BA Religious Studies
YEAR ONE
RS 151: Phenomenology of Religion
Phenomenology is a descriptive science concerned with the discovery and analysis of essence and essential meanings. It is derived from two Greek words which mean the theories of the origins of religion and the problem of the definition of religion. The course is designed to take the students through those studies to help them to understand the origin and nature of religion.
RS 152: Introduction to Philosophy of Religion
This course introduces students to the philosophical study of religion and exposes them to some of the issues involved in the philosophical study of religion. It covers the definition and scope of the philosophy of religion, the arguments for the existence of God, faith and reason, the problem of evil, miracles, life after death, the problem of verification and falsification, the meaning and problems of religious language.
RS 153: Introduction to Christianity
In this course, we will examine the nature of Christianity and Christian self-understanding in its multifaceted world context. After a brief orientation to the framework of Christian history, the course will proceed thematically, exploring a range of Christian beliefs and practices in theological, social, cultural and historical contexts. In examining any given theme, we will range widely over time and space, considering a variety of approaches to each subject from within the Catholic and Protestant divide of the Christian faith. Dissenting traditions will also be considered.
RS 154: Introduction to African Traditional Religions
The course is designed to assist students to know the nature of African Religions and examine the religious ideas, practices, institutions and what these mean to the adherents. The course deals with the main features of African traditional religion – the concept of God in African belief, the spirit world – ancestors, divinities and spirits. It covers such areas as festivals, sacrifice, libation, rites of passage, myths and religious education, symbols and their relevance for contemporary African societies.
RS 155: Introduction to Islam
The course aims at introducing students to the Islamic religion and showing the various stages of the religion’s development. The course comprises two parts; Part One will introduce students to the social, religious, political and economic life of Arabia before Islam. The birth of the Prophet Muhammad, his early life, his call to be a prophet and his ministries in Mecca and Medina. The Part Two will introduce students to the various aspects of the religion such as the faith and practice of Islam. It will also introduce students to the revelation and compilation and text of the Qur’an with a view to preparing them for an in-depth study of Islam.
RS 156: Introduction to Eastern Religions
The course surveys major religious traditions of the east such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Jainism, Shintoism, and Zoroastrianism for a historical and theoretic perspective with specific attention to the relationship between religious belief and practices, death and after life, and comparative mythology.
MATH 153: Statistical Methods I (2,1,2)
Introduction: Nature and Users of Statistics: some Basic Concepts of Statistics, Data Collection, Types and Sources of Data, Data collection Methods and Questionnaire Design, Descriptive Analysis of Data: Organization and Presentation of Data: Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion, Quartiles, Percentiles, Skewness and Kurtosis.
MATH 154: Statistical Methods II (2,1,2)
Some Special Probability Distributions: Binomial, Poisson, Geometric Multinomial, Hypergeometric, Normal and Exponential Distribution.
Inferential Analysis of Data: Sampling Methods; Sample Distributions of the Means and Proportions, Standard Errors; the Use and Reading of Normal (Z), t-, F and Chi-Square Distribution Tables in Inferential Analysis, Point and Interval estimation of Parameters-Proportions, Standard Errors; the Use and Reading and Interval Estimation of Parameters-Means and proportions.
ENGL 157: Communication Skills I (2,1,2)
Students will be assisted to review some of the common problem areas of their writing, such as verb/tense system, concord, sentence construction and paragraph organization. There shall also be a study of basic grammatical structures that shall involve teaching students to write formally correct sentences errors, and using punctuation effectively.
ENGL 158: Communication Skills II (2,1,2)
This course is designed to continue the process of helping students to become better writers. The first part of the course will focus on writing skills – paragraphs, and the essays. Students shall also study the preparation of technical documents such as memos, reports, letters and proposals.
CSM 183: Introduction to Computers I (2,1,2)
What is computer? Classification of computers. Hardware – Memory, Central Processing Unit, Input/Output Devices, Software – System, Applications, Utility, Translators Programming language and others. Disk Operating System (DOS) and Windows as Operating Systems. Word Processing Software; Microsoft Word.
CSM 184: Introduction to Computers II (2,1,2)
Spreadsheet Software: Microsoft Excel; Relational Database Software; Microsoft ACCESS
YEAR TWO
RS 251: Introduction to Psychology of Religion
The course examines the positions of such outstanding psychologists as James, Freud, Jung and others and how they look at religion from the perception of religion as pathological to religion as curative. It also examines such issues as religion and stress religion and personal values, the religious individual and society, religion and meaning.
