Programs
The Religious Studies Department offers undergraduate students the option of taking a minor, major, or honours. Up-to-date information about program requirements and course prerequisites can be found in the .
Minor
MINOR in Religious Studies is 24 credits earned as follows:
| 6 | from the Humanities 1600 Series |
| 6 | from Religious Studies at the 2000 level |
| 12 | from Religious Studies at the 3/4000 level, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor |
Major
MAJOR in Religious Studies is 60 credits earned as follows:
| 6 | from the Humanities 1600 Series |
| 9 | RELG 2401, 2411, 2521, 2801, 2811, 2821, 2831, 2841 |
| 3 | RELG 3901 |
| 3 | from RELG 3001 or 3101 |
| 3 | from RELG 3301 or 3311 |
| 6 | from RELG 3501, 3601,3701 |
| 12 | from 3/4000 level Religious Studies courses, with at least 6 from 4000 level Religious Studies courses |
| 18 | credits from complementary courses in Arts and Letters, Humanities and Social Sciences (which may include upto 6 additional credits from 2000 level Religious Studies courses if the Humanities 1600 series courses above are from other Humanities disciplines), chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor |
Honours
An honours program is available in religious studies. The program is an opportunity to do a sustained and in-depth research project in an area of student interest while being supervised by a faculty member. This involves writing a thesis in the final year of study and is the equivalent of taking two 3-credit courses.
Eligible students in their third year of a religious studies major must meet the following criteria:
- maintain an average GPA of 3.0
- consult with the program advisor
- consult with the supervising faculty member
In their third year, interested students should reflect on their studies to date and come up with their own idea for a project. They may choose from a broad range of possible subjects. Students should then approach their preferred faculty supervisor for guidance. A written proposal is due at the end of the winter term of the third year. Research might begin as early as the summer before fourth year.
Program advisor
A program advisor meets with current and potential students to explain different course options.
The program advisor for Religious Studies is Dr. Andrew Wilson (awilson@mta.ca).
Courses
Courses in religious studies cover a wide range of areas, from in-depth study of specific traditions (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity) to focused exploration of religion’s intersections with culture, history of religious thought, environmental ethics, material culture, and more.
Introductory courses (at 1000 and 2000 level) lay the foundation for later, more advanced study of particular traditions. These introduce students to broad themes that are encountered in many Humanities disciplines, such as sexuality or death (the 1600-level humanities courses). 2000-level courses begin conversations for students with the key methods and approaches that we use in our program (e.g., philosophy of religion, textual study, material culture). Advanced courses at the 3000 and 4000 level allow students to explore more focused areas that often connect with a number of traditions, such as film, religion and violence, pilgrimage, environmental ethics, theological thought, postcolonialism, and mythologies and sacred space.
In recent years, the Department has also developed a new program in Community-engaged learning. This allows students to explore some of what they have been learning around the themes of equity, diversity and social justice in an applied way in our local communities. Many Faculty from the religious studies program also teach in this area, running long term projects in such areas as sustainable communities, climate change education, literacy and educational reform.
See the for specific course requirements or for class times. The focus of this year’s individual courses can be found below. All courses are worth 3 credits.
Visit the Community Engaged Learning webpage for CENL course descriptions.
Fall 2026 Courses
CENL/RELG 1001: Intro to Compassionate Communities
Dr. Emilie Maine
What does a compassionate community look like and could it become a model for addressing social injustices such as the poverty, housing insecurity, and loneliness in our midst? We’ll discuss how understanding compassion more fully and using it as a driver of social action we are able to transform our communities for the benefit of all members.
RELG 1641: Religion, the Body, Sexuality

Dr. Fiona Black

This course investigates the role the human body plays in the world's Western religious traditions (predominantly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), namely, how the body affects or facilitates worship of the divine and what the related rites, practices, and texts have to say to us as physical beings. It considers such issues as bodily functions, gender roles, and sexual orientation. The course pays considerable attention to the intersections of religion and culture as they inform what it means to be an embodied believer. It also considers why the human imagination seems to need to conceive the divine in bodily form. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of RELG 1641 previously offered with a different title) Requisites: None 

RELG 1661: Religion and Popular Culture
Dr. Andrew Wilson
This course examines various points at which religion and culture collide. It utilizes various media (film, music, fashion, literature) in order to interpret some of the complex relationships that form and maintain contemporary Western identity. Topics include cultural uses of religious symbolism and story, the power of popular piety, and the Western tendency towards consumption and commodification of religious traditions. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) 

RELG 2411: Mother Earth, Father Sky
Dr. Alex Grabiner

This course employs experiential and project-based learning to explore the deep roots of the environmental crisis in the western religious and scientific worldviews, and then looks at alternate ways of conceiving and acting on the human relation to nature, focusing on Asian and indigenous views.
RELG 2811: Intro to the Hebrew Bible

Dr. D. Cooper
This course introduces, in translation, the literature of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. It discusses selected passages in the context of Israel's history, religion, and society, set against the backdrop of the Ancient Near Eastern civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. It also explores why these texts and the religion they represent have been so influential and in what ways they still illuminate and speak to the human situation today.

