Studies in Religion Descriptions
Unit outlines will be available through Find a unit outline two weeks before the first day of teaching for 1000-level and 5000-level units, or one week before the first day of teaching for all other units.
Studies in Religion
Major
A major in Studies in Religion requires 48 credit points from this table including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level core units
(ii) 12 credit points of 2000-level selective units
(iii) 18 credit points of 3000-level selective units
(iv) 6 credit points of 3000-level Interdisciplinary Project units
Minor
A minor in Studies in Religion requires 36 credit points from this table including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level core units
(ii) 12 credit points of 2000-level selective units
(iii) 12 credit points of 3000-level selective units
1000-level units of study
Core
RLST1002 Religion: Texts, Life and Tradition
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2x1hr lectures/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x1500wd Take-home paper (30%), 1x2000wd Essay (40%), 1x500wd early feedback (10%), 1x500wd Tutorial presentation (10%), Participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
In this unit, students will learn about the major religions, ancient and modern: Indigenous traditions, Egypt and Mesopotamia, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. History, texts, beliefs and practices are outlined to provide a foundation using the lens of lived religion. Fundamental skills and methodologies of the discipline are integrated into the program.
RLST1005 Atheism, Fundamentalism and New Religions
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2x1hr lectures/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x2000wd Essay (40%), 1x2000wd Take-home paper (40%), 1x500wd Presentation (10%), Tutorial participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit examines religion in the contemporary world including recent high-profile debates and the emergence of new religions. Case studies and themes include: fundamentalism, the 'new' atheism, the effect of globalisation, consumerism and new media on religious practice, new forms of spirituality and enchantment.
2000-level units of study
Selective
RLST2614 Philosophy of Religion: Reason and Belief
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 1000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2014 Assessment: participation (10%), 1x2500wd essay (50%), 1x2000wd presentation and paper (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit introduces students to the subfield Philosophy of Religion, from a cross-cultural perspective. It provides an overview of central topics, including the nature of existence, free will, immorality, and life after death. The unit's central case study is an examination of debates about reason and belief. How are these modes of knowledge understood and valued? How are they understood to relate to one another? Are they the only options available? What role do they play in understanding cultural difference and religious practice in the contemporary world?
RLST2624 The Birth of Christianity
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr seminar/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 1000 level in Studies in Religion or 6 credit points at 1000 level in in Studies in Religion and 6 credit points at 1000 level in Ancient History Prohibitions: RLST2024 Assessment: 1x1000wd Oral Presentation (20%), 1x2000wd Essay (40%), 1x1500wd Take-home paper (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit discusses the textual, archaeological and socio-cultural evidence for the origins of Christianity; with a particular purpose to analyse how cults centred on the charismatic figure of Jesus of Nazareth led to the construction of such a powerful religious tradition. Tensions within that emergent tradition will be considered, and especially its struggle towards self-identity with both Judaism and the Greco-Roman world.
RLST2639 Secular Religion: Faith in Modernity
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr seminar/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x3000wd research essay (50%), 1x1500wd community-engaged tute paper (35%), seminar participation (15%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit examines tensions between states and religions and the emergence of secular society. It investigates the 'ultimate concerns' of moderns, the focus on self-transformation, and how 'multi-faith' states operate. The unit provides students with vital methodologies to deeply examine the nature of 'religion' in modernity.
RLST2640 Contemporary Religious Trends
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2x1hr lectures/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 1000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2627 or RLST3603 Assessment: 1x 500wd Scoping Task (10%), x Tutorial Participation (10%), 1x 2500wd Research Essay (50%), 1x 500wd Site Visit Presentation (10%), 1x 1000wd Media Journal (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
Contemporary Australia manifests low levels of institutional religion, a multi-cultural and multi-faith population, and a vocal atheist/ secularist lobby. Students explore religion in the media and law, the Constitution, and Census data on religion. Issues examined include atheism and secularity, Aboriginal religion, values, sport and ANZAC as religious phenomena.
