3.15 Religious Studies
(Ext.2396)
The courses listed in this section are only for the information of students
registered in Relgious Studies programs before July 1, 1997 or for students
in other programs seeking optional courses. No new students will be admitted
to any Religious Studies program.
OFFICERS OF INSTRUCTION
Professor Emeritus
Crowley, Edward J.; B.A. (St. Joseph's, New Brunswick), S.T.L. (Catholic
U. of America), S.S.L. (Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome)—1957.
Professors
King, J. Norman; B.A., M.A. (Toronto), S.T.B. (Laval), Ph.D. (U. of
St. Michael's College, Toronto)—1964.
Mehta, Mahesh; B.A., M.A., LL.B., Ph.D. (Bombay)—1969.
Amore, Roy C.; B.A. (Ohio), B.D. (Drew), Ph.D. (Columbia)—1970.
Whitney, Barry L.; B.A. (Carleton), Ph.D. (McMaster)—1976.
Associate Professors
Lage, Dietmar; B.A. (Manitoba), M.A., Ph.D. (McGill)—1983.
Milne, Pamela J.; B.A., M.A. (Windsor), Ph.D. (McGill)—1984.
Muldoon, Maureen H.; B.A. (Queen's), M.A., Ph.D. (U. of St. Michael's
College, Toronto)—1986.
Sessional Lecturer
Anderson, Jill; B.A., M.A. (Windsor), Ph.D. (Toronto)—1989.
3.15.1 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
All courses listed are three hours a week unless otherwise indicated.
Not all courses will be offered each year. Students are advised that
300-level courses normally presuppose some background in Religious Studies.
35-100. Exploring Religious Studies
An exploration of religion through examination of traditional and contemporary
forms of personal and social transformation, with attention to various
academic approaches to religious studies.
35-102. Patterns in World Religions: An Introduction to the Study
of Religion
Explores religion by examining recurring motifs in human spirituality,
such as sacrifice, initiation, exorcism, prayer, myth, taboo, meditation,
and asceticism.
35-103. Religion and the Human Story
An examination of key stages and experiences of human life: birth,
growth, maturity, work, play, friendship, old age, death, joy, anxiety,
and hope. A consideration of the questions they raise, their depth, dimension,
and meaning, and their relationship to basic Christian beliefs and practices.
35-104. Critical Issues in Religion and Life Today
An examination of some fundamental questions and problems faced by
the individual in contemporary, pluralistic society. Issues include the
existence of God, the crisis in human values and meaning, the problem of
morality, and the challenge of suffering.
35-105. Basic Christianity
An exploration of the nature of Christianity both as a system of beliefs
expressed in doctrines and stories, and as a way of life embodied in worship,
social organizations, and life styles. Students will be introduced to something
of the wide diversity which constitutes Christianity.
35-106. Women and Religion
A comparative, feminist-critical exploration of the status of women
and women's religious experience in selected examples of traditional (e.g.,
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) and non-traditional (e.g.,
Goddess religions, Wicca, Feminism) religions, ancient and modern.
35-120. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew I
An introduction to the alphabet, orthography, vocalization, and basic
grammar of biblical Hebrew. Emphasis on elementary reading skills.
35-121. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew II
A study of biblical Hebrew grammar and reading of selected prose passages
from the Hebrew bible. (Prerequisite: 35-120 or permission of the instructor.)
35-122. Introduction to Ancient Greek I
Designed to equip the beginner with the basic skills needed for reading
ancient Greek literature, including the New Testament. (This course is
also available as 13-100.)
35-123. Introduction to Ancient Greek II
Designed to equip the beginner with the basic skills needed for reading
ancient Greek literature, including the New Testament. (This course is
also available as 13-101.) (Prerequisite: 35-122.)
35-124. Introduction to Sanskrit I
An introduction to the script and structure of India's classical language
through the aid of literature. Emphasis on the ability to read basic writings.
(This course is also available as 10-132.)
