MA Program in Religious Studies at Ibn Haldun University offers a unique, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary approach to religion that emphasizes research and teaching. The program focuses on philosophical, historical, social, and psychological dimensions of religion and explores how beliefs shape and are shaped by the individual, society, and historical and social changes. In addition, the program investigates theories that emerged in the history of ideas and their impacts on communities in a religious sense. Going beyond the investigation of intellectual heritage, our program also studies, researches, and reviews contemporary works in the field. We intend to train and prepare our students to develop an agenda for further research and to engage with “religion” as an intellectually provocative concept.
| IBN HALDUN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES RELIGIOUS STUDIES (IN 30% ENGLISH) WITH THESIS PROGRAM COURSE PLAN |
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| I. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| RLST 501/ RLST 501E | Bilimsel Araştırma Teknikleri ve Yayın Etiği /Scientific Research Techniques and Publication Ethics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST… | Program Seçmeli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST… | Program Seçmeli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST…/… | Program Seçmeli/Genel Seçmeli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Dil Dersleri | |||||
| Total Credit | 12 | 32 | |||
| II. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| RLST 500 /RLST 500E | Seminer/Seminar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| RLST… | Program Seçmeli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST…/… | Program Seçmeli/Genel Seçmeli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST…E | Program Seçmeli | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Dil Dersleri | |||||
| Total Credit | 9 | 32 | |||
| III. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| RLST 599 | Yüksek Lisans Tezi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Total Credit | 0 | 30 | |||
| IV. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| RLST 599 | Yüksek Lisans Tezi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Total Credit | 0 | 30 | |||
| Overall Total Credit | 21 | 124 | |||
| COMPULSORY COURSES | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| RLST 500 / RLST 500E | Seminer/Seminar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| RLST 501 / RLST 501E | Bilimsel Araştırma Teknikleri ve Yayın Etiği/ Scientific Research Techniques and Publication Ethics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| DEPARTMENTAL ELECTIVE COURSES | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| Din Bilimleri / Dinler Tarihi - Religious Studies / History of Religions | |||||
| PHIL 535 | Felsefenin Temel Sorunları ve Tarihi | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 503 | Modern Din Teorileri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 503E | Modern Theories of Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 505 | Kitab-ı Mukaddes Tetkikleri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 505E | Bible Studies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 506 | Yahudilik-Hıristiyanlık | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 506E | Judaism-Christianity | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 507 | Dinler Tarihi Metinleri I | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 507E | Guided Readings in History of Religions I | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 508 | Müslüman-Hıristiyan İlişkileri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 508E | Muslim-Christian Relations | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 509 | Dinler Tarihi Metinleri-Arapça I | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 509E | Guided Readings in History of Religions-Arabic I | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 510 | Dinler Tarihi Metinleri II | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 510E | Guided Readings in History of Religions II | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 512 | Dinler Tarihi Metinleri-Arapça II | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 512E | Guided Readings in History of Religions-Arabic II | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 521 | Dini Çeşitliliğe Yaklaşımlar | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 521E | Approaches to Religious Diversity | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 542 | Dinler Tarihinde Reddiye Literatürü | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 542E | Refutation Literature in the History of Religions | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 543 | Müslüman-Yahudi İlişkileri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 543E | Muslim-Jewish Relations | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Din Bilimleri / Din Psikolojisi - Religious Studies / Psychology of Religion | |||||
| RLST 511 | Din Psikolojisinde Araştırma Yöntemleri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 511E | Research Methods in Psychology of Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 513 | Psikoloji Ekollerinde Din | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 513E | Religion in Schools of Psychology | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 514 | Din ve Ruh Sağlığı | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 514E | Religion and Mental Health | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 515 | İnanç Gelişimi Kuramı | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 515E | Faith Development Theories | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 516 | Din Psikolojisinde Seçme Konular | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 516E | Selected Topics in Psychology of Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 518 | Manevi Bakım ve Danışmanlık | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 518E | Spiritual Care and Counseling | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 526 | Sosyal Psikolojide Seçme Konular | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 526E | Selected Topics in Social Psychology | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PSY 527 | İnsan Doğası Teorileri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PSY 527E | Theories of Human Nature | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 528 | Din Psikolojisinde Klasik ve Çağdaş Okumalar | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 528E | Classic and Contemporary Readings in Psychology of Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 532 | Bilim ve Dinle İlgili Bazı Meseleler | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 532E | Issues in Science and Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 536 | İslam ve Psikoloji | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 536E | Islam and Psychology | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 538 | Maneviyat ve Sağlık | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 538E | Spirituality and Health | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 540 | Psikoloji, Maneviyat ve Din | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 540E | Psychology, Spirituality and Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Din Bilimleri / Din Sosyolojisi - Religious Studies / Sociology of Religion | |||||