BBCL2610 The New Testament Literature
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 Junior credit points including at least 6 in BBCL1001, BBCL1002, HBRW1111, HBRW1112, RLST1002 and 6 from Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies, Ancient History, Anthropology, Archaeology, History, English, Philosophy, Studies in Religion, Arabic Studies or 6 Senior credit points in BBCL2603, BBCL2607, BBCL2609 or 12 credit points at 1000 level in Biblical Studies and Classical Hebrew or 12 credit points at 1000 level in Jewish Civilisation, Thought and Culture or Studies in Religion Assessment: 1x2700wd research essay (50%), 1xequivalent to 1500wds tutorial presentation and paper (30%), 1x300wd research proposal (10%), tutorial participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit of study provides an overview of the New Testament as a literary and theological work, seeking to understand both the early Christian 'story' and the various modes in which it was retold and applied in the first century CE. Students explore the various genres of NT literature, including 'gospel', epistolary forms, parable and apocalyptic. Particular attention is paid to reader-response criticism of the Gospels and intertextuality in the NT epistles. Documents will be read in English translation.
CLST2614 The Celtic Otherworld
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 1000 level in the Celtic Studies minor or 12 credit points at 1000 level in the Studies in Religion major Prohibitions: CLST3616 Assessment: 1x1000wd Literature survey (20%), 1x2200wd Essay (50%), 1x1300wd Take-home test (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit looks closely at one of the most influential motifs in early Celtic literature and culture. We will examine a series of narratives (in translation) and place them in the context of early Irish and Welsh conceptions of cosmology, landscape and pilgrimage: including Classical accounts of the doctrines of the Druids, stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann; legends of Irish voyaging saints and heroes, as well as the Welsh the Mabinogi tales.
3000-level units of study
Selective
RLST3601 Rethinking Religion
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Assessment: 1x2000wd essay (30%), 1x3000wd research proposal (50%), 1x1000wd oral presentation (10%), tutorial participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
Contemporary issues in the academic study of religion are investigated to give students experience of advanced research. The history of religion/s and contentious key terms are debated, and students are introduced to field studies methodology and other complex research strategies. In devising research questions and completing an extended research project, students develop a dynamic and assured academic voice.
Textbooks
Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
RLST3604 Ancient Egyptian Religion and Magic
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr seminar/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Ancient History Prohibitions: RLST2636 Assessment: 1x1000wd seminar presentation (20%), 1x2000wd essay (40%), 1x1500wd take-home paper (30%), participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
Students will learn about the cosmologies, gods and religious structures of Pharaonic Egypt from the imperial cult to the domestic; its legacy including the Roman cult of Isis, Hermeticism, magical handbooks from the Greek to the Islamic era; the popular and scientific rediscovery of ancient Egypt and its influence on modern esotericism and popular culture.
Textbooks
Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
RLST3605 Sex, Desire and the Sacred
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2635 Assessment: 1x 2000wd Public Discourse Analysis (30%), 1x 3000wd Essay (50%), 1x 1000wd equivalent Presentation (10%), Tutorial participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit examines the relation between sexuality, desire, gender and the sacred as presented in a diverse range of religious traditions; mysticism; tantra; cults of virginity and abstinence; sacred androgyny; philosophy of religion approach to gender and ontology, epistemology and ethics; cultural difference as it pertains to issues of religion and sexuality
RLST3606 Sacred Creativity: Text, Image, Film
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2628 or RLST2625 Assessment: 1x4000wd (55%), 1x2000wd essay on creative methods (30%), participation (15%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
The keys to human creativity have long been encoded in religious endeavour. Here we examine the thoughts and methods that have enabled profound artistic and literary responses within, and in response to, religious worldviews. The impact of inspiration, prophecy, dreams, drug-taking, and ritual on great art, literature, and film will be demonstrated.
Textbooks
Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
RLST3607 Witchcraft Paganism and Western Esotericism
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2626 Assessment: 1x1500wd site visit and blog report (15%), participation (15%), 1x3000wd essay (40%), 1x1500wd film review (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
Witchcraft, Paganism and Western Esotericism examines the rebirth of esoteric traditions in the modern world. Esotericism is diverse and connections between Pagans, goddess worshippers, witchcraft and occultists are complex. This unit attempts to assess their importance in contemporary spirituality.
