Faculty of Arts 4. Program Details 4.54 Religious Studies4.54 Religious Studies
Baccalaureate Degrees Offered
Degrees in Religious Studies Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Religious Studies BA in Religious Studies with Co-operative Education BA Honours in Religious Studies BA Honours in Religious Studies with Co-operative Education Related Interdisciplinary Degrees (See separate listings) BA in Religious Studies and Applied Ethics BA Honours in Classical and Early Christian Studies Note: A Minor is offered in Religious Studies. |
Introduction
The Department of Religious Studies seeks to foster an understanding of the wide variety of religions that have influenced the development of human cultures and that continue to be powerful forces in today's world. Courses in the Department examine religious worldviews and their associated texts and practices, movements and institutions, as they appear now and as they have developed over time in many cultures of the world. The Field of Religious Studies is multicultural, i.e., religions from all over the world are the subject of study, including the ancient traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as religious movements of more recent origin. Religious Studies is also multidisciplinary, which means that religion is studied with the use of methods and theories from various disciplines, including history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, literary theory, and feminist theory. Courses in the Field of Religious Studies are divided into three streams: Western Religions, Eastern Religions, and the Nature of Religion. Students are required to take courses in each of the three streams. A student may define a focus of study within a stream or thematically across streams. Students are encouraged to consult with the Department’s Undergraduate Advisor regularly throughout their Undergraduate careers. Students are strongly advised to include in their programs relevant language courses (e.g., Classical Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, French, German) and relevant courses from other disciplines. |
Contact Information
Department Head: V. Tumasz Department Office: Social Sciences 1301 Phone: 403.220.5886 Fax: 403.210.9191 Email: rels@ucalgary.ca Website: |
For Program Advice
For information on where to get program advice, see the Faculty of Arts website under . In general, questions about overall programs should be addressed to the Student Success Centre (), while questions about program details should be addressed to the Subject Advisor in the Department Office. |
Admission to the Major
Prospective students wishing to enter the BA (Religious Studies) Program must meet the criteria in the section of this Calendar on A.2 “Admission Requirements” at the ݮƵ. Annual application deadlines are found in A.3 Deadline Dates for Undergraduate Applications for Admission and Transcripts. |
Overlapping Programs
Programs in Religious Studies cannot be taken in conjunction with programs in either Religious Studies and Applied Ethics or Classical and Early Christian Studies. This restriction applies to Major-plus-Minor combinations, Double Majors, Combined Degrees and Second Baccalaureate Degrees. |
Field of Religious Studies
The Field of Religious Studies consists of all courses labelled Religious Studies (RELS), which are divided into Streams as follows: Nature of Religion: Religious Studies 205, 309, 331, 333, 335, 339, 341, 343, 345, 347, 348, 349, 350, 363, 381, 397, 398, 417, 437, 439, 441, 442, 447, 463, 479. Eastern Religions: Religious Studies 203, 303, 307, 310, 312, 313, 314, 316, 317, 319, 320, 322, 323, 325, 327, 329, 359, 451, 453, 461. Western Religions: Religious Studies 201, 273, 300, 301, 302, 305, 337, 353, 357, 367, 369, 383, 385, 387, 389, 469, 477, 484, 486. Religious Studies 373, 399, 491, 577, 590 and 595 will be designated as Western, Eastern or Nature of Religion depending on the topic covered. Religious Studies 200 and 377 are not counted in any of the three streams. Note: Religious Studies 317, 333, 339, 341, 348, 349, 350, 369, 373, 398, and 399 are senior level courses with no prerequisite. |