New Student Registration: Religious Studies

• RELS 103 – World Religions:  What You Need to Know
• RELS 104 – Introduction to Religious Studies
• RELS 113 – Introductory Greek I
• RELS 114 – Introductory Greek II
• RELS 117 – Ethical Principles for Health Care Providers

A 100-level course is recommended for a major, joint major, honours, subsidiary, minor, or pair in Religious Studies.  All 100-level courses may be used as electives in any program, though RELS 113 and 114 cannot be used to fulfill the writing course requirements for the Diploma in Engineering.

RELS 117 is a required first-year course for the 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and is normally restricted to students in that program.

RELS 254 – Islam:  Although this is a 200-level course, first-year students may register with permission of the instructor.

Upper-level Religious Studies courses do not require 100-level prerequisites.  Typically 200-level courses require second-year status and 300-level courses require third-year status.  However, first-year students intending to take upper-level RELS courses in future years are strongly advised to take at least 3 credits of introductory-level courses.

Course Descriptions

​103  World Religions: What You Need to Know
This course develops four competencies of a successful global citizen: what you need to know to interact with a client/customer/patient/neighbour who is of a different religion; what you need to know when travelling; what you need to know to do graduate studies; and what followers of this religion need to know. We study Indigenous religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and alternative religions. Credit will be granted for only one of RELS 103, RELS 110, RELS 111, or RELS 112. Three credits.

104  Introduction to Religious Studies
A basic introduction to the concepts, thinkers, theories, and methods essential for understanding religion. Offers a broad toolkit of terms and approaches that will come in handy for anyone interested in the relationships both historical and contemporary between religion and society, religion and culture, religion and art, religion and power, religion and philosophy, religion and science, religion and violence, religion and language, and religion and human flourishing. Three credits.

113  Introductory Greek I
The aim of this course is to familiarize student with the basic structural features of classical Greek. In addition to grammar and vocabulary, the class will read simple texts from classical Greek philosophy and literature as well as from the New Testament. Credit will be granted for only one of RELS 113, CLAS 120 or CLAS198 (2023-2024). Cross-listed as CLAS 121. Three credits.

114  Introductory Greek II
The aim of this course is to familiarize student with the basic structural features of classical Greek. In addition to grammar and vocabulary, the class will read simple texts from classical Greek philosophy and literature as well as from the New Testament. Credit will be granted for only one of RELS 114, CLAS 120 or CLAS 199 (2022-2023). Cross-listed as CLAS 122. Three credits.

117  Ethical Principles for Health Care Providers
This course is designed to provide the foundations for promoting ethical competence among health care professionals as informed by diverse religious and cultural traditions. Students will be introduced to the ethical principles and values underlying debates brough about by advancements in medical technologies. Special emphasis will be placed on the whole person care demonstrated by exemplary health care providers in health care settings. Three credits.

254  Islam
This course introduces students to the emergence of the Islamic tradition with the aim of understanding a) its place in the Near Eastern religious and geo-political context; b) its reception by contemporaries, especially Christians of the 7th-9th centuries; and c) the teachings of its seminal texts, especially the Qur’an. Particular attention is given to those sections of the Qur’an that reflect the Jewish and Christian theological environment within which the text emerged. Credit will be granted for only one of RELS 254 or RELS 370. Three credits.

Please refer to Section 9.34 Religious Studies in the Academic Calendar.

Click here to go to the Religious Studies department webpage.