Program Requirements
Students wishing to study at the Honours level in two disciplines can combine Joint Honours program components in any two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs".Â
Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department to discuss their course selection and their interdisciplinary research project (if applicable).
Students in Joint Honours must maintain a program GPA and a CGPA of 3.00 (3.50 for First Class Honours) and attain a B- or higher in each program course. No overlap is allowed between the courses forming each segment of the Joint Honours program.
Students in Joint Honours Component Religious Studies choose either the Western Religions or Asian Religions option.
It is possible for students following either the Western Religions or the Asian Religions option of the Joint Honours Component Religious Studies to combine their program with the Joint Honours Component Philosophy and Western Religions as the Religious Studies program broadens the material included in the Philosophy and Western Religions program.
The requirements set out below pertain to the Asian Religions option.
Complementary Courses (36 credits)
36 credits selected with the following specifications:
3 credits from Introductory Courses
3 credits from Advanced Courses
9 credits from Two Groups (Asian Religious Traditions, History and Philosophy) with at least 3 credits from each group
6 credits in Religion and Culture courses
15 credits, selected in consultation with an adviser, from Religious Studies (RELG) courses (or Approved Related Courses in Other Departments) at the 300 level or above, of which 9 credits must be at the 400 level or above.
Introductory Courses
3 credits from:
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RELG 202 Religion of Ancient Israel (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An examination of the religion of Ancient Israel by a study of selected texts (narratives, laws, prophetic sayings, wisdom traditions, and psalms) from the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament in translation.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Oegema, Gerbern (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 203 Bible and Western Culture (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : To provide students of the humanities with knowledge of the Bible as a tool for interpreting religious references in Western literature, art and music. Biblical stories (e.g. Creation, Exodus), key figures (e.g. David, Job, Mary), and common motifs (e.g. Holy City, Pilgrimage, Bride) are explored, then illustrated by later cultural forms.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016
Instructors: Keiser, Jeffrey (Fall) Keiser, Jeffrey (Winter) Keiser, Jeffrey; Ricker, Aaron (Summer)
Fall and Winter
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RELG 204 Judaism, Christianity and Islam (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Henderson, Ian H; Waind, Jonathan; Fakhoury, Hadi (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 387 Introduction to Jainism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course provides an introduction to Jaina religious culture, including elements of its history, philosophy, cosmology, and monastic and lay practices. It also focuses on constructions of Jainismâ•Žs precept of universal non-violence (ahimsa), and addresses Jaina responses to contemporary social and ethical issues.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): RELG 252
Advanced Courses
3 credits from:
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RELG 456 Theories of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The history of the academic study of religion from its beginnings in the 19th century until the present. Key texts by figures such as Max Muller, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Mircea Eliade, Claude Levi-Strauss and Clifford Geertz will be studied.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Fall) Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Fall and Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Majors and Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
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RELG 555 Honours Seminar (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Current trends in the study of religion, including the approaches of critical theory, feminism, post-modernism, and post-colonialism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: For Religious Studies Honours students or with permission of the Chair of the Religious Studies B.A. Committee
Two Groups
9 credits selected from two groups with at least 3 credits from each group:
Asian Religious Traditions
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RELG 252 Hinduism and Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The interaction of Hinduism and Buddhism in India with special reference to the law of Karma, caste, women, ritual, death, yoga, and liberation. Determination of interpretative principles for understanding the religious psychology of Hindus and Buddhists.
Terms: Fall 2015, Summer 2016
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E; Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Fall) Kachroo, Meera Jo; Troughton, Thomas (Summer)
Fall
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RELG 253 Religions of East Asia (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Harmony with nature, society, and cosmos to be explored through the religions of the Far East (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Shinto).
