Programs of Study

Programs of study leading to the degrees of master of arts (MA) in religious studies and doctor of philosophy (PhD) in religious studies are offered.

The Department offers collaborative programs in Women’s Studies and in Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the M.A. level. For more information on these programs, see “Admission”.

The programs operate within the general framework of the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) of the University of Ottawa, which are posted on the FGPS website.

Objectives and Methods

The orientation of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies (sector: religious studies) is that of the "Science of Religions" or Religionswissenschaft. Thus, the study of the religious phenomenon is pursued through teaching and research in the same manner and on the same level as any other category of facts accessible to human experience and observation.

The disciplines that play a role in the study of religions are primarily of a historical, sociological, psychological and anthropological nature. Moreover, in the modern context, such a study must take into account the plurality of religious traditions and expressions in society and examine the relationships among them.

In light of the above, the Department of Classics and Religious Studies (sector: religious studies) takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of religious phenomena using the perspectives of historical, sociological, psychological, anthropological and literary studies to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of people as religious beings. Research on the meaning of religious phenomena is accomplished through analysis and comparison of the various means of religious expression, both in the past and present. No tradition is considered normative.

Areas of Research

The master's program in religious studies focuses on religions in Canada, including Amerindian and Inuit traditions, and on religions in the comparative cultural context. The comparative cultural approach provides an opportunity to explore religious phenomena across different religious traditions expressly within their specific cultural contexts. The program favours the methods of anthropology, history, psychology and sociology.

The professors included in the list below are members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. This means that they are authorized to supervise or co-supervise theses. A complete list of the faculty and staff members associated with the program can be found at http://www.cla-srs.uottawa.ca

ANDERSON, Emma, Associate Professor
European-Aboriginal religious contact in colonial Canada; North American religious history; aboriginal religions; post-Tridentine French catholicism; marian apparitions; religion in contemporary Canada

BEAMAN, Lori, Full Professor
Religion in Canadian society; social and cultural theory; critical legal studies

BEYER, Peter, Full Professor
Sociology of religion; religion and globalization; religion in contemporary Canada; religion and immigration

BURGESS, Richard, Full Professor
Late Roman chronicles; editing texts; late Roman history and historiography; late Roman coinage, especially fifth century Western

BUSSIÈRES, Marie-Pierre, Associate Professor
Late Antique and Christian latin literature

CÔTÉ, Dominique, Associate Professor
Christian apocryphal literature; second sophistic; Greek mythology; magic in the Greco-Roman world

DE BRUYN, Theodore, Associate Professor
Christianity in late Antiquity; ritual and religious identity; religion and health

DIJKSTRA, Jitse, Associate Professor
Egypt in late Antiquity; coptic; papyrology and epigraphy; archaeology

GARDAZ, Michel, Associate Professor
Method and theory in the study of religion; history of the study of religion; Islam in Central Asia; orientalism

GOLDENBERG, Naomi, Full Professor
Psychoanalysis; women and religion; cultural studies

GREATREX, Geoffrey, Associate Professor
Late Antiquity; Romano-Persian relations; the reign of the Emperor Justinian

GUEDON, Marie-Françoise, Associate Professor
Anthropologie du religieux - chamanisme; peuples autochtones; études interculturelles

MARGOLIS, Rebecca, Associate Professor
Canadian Yiddish culture; Yiddish language and literature; Canadian Jewish history

PIOVANELLI, Pierluigi, Full Professor
Jewish and Christian apocryphal texts; Jewish apocalypticism; historical Jesus; Ethiopian Christianity

PUMMER, Reinhard, Emeritus Professor

RAAB, Kelley, Assistant Professor
Religion and psychiatry; psychology of religion; women and religion

REINHARTZ, Adele, Full Professor
Early Christianity and Judaism; Gospel of John; Bible and film; Jewish-Christian relations; feminist biblical criticism

SCHLAPBACH, Karin, Associate Professor
Later ancient literature; later ancient performance culture; post-classical philosophy

SIOUI, Georges, Full Professor
Metahistory and history of Aboriginal peoples; Aboriginal philosophy and spirituality; Aboriginal/Indigenous education; Canadian studies

VALLELY, Anne, Associate Professor
Jainism; religion and nature; death and transcendence, contemporary Judaism

Official applications for admission should be submitted by the deadlines listed on the website of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Applications received after a deadline will be considered only if positions are available.

As part of their application, applicants must submit a statement (1-2 pages) describing their research interests.

All applicants must be able to understand speak and write either English or French proficiently . Applicants whose first language is neither English nor French must provide proof of proficiency in one or the other. The list of acceptable tests is indicated in the “Admission” section of the general regulations of the FGPS.

In accordance with the University of Ottawa regulation, assignments, examinations, research papers and theses can be produced in either English or French.

Collaborative Program in Women's Studies at the Master's Level

The Religious Studies sector of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies is a participating unit in the collaborative program in women's studies at the master's level. This program has been established for students wishing to enrich their training in Religious Studies by including an interdisciplinary component in Women's studies. The specific requirements of the collaborative program include two core courses and a thesis or major research paper on a topic related to Women's studies. . The compulsory courses of these collaborative programs fit into the religious studies course requirements and do not add to the number of courses required for the master's in religious studies.

