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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.
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.
The following courses count as equivalent RE credits: AR337, GS222, GS232, GS325, ML201.
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.
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.
The following courses count as equivalent RE credits: AR337, GS222, GS232, GS325, ML201.
An additional 13.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, which includes the second Honours BA major.
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):
Elective courses (3.0 credits):
All students follow one of two streams in the Master of Arts in Religion, Culture, and Global Justice: the coursework option or the thesis option. Students are initially admitted into the coursework option. Admission to the thesis option is granted upon the successful completion of an accepted thesis proposal.
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 RE697* - Supervised Internship. Internships may be conducted in Canada or abroad, and will normally be related to students’ topic of research for RE697* - Supervised Internship. Internships will normally be conducted during the Spring semester for a minimum duration of four weeks. 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 RE697* - Supervised Internship by the end of the Spring semester.
Students in both options are required to complete RE690: Colloquium and RE693: 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. In addition to RE690 and RE693, coursework students are required to complete RE698*: Major Research Project (no internship) and four other half-credit electives; of these, a maximum of two courses may be taken outside the program. For the Major Research Project, students focus on an area of study chosen in consultation with the course supervisor, then formally present that work, or a distillation of it, to seminar participants. The assessment of the project includes both the written work and the presentation.
Thesis-stream students, in addition to completing RE693 and RE690, are required to:
Thesis-stream students will not be permitted to take RE698* for credit. A student cannot register in RE699 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 students enrolled full-time normally take three terms (12 months) to complete their degree, while thesis-option students normally take four terms (16 months).
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Contact Us:
Department Chair Abderrahman Beggar: abeggar@wlu.ca
Undergraduate Coordinator Jason Neelis: jneelis@wlu.ca / randcadvising@wlu.ca
MA & PhD Graduate Coordinator Erich Fox Tree: efoxtree@wlu.ca / RCGJadvisor@wlu.ca
Joint RS PhD Program Director Doug Cowan: decowan@uwaterloo.ca
Senior Administrative Assistant Kirsten Pries: kpries@wlu.ca