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Program Requirements
Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your program coordinator should you notice any discrepancies.
Undergraduate Programs
The Honours BA in Religion and Culture program consists of 20.0 credits, of which at least 14.0 credits must be at the senior level. A minimum of 10.0 but no more than 12.0 of those 20.0 credits must be Religion and Culture (RE) credits (or equivalent); at least 9.0 but no more than 11.0 RE credits must at the senior level.
Core Requirements
- 1.0 credit of 100-level RE courses
- 1.0 credit from RE100, RE101, RE205, or RE206/GS223
- RE207
- RE407*
The following courses count as equivalent RE credits: AR337, GS222, GS232, GS325, ML201.
Degree Program Electives
An additional 10.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, only 5.0 of which can be at the 100 level and only 2.0 RE credits.
Notes
- RE100 and RE101 when combined, fulfill categories 1 and 2.
- Religion and Culture encourages the study of languages other than English as an integral part of understanding religion and culture.
- Religion and Culture majors may count up to 1.0 credit of senior language study toward the additional Religion and Culture credit requirements for the degree.
- For Religion and Culture majors who take Year 1 language courses during Year 2, Year 3, or Year 4, and who have already accumulated 6.0 junior credits, these courses (up to a maximum of 1.0 credit) will not be counted toward the maximum 6.0 limit on 100 level credits. Language courses may be taken at Laurier, at other recognized universities in Canada, or abroad on a letter of permission and with the prior written consent of the Religion and Culture department.
- The Religion and Culture degree is available using online course delivery.
The Combined Honours BA in Religion and Culture program has the same core requirements as the single honours BA degree, but the minimum number of Religion and Culture (RE) credits (or equivalent) is 7.0, 6.0 of which must be at the senior level.
Core Requirements
- 1.0 credit of 100-level RE courses
- 1.0 credit from RE100, RE101, RE205, or RE206/GS223
- RE207
- RE407*
The following courses count as equivalent RE credits: AR337, GS222, GS232, GS325, ML201.
Degree Program Electives
An additional 13.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, which includes the second Honours BA major.
Notes
- RE100 and RE101 when combined, fulfill categories 1 and 2.
- Religion and Culture encourages the study of languages other than English as an integral part of understanding religion and culture.
- Religion and Culture majors may count up to 1.0 credit of senior language study toward the additional Religion and Culture credit requirements for the degree.
- For Religion and Culture majors who take Year 1 language courses during Year 2, Year 3, or Year 4, and who have already accumulated 6.0 junior credits, these courses (up to a maximum of 1.0 credit) will not be counted toward the maximum 6.0 limit on 100 level credits. Language courses may be taken at Laurier, at other recognized universities in Canada, or abroad on a letter of permission and with the prior written consent of the Religion and Culture department.
- The Religion and Culture degree is available using online course delivery.
The Religion and Culture minor consists of 3.0 Religion and Culture (RE) credits, including RE207 and at least 1.5 additional senior RE credits.
The Muslim Studies Option consists of a minimum of 4.0 credits. Students must complete the two required core courses (1.0 credit) and a minimum of 3.0 elective credits. In order to graduate, a GPA of 6.00 in the courses included in the Muslim Studies Option is required.
Required core courses (1.0 credit):
- MZ200: Introduction to Muslim Studies
- MZ201/RE213: Religious Heritage of Islam
Elective courses (3.0 credits):
- AB101: Elementary Modern Standard Arabic I
- AB102: Elementary Modern Standard Arabic II
- AB201: Intermediate Arabic I
- GS221: Globalization and Cultures: The Cosmopolitan Village?
- GS222: Contemporary Western Societies: Globalization and Cultures
- GS325: Religion, Culture and Society
- GS422: Dialogue and Critique in an Age of Terror
- HI228: Survey of Modern Asian History
- HI265: Ten Moments that made the Middle East
- HI325: Imperialism, Race and the Post-Colonial Legacy
- HI368: The Ottoman Empire
- HI410*: Reading Seminar on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- ML300g: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Medieval World
- MI201: Mediterranean Culture and Civilization I
- MI202: Mediterranean Culture and Civilization II
- MZ300: Special Topics in Muslim Studies
- PP220: Indian Philosophy
- PP261: Medieval Philosophy
- RE101: Religions of the Americas: Asian and Middle Eastern
- RE208: Roots of Western Religions
- RE227: Religions and Cultures of the Middle East
- RE338: Islamic Mysticism
- RE377: Gender and Islam
- SY416: Equity in Education
- WS307: Gender and Social Politics in Contemporary Muslim Societies
- WS308: Gender, Cinema and the Third World
Notes
- Muslim Studies strongly encourages the study of languages other than English as an integral part of studying Muslims in the modern world.