Students should normally apply for acceptance in the Women's Studies collaborative program at the same time as they apply for admission to the Master's program in Religious Studies.

For further details, please consult the Women’s Studies program on the FGPS website.

Collaborative Program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the Master's Level

The Religious Studies sector of the Department of Classics and Religious Studies is a participating unit in the collaborative program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the Master's level. This program has been established for students wishing to enrich their training in Religious Studies by including an interdisciplinary component in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. The specific requirements of the collaborative program include two core courses in medieval studies and a thesis on a topic related to Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Students should normally apply for acceptance in the Medieval and Renaissance Studies collaborative program at the same time as they apply for admission to the Master's program in Religious Studies.

For further details, please consult the Medieval and Renaissance Studies program on the FGPS website.

MA with thesis

SRS5115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
or
SRS5915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)

SRS5928 PROJET DE THÈSE / THESIS PROPOSAL (3cr.)

• Two graduate courses in religious studies (6cr.)
• One additional course or directed study in religious studies (3cr.)
SRS7988 RECENSION DES ÉCRITS - M.A. / LITERATURE REVIEW - M.A. (3cr.)

SRS5115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
or
SRS5915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)

SRS5928 PROJET DE THÈSE / THESIS PROPOSAL (3cr.)

• Two compulsory courses in the collaborative program (6cr.)
• One graduate course in religious studies (3cr.)
SRS7988 RECENSION DES ÉCRITS - M.A. / LITERATURE REVIEW - M.A. (3cr.)

MA with research paper (30 credits)

SRS5115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
or
SRS5915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)

• Four graduate courses in religious studies (12cr.)
• Two additional courses or directed studies in religious studies
SRS7988 RECENSION DES ÉCRITS - M.A. / LITERATURE REVIEW - M.A. (3cr.)

SRS5115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
or
SRS5915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)

• Two compulsory courses in the collaborative program (6cr.)
• Three graduate courses in religious studies (9cr.)
• One additional course or directed study in religious studies (3cr.)
SRS7988 RECENSION DES ÉCRITS - M.A. / LITERATURE REVIEW - M.A. (3cr.)

Literature Review

Thesis

Research Paper

Colloquium

Collaborative Program in Women's Studies

• Two compulsory courses:
FEM5300 FEMINIST THEORIES (3cr.)
FEM5103 FEMINIST METHODOLOGIES (3cr.)

Students must complete the two compulsory courses before their first registration for the major research paper or thesis.

• A thesis or major research paper on a topic related to women, gender, feminism or sexualities. The proposed topic must be approved by the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee as well as by the student’s primary program. The thesis or major research paper must demonstrate knowledge of feminist scholarship in the field or fields appropriate to the topic, and of feminist methodologies where applicable.
• The thesis supervisor must possess Women’s Studies and/or feminist expertise. In the case of a major research paper, the supervisor should, ideally, possess Women’s Studies and/or feminist expertise. If not, one of the readers must possess such expertise. Joint supervision by a professor from the participating unit and a professor chosen by the WSGC may be appropriate in some cases.
• Thesis or Major Research Paper Proposal: The thesis or major research paper proposal must be approved by the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee as well as by the primary program. Usually the thesis or major research paper proposal is submitted to women’s studies by the end of the third session of the first year of studies. For the primary programs that do not require a proposal, students must still submit a proposal to the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee.
• Examiner or Reader: One of the examiners (for the thesis) or reader (for the major research paper) must be a person approved by the Women’s Studies Graduate Committee.
• The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 credits) must withdraw from the program.

Collaborative Program in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

• MDV5100 Medieval and Renaissance Studies Research Methods and Tools (3cr.)
OR


AND

• MDV5900 Séminaire de recherche interdisciplinaire / Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (3cr.)
Students must complete the two compulsory courses before they register to the major research paper or thesis.

• A thesis or major research paper on a topic related to Medieval and Renaissance studies; the proposed topic must be approved by the program committee of the participating unit and the committee of the collaborative program. The supervision of the major research paper or thesis must be carried out by a professor approved by the collaborative program committee. At least one of the two thesis examiners (or one examiner of the major research paper) must be a member of the collaborative program.
• In both cases, the title of the degree will indicate the discipline of the participating unit with the specification "specialization in Medieval and Renaissance Studies."
• The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 credits) must withdraw from the program.

Transfer from Master’s to PhD Program

Students enrolled in the MA program in Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa may be allowed to transfer to the PhD program. For additional information, please consult the “Admission” section of the PhD program.

The transfer to the PhD must be completed by the end of the fourth session following initial registration in the MA program. The total number of credits to be completed for the Master's and PhD combined is 30 credits.


Duration of the Program

Students are expected to fulfill all requirements within two years. The maximum time permitted is four years from the date of initial registration in the program.


Residence

The residence requirement is three sessions for students admitted on a full-time basis.


Minimum Standards

The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 credits) must withdraw from the program.

Academic Unit Coordinates