Faculty of Philosophy and Religion
Department of Philosophy and Religion
The Faculty of Philosophy and Religion brings together areas of study that are crucial to understanding every part of life: politics, economics, the arts, law, medicine, technology, the environment, cultures past and present and around the globe. We bring ethical analysis, the study of religion, and philosophical methods to bear on complex social, political and environmental issues to improve understanding and contribute to solutions.
Senior Prof. Dr Lakshman Madurasinghe MA., MSc., PhD., DSc., DBA., D Litt Attorney-at-Law; Behavioural Scientist Academic Board Member EDU Brussels Senior Professor Azteca University, North America Head of Faculty of Philosophy and Religion
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
Master of Arts in Philosophy
The program covers most of the major areas of philosophy, from a mainly analytic perspective. Courses related to the major periods in the history of philosophy are also taught. Candidates who have a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree can take the Master’s degree in one year.
Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy
The PhD program in philosophy is organized primarily around the following areas of specialization:
- Moral and Political Philosophy
- Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Human Nature
- History of Philosophy
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
The Department of Religious Studies offers graduate work in several study areas:
Buddhism - Primarily concerned with Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist literature in Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan; Modern and Contemporary Buddhism in Japan; Medieval Chinese Buddhism; Buddhist thought
East Asian Religions - Primarily concerned with 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
Early Christianity - Primarily concerned with the writings included in the New Testament, particularly the gospels, Pauline literature, Hebrews, and in the early Greek Church Fathers
Western Religious Thought - Primarily concerned with the 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
Philosophy of Religion - Philosophy of Religion is identified by a style of thinking and writing. Complementing ‘analytic’ approaches, the philosophy of religion draws upon literary devices; cultural, feminist or political theory; historical analysis; play and imagination; experimental forms of language; psychoanalysis; deconstruction and many others. Students will engage with selected themes, issues and texts which may be drawn from such examples as Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Heidegger
Indian Religion and Philosophy - The study will focus on religious and philosophical texts of the Hindu and Buddhists traditions. Texts may include the Rg Veda, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, or the Yoga Sutra from the Brahmanical/Hindu tradition, and the Nikayas, Vinaya, Jatakas, Lotus Sutra, from the Buddhist tradition. Alongside reading the primary sources, we will also focus about methods of interpretation such as text-historical criticism, hermeneutics, phenomenology, orientalism, and post-colonial theory.
Philosophy of Religion - role of Africa in theory formation. Students who successfully complete this module will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the nature of religion as defined by leading theorists of religion, can demonstrate knowledge of, and critically assess, the linguistic, anthropological, sociological and psychological theories of religion, as well as the intersection of religion with phenomenological and critical theories of class, race and gender.