- For Muslim Studies students who take Year 1 language courses during Year 2, Year 3, or Year 4, and who have already accumulated 6.0 junior credits, these courses will not be counted toward the maximum 6.0 limit on 100-level credits. Language courses may be taken at Laurier, at other recognized universities in Canada, or abroad on a letter of permission and with the prior written consent of the Muslim Studies program coordinator. Language courses are courses that are not taught in English, and focus on grammar, verbal and written communication skills in a second language. Students are advised to seek advice from the program coordinator about different study possibilities.
- In addition, when choosing elective courses, note that some of these courses have prerequisites. Although these prerequisites may be waived by the program or department administering the course, it is the responsibility of the student to make such arrangements.
- Completion of the option requirements will result in a “Muslim Studies Option” designation on the student transcript.
Graduate Programs
All students follow one of four streams in the Master of Arts in Global Justice, Religion and Culture: the coursework option, the MRP option, the MRP plus internship option, or the thesis option. Students are initially admitted into the coursework or coursework plus MRP option. Admission to the thesis option is granted upon the successful completion of an accepted thesis proposal during the Fall or Winter term.
Internship: Students who wish to undertake an internship in their coursework degree must first obtain agreement from a program faculty member to supervise their completion of GJRC697* - Supervised Internship. Internships may be conducted in Canada or abroad, and will normally be related to students’ topic of research for GJRC697* - Supervised Internship. Internships will normally be conducted during the Spring term. To pursue this option, students must submit a cover letter providing information on the internship program under consideration and a resume to the Graduate Program Coordinator for approval by the end of the fourth week of the Winter term. Students return after the internship to complete GJRC697* - Supervised Internship by the end of their second Fall term.
Students in both options are required to complete GJRC690: Colloquium, GJRC693: Religions and Cultures in Global Contexts, which provides a common grounding in influential methods and theories for the academic study of religious, cultural, and global studies, and GJRC694: Global Justice in an Unjust World, which provides a critical introduction to the field of global justice and how it intersects with the study of religious beliefs and cultural identities by drawing on various theoretical and epistemological perspectives that seek to overcome the enduring problem of inequality. In addition to GJRC690, GJRC693, and GJRC694, coursework students are required to complete six additional electives offered by a Master's program within the Faculty of Arts at Wilfrid Laurier University. Coursework plus MRP students are required to complete GJRC698*: Major Research Project (no internship) and three other half-credit electives; of these, a maximum of one course may be taken outside the program. For the Major Research Project, students focus on an area of study chosen in consultation with their chosen supervisor, then formally defend and submit their final paper. The assessment of the paper includes both the written work and the defence. Internship Option students must first obtain agreement from a program faculty member to supervise their completion of GJRC697. Internships may be conducted in Canada or abroad, and will normally be related to students’ topic of research for GJRC697. Internships will normally be conducted during the Spring semester and lead to a 16-month MA program, with no funding offered during the second Fall Term, during which the student writes their internship-informed MRP.
Thesis-stream students, in addition to completing GJRC693 and GJRC690, are required to:
- Complete three half-credit electives, at least two of which are taught by members of the department; and
- Complete GJRC699: Thesis, which includes the preparation of an acceptable thesis proposal, completion of a thesis, and passing an oral defence.
Thesis-stream students will not be permitted to take GJRC698* for credit. A student cannot register in GJRC699 until the proposal is formally accepted. Proposals must follow the departmentally approved guidelines. A proposal may be submitted any time after admission to the program; full-time students must have their proposal approved by the end of their second term. Acceptance is dependent upon the quality of the proposal and the department's assessment of a student's overall ability.