35-125. Introduction to Sanskrit II
A continuation of 35-124. (This course is also available as 10-133.)
(Prerequisite: 35-123.)
35-200. Foundations of Religious Ethics
Religious worldviews are examined as a source of ethical traditions,
which provide the foundations for norms and values, authority, discernment,
and conscience.
35-201. Religious Social Ethics
Historical background of the discipline of social ethics in Christian
and other traditions; methodology of the discipline, with illustrations
from specific issues and problems.
35-202. Moral Decision Making
An introduction to a variety of resources that can be used to make
decisions on complex ethical issues, from the perspective of Religious
Studies. Resources such as moral principles, tradition, personal experience,
and reason will be applied to specific contemporary moral problems.
35-203. Bio-Medical Ethics: Reproductive Technology
An examination of the ethical issues created by advances in biology
and medicine in the area of reproduction. Topics include contraception,
genetic screening and engineering, non-sexual reproduction, abortion, and
the treatment of severely deformed newborns.
35-204. Bio-Medical Ethics: Moral and Legal Issues in Health Care
An examination of the ethical and legal issues that arise in the context
of contemporary medical practice. Topics include Codes of Ethics and patient
rights, the doctrine of consent, the patient's refusal of treatment, experimental
medicine, privacy and confidentiality, the allocation of scarce resources,
defining death, organ transplantation, and euthanasia.
35-205. Religion and Violence
Examination of violence, especially in its institutionalized forms:
oppressive systems, militarization, the arms trade, the arms race emphasizing
nuclear weapons, and war. Religious attitudes regarding violence, and religious
resources for peace and justice.
35-206. Dynamics of Non-Violent Action
Examination of nonviolent action as a means of struggle for preserving
or changing human behaviour and institutions in the direction of peace
and justice, with emphasis upon religious resources, exemplified in the
work of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
35-207. Health-Care Ethics: Long-Term Care
Ethical issues which arise in facility-based care (e.g., restraints,
privacy) and home care (e.g., access to services) are examined, as well
as issues which arise generally in long-term care (e.g., quality of life,
competency).
35-208. Moral Values in Business
Issues such as employer-employee rights and duties and corporate culture
are examined. Feminist perspectives and analysis are incorporated.
35-212. Science and Technology: Religious Perspectives
Issues raised by the impact of science and technology in the modern
world. In judging the benefits and detriments, the advantages and disadvantages
of science and technology, what role do religious perspectives play? Why
do science and technology take the direction they do? Can we effectively
influence their direction for greater human benefit?
35-213. Environmental Ethics
Ethical analysis and religious insights regarding human activities
which damage global ecosystems: population growth, resource depletion,
pollution, war, and preparation for war, with their consequences in hunger,
impoverishment, illness, injury, and death. Consideration for possibilities
for redemptive action.
35-215. Religion and Sexuality
The role of religion in shaping, positively and negatively, the understanding
of sexuality and sexual roles. The impact of current re-evalutions of bodiliness
and feminine-masculine stereotyping on societal views of marriage, premarital
sex, homosexuality, etc.
35-220. Introduction to Contemporary Theology
An examination of the principal approaches, themes, and issues in Christian
theology today, arising from the encounter of Christian reflection with
contemporary thought and movements. Illustration from representative theologians.
35-221. Introduction to Philosophy of Religion
An examination of various themes in the philosophy of religion: religious
language, religious knowing, miracles, immortality, the attributes of God,
etc. Issues vary.
35-222. Models of Christian Community
A study of the lived experience, diverse theological models and actual
forms of Christian community: their life, nature, structure, function,
and mission; dialogue among various church groups, cooperative ventures,
response to contemporary issues.
35-223. Trends in Contemporary Spirituality
An examination of recent directions in understanding authentic ways
of life, the visions of reality they contain, and the means to express
and sustain them. Focus upon personal growth, interpersonal compassion,
and social justice. Works of authors such as Thomas Merton, Matthew Fox,
Gustavo Gutierrez.