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Blake, Lisa; Li, Jingjing (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 352 Japanese Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of early Shinto mythology, Shinto-Buddhist syncretism, Neo-Confucianism and its influence upon the resurgence of Shinto during the Tokugawa period, folk religion and the New Religions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 253 or permission of instructor
-
RELG 354 Chinese Religions (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course studies the Confucian classics, philosophical and religious Taoism, and Neo-Confucianism and also examines the syncresis between the Chinese religions and Indian Buddhism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Liu, Cuilan (Winter)
Fall
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RELG 388 Introduction to Sikhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to the historical and religious context in which the Sikh religion developed, its principal doctrines, practices and institutions and its evolution from its origins to the present, both inside and outside India.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Winter)
History and Philosophy
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RELG 342 Theravada Buddhist Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The evolution of doctrines, practices and institutions explored through critical survey of Pali Canon (in translation), focusing on the dialogues of Gotama Buddha and his community during its first five centuries and on the historical accounts contained in the codes of monastic discipline.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Panaioti, Antoine (Winter)
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of instructor
- RELG 344 Mahayana Buddhism (3 credits)
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RELG 348 Classical Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The study of classical Hindu values in historical context with reference to the goals and stages of life, traditional Hindu laws, ethics (including biomedical ethics), axiology and moral dilemmas in the Epics, gender differences, notions of orthodoxy, and the expansion of Hinduism.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
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RELG 350 Bhakti Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Foundation of theism in the Upanisads, Epics, Gita and puranas; image worship and temple religion in the Agamas; Vaisnavism, Saivism, Saktism, and competition with Buddhism and Jainism; the relation of Bhakti and Tantra; interaction of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Sharma, Shital (Winter)
Fall
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
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RELG 369 Tibetan Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Buddhism has been central to Tibetan culture and identity since the 7th century CE. This course introduces key aspects of the history and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, including: early history, political and sectarian developments, the spread of Tibetan Buddhism outside of Tibet, and the myth of "Shangri-La".
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Braitstein, Lara E (Fall)
Religion and Culture
6 credits from:
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RELG 255 Introduction to the Study of Religion (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : An introduction to classic and contemporary approaches to the academic study of religion that includes perspectives from philosophy, theology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, phenomenology, and feminism.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Kanaris, Jim (Fall)
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RELG 270 Religious Ethics and the Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Goodin, David (Fall) Goodin, David (Winter)
Fall: Macdonald Campus (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue). Winter: Downtown Campus.
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RELG 271 Sexual Ethics (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the social construction of sexual identity and of selected issues regarding sexual behaviour.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016
Instructors: Waind, Jonathan (Fall) Waind, Jonathan; Koloszyc, David Jacob (Winter) Waind, Jonathan (Summer)
Winter
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RELG 337 Themes in Buddhist Studies (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A focused examination of major themes within a branch of Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana Buddhism. Emphasis will be placed on both the close study of primary texts (in translation) in historical context and the application of recent methods to fundamental Buddhist concepts, ritual practices and community institutions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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RELG 339 Gender & Sexuality in Buddhism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Religious perspectives on the body, gender and sexual activity in Buddhist cultures.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Core course for the Women's Studies Minor program
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or permission of the instructor
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RELG 340 Religion and the Sciences (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Philosophies of science and of religion have created a more positive dialogue on questions of method, symbolism and rationality. Examines key issues (e.g. creation and evolution; objectivity and involvement; determinism and freedom) raised by natural and social sciences, and various possible solutions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall and Summer
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RELG 353 Gandhi: His Life and Thought (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of the life and thought of Gandhi.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Gollner, Michael (Winter)
Winter
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RELG 356 Gender & Sexuality in Hinduism (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Religious perspectives on the body, gender and sexual activity in Hindu cultures. Topics include: dharma and sexual practice; female sexuality; Bhakti and Tantra; same-sex relations; hijras; eroticism in the literary, visual, and performing arts; colonialism, Hindu nationalism, and the politics of gender.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Soneji, Davesh (Winter)
Prerequisite: RELG 252 or Permission of the instructor.
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RELG 371 Ethics of Violence/Non-Violence (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : Forms of violence and the reaction of religious groups are assessed both for their effectiveness and for their fidelity to their professed beliefs. Different traditions, ranging from the wholesale adoption of violent methods (e.g., the Crusades) to repudiation (e.g., Gandhi; the Peace Churches).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Summer
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RELG 372 Hindu Goddesses (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : The mythology, theology, soteriology, history, ritual, and texts of the goddess-centred (Sakta) branches of Hinduism.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Sharma, Shital (Fall)
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RELG 375 Religion, Politics and Society (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : A study of contemporary religious traditions in the light of debates regarding secularization, the relation of religion and politics, and the interaction of religion with major social institutions.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Nelson, Samuel (Fall)
Fall
Restriction: U2 and U3 students
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RELG 455 Religion and the Performing Arts in South India (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This course focuses on the place of religion in historical representations and performance practices of "classical" South Indian performing arts such as Bharatanatyam dance and Karnatak music. In particular, it lays emphasis on politics of the twentieth-century reinvention of these arts by elites in the Tamil and Telugu-speaking regions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken RELG 363
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RELG 559 Caste and Dalits: Historical and Political Perspectives (3 credits)
Overview
Religious Studies : This seminar addresses religion, caste, and the Dalit community (formerly known as "untouchables" in India through a range of historical and ritual contexts. Topics include representation in the Hindu textual tradition, colonialism, conversion, caste-based violence, caste and nationalism, non-Brahmin political assertion, and the contemporary reservation system.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Soneji, Davesh (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisites: RELG 252 and one 300 level course or higher in South Asian Religions
Religious Studies (RELG)
15 credits, selected in consultation with the Program Adviser, from Religious Studies (RELG) courses at the 300 level or above, of which 9 credits must be at the 400 level or above.