Textbooks
Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
RLST3608 Religion and Violence, Faith and Blood
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2620 Assessment: Tutorial participation (10%), 1x5mins or 500wd equivalent Tutorial presentation (10%), 1x500wd Source review (15%), 1x500wd Essay proposal (15%), 1x3000wd Essay (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
The last century has been beset by wars, depressions, and extraordinary technological advances. Traditional values and the rise of reactive fundamentalisms have backgrounded this extreme violence. This unit examines how this has been addressed through religious thought and action, new spiritualities, and by leading religious figures.
RLST3609 Religion and the Medieval World
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/ week Prerequisites: 12 credit point at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Prohibitions: RLST2605 Assessment: 1x1000wd Primary Source Analysis (25%), 1x Participation (10%), 1x2500wd Essay (40%), 1x1000wd Fieldwork Task (25%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This unit covers the period from 500 to 1500 and asks whether the Western idea of the "Middle Ages" can be usefully applied to non-Western cultures of the era. It considers the development of Christianity in the first millennium alongside indigenous Paganisms, Judaism and Islam. In the second millennium it investigates Western Christian contacts with Buddhism, Confucian and Taoist culture, and the religions of India. The idea of a monolithic Christianity is destabilised through the lenses of Eastern Christianity (for example, the various Orthodox churches, Maronites, Melkites) and of heretical groups whose beliefs and practices attracted persecution, inquisition and crusade or holy war.
RLST3610 New Discoveries in Religion in Antiquity
This unit of study is not available in 2021
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2x1hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Studies in Religion Assessment: 1x2500wd Essay A (content): description and analysis of a specific 'New Discovery' (40%), 1x1000wd Research Proposal (20%), 1x2500wd Essay B (method/theory): Discussion of approaches and implications (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
The unit will discuss a series of new discoveries regarding religion in antiquity, such as manuscripts, artefacts or ritual sites. These often derive from archaeological work or the antiquities market and involve various types of controversy such as matters of authenticity, dating, ownership. The unit will consider the impact of the find; the nature of academic debate; issues of ethics and funding; research and career development. In the latter part of the unit students will trial a proposal for a project of their own in preparation for future research training.
JCTC3602 Contemporary Jewish Identities
Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 12 credit points at 2000 level in Jewish Civilisation, Thought and Culture or European Studies or History or Government or Modern Hebrew or Biblical Studies and Classical Hebrew Assessment: 1x500wd proposal/annotated bibliography (10%), 1x3000wd research essay (50%), 1x1000wd exam (30%), participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
Contemporary Jewish identity is commonly refracted through the prism of two seminal historical events: the Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel. However, at the dawn of the 21st century, closer examination reveals that Jewish identity is today an increasingly diverse and ever changing entity. This unit will probe and explore the reasons for this heterogeneity, identifying and interrogating the intersections between the religious, cultural and political currents shaping today's Jewish identities in diverse communal and state settings.
Textbooks
Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
Interdisciplinary project unit of study
If you are completing two majors and both of your majors are from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, please select the Interdisciplinary Impact unit of study for your first major, and the Industry and Community Project unit of study for your second major.
If you are completing two majors but only one of your majors is from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, please select the Interdisciplinary Impact unit of study for that major.
If you are completing one major only and that major is from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, please select the Interdisciplinary Impact unit of study for your major.
RLST3999 Interdisciplinary Impact
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Session: Intensive December,Semester 1,Semester 2 Prerequisites: Completion of at least 90 credit points Prohibitions: Interdisciplinary Impact in another major Mode of delivery: Block mode Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
Note: Department permission required for enrolmentin the following sessions:Intensive December
Interdisciplinarity is a key skill in fostering agility in life and work. This unit provides learning experiences that build students' skills, knowledge and understanding of the application of their disciplinary background to interdisciplinary contexts. In this unit, students will work in teams and develop interdisciplinarity skills through problem-based learning projects responding to 'real world problems'.
RLST3998 Industry and Community Project
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Session: Intensive February,Intensive July,Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: 72 credit points Corequisites: Interdisciplinary Impact in any major. Assessment: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences
This interdisciplinary unit provides students with the opportunity to address complex problems identified by industry, community, and government organisations, and gain valuable experience in working across disciplinary boundaries. In collaboration with a major industry partner and an academic lead, students integrate their academic skills and knowledge by working in teams with students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. This experience allows students to research, analyse and present solutions to a real¿world problem, and to build on their interpersonal and transferable skills by engaging with and learning from industry experts and presenting their ideas and solutions to the industry partner.