| BIS 583 | Klasik Tasavvuf Metinleri | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| BIS 583E | Classical Sufi Texts | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PHIL 537 | Philosophy of Death and Afterlife | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PSY 533 | Psikolojik Ölçme ve Değerlendirme | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PSY 533E | Psychological Measurement and Assessment | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PSY 540 | Psikoterapi ve Kültür | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| PSY 540E | Psychotherapy and Culture | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 517 | İnsan Toplumu ve Kültürü | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 517E | Human Society and Culture | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 519 | Din Sosyolojisi | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 519E | Sociology of Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 520 | Müslüman Toplumların Etnografyası | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 520E | Ethnography of Muslim Societies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 523 | Kolonyalizm ve Post-Kolonyalizm | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 523E | Colonialism and Post-Colonialism | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 524 | Sekülarizm ve Din | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 524E | Secularism and Religion | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 537 | Sosyal Teori | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 537E | Social Theory | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 539 | Dindarlık ve Maneviyat: Güncel Akımlar | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 539E | Religiosity and Spirituality: Contemporary Approaches | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 541 | Türkiye’de Din ve Toplum | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| RLST 541E | Religion and Society in Turkey | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| SOC 508 | Religion in Modern Turkey | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| SOC 522 | Modern Dünyada Din ve Toplum | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| SOC 522E | Religion and Society in the Modern World | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| SOC 639 | Selected Topics in Sociology | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
This non-credit course, given by the student's thesis advisors, has preparatory content for the students’ theses. Within the framework of preparing a roadmap for thesis studies, the course includes students preparing and reporting a presentation by the academic rules generally related to their thesis.
The main objective of this course is to provide in-depth knowledge, experience, and skills in the methodology of academic research and to train the student in critically reviewing scholarly literature and scientific writing. Thus, students will learn how to search and review literature; design research; collect and analyze data; and report, write and present scientific papers in the frame of academic ethical guidelines. By the end of the course, students are expected
Religious Studies / History of Religions
This is an introductory course in the history of religions that deals with classical theories, the modern taxonomy of beliefs, and the difference between theology and the history of religions. These issues will be discussed along with various ideas of religion(s) such as that of Edward Burnett Tylor, James Frazer, Edward Evans-Pritchard, Sigmund Freud, William James, Emile Durkheim, Joachim Wach, Mircea Eliade. Also, evolutional, colonial, and post-colonial approaches to religion will be addressed.
This is an introductory course in religious studies/history of religions that deals with classical theories, the taxonomy of beliefs, and the difference between theology and religious studies. These issues will be discussed along with various ideas of religion(s), such as that of Edward Burnett Tylor, James Frazer, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Joachim Wach, and Mircea Eliade. In addition, some contemporary theories and critical approaches toward these are introduced.
In this course, the Tanakh, which is considered sacred by the Jews, and the New Testament, which is considered to be the Christian holy book, will be discussed separately by Jews and Christians. In addition, the understanding of revelation, inspiration, and prophecy in both traditions will be examined, and Muslims’ approaches to the Bible will be discussed.
This course examines Judaism in terms of its history, significant figures, sects, fundamental beliefs, scriptures, and mysticism. In this course, first of all, a chronological and general overview of the history of Judaism will be made, its main sects and their historical-geographical distribution will be examined, and information will be given about Judaism in the early and modern periods in Turkey. The second part of the course is to present general information about Christianity by addressing its central themes, such as the trinity, incarnation, revelation, prophecy, and historical theologies. In this course, first of all, a chronological and general overview of the history of Christianity/Church will be made, the leading Christian denominations and their historical-geographical distribution will be examined, councils and principles of faith, terms used while explaining Christianity in Turkey and prominent themes will be discussed.
The objective of this course is to study the New Religious Movements through English texts. Thus, the students will obtain knowledge of New Movements from authentic primary sources while developing skills in academic reading by doing translations between English and Turkish.
This course will primarily discuss the history of Muslim-Christian relations. Consequently, “A Common Word Between Us,” the new discipline of comparative theology and Scriptural Reasoning activities, all examples of contemporary Muslim-Christian ties, will be discussed along with primary approaches to the “religious other.” This course will also cover the history of traditional Christian-Muslim polemics.
This course offers Arabic readings in al-Milal was al-Nihal, a classic work written by al-Shahrastani and considered one of the earliest examples of a history of religions both in the Muslim world and in the pre-modern era. Thus, the students will meet one of the primary classical texts in the History of Religions field while developing academic reading skills by translating Arabic and Turkish.
