Religious Studies (GTRS)

Courses offered at Saint Mary's University 

GTRS 6000  Theory and Methods Seminar    
6 credit hours  
Both Theology and Religious Studies are multidisciplinary fields of scholarly inquiry with different but overlapping histories, methodologies and theories. This course will require students to examine the theories and methods and engage in conversation about the relationship of the two disciplines. The distinctive ways in which the two disciplines have developed and continue to engage each other in Canada will be the focus of the second part of the course.
GTRS 6010  Religious Traditions in Canada    
3 credit hours  
This course is a research seminar examining issues about historical and current issues involving religions in Canada and especially Atlantic Canada. Special emphasis will be given to comparative studies of Canadian themes in relation to North American and International patterns.
GTRS 6020  Thesis in Theology and Religious Studies    
6 credit hours  
Students will engage in library and/or field research and the writing of a thesis under supervision of a thesis committee made up of a director and two readers. The student must satisfy the supervisor that thesis research and all other methodological and disciplinary preparation for the successful handling of the thesis topic have been completed. Supervisors may require a demonstration of language competence or extra course work as preparation for the treatment of thesis topics. Students will publicly defend their thesis, following which a final grade will be determined by the thesis committee, reconstituted as the defense jury for an oral defense. This normally includes the recommendation of the external reviewer of the thesis.
GTRS 6150  Religion and Globalization    
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: 24 credit hours
Technology has allowed for unprecedented movements of people and information resulting in profound changes in the way religious traditions are practiced. Students explore some of the key themes in the study of globalization of religions, like diaspora and transnationalism, in order to understand how globalization has affected the way traditions are practiced and understood.
GTRS 6151  Religion and Migration    
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: Declared student in the Masters of Theology and Religious Studies program
This course explores the relationship between religion and migration in three distinct stages: the aspiration to migrate, the capability to move, and integration into a new community. Through case studies from different religions (Indigenous, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism) and regions (Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America), the course aims to show that migration is not solely an economic or political phenomenon but also embedded in religious cultures and resources.
GTRS 6152  Religion and the Body    
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: Declared student in the Masters of Theology and Religious Studies program
This course is an examination of the role of the body in religious traditions. Students explore the use of the body to articulate identity and how bodily control and fashioning are related to ethics and norms. Key themes include transcendence, asceticism, concepts of self, suffering, ritual, gender, sexuality and adornment.
GTRS 6200  Directed Reading in Religious Studies    
3 credit hours  
Directed Reading courses are designed to permit graduate students to do individual course research on topics in Religious Studies.
GTRS 6400  Practicum    
3 credit hours  
In lieu of a thesis, student not intending to pursue higher graduate study may choose to do an applied research project (equivalent of 1 semester course) or Practicum. Each student is required to complete a project, under the supervision of a faculty member, involving real-world application of the theory and methods of religion and/or Theology. The project will be undertaken in conjunction usually with a religion affiliated agency working either locally, nationally or internationally. The student, in consultation with her/his supervisor and the relevant agency, designs and carries out a suitable research activity. The student prepares a suitable proposal beforehand, including a letter of agreement by the host agency, engages in the research and writes a final report on the results.
GTRS 6410  Religion and Development    
3 credit hours  
This course explores the implications of incorporating religion into development theory, policy, and practice. It examines how religion affects development efforts toward health, human rights, gender equality, education, peace-building, political governance, and economic growth. Students will analyze the contributions of Faith-based organizations (FBOs) in comparison to secular NGOs, and discuss how religion in various forms impede or enhance development work. This course requires high levels of seminar participation and research.
GTRS 6420  Religious Pluralism    
3 credit hours  
In Canada and in countries around the world, interpreters of religious pluralism frequently situate their analysis of religion within social theories about secularism, pluralism, globalization, multiculturalism and human rights. This course will examine those theories and their impact on the social location of religions and religious diversity in multicultural societies.
GTRS 6440  Gender and Asian Religious Traditions    
3 credit hours  
In this course we will examine the gender aspects of religious traditions in South, Southeast and East Asia. Women are often portrayed in such roles as daughters, mothers, wives, goddesses, demonesses, temptresses, Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This portrayal is upheld by cultural systems in which both men and women participate, and can best be understood by a critical analysis of the societies in which these religions are embedded. Attention will be given to the ways that gender informs religious institutions, individual identity and practice, and the historical development of Asian religious traditions.
GTRS 6450  Compartive Religious Ethics    
3 credit hours  
This research seminar is focused on the issues of “doing ethics” in multicultural, multifaith contexts. Students will learn how to conduct critical inquiry into methodological approaches and sources used when religious voices are included in attempts to create a common good.
GTRS 6460  Religions & Orientalism    
3 credit hours  
The course will explore Orientalist representations of religious traditions as an objective “other”. Special focus will be given to the ways in which Humane scholars, religious writers and the interpreters of sacred texts contribute to the formation of various forms of Orientalism.
GTRS 6470  Religion and Society in Atlantic Canada    
3 credit hours  
An historical examination of the relationship between religion and society in Atlantic Canada from the beginning of European settlement to the present. Themes to be considered include religion and the formation of regional/ethnic identities, religion and politics, religion and movements of social reform, and the impact of secularization on Atlantic Canadian society. Topics will be examined in the broader context of Canadian history and the evolution of the trans-Atlantic world.

GTRS 6800 – 6825 Special Topics in Religion
6 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year.

GTRS 6826 – 6849 Special Topics in Religion
3 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year.

GTRS 6850 – 6875 Directed Study in Religion
6 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year.

GTRS 6876 – 6899 Directed Study in Religion
3 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year.

Courses offered at the Atlantic School of Theology


6200 – 6275 Special Topics in Theology
6300 – 6385 Special Topics in Pastoral Theology
6610 Biblical Foundations – Hebrew Bible. [BF 1001 at AST]
6615 Biblical Foundations New Testament: Matthew and Method. [BF 1002 at AST]
6625 Sexual Ethics. [ET 2012 at AST]
6630 Keeping Body and Soul Together: the Bible on Food. [NT 3152 at AST]
6635 Gospel of Mark: The forgotten gospel. [NT 3125 at AST]
6640 Paul’s Social Network: Brothers and Sisters in Faith. [NT 3129 at AST]
6645 Christianity after Christendom. [ST 3129 at AST]
6650 The Holy Spirit. [ST 3129 at AST]
6655 The Wisdom Literature. [HB 3108 at AST]
6660 The Gospel of Luke: The community of Luke’s Gospel. [NT 3108 at AST].
6665 Theological Hermeneutics. [ST 3128 at AST]
6670 The Doctrine of God. [ST 3146 at AST]
6675 Christology [ST/CH 3129 at AST].