Buddhism
Research is sponsored in this area primarily in Buddhist literature in Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan; Modern and Contemporary Buddhism in Japan; Medieval Chinese Buddhism; Buddhist thought; doctrine and practice in East Asian Buddhism. Course work and comprehensive examinations include (in addition to the listed areas of research) Indian monasticism, Buddhist apocrypha, and Buddhist understandings of death and dying. Students taking comprehensive examinations in this area should also have a broad knowledge of the history of Buddhist Studies in Europe, North America, and Asia. A variety of approaches and methodologies are encouraged, including, but not limited to, textual, literary, social historical, art historical, sociological, anthropological.
East Asian Religions
Research is sponsored in this area in a wide range of topics, including Taoist canonical literature; the construction of Shinto; Chinese science, alchemy and medicine; the New Religions of Japan; the relationship of Buddhism with indigenous East Asian traditions (Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto); religion and modernity in East Asia; popular religion in East Asia as seen in literary works, etc. Course work and comprehensive examinations include many of these same topics. In addition, students taking major comprehensive examinations should have a good general knowledge of East Asian history and culture, including knowledge of secular literature. A variety of approaches and methodologies are encouraged, including, but not limited to, textual, literary, social historical, art historical, sociological, anthropological.
James A. Benn
Ph.D. East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles, 2001
Professor | Director, McMaster University Centre for Buddhist Studies
Early Judaism
Research is sponsored in this area primarily in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the writings of the "Apocrypha" and "Pseudepigrapha," early Rabbinic and Greco-Roman period Jewish sources, and ancient Jewish biblical interpretation. Course work and comprehensive examinations include (in addition to the listed areas of research) Hebrew Bible, and the historical, geographic, and social milieu of Second Temple Judaism and Early Rabbinic Judaism. A variety of approaches and methodologies for the study of Early Judaism are introduced (textual, literary, social historical, feminist, philosophical/ theological, etc.).
Early Christianity
Research is sponsored in this area primarily in the writings included in the New Testament, particularly the gospels, Pauline literature, Hebrews, and in the early Greek Church Fathers. Course work and comprehensive examinations include the history of Christian beginnings (from Jesus to Constantine), the Jewish and Greco-Roman environment, and a diversity of approaches and methodologies currently used in the study of Early Christianity.
Religion and Politics
This area studies accounts of the interrelations between religion, ethics, and politics from ancient Greece to the modern West. Areas of concentration include the following: (l) the history of political philosophy; (2) analysis of literary expressions of an understanding of religion, ethics, and politics; (3) study of critical social and ethical theories with reference to the underlying theological and philosophical anthropologies. Students are expected to develop competence in the ancient Greek, medieval, early modern, and modern periods through suitable course work and, in the case of doctoral students, preparation for comprehensive examinations.
Religion and Culture
Research in Religion and Culture is primarily concerned with the anthropology of religion. Students acquire a thorough knowledge of the historical development and contemporary theoretical approaches of the field through their coursework. In addition to the courses offered by the area, students regularly take one or more courses outside Religious Studies in Anthropology or Sociology. Students majoring in the area have worked on a range of topics, such as religious healing, death rituals, religious feminisms, and more. Area faculty have also contributed significantly to dissertations with social scientific emphases in other areas of the department.
Western Religious Thought
This area covers philosophy of religion, theology, and ethics (Islamic, Jewish, Christian, secular) in the classical and modern periods. Areas of specialization include patristic thought, the interrelations between philosophy and religion, hermeneutical theory, secular challenges to religious thought, modern theology, and ethics. Course work and comprehensive examinations include both historical-systematic studies of perennial theological and philosophical themes and specialized contemporary topics.
Islamic Studies
Islamic Studies is characterized by its interdisciplinarity, bringing together anthropologists, sociologists, historians, and media/communications studies scholars. Faculty specialize in a wide range of topics, including Shi’ite Islam, popular health practices and medicine in the Islamic world, and the representation of Islam in film and media. The Department offers Levels I and II of Standard Arabic and encourages students to pursue research in Canada and around the world.
Dana Hollander
Associate Professor | Member, MA Program in Cultural Studies & Critical Theory | Associate Member, Department of Philosophy
Ellen Badone
Ph.D. Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, 1985
Professor, Religious Studies