This course is the advanced level of Guided Reading in History of Religions-I. The course aims to gain deeper insight into New Religious Movements through primary English texts. Thus, the students will obtain knowledge of New Religious Movements from authentic primary sources while developing skills in academic reading by doing translations between English and Turkish.
This course offers an advanced level of readings in al-Milal wa al-Nihal, a classic work written by al-Shahrastani and considered one of the earliest examples of a history of religions in the Muslim world and in the pre-modern era. Thus, the students will meet one of the primary classical texts in the History of Religions field while developing academic reading skills by translating Arabic and Turkish.
In this course, readings on religious diversity and religious pluralism, which are contemporary debates in the philosophy of religion, will be made. After an introduction to what religious pluralism is or how it is understood, the views of philosophers and thinkers who adopt the pluralist approach will be discussed.
In this course, the systems and schools of Plato and Aristotle will be studied through selected texts. The course will also deal with how Aristotelian and Platonic systems changed and transformed into various other schools of philosophy. Also, medieval Church Fathers will be introduced within this course.
This course examines the literature on Rejection (Polemic), a special genre in interreligious relations. Since every religion sees itself as the most correct and the only way to salvation, when confronted with other faiths, it criticizes the other or answers the criticisms directed at it to prove its own justification and superiority. This issue, especially for universal religions, has led to the formation of an extensive literature. After giving basic information about Christianity, this course will cover the beginning and duration of the Rejection tradition, and essential works in this field will be analyzed.
This course aims to examine Muslim-Jewish relations based on the Qur’an to complement the topics in the Bible Study-I (Old Testament) course in the Master’s program. In the Qur’an, the history of the Israelites, their holy books, beliefs, moral characteristics, and their relations with Muslims are evaluated. Therefore, to better understand the basis of Muslim-Jewish relations centered on the revelation of the Qur’an, pre-Islamic Jewish history will be discussed, and the distribution of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula, religious belief, worship, and social life in the period of Islam will be examined. Comparisons will be made with the information given. Finally, the relations of the Prophet with the Jews and the Muslim-Jewish relations will be discussed.
Religious Studies / Psychology of Religion
This particular methodological course aims to teach basic research techniques in the psychological study of religion and religious feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. The course topics include empirical research design from beginning to end, determining the research paradigm, selecting the sample, collecting and analyzing data interpretation, and reporting the findings.
This course covers significant schools such as Psycho-dynamic theories, Behaviorism, Humanism, and Cognitive theories in the science of psychology and their approach to religion, religious feelings, religious thinking, and religious behaviors. The course aims to discuss direct and indirect implications that stem from these significant (and some other unconventional) theories and related research and evaluate how these theories and associated research findings contribute to the study of religion.
This course approaches religiosity and psychological well-being on an objective and subjective level. The course addresses how religion and religiosity relate to mental health issues and includes topics such as the crisis of faith, religious coping, and mystical and conversion experiences.
This course focuses on the concept of “faith” as defined by developmental theories and investigates how it develops from birth regarding cognition, emotion, and social interaction. The objective of the course is to provide the students with a basic understanding and estimation skills of how faith is formed and transformed in each developmental stage and its implications for spiritual growth and change.
This particular course is designed for graduate students eager to develop expertise in the psychological study of religion and will be instructed in English. Topics include the history and disciplinary identity of the field, significant theories and texts, religion and health, popular religiousness, religious cults and brainwashing, religion and morality, islamophobia, and religious extremism.
This course teaches how psychological counseling practice can be exercised in religious contexts, with religious counselees considering their personal and spiritual values. Thus, during the course, students will gain knowledge and skills in combining psychological counseling with spiritual matters in various support services.
The study subjects of social psychology are stimulating in terms of religious studies. In this framework, specific topics from social psychology will be selected and discussed in the course. Some cases are attribution, perception, perception of the other, attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, persuasion, obedience, social influence, and group processes, pro-social and anti-social behavior.
Human nature is one of the most central issues in social science and humanities. From theology to the economy, philosophy to psychology, politics to education in many fields, understanding human nature shapes these areas' paradigms. General-purpose of this course is to provide an overview of selected theories of human nature. Through the chosen readings, we will explore questions such as “what is natural?” “what is innateness?”, “Why do we behave the way we do?” “To what extend do culture and the environment determine who we are?” and “Are we inherently selfish or social?”
Many notable classical and contemporary studies have emerged in the hundred-year history of the psychology of religion. This course will analyze selected texts from various psychology of religious works produced from the past to the present.
This course focuses on the relationship between Modern Science and Islam. First, we present essential contemporary scientific theories such as the Special and General Theory of Relativity, Quantum Theory, Big Bang Theory, Theory of Evolution, and Modern Neurology. Then we evaluate and discuss some important implications of these theories for theistic religions and Islam specifically. Finally, our course also aims to outline possible approaches to the relationship between science and religion.