Students whose thesis work necessitates the use of a second language will be required to demonstrate competence in that language before the thesis proposal is accepted. Decisions about language requirements and how they shall be satisfied are made by the student's thesis committee, in consultation with the graduate program coordinator.
Coursework and Coursework Plus MRP students enrolled full-time normally take three terms (12 months) to complete their degree. Internship students normally take four terms (16 months) to complete their degree and Thesis students normally take 2 years to complete their degree.
A student's specific program, including course selections, must be approved by the graduate program coordinator. All questions about the program should also be directed to the graduate program coordinator.
The minimum degree requirements for the Laurier-Waterloo PhD in religious studies are as follows:
Course Requirements
The degree requires a minimum of four courses beyond the MA. Students are required to take RE700: Religious Diversity in North America and RE710: Approaches to the Study of Religion in North America, both doctoral-level research seminars, as well as two electives. Depending on a student's goals and admission assessment, additional course work may be required. Doctoral students must achieve at least a B in each course.
Language Requirement
Students must demonstrate knowledge of a second language relevant to the field and/or the dissertation. Whether this knowledge is reading or speaking knowledge (or both) depends on the nature of the proposed research. If the topic of the dissertation makes knowledge of a third language essential, the candidate must demonstrate competence in this language as well. Students must demonstrate language competency by the end of their third full year in the program.
Proposal
The proposal is a written document outlining the dissertation project. The proposal must be formally accepted by both the student's supervisory committee and the joint PhD committee before proceeding to the comprehensive examinations and dissertation project. Subsequent, substantive changes in the proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee and the program director.
Comprehensive Examinations
There are two examinations, each based on a bibliography constructed by faculty in consultation with the student. The purpose of the general exam is to ensure breadth and to assess competence in the religious diversity of North America and in religious studies. The purpose of the field exam is to focus an area of specialization containing the dissertation project. The general exam is conducted by the joint committee; whereas the field exam is conducted by the student's supervisory committee. A candidate has only two opportunities to complete each of the examinations successfully. These examinations should take place by the end of the candidate's second year in the doctoral program. To be permitted to take the examinations at a later time, a candidate must petition the director for an extension. Extensions are normally granted only once and then, only for one term.
Dissertation Project
The dissertation project consists of three required, closely related parts: the dissertation, the public presentation, and the dissertation defence. Students must pass all three. Evaluations, carried out by the supervisory committee, take into consideration the mastery of both style and content.
The doctoral dissertation is an piece of research (approximately 50,000-90,000 words in length) aimed at making an original contribution to the study of religion. The dissertation must be crafted for publication as a book, although actual publication is not a degree requirement. This way of fulfilling the dissertation requirement is a distinctive feature of the program, and guidelines are available from the director.
The public presentation is a second distinctive feature of the Laurier-Waterloo PhD in Religious Studies. The presentation must be accessible to the public, open to questioning and debate, and subject to faculty evaluation. This presentation may take various formats and must demonstrate the candidate's ability to make the results of research publicly intelligible and engaging for a diverse, educated but non-specialist audience. The public presentation is held in a venue and at a time different from that of the dissertation defence. Holding it in an off-campus location is preferable. Evaluation is on a pass/fail basis, and a pass is required to complete the degree. Evaluation of such presentations is by the supervisory committee on the basis of a set of criteria available from the program director. A candidate who fails may attempt the presentation only one additional time.
The dissertation defence, which is distinct from the public presentation, is an oral review and evaluation of the dissertation. Prior to the defence, an examining committee is established. The regulations and procedures at the university in which the student is registered will govern both the dissertation and the examination formats.
Residence Requirements
The PhD is designed to take four years for completion. Students must enrol in the program full-time, be available for classes and regular on-campus consultation for at least the first two calendar years, and complete a minimum of six terms beyond the MA.
Students are expected to proceed through the program in a timely fashion. Normally, students must complete the course work and finish their proposal in the first year; comprehensive exams in the second year; and the dissertation project in the third and fourth years. The responsibilities of the supervisor and the supervisory committee notwithstanding, the candidate is responsible for ensuring that program requirements and deadlines are met in a timely fashion.