35-224. Signs, Symbols, Sacraments
A study of the personal and social dimensions of Christian liturgy,
word and sacraments: their roots in human experience and divine presence;
their history and theology; their celebration of life's meaning in story
and doctrine, in symbolic action, in music and art; their implications
for personal growth and social responsibility.
35-225. Feminist Theology
An introduction to the various dimensions of feminist theology. These
include: post-Christian feminism; feminist hermeneutics; liberation theology;
and the stories, both fiction and non-fiction, of women's lives. Students
are encouraged to study the material in relation to their own lives and
values.
35-226. God and Human Experience
An exploration of the profound human experiences which have led people
to affirm an ultimate Reality or Presence: such as, wonder and awe, joy
and anxiety; meaning; evil and death; freedom and conscience; solitude
and love; guilt and forgiveness; plurality and unity. Consideration of
images and ideas used to interpret such experience and their religious
and moral implications.
35-227. Issues in Contemporary Theology
An examination of selected central themes and issues in Christian theology
today. (Since content varies from year to year, students may repeat this
course for credit with permission.)
35-228. God in Modern Thought
An examination of contemporary theological and philosophical understandings
of the attributes and nature of God.
35-230. Christianity: Early Church to Reformation
The history of Christianity from the age of orthodoxy and heresy to
the eve of the Reformation. Topics include the origins and growth of the
early church, the relationship between church and state, theological controversies,
schism between east and west, and the development of monasticism, mysticism,
and scholasticism. (This course is recommended to be taken in conjunction
with 35-231.)
35-231. Christianity: Reformation to the Modern Age
The history of Christianity from the age of reason to the age of uncertainty
and anxiety. Topics include the formation of Protestant denominations,
the relationship between church and state, religious strife and toleration,
the spread of European Christianity, and the challenges posed by scientific,
economic, and political revolutions. (This course is recommended to be
taken in conjunction with 35-230.)
35-232. Religion in a World of Science
A discussion of the conflict between the religious and scientific interpretations
of reality and an attempt to reconcile them.
35-233. Religion and Modern Literature
An examination of ultimate human questions concerning life, death,
meaning, value, and God, as expressed in selected short stories, novels,
popular literature, and/or poetry.
35-234. The Human Meaning of Death
An examination of the human experience of death and dying and of the
meaning of human life given the fact that we shall all die. Lectures, readings,
films, and discussions will explore a variety of significant thinkers and
concepts concerning death. Through various exercises and shared experiences,
students will be encouraged to examine their own feelings and attitudes
toward death.
35-236. Women's Spirituality: An Historical Perspective
An examination of the spiritual lives of women, from the early Christian
Church to the present, including attention to the influence of ancient
Greece, the age of persecution, the monastic age, and the female experience
of God in modern times.
35-237. Witchcraft and Wicca: Their Historical Relationship
An examination of the phenomenon of witchcraft from an historical-social
perspective, especially as reflective of attitudes towards women. A study
of the roots and continuing expressions of Wicca in the ancient goddess
cult of Europe, especially the Celtic and Germanic traditions, and including
folk traditions.
35-250. Exploring the Hebrew Scriptures
An introduction to reading Hebrew biblical literature. Develops the
basic skills for investigating literary, historical, and religious dimensions
of the text and uses these skills to explore passages selected from the
Torah, Prophets, and Writings.
35-251. Introduction to the New Testament
An introduction to the scholarly reading of the New Testament: historical
and cultural background; Judaism in the first century; the literary relationship
among the gospels; the gospel portraits of Jesus; Paul's career and its
impact; unity and diversity in early Christianity.
35-252. The Social World of Ancient Israel
An examination of the society of ancient Israel, focusing on the role
of religion in the formation and development of the community from the
mosaic period and the tribal confederacy, through the monarchy, to the
emergence of Judaism in the post-exilic period. (This course is recommended
to be preceded or accompanied by 35-250.)
35-253. Jesus
An examination of the variety of portraits of Jesus of Nazareth presented
by the canonical gospels and selected extra-Biblical works. The relationships
among the synoptics; cultural and social setting of the gospels; methods
of gospel criticism. A translation component/stream is available for students
who have successfully completed 35-122 and 35-123. (This course is recommended
to be preceded or accompanied by 35-251.)
35-254. The Letters of Paul
An introduction to the Pauline correspondence. It is designed to equip
the participants with background information concerning the culture of
Palestine, Asia Minor, and Greece in the first century CE, and with the
technical skills for reading and interpreting Paul's letters and the deutero-Pauline
correspondence. A translation component/stream is available for students
who have successfully completed 35-122 and 35-123. (This course is recommended
to be preceded or accompanied by 35-251.)
35-256. Civilizations and Religions of the Ancient Near East
The civilizations and cultures of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Canaan,
including a study of recent discoveries such as Ebla. The relation of religion
in this setting to geographical, historical, and cultural factors.
35-257. Women and the Bible: Hebrew Scriptures
The social and religious roles and legal status of women depicted in
Jewish scriptures and other literature of the Ancient Near East; the nature
of biblical god-language and its relation to the portrayal of women; the
androcentric perspective of the biblical text, translations and interpretations;
the significance of biblical interpretation for the depiction of woman/women
in contemporary theology and society.
35-258. Women and the Bible: New Testament
The social and religious roles and legal status of women depicted in
the New Testament and Hellenistic Jewish literature of the period; the
nature of biblical god-language and its relation to the portrayal of women;
the androcentric perspective of the biblical text, translations and interpretations;
the significance of biblical interpretation for the depiction of woman/women
in contemporary theology and society.
35-260. World Religions: Eastern
A comparative introduction to the doctrines, rituals, and ethics of
Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Zen Buddhism, and selected
tribal religions. (Slides and field trips.)
35-261. World Religions: Western
A comparative introduction to the doctrines, rituals, and ethics of
Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam, Bahai, and the Amer-Indians.
(Slides and field trips.)
35-262. Religious Experience: East and West
A study of the writings, spiritual experiences, and religious states
of consciousness of mystics and saints. Topics include devotion, contemplation,
and social action in Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, Hasidism,
and Christianity. (Audio-visuals, field trips, practicum.)
35-263. Hinduism and Buddhism
An understanding of the nature and meaning of human existence in terms
of the religious perspectives of Hinduism, Buddhism, and related traditions
of India (Jainism, Sikhism); their philosophical ideas, ethics, spiritual
practices, gods, and goddesses with their myths and meanings. (Audio-visuals,
field trips, practicum.)
35-265. Zen Buddhism
An introduction to the history, lifestyle, koans, arts, and meditational
sitting (zazen) of Zen, the meditation school of Buddhism in China and
Japan.
35-266. Yoga
An introduction to the theory and practice of India's greatest achievement
in the area of physical, mental, and spiritual awareness. Topics include:
psychology and philosophy of Yoga, postures, breathing practices, relaxation
techniques, diet, concentration and meditation, kundalini, Bhakti Yoga,
and Karma Yoga (ways of devotion and social action).
35-267. Islam
A study of Muslim ritual and theology and their importance for Islamic
history, law, philosophy, and culture.
35-268. Judaism
Selected topics in the social and literary history of post-biblical
Judaism.
35-270. Readings in Sanskrit Texts I
A further study of Sanskrit with a view to the development of skills
required to read literature such as the Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, and
Bhagavad. (This course is also offered as 10-232.) (Prerequisite: 35-125
or consent of the instructor.)
35-271. Readings in Sanskrit Texts II
A continuation of 35-270. (This course is also offered as 10-233.)
(Prerequisite: 35-270 or consent of the instructor.)
35-301. The Social Ethics of Economic Activity
Evaluation of the impact of economic institutions, thought, and behaviour
on human welfare and on the environment, from the perspective of religious
ethics, with attention to such issues as tax and trade laws, fiscal policy,
energy and food supplies, employment, income distribution, and social welfare
services, in a global context. (This course is recommended to be preceded
or accompanied by 35-201.)
35-302. Health Care Ethics: Christian Theological Perspectives
An examination of the writings of a number of contemporary Protestant
and Roman Catholic theologians who address developments in the biomedical
field. Emphasis will be placed on selected authors, such as James Gustafson
and Richard McCormick. The teachings of mainline Christian churches will
also be studied. (This course is recommended to be preceded or accompanied
by 35-200.)
35-303. Health Care Ethics and World Religions
An examination of key bioethical concepts, such as the meaning of health
and illness, professional-patient relationships, operative principles and
modes of decision making, as understood in selected religious traditions.
(This course is recommended to be preceded or accompanied by one of 35-203,
35-204, or 35-207, and by one of 35-260 or 35-261.)
35-304. Research Ethics
An examination of the ethical issues raised by research and experimentation
in the sciences and social sciences. Issues include: randomized clinical
trials, deception in psychology experiments, research on "captive populations",
fetal research, animal experimentation, recombinant DNA research, peer
review of research protocols by ethics committees.
35-322. The Existence of God
An examination of traditional and modern proofs for God's existence
and the argument from religious experience and mysticism.
35-323. God and Human Anguish
An examination of traditional and contemporary attempts to reconcile
the world's suffering and anguish with the existence of God. (This course
is recommended to be preceded or accompanied by 35-221.)
35-325. Contemporary Interpreters of Christianity
Major Christian thinkers of the twentieth century. (Since content varies
from year to year, students may repeat this course for credit with permission.)
35-326. Major Figures in Modern Religious Thought
An examination of religious themes in the thought of significant nineteenth-
and twentieth-century authors. (Since content varies from year to year,
students may repeat this course for credit, with permission.)
35-327. Process Philosophy and Theology
An introduction to Process philosophy and its implications for understanding
the reality of God and new interpretations of various theological issues:
Christ, death, immortality, freedom, suffering, ethics, etc. (This course
is recommended to be preceded or accompanied by 35-221.)
35-330. The Reformation
An examination of the Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican, radical, and Roman
Catholic reformations of the sixteenth century, with special emphasis on
theological issues. (This course is recommended to be preceded or accompanied
by 35-230 or 35-231.)
35-350. Literary Dimensions of the Hebrew Bible
An exploration of the Hebrew bible as a literary text; the focus is
on forms, styles, themes, and their literary functions. Selected examples
from narrative and poetic books are examined with the aid of contemporary
literary-critical-biblical theories and methods of analysis. (This course
is recommended be preceded or accompanied by 35-250.)
35-355. Currents in New Testament Research
An examination of specific themes and figures in nineteenth- and twentieth-century
New Testament scholarship. Specific content may vary.
35-360. Issues in Contemporary Buddhist Thought
A study of topics of concern to contemporary Buddhist leaders, reformers,
and activists (e.g., Ven. Buddhadassa, the Dalai Lama, Ven. Piyasilo, Sivaraksa).
(This course is recommended to be preceded or accompanied by one of 35-260,
35-263, or 35-265.)
35-361. Modern Indian Thought
A study of selected modern thinkers of India and their enriching contribution
to its classical thought and modern ethos (e.g., Ghandi, Tagore, Vivekananda,
Radhakrishnan, Krishnamurti, Aurobindo).
35-362. Yoga and Transpersonal Theory
An in-depth study of the philosophy and psychology of Yoga, drawing
parallels with the contemporary western transpersonal psychology in relation
to the concepts of consciousness and human evolution. Includes meditation
and a comparative study of various meditative practices and other spiritual
paths. (Prerequisite: 35-266.)
The following 400-level courses may be repeated for credit where
content varies sufficiently.
35-400. Honours Seminar in Sacred Texts and Traditions
35-410. Honours Seminar in Ethics
35-420. Honours Seminar in Contemporary Religious Thought
35-440. Selected Topics in Religious Studies
35-450. Directed Readings in Religious Studies
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