RELG 3101: Buddhism

Dr. A. Grabiner
A study of Buddhism, examining its origins, history, philosophy and cultures. The course will treat the three major strands of classical Buddhism, and conclude with an analysis of the growing phenomenon of Western Buddhism. 

RELG 3961: Artifacts and Archives

Dr. F. Black
This course explores religion's traces on the lives of practitioners through material and archival culture. Working with a variety of theoretical approaches, students will explore a range of artefactual and archival materials, including material remains, relics, art, graffiti, jettisoned religious paraphernalia, community rules and records, educational materials and correspondence. The course pursues the question of how what is materially left behind might help us to understand religion's impact on personal and community identities, and on cultural and political systems.
RELG 3971: Religion in Film

Dr. A. Wilson
This course examines the cultural legacy and/or influence of various religious traditions and scriptural texts in the modern medium of film. It begins, with an examination of some great religious "epics", and then considers more recent cinematic treatments of religious themes and figures.

RELG 3991: Faith and Facism

Dr. Gabriel Paxton
Historian Ian Kershaw famously remarked that "trying to define 'fascism' is like trying to nail jelly to the wall." Despite the difficulties in defining "fascism," self-identified fascist movements, leaders, and ideologies have been prevalent throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. From Mussolini's reign in Italy to Pinochet's grip on Chile, fascism has left an indelible mark on the global political landscape. To help students better understand and contextualize fascism, this course approaches the concept through the lenses of state religion, hyper-nationalism, and political cults. This humanistic approach to defining and examining fascism will help us better understand how fascist leaders scapegoat and oppress minorities; reinforce asymmetric gender dynamics; thwart pillars of open civil society; and co-opt religious values, symbols, and institutions. As a class we are tasked with asking and answering the following questions over the course of the semester:
(1) What characterizes fascist politics?
(2) When, where, and why does fascism take hold?
(3) What can we do to prevent it?
Winter 2027 Courses
RELG 1681: The Quest for Enlightenment: The Search For Perfection in Asian Religions
Dr. Alex Grabiner
What is the best life one can live? And what roles do yoga, meditation, Qigong, and other contemplative bodily practices play in this context? Learning with experts from within and beyond our community, members of this experiential learning course will pursue these questions as we work together to understand diverse Asian religions' imaginings of the good life.
RELG 1991: Death, Dying & the Afterlife
Dr. Carla Ionescu
This course introduces students to various practices and beliefs concerning death, dying and the afterlife across a range of religious traditions. Students will examine a variety of textual and ritual elements from both historical and contemporary sources and connect traditional conceptions of the afterlife with their ongoing implications for the living. (Format: Lecture 3 hours) (Exclusion: RELG 1621 Death and the Afterlife in Asian Religions)
RELG-2831 Faith and Doubt
Dr. A. Wilson
This course introduces the disciplines of theology and philosophy of religion within the Western theistic (Jewish/Christian) tradition. It considers the sometimes ambivalent relationship between reason and religious experience. Topics include rational proofs for the existence of God, religious self-understanding, the problem of evil, and the relationship between religious belief and scientific reason.
RELG 2841: Apocalyptic Consciousness
Dr. D. Cooper
This course studies the apocalyptic consciousness in ancient documents and in modern thought, particularly with reference to ideas about the Day of Judgment and Second Coming. In addition to biblical and non-biblical texts, it reflects on contemporary portrayals of the apocalyptic image in art, literature and film, and explores the apocalyptic cult with specific reference to cults of expectation.
RELG 2991A: Religion & Electronic Dance Music
Dr. A. Grabiner
RELG 3301: Religions of China
Dr. A. Grabiner
This course will study the religious traditions of China, examining the basic ideas and concepts underlying Chinese religion and the ways in which these ideas were implemented. The course will look in detail at both Confucianism and Daoism, at Chinese folk religion, and at the adaptation of Buddhism to China. It will conclude with an evaluation of the current state of religion in China.
RELG 3681: Identity and the Maker
Dr. A. Wilson
This course examines religious and cultural notions of identity via the creative arts and cultural practices of making and crafting. The course presents typical ways that theology and philosophy attempt to account for human experience and self-understanding, contrasting them with the radical and often marginal transformations that might be explored through creative material and cultural practice. Through scholarly discourse as well as concrete creative applications students will have the opportunity to consider the many ways in which the human experience and the quest for meaning and expression are paralleled and mediated by traditions, practices and materials associated with craft.
RELG 3701: Islam
Online
This course traces Islam from its origins in the life and activities of Mohammed through to contemporary world Islam and its diverse responses to the challenges of "modernity" and the West. The world view, institutions, rituals, and practices of Islam will be studied within these changing historical and cultural contexts. Effort will be made throughout to gain insight into the religious, spiritual impulses which animate Islam and unite devout Muslims.
RELG 3811: Gender Issues in Western Religions
Dr. F. Black
This course examines the role that gender plays in the context of myths, scriptural texts, rituals and doctrine, in the major religious traditions of the West. It examines such matters as sexuality and sexual orientation, the body, feminism and other critical approaches, political rights and responsibilities, access to religious experience, and spiritual leadership.