A maximum of 6 credits from other departments may be used toward this requirement (see list below).
Approved Related Courses in Other Departments
The list below is NOT comprehensive. Students may take approved related courses in other departments of the Faculty of Arts, such as Anthropology, Art History, Classics, English, History, Italian Studies, Philosophy, and Sociology selected in consultation with the Program Adviser.
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EAST 354 Taoist and Buddhist Apocalypses (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Visions of the end of the world in Medieval Chinese Buddhist and Taoist literature will be contrasted with Western apocalyptic materials. The course will trace the development of Buddhism and Taoism in China, focusing on millennarian movements, soteriology, public worship, and ritual.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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EAST 551 Technologies of Self in Early China (3 credits)
Overview
Asian Language & Literature : Readings on self-cultivation drawn from Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist philosophic texts of early China (5th-2nd centuries B.C.) in translation will be compared with historical and archaeological materials on the evolving construction of the "individual'' in Chinese social structure, military organization, political and ritual codes.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): One advanced course in EAST or permission of the instructor
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ISLA 410 History: Middle-East 1798-1918 (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
3 hours
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ISLA 411 History: Middle-East 1918-1945 (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Soske, Jon; Parsons, Laila (Winter)
3 hours
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ISLA 511D1 History: Islamic Civilization - Mediaeval Era (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : The Seljuks, and the medieval synthesis. The Moors in Spain and North Africa. The Crusades. The Mongols and the destruction of the Baghdad Caliphate. The Mamluk, Persian, Turkish and Indian Empires until 1700.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
3 hours
Students must register for both ISLA 511D1 and ISLA 511D2.
No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 511D1 and ISLA 511D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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ISLA 511D2 History: Islamic Civilization - Mediaeval Era (3 credits)
Overview
Islamic Studies : See ISLA 511D1 for course description.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite: ISLA 511D1
No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 511D1 and ISLA 511D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
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JWST 211 Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Levy, B Barry (Fall)
All texts will be read in English
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JWST 252 Interdisciplinary Lectures (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Interdisciplinary lectures in Jewish studies. Topic varies by year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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JWST 316 Social and Ethical Issues Jewish Law 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : A brief introduction to the nature and history of Jewish law. Topics include: redemption of hostages; abortion; death and dying.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
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JWST 359 Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Topics in Jewish philosophy. Topic varies by year.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
All texts in English
The following approved courses offered by Jewish Studies require a reading knowledge of Hebrew:
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JWST 330 A Book of the Bible (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : One book of the Bible will be studied in its entirety in Hebrew. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Winter
Prerequisite: Knowledge of Hebrew
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JWST 345 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : An introduction to the study of Rabbinic texts.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
All readings in English
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JWST 510 Jewish Bible Interpretation 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The issues, approaches, and texts of Jewish Bible interpretation between the Biblical and Talmudic eras: Bible interpretation in the Bible; in Greco-Roman Jewish literature; in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Targumim, and Talmudim; early Samaritan interpretation, Bible interpretation in ancient synagogue art, and in the massoretic literature.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Levy, B Barry (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 512
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JWST 511 Jewish Bible Interpretation 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The issues, problems, approaches, and texts of Jewish Bible interpretation in medieval, renaissance, early modern, and modern times. Interpretation in the Geonic, Ashkenazi, Sefardic, North African, Italian, European, Yemenite, North American and Israeli centres of Jewish Learning.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Levy, B Barry (Winter)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 512
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JWST 543 Maimonides as Parshan (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Biblical Interpretation in the Guide of the Perplexed and related writings.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Requires Departmental approval
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 540
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JWST 573 History of Hebrew Bible Text (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : The text of the Hebrew Bible as it evolved between antiquity and the most recent printed edition. Attention will be given to the accurate reconstruction of the Bible from primary and secondary witnesses: Greek and Aramic translations, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient quotations, and the Massoretic notes and lists.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): permission of instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 507