İlmü’n-Nefs, the equivalent of today’s psychology in the Islamic world, started to develop from very early times by being fed from religious and philosophical sources. This course will introduce the religious and philosophical sources, prominent representatives, essential works, and views of this branch of science. In addition, a summary of the opinions and theories about the powers of the soul and its cognitive and religious/moral development will be given.
This course is about how various aspects of spirituality impact our health at the level of body, mind, and spirit. It is intended for graduate students interested in exploring the interface of spirituality, health, and happiness. Course topics will include links between religion/spirituality and health; mind-body relationships; stress reduction; scientific evaluation of the impact of prayer on our health; spiritual approaches to our lives; lessons on living from those who are dying; and stories that heal.
This course is about the psychological study of religion and spirituality, beginning with examining how spirituality/religion has been defined in various psychological theories and research. The course will explore the psychological aspects of spirituality and religiousness at multiple levels, from affective and cognitive factors to social and multicultural elements. Students will learn about the field's history and how major theoretical perspectives in psychology (e.g., psychoanalytic, attachment, attribution, theories) have been applied to religion.
Particular attention will be paid to the following central topics:
Religious Studies / Sociology of Religion
Islam, one of the most important religions in the world, has shaped and continues to affect the social, cultural, economic, psychological-spiritual, political, legal, and many other aspects of various societies in different geographies. This course aims to criticize the sociological and anthropological studies on Islam and Muslims, to be included in the “Anthropology of Islam” and “Islamic Anthropology” discussions, and to encourage new epistemological, ontological, and methodological analyzes and inferences.
This course aims at studying religions as social institutions. The birth of religions throughout history, their expansion, their institutionalization, different capacities of institutionalization of different faiths and their relationship with other social institutions, opportunities and constraints caused by these differences, the position of religions in the process of modernization, their effects on this process and the future of religion about modernity and secularism will be main discussion topics of this course.
Research has been done on Muslim societies and groups by many social scientists throughout history to this day. This course aims to read and understand the theories and ethnographies of various sociologists and anthropologists and also be able to provide theoretical and methodological criticism of their works.
The course will examine how the religion-society relationship is handled within the framework of modern sociological literature's basic concepts, institutions, and theories. Significant ideas, issues, and methods will be presented comparatively in this context. In addition, students will be informed about the definition and function of religion, society, social institutions, and social change, especially the approaches in contemporary Islamic thought. Thus, the student will be given both knowledges in the context of modernization theories and the accumulation of modern Islamic thought.
This course, in which the relationship between secularization and modernization will be discussed, will focus on the reflections of this process, which started in western societies in other geographies. The social changes in Western Europe, their effects on religion, and the secularization-modernization techniques in organizations with different faiths and cultures will be emphasized. These processes, as well as the modernization experienced in the context of nation-state structures in the colonial period and after, and the effects of this process on the religious field will be evaluated. Numerous modernizations and alternative and new religiosity phenomena will be considered.
It deals with colonialism and post-colonialism within the framework of leading theories and approaches and focuses on socio-political and cultural changes in colonized societies. In this context, social processes in various institutions in the colonial and post-colonial periods will be examined while focusing on the changes in different geographies, especially in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian societies. Students will develop an analytical and critical approach when evaluating colonialists and colonized societies. In the context of the post-colonial period, it will be informed about the nation-state structuring and the social changes that are the subject of modernization.
This course aims to examine a wide range of classical social theorists in the Muslim world and the West, from Farabi to Ibn Khaldun to Marx and Weber. The main task is to make classical social theories relevant to the present understanding of human society. In other words, the course’s primary goal is to help students to develop a way of looking at past and contemporary issues “sociologically.” In doing so, the theory will be discussed as a tool for organizing existing knowledge to generate new knowledge. Furthermore, each theorist will be understood within their own time so that specific social and historical contexts, which gave rise to their particular theory, can be thoroughly understood.
This course examines Turkey's relationship between religion and society from the Tanzimat to the present. The modernization efforts in the Ottoman Empire after the Tanzimat and the relationship of this process with religion, the effect of the Committee of Union and Progress on the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and the determination of religious policies, the impact of the modernization policies applied after the establishment of the Republic on religion, the transition to multi-party life and afterward. The main issues that shape the relationship between religion and society in Turkey, such as the religious revival experienced in Turkey, the liberalization and democratization process that took place in Turkey after 1980, and the emergence of new Islamic classes, will be discussed from a sociological perspective.
dinbilimleri@ihu.edu.tr