Courses - Spring 2026
RELS
Religious Studies
RELS170
Cross-listed with: CLAS170.
Credit only granted for: CLAS170 or RELS170.
Additional information: This course cannot be taken for language credit.
What are myths and why do we tell them? What powers do myths have? We will tackle these questions by looking at the enduring and fascinating myths from ancient Greece and Rome. In addition to studying how they shaped ancient societies, we will also look at their modern influence and reflect upon the power that myths still hold in our contemporary world. Taught in English.
RELS219K
Reformers, Radicals, and Revolutionaries: The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
Cross-listed with: HIST245.
Credit only granted for: RELS219K or HIST245.
The 20th century was a period of dramatic changes in the Middle East. Within the global context of the two World Wars and the Cold War, countries in the region struggled with the effects of colonialism and painful processes of decolonization. The course offers a thematic-comparative approach to issues such as social and political reform, nationalism, the colonial experience, independence struggles, models of governance, political violence, and Islamism. Course lectures and the analysis and discussion of primary sources will lead students to understand that the peoples of the Middle East found answers to the challenges posed by Western dominance based on their specific historical, cultural and socio-economic circumstances.
For Spring 2021; Cross-listed with HIST245. Credit granted for HIST245, ARAB298K, or RELS219K.
RELS264
Introduction to the New Testament
A historical and literary introduction to the New Testament focusing on the context of the authors and the development of earliest Christianity.
RELS271
Credit only granted for: RELS289I or RELS271.
Formerly: RELS289I.
Draws upon examples from a wide variety of religious traditions to explore the question of what religion is and how to best understand it. Engagement with diverse approaches to religion including phenomenology and the study of "the sacred"; sociology and the study of religious communities; and questions of religious experience, ritual, and identity formation.
RELS273
Jesus, Mani, and Muhammad: The Dynamics of New Religious Movements
Cross-listed with: HIST289T.
Credit only granted for: RELS273 or RELS289M or HIST289T.
Formerly: RELS289M.
We examine three significant ancient religious figures: Jesus (d. 30s CE), Mani (d. 276 CE), and Muhammad (d. 632). All three were founders of long-lasting religions that were part of a dramatic change in the society and religion of the ancient world. Special areas of focus: the biographies of these founding figures, and how we know them; a historical approach to religious founders; and the sociology of new religious movements.
RELS319E
Special Topics in Religious Studies; Islam and the Body
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with HIST319D. Credit only granted for HIST319D or RELS319E.
The body is central to enacting facets of Islamic culture a cross history: worshippers ritually wash, mystical mendicants dance, love poets starve themselves, and pilgrims walk well-trodden routes. This course will thus explore why and how bodies matter: how are bodily norms created and enforced? How have people tried to transcend their individual, mortal, embodied selves, and why? How does religion help people make sense of their bodily experiences? How does it deal with bodily differences?
The body is central to enacting facets of Islamic culture a cross history: worshippers ritually wash, mystical mendicants dance, love poets starve themselves, and pilgrims walk well-trodden routes. This course will thus explore why and how bodies matter: how are bodily norms created and enforced? How have people tried to transcend their individual, mortal, embodied selves, and why? How does religion help people make sense of their bodily experiences? How does it deal with bodily differences?
RELS319G
Special Topics in Religious Studies; Cinema and Religion
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with CINE359R. Credit only granted for CINE359R or RELS319G.
How does religion make itself felt within cinema, the most modern of expressive media? And how does a critical perspective informed by religion affect an understanding of cinema? In this course, we will ask questions about how cinema renders religious stories and spirituality across a wide range of films about various religious traditions. What is the relation between cinematic aesthetics and religious experience?
How does religion make itself felt within cinema, the most modern of expressive media? And how does a critical perspective informed by religion affect an understanding of cinema? In this course, we will ask questions about how cinema renders religious stories and spirituality across a wide range of films about various religious traditions. What is the relation between cinematic aesthetics and religious experience?
RELS319P
Special Topics in Religious Studies; Missionary Dreams and Nightmares: A Global History of Protestant Missions
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS319P. Credit only granted for HIST339I or RELS319P.
Protestant missionary activity from the seventeenth century onwards in aglobal perspective. We will investigate the relations between missionaryactivity, imperialism, and the "civilizing project" of the West with particular reference to British missionary organizations. The real and perceived risks and difficulties faced by missionaries, from dying of malaria to being eaten by cannibals, will be discussed to understand the ethos that has animated the Protestant missionary commitment over the centuries.
Protestant missionary activity from the seventeenth century onwards in aglobal perspective. We will investigate the relations between missionaryactivity, imperialism, and the "civilizing project" of the West with particular reference to British missionary organizations. The real and perceived risks and difficulties faced by missionaries, from dying of malaria to being eaten by cannibals, will be discussed to understand the ethos that has animated the Protestant missionary commitment over the centuries.
RELS319R
Special Topics in Religious Studies; The Emergence of Islam in Late Antiquity
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS319R. Credit only granted for HIST428R or RELS319R.
An exploration of the conditions of emergence of Islam in a Late Antique context with particular emphasis on the making of a discrete Muslim identity.
An exploration of the conditions of emergence of Islam in a Late Antique context with particular emphasis on the making of a discrete Muslim identity.
RELS343
The European Reformations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: HIST333.
Credit only granted for: HIST333 or RELS343.
Examination of developments in European religion between 1450 and 1700; the late-medieval Church and its critics; rise of Protestant thought in Germany and its spread throughout Europe; reform efforts in the Catholic Church; religious wars and violence and their impact on state and society; consequences of religious reform in society and its impact on the family and women.
RELS419A
Advanced Topics in Religious Studies; Cultural Memory in Early Islam:Remembering Muhammad,the Caliphate, and the Founding Generations
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with HIST429Y. Credit only granted for HIST429Y or RELS419A.
Explores the most important characters and events of early Islamic history and traces their images and memories across the centuries, down to modern times.
Explores the most important characters and events of early Islamic history and traces their images and memories across the centuries, down to modern times.
RELS429C
Advanced Topics in Religious History; Fighting Words: Debated Topics in Jewish Thought
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
An examination of the constant debate over the meaning of the sacred texts and the rulings of rabbinic authorities in Jewish thought. After a general introduction, this course focuses on modern claims to authority in the US and Israel.
Cross listed with HIST428D, JWST429F, and JWST658A. Credit granted for only RELS429C, HIST428D, JWST429F, or JWST658A.
Cross listed with HIST428D, JWST429F, and JWST658A. Credit granted for only RELS429C, HIST428D, JWST429F, or JWST658A.
RELS429M
Advanced Topics in Religious History; From Damascus to Cordoba: The First Dynasty of Islam East and West
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with HIST329M. Credit only granted for HIST329M or RELS429M.
RELS499
Independent Study in Religious Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
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