Department of Religion
Dunton Tower 2121
Telephone: 788-2100
The Department
Chair of the Department: J.G. Ramisch
Departmental Supervisor of Graduate Studies: J.P. Dourley
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 Regulations 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 master's 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.
Guidelines for Completion of Master's Degree
Full-time students in the master's program are normally expected
to complete all requirements within two years of entry into the
program. Part-time students normally complete all requirements
within five years of the date of entry into the program.
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 34.510F1
Seminar in Comparative Religion
Topic for 1995-96: Symbols in the Buddhist Tradition
In the first part of the seminar the discussion will focus on
the symbolism associated with the stupa. Concrete examples from
Buddhist sculpture and architecture will be presented to illustrate
the significance of the stupa in the thought and practice of the
Buddhist tradition. In the second part of the seminar the discussion
will move to the relationship between the stupa and the mandala.
The emphasis will be on the Mandala of the Five Buddhas as given
in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 34.484, for which additional credit is precluded.
- 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 34.520F1
Seminar in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Topic for 1995-96: 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 fromDeuteronomy through 2 Kings are interpreted
according to these new approaches.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 34.486, for which additional credit is precluded.
(Also offered as Comparative Literary Studies 17.582)
- Religion 34.521F1
Seminar in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Topic for 1995-96: 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.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 34.486, for which additional credit is precluded.
- 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 34.530F1
Seminar in Modern Religious Thought and Culture
Topic for 1995-96: Paul Tillich's Doctrine of God and Trinity
The seminar will explore Tillich's conceptions of God as ground
of being and depth of reason, of Trinity as union of opposites,
and of the Christ figure as essential humanity drawing from his
Systematic Theology and certain key lesser works.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 34.488, for which additional credit is precluded.
- Religion 34.531W1
Seminar in Modern Religious Thought and Culture
Topic for 1995-96: The Interconnection of Religion and Ethics
An inquiry into the relations between convictions about ultimacy,
humans, history and nature implied or explicated in the doctrines
and symbols of religious traditions, and the morality of those
traditions.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 34.488, for which additional credit is precluded
- 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 1995-96
- 34.511 Seminar in Comparative Religion