Religions and Cultures Courses
Religions and Cultures MA and Judaic Studies MA Courses
Required Courses (Judaic Studies MA)
Description:
The guided research paper (GRP) is 11,000-12,500 words (about 40-50 pages) in length, exclusive of footnotes and bibliography. The GRP is usually undertaken in a student’s third or fourth semester (after the completion of coursework). The research paper develops themes or subjects that the student engaged during coursework. Students in the MA in Judaic Studies write on an aspect of Jewish history or culture.Component(s):
ResearchDescription:
In this initial phase of the research preparation, students, under the guidance of their supervisor, develop and submit a statement describing the scope and content of their intended research.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
This course continues to prepare students for the Guided Research Paper (GRP). Students develop and submit an annotated bibliography to the supervisor.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
The proposal for the Guided Research Paper (GRP), prepared under the guidance of the supervisor, outlines the nature of the student's paper, contains a bibliography, and specifies the timeframe for completing the paper.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
This is the first major step in completing the Guided Research Paper (GRP). Students submit an initial draft to the supervisor. The precise nature of this first draft is determined by the supervisor.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
The Guided Research Paper (GRP) is the capstone project in which students apply the themes, methods, approaches, and material with which they have engaged during their coursework and in preparation for their project. It presents original research and is typically 10,000 - 14,000 words in length. For further specific information concerning the GRP, students should consult the departmental guidelines.Component(s):
ResearchDescription:
Students submit a thesis proposal on a topic chosen in consultation with the thesis supervisor, to be approved by the Graduate Program Director or Department's Graduate Studies Committee. A thesis proposal outlines the student's proposed research paper, locates their research in relation to existing scholarship, clarifies their methodology and research questions, and includes a bibliography of at least ten academic sources along with any primary materials such as editions of critical texts.Component(s):
Thesis ResearchRequired Courses (Religions and Cultures MA)
Description:
The guided research paper (GRP) is 11,000-12,500 words (about 40-50 pages) in length, exclusive of footnotes and bibliography. The GRP is usually undertaken in a student’s third or fourth semester (after the completion of coursework). This research paper develops themes or subjects that the student engaged during coursework.Component(s):
ResearchDescription:
In this initial phase of the research preparation, students, under the guidance of their supervisor, develop and submit a statement describing the scope and content of their intended research.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
This course continues to prepare students for the Guided Research Paper (GRP). Students develop and submit an annotated bibliography to the supervisor.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
The proposal for the Guided Research Paper (GRP), prepared under the guidance of the supervisor, outlines the nature of the student's paper, contains a bibliography, and specifies the timeframe in which students complete the paper.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
This is the first major step in completing the Guided Research Paper (GRP). Students submit an initial draft to the supervisor. The precise nature of this first draft is determined by the supervisor.Component(s):
ResearchNotes:
- This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Description:
The Guided Research Paper (GRP) is the capstone project in which students apply the themes, methods, approaches, and material with which they have engaged during their coursework and in preparation for their project. It presents original research and is typically 10,000 - 14,000 words in length. For further specific information concerning the GRP, students should consult the departmental guidelines.Component(s):
ResearchDescription:
Students submit a thesis proposal on a topic chosen in consultation with the thesis supervisor, to be approved by the Graduate Program Director or the Department's Graduate Studies Committee. A thesis proposal outlines the student's proposed research paper, locates their research in relation to existing scholarship, clarifies their methodology and research questions, and includes a bibliography of at least ten academic sources along with any primary materials such as editions of critical texts.Component(s):
Thesis ResearchTopics in Judaic Studies (MA)
Description:
This course analyzes the sacred texts of Judaism and their interpretation, and focuses on historical contexts and transformations. Topics may also include contemporary literature and popular transmissions of foundational texts. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course explores the diversity of Canada's Jewish communities using a wide range of historical, literary, musical, phenomenological, and other approaches. Addressing both experiences and expressions of Canadian Jewish identities and their local and transnational networks, the course examines lived religious practices and communal documents, many of which have been minimally explored. Students are exposed to a variety of methodologies, such as literary criticism, ethnography, sound and music analysis, and historiography. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course examines Jewish philosophy in various historical periods. Topics may include ethics, metaphysics, cosmology, post-Holocaust thought, the work of particular Jewish thinkers and reflections on Zionism and the State of Israel. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course explores Jewish history and communities through material and popular culture, including the production and use of images, ornaments, inscriptions, art, film, music, and digital media. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course examines Jewish communities in particular historical and cultural contexts and regions, notably the Middle East, Israel, North America, and Eastern Europe. It explores how Jewish communities have interacted with outsiders, experienced migration, and been shaped by changing social and political circumstances. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Permission of the Graduate Program Director is required.Description:
Students work in a local Jewish community organization or institution in order to apply their training in religions and cultures to address real world problems revolving around issues such as diversity, religious tolerance, and social justice, including disability, sustainability, and LGBTQIA+ rights.Component(s):
Practicum/Internship/Work TermTopics in Religions and Cultures (MA)
Description:
This course provides students with an understanding of the major approaches to the academic study of religion. It introduces students to key theories of religion as a social and cultural phenomenon, as well as the ways contemporary methodologies represent religious experiences and expressions. Students develop a critical theoretical orientation for their research and a familiarity with the skills that they apply in their coursework and final paper.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
Students who have received credit for RELI 609 or 610 may not take this course for credit.
