Department of Religion
Dunton Tower 2121
Telephone: 520-2100
The Department
Chair of the Department:
J.G. Ramisch
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 1.0 credit in major area
-
Seminars equivalent to 1.0 credit, selected from one or both of the other
areas
-
Tutorial in major area for 1.0 credit
-
Thesis (equivalent to 2.0 credits) on a topic in major area, which must
be defended at an oral examination
Non-Thesis Program
-
Seminars equivalent to 3.0 credits; of these, at least 1.0 credit (or the
equivalent) of seminar courses must be from the major area, at least 1.0
credit from a second area, and at least 1.0 credit from the remaining area
-
Comprehensive reading course in major area
-
1.0 additional credit 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
Regulations governing requirements for the master’s thesis, including deadlines
for submission, are outlined in the General Regulations section of this
Calendar, Section 12.
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 34.512T2, S2
Tutorial in Comparative Religion
Religion 34.513F1, W1, S1
Directed Studies in Comparative Religion
Seminar for additional study in this area.
Religion 34.522T2,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 1997-98: The Impact of Feminist Research on the Study of Religion
The seminar explores the diverse contributions feminist theory and practice
have made to the study of religion during the past two decades. From early
questions about content and focus, to later more fundamental paradigm shifts
in method and theory, feminist work is examined, and the impact it has
had upon the sub-disciplines of religious studies is assessed.
Religion 34.531W1
Seminar in Modern Religious Thought and Culture
Topic for 1997-98: Paul Tillich’s Doctrine of God and Trinity
The seminar explores Tillich’s doctrine of God and Trinity focussing on
his symbols of God as unity of opposites, ground of being, and depth of
reason, and on his attendant conception of the presence and function of
divinity in human life and history.
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 34.543F1 or W1
The Anthropology of Signs and Symbols
This course will examine various theoretical and methodological approaches
to the anthropology of signs and symbols, their internal workings, and
their relationship to other aspects of social life. These approaches may
include structural and post-structural semiotics, psychoanalysis, feminism,
critical anthropology, neuroanthropology, hermeneutics, and phenomenology.
Discussions are grounded through illustrative analyses of concrete case
studies and exemplary cases of possible interpretive strategies.
Prerequisite: Permission of the Department.
(Also offered as Anthropology 54.543)
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 1997-98
34.510
Seminar in Comparative Religion
34.511
Seminar in Comparative Religion
34.520
Seminar in Biblical and Ancient Near East Studies
34.521
Seminar in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies