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Religion (also known as “History of Religion” and “Religious Studies”) is a discipline that focuses on studying religion as a human phenomenon, across cultures. Students will gain an understanding of and respect for the complex ways that identities are formed by religious communities, ideas and rituals, and have the opportunity to explore the history, literature and lived experience of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and members of various Indigenous traditions in Canada and worldwide. 

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The Edgar and Dorothy Davidson Lecture in Religious Studies

Faculty

Study Abroad

Student Support

Scholarships

Edgar & Dorothy Davidson Travel Bursary in Religion Studies

Why Study Religion?

Study a Variety of Religious Traditions

The academic study of Religion invites you to learn about major world religions — Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese Religions, and Indigenous Religions – as well as to think about the confluence of religion with culture, politics, society, and the very question of what it means to be human. As far back as our written records go, humans have engaged in religious thought in addressing perennial human concerns, such as individual and collective identities and ethical and political foundations of societies. In fact, it is impossible to study anything in the humanities or the social sciences without bumping into religious ideas and behaviours.

Become a More Informed Person

Studying religions can give you a deeper comprehension of yourself and your most basic behaviours and values, and allow you to understand those of others, fostering the mutual respect that allows our diverse democratic society to exist. It can help you become a more complete citizen by inviting you to think deeply about what it means to live religiously, in the past and the present. Beyond the value of the content itself, by learning to reflect on and analyse what others have written on these subjects, our students become strong critical thinkers and writers, skills that are foundational for any career path.

What You Will Study

The program in Religion begins with survey and comparative courses on the major world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Indigenous Religions. Upper level courses focus on a single religious tradition, or on specialized topics that span religious traditions, such as ‘Religion and Violence’ or ‘Love and its Myths’.

Classes range from large lecture courses to small seminars, especially in the fourth year. In all courses, the mix of students from around the world and across the university invariably becomes part of the learning experience.

The program in Religion begins with survey and comparative courses on the major world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese, and Indigenous Religions. Upper level courses focus on a single religious tradition, or on specialized topics that span religious traditions, such as ‘Religion and Violence,’ ‘Religion and Public Life,’ or ‘Religion and the Body.’

Classes range from large lecture courses in the first and second years to small seminars, especially in the fourth year. In all courses, the mix of students from around the world and across the university invariably becomes part of the learning experience.

The Academic Study of Religion

�Ӱ�ԭ��’s Religion program studies religions in a secular, academic setting. While theologians think about religion in order to live religiously according to a particular idea of Truth, in the university we look at religions comparatively and critically. This means that we consider the various truths that different religious communities hold, withholding judgment on questions central to theological inquiry. This permits equal participation to the widest range of believers and non-believers, without showing hostility or favour to any particular set of beliefs. This type of methodological atheism is key to moving beyond tolerance toward understanding, a crucial foundation for our diverse, multicultural society, and allows for students to critically and respectfully examine their own beliefs and ideas as well as those of others.

We also think about the category “religion” itself, and consider the problems inherent in its application beyond a Western context.

Program-Wide Learning Outcomes

The following are some of the learning outcomes toward which we strive in all of our courses.

After taking our courses, students will:

be able to make connections between theoretical approaches used in the academic study of religion and their real-world implications and applications.

• be able to formulate positions consistent with the academic study of religion, which stresses outsider discourse, methodological atheism, and the ability to differentiate between advocacy and the critical study of religion.
• be able to analyze the history of and relationship among the major religions of the world in their local and global contexts.
• be able to critically evaluate characteristic features and experiences of religious people in a global environment.
• be able to appraise the integral role of religion as a category helping to shape cultures, identities, political systems, and public life.
• be able to argue for the value of religious literacy, which includes facility in specialist terminology native to religions as well as specialist terminology relative to the discipline.
• be able to formulate cogent and theoretically nuanced arguments.

Undergraduate Programs

You can study Religion through a variety of Degree Streams. Detailed information on degree requirements may be found in the  in the �Ӱ�ԭ�� Undergraduate Calendar.

Bachelor of Arts Honours – Religion

The  in Religion consists of 8 credits in Religion and 12 credits in electives, generally completed over four years. A credit at �Ӱ�ԭ�� is one full-year course, or two semester-long courses.

Bachelor of Arts Honours – Combined

A  consists of 6 credits in Religion and 6 or 7 credits in a second combined honours subject. A credit at �Ӱ�ԭ�� is one full-year course, or two semester-long courses.

Bachelor of Arts – Religion

The 15.0 credit  consists of 6 credits in Religion and 9 credits in electives, generally completed over three years. A credit at �Ӱ�ԭ�� is one full-year course, or two semester-long courses.

Minors

 consists of 4 credits in Religion, and is taken as an addition to your primary degree.

Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Religion

The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Religion provides a credential for students with undergraduate degrees in other fields who want to acquire intensive training in the academic discipline of Religious Studies.

It is chiefly designed for students who typically have completed an undergraduate degree in another field with a minimum B average or higher (8.0 GPA on the 12.0 �Ӱ�ԭ�� scale), and/or require grounding in the theories and methods particular to Religious Studies as an academic discipline.

The program structure for The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Religion (4.0 credits) is as follows:

1. 0.5 credit in Theory: RELI 4741 (0.5)
2. 0.5 credit in: Judaism (RELI 2110), Christianity (RELI 2200) or Islam (RELI 2310)
3. 0.5 credit in: Buddhism (RELI 2410), Hinduism (RELI 2510), Religions of China (RELI 2600), or Indigenous Traditions (RELI 2800)
4. 1.5 credits in RELI at the 3000-level or above
5. 1.0 credits in RELI at the 4000-level.

Please note: Requests for alternative course choices may be granted at the discretion of the Religion Program Undergraduate Supervisor. In addition, 0.5 credit of coursework may be taken outside the department, subject to the approval of the Religion Program Graduate Supervisor.

Our diploma has the following requirements:

Admission to this program requires the permission of the Religion program. Normally, students are required to have completed an undergraduate degree with a minimum B average or higher to be admitted. Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.