Description:
This course analyzes the literature or key writings of one or more traditions in their historical context. Topics may include contemporary literature, popular media, or the foundational corpora of a community. Emphasis is placed on familiarizing students with critical approaches to the materials studied. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course applies theoretical approaches drawn from anthropology and ethnography to the study of contemporary forms of various religions and cultures. Topics may include ritual practice, sacred space, embodiment, soundscapes, food, art and conceptions of the secular. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course examines ethical, philosophical, and natural scientific approaches to religious studies. Topics may include the ethics of care; constructions of the sacred, the self and the body; cosmology and metaphysics; religion and the natural world; and the evolutionary and cognitive study of religion. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course explores how various religious traditions can be understood through material and popular culture, including the production and use of images, ornaments, inscriptions, art, film, music, and digital media. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course explores perspectives on gender and sexualities in various cultural contexts and religious traditions. Attention is given to theoretical approaches drawn from feminist, gender and queer studies. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Description:
This course focuses on a particular cultural region, for instance, Tibet, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East or North America. Topics may include the interdependence of traditions and communities, inter-religious and inter-cultural encounters, migration, and responses to changing social and political circumstances. Specific topics are listed in the Graduate Class Schedule.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Subject matter varies from term to term and from year to year. Students may register for this course multiple times provided that the course content has changed.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Permission of the Graduate Program Director is required.
Description:
In this course, students work in a local community organization or institution in order to apply their training in religions and cultures to address real-world problem solving around religious tolerance, diversity, or issues of social justice. Examples include working on programming with Concordia’s Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre; working as a religious educator inside or alongside a particular religious community; organizing and supporting grassroots efforts related to ethics and social justice, such as sustainability, racism and Islamophobia, disability, LGBTQ, or Indigenous rights.Component(s):
Practicum/Internship/Work TermReligion PhD Courses
Required Courses (Religion PhD)
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
All course work must be completed prior to enrolling.Description:
Graduate students in Religion at the doctoral level are expected to pursue a program of independent study and research in their chosen field. The comprehensive examination will consist of three written exams followed by an oral examination which reviews these exams. In most cases, two of these written exams focus on topics from two distinct religious traditions; the third written exam will be on a topic related to a student’s proposed thesis. One of the three exams should include a focus on theory and methodology. Credits are not distributed among these four examinations.Component(s):
Thesis ResearchNotes:
- The thesis research is graded as pass/fail.
Description:
Each candidate will prepare a doctoral thesis which is to be an original contribution to scholarship. Although the topic should be provisionally chosen and serve as a coordinating factor throughout the student’s doctoral program, a written proposal must be formally submitted and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee after the successful completion of the comprehensive examination.Component(s):
Thesis ResearchPrerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Religion PhD is normally required.Description:
This seminar will deal with general and methodological issues in the study of religion.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- Discussion and readings will be both in English and in French.
- All PhD students must register for this course in their first or second or equivalent year of study. This course will be held in common with UQAM and Université Laval.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Religion PhD, Religions and Cultures Specialization is required.
Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
- All PhD students must register for this course in their first or second or equivalent year of study.
Prerequisite/Corequisite:
Enrolment in the Religion PhD, Judaic Studies Specialization is required.Component(s):
SeminarNotes:
All PhD students must register for this course in their first or second or equivalent year of study.
Topics in Judaic Studies (PhD)
A student is required to register for a minimum of 18 credits of directed reading. These courses are offered according to the resources of the department and the needs of the students. They are grouped into RELI 800-818 (Topics in Judaic Studies) and RELI 820-839 (Topics in Religions and Cultures). Some of the courses at the Master of Arts level are open to PhD candidates, with the requirement of additional work and higher standards of performance.