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Courses

A summary of each course to help with your selection.

Academic Year

Programs

Course ID

Course ID	Course
RELS 385	RELS 385 Suffering and Belief in God Course Credits: 3 An examination of key issues pertaining to suffering and belief in God. Topics include the problem of evil, arguments from suffering, original sin, everlasting suffering, and providence. Cross-listed: PHIL 384 Prerequisite(s): 3 sem. hrs. of philosophy or third year standing. (3-0; 3-0)
RELS 386	RELS 386 Global Theologies Course Credits: 3 This course seeks to extend the study of theology to the manner in which non-Western communities of Christians endeavour to shape their world by their faith. Special emphasis is given to examining Christology and Soteriology from a cross-cultural perspective and to the manner by which both Western and non-Western traditions may interact to enrich hermeneutics, missiology, and biblical and systematic theology. Prerequisite(s): RELS 111 or 112, or instructor’s consent.
RELS 387	RELS 387 Christian Theology in Ecumenical Dialogue Course Credits: 3 A survey and analysis of the main achievements of the ecumenical theological dialogue process among the Christian churches, and the significant challenges still facing that dialogue today. This course utilizes texts from Catholic, Protestant Evangelical, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican sources, and guest lecturers from Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox traditions. Prerequisite(s): RELS 105 or 110 (3-0). NB: Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
RELS 388	RELS 388 Liturgy and Sacraments Course Credits: 3 IIntroduces students to the significance and variations of embodied engagements with the Christian mysteries. Drawing upon liturgical experience, sacramental engagement, and liturgical and sacramental theology, students will consider definitions of the sacramental, the role of particular sacraments, how the sacraments affect the experience of God, the pedagogical nature of liturgy, and the influence of liturgy and the sacraments both inside and outside of the Church. Prerequisite(s): RELS 105 or 110 or instructor’s consent. (3-0) NB: Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
RELS 395	RELS 395 Being in Christ: Christian Spiritual Traditions Course Credits: 3 An experience of Christian spiritual traditions through two primary ways of knowing: historical and archival as well as experiential and embodied. Students will investigate the history of Christian spiritual traditions in order to develop a foundational understanding of spirituality as practiced throughout Christian history, and will also learn to creatively apply their knowledge of spiritual practice to a life of “skillful Christian living.” Prerequisite(s): Third-year standing
RELS 399	RELS 399 Catholic Spirituality in the Modern World Course Credits: 3 An analysis of the teachings on prayer and the devout life of Catholic spiritual writers whose teachings still enrich the life of the Church today: especially St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Bonaventure, St. Francis De Sales, St. Therese of Lisieux, and the Venerable John Henry Newman. This course includes an overview of controversial topics such as the rise of Centering Prayer, the New Age movement, and an analysis of the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and reflections on the Catholic Tradition of Spirituality from non-Catholic perspectives. Prerequisite(s): RELS 105 or 110, or equivalent with instructor's permission. (3-0) NB: Course taught at Catholic Pacific College, an approved TWU learning centre.
RELS 400	RELS 400 Directed Study Course Credits: 3 Independent but guided research in a specialized area of interest to the student. Prerequisite(s): Consent of department chair. NB: Designates biblical content courses
RELS 410	RELS 410 Scripture and Science Course Credits: 3 Examination of conceptions held by ancient cultures and the Bible of the origin, composition, and functioning of the cosmos, and the question of natural or supernatural causality. Students will critically evaluate current models of how Scripture relates to modern scientific knowledge. Using key biblical passages, students will construct a theological model that embraces not only the aspects of science and nature that support the idea of purpose (teleology) but also those aspects that do not readily align with teleology. Cross-listed: NATS 410 Prerequisite(s): RELS 112; 3 sem. hrs. of BIOL, BIOT, CHEM, GENV, GEOL, or PHYS; and third-year standing.
RELS 415	RELS 415 Intertestamental Literature Course Credits: 3 A study of the intertestamental Judaic literature, noting the relationships between this literature and the Old Testament and New Testament and showing how this literature serves as an important background for the study of the New Testament documents. Prerequisite(s): RELS 111, 112 NB: Not offered every year. See department chair.

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