research.

    Students are advised to consult the departmental handbook for further
    regulations.

Graduate Courses*

*   Religion 34.512T2, S2
    Tutorial in Comparative Religion

*   Religion 34.513F1, W1, S1
    Directed Studies in Comparative Religion
    Seminar for additional study in this area.

*   Religion 34.520W1
    Seminar in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
    Topic for 1993-94: Critical Theory and the Bible
    An exploration of trends in biblical scholarship influenced by
    current literary theory and the philosophy of language. Selected
    biblical texts from Deuteronomy through 2 Kings are interpreted
    according to these new approaches.
    (Also offered as Comparative Literary Studies 17.582)

*   Religion 34.521F1
    Seminar in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
    Topic for 1993-94: Jewish-Christian Relations in the First Two
    Centuries C.E.
    A study of the origins of Christian anti-Semitism in the context of
    the transformation of Christianity from a Jewish sect to an
    independent religion.

*   Religion 34.522T2,S2
    Tutorial in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

*   Religion 34.523F1, W1, S1
    Directed Studies in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
    Seminar for additional study in this area.

*   Religion 34.530W1
    Seminar in Modern Religious Thought and Culture
    Topic for 1993-94: The Interconnection of Religion and Ethics
    An inquiry into the relations between assumptions about ultimacy,
    humans, history and nature implied or explicated in the doctrines and
    symbols of religious traditions, and the morality of those
    traditions.

*   Religion 34.532T2, S2
    Tutorial in Modern Religious Thought and Culture

*   Religion 34.533F1, W1, S1
    Directed Studies in Modern Religious Thought and Culture
    Seminar for additional study in this area.

*   Religion 34.590T2, S2
    M.A. Comprehensive Reading

Not open to students pursuing a thesis program.

*   Religion 34.599F4, W4, S4
    M.A. Thesis

Courses Not Offered in 1993-94
    34.510      Seminar in Comparative Religion
    34.511      Seminar in Comparative Religion
    34.531      Seminar in Modern Religious Thought and Culture