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 a collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the PhD level. For more information on this program, see “Admission”.

The Department also offers a field in Religions in the Graeco-Roman World at the PhD level.

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 doctoral program in religious studies focuses on religions in Canada, including Amerindian and Inuit traditions, on religions in a comparative cultural context as well as religions in the Graeco-Roman World. 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 comparative cultural approach focuses on religions in the Roman Empire and in the contemporary period.

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

Candidates must have a master of arts in religious studies or the equivalent, and must meet the requirements of the FGPS. When they apply, candidates must indicate their preferred area of research, consult a full-time professor of the department whom they hope to have as a supervisor, and submit a two-page statement of their doctoral research project.

Official applications 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.

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 Canadian Studies at the Doctoral Level

The doctoral program in religious studies participates in the collaborative program in Canadian Studies at the doctoral level. This program has been established for students wishing to enrich their training in religious studies by including an interdisciplinary component in Canadian studies. The Seminar in Canadian Studies (CDN6910) fits into the departmental course requirements and does not add to the number of courses required for the doctorate in religious studies.

For further details, please consult the Canadian Studies website of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Transfer from MA to PhD

Students enrolled in the MA program may be allowed to transfer to the PhD program without being required to write a master’s thesis provided they meet the following conditions:

• Hold an honours BA in Religious Studies with a minimum average of 8.0 (A-) in the last eight relevant courses of the undergraduate transcript and a minimum of 9.0 (A) in four of these eight courses, or hold a master’s degree in a field other than religious studies;
• Have completed the mandatory MA course SRS5915/5115 and three other MA courses with a minimum grade of A- in two courses and a minimum grade of A in two courses;
• Have completed a 40-page research paper (SRS5999);
• Provide a written recommendation in support of the transfer from the supervisor of the research paper and from the Graduate Studies Committee;
• Provide an agreement on the part of a faculty member of the religious studies program to supervise the student's doctoral thesis.

The transfer must be completed by the end of the fourth session following initial registration in the master’s program. Please note that the minimal admission average requirements for the doctoral program must also be met. Following transfer, all of the usual requirements of the PhD must be met: a total of 30 credits of graduate coursework (MA and PhD combined); the comprehensive exam (SRS9998); and, the thesis (SRS9989).

Degree Requirements

SRS8115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
or
SRS8915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)

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

four graduate courses or directed studies in religious studies (12cr.)

SRS8115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
or
SRS8915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)

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

CDN6910 SÉMINAIRE EN ÉTUDES CANADIENNES / SEMINAR IN CANADIAN STUDIES (3cr.)
or
CDN6520 SÉMINAIRE SUR LA FRANCOPHONIE CANADIENNE (3cr.)

three graduate courses or directed studies in religious studies (9cr.)

Comprehensive examination

Thesis

Colloquium

Minimum Standards

Residence

Duration of the Program

Courses Taken Outside the Department

Academic Unit Coordinates