RS 252: Religions and African Worldview
Missionary faiths in Africa like Christianity and Islam were introduced to Africans with Euro-American and Arabic cultural worldview. However, African worldview has remained a major component in religious interpretation and perception in Africa. The course is designed to highlight the African worldview and its place in religious interpretation. Attention will be given to the significant phenomenon of oral theology and history. The course will further throw light on the religious beliefs and practices, folklores, symbols, proverbs and cultural institutions with the primary intention of broadening the horizons of students as regards the universe and the environment within which religion operates.
RS 253: The History of the Early Church
The course is designed to introduce students to the roots of the church and how it started. It traced the Jewish background of the church and how it created its own image and identity. It deals with how the church moved from Jerusalem to Rome, organizing itself along the lines of faith, culture and other factors such as; the persecutions, the expansion and growth of the church, the church fathers, church and state relations in the third century, Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, the controversies, the development of Eastern and Western Christian thought, the Papacy, Worship and Art. These will be examined in relation to the current situation and mission of the church and their implications for Christianity today.
RS 254: Introduction to Ethical Theories and Systems
The course deals with the nature of Ethical inquiry. Fundamental concepts. Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of various ethical theories. The multidisciplinary character of contemporary ethics. Study of ethical views and assumptions underpinning policy statements and human activity.
RS 255: Sociology of Religion: An Introductory Survey
The course exposes students to the relationship between sociological studies and religious thought. It examines what sociologists like Durkheim and Weber say about the concept of religion. Areas of concern include the role of religion in social cohesion, interaction and common values shared by societies; social change; social problems and social structure.
RS 256: Introduction to African Myths and Symbols
Through fundamental stories, myths and symbols and practices people have made sense of themselves and the worlds in which they live. This course presents an academic inquiry into the fundamental stories, myths, symbols and practices by which Africans have made sense of themselves and the worlds in which they live. Particular attention will be paid to how the numinous complex aggregation of “stories” (myths), music and proverbs handed down from generation to generation enable Africans to make meaning of their world.
ENGL 263: Literature in English I (Poetry and Drama) (1,1,1)
This is a basic course in Literature, introducing all university students to opportunities to enjoy and to love the world of books in English and in our various Ghanaian languages. Special consideration will be given to language as the primary vehicle of literature. Old classics as well as significant contemporary works by living authors will be studied.
ENGL 264: Literature in English II (Fiction) (1,1,1)
This course has as its main components the study of folktales, short stories and the novel. African and western texts representatives of this genre shall be used to illustrate the language, themes and the literary devices employed for these different types of fictional expressions.
YEAR THREE
RS 351: Issues in African Traditional Religion
The course is designed to introduce students to the key issues in the study of African Traditional Religions. The study will focus on the following key issues: Nomenclature and Terminology, Methodology, Interpretation, Substance and Content of Religion. In addition, the course will also examine selected themes in African Traditional Religion. The objective is to help the students understand the key issues involved in the study of African Traditional Religion and also to have an in-depth study of selected themes in the area.
RS 352: Critical Thinking
The course will critically examine the forms of formal reasoning: deductive logic, categorical logic; truth-functional logic; inductive arguments, inductive generalization, analogical arguments, causal arguments, fallacies, critical thinking and clear writing, etc, with a view to helping students make logical arguments, decisions and appreciate valid conclusions in argumentation.
RS 353: Qur’anic Studies
The Qur’an is the sacred book of Muslims and together with the Sunna of the Prophet form the main sources of law in Islam. The approach of the study shall be a careful textual analysis of the Qur’an along the various stages of its revelation, analyze its major doctrinal themes and ascertain its importance to the Muslim. This course will expose students to the various stages of the book’s revelation and compilation and understand what the Qur’an means and what it is to the Muslim.
RS 354: Islam in West Africa
This course traces the making of the West African Muslim community over a period of some 1000 years, beginning with the regions first encounter with Islam in the 11th century and concluding on a study of the contemporary situation of the religion in the sub-region. In the life of Islam in West Africa the religion has occupied different positions and taken different attitudes towards the host society. Its pace and mode of spread has also varied from one period to another. The main aim is to provide students with a detailed history and development of Islam in West Africa. It is also to help them understand the various modes of expansion and the religion’s contribution to the general development of the sub-region.
RS 355: Old Testament Introduction
This course is designed to introduce the student to the historical and cultural background of the Old Testament. Attention is given to the Old Testament text and canon, archaeology, history, religion and theology. The intent is to provide the student with a historical and theological foundation for further Old Testament studies.
RS 356: Christianity in West Africa
The course primarily seeks to examine the nature of Christianity in West Africa using the Ghanaian situation as a paradigm. The major theological topics in contemporary Christian life in West Africa will be examined with the intention of determining how the church in West Africa responds to the needs of its members. Exploration will be made into the main factors that are shaping theological construction in the post-missionary Christian life in West Africa. Attention will further be given to the future of Christianity in West Africa.
RS 357: The New Testament IntroductionThis course aims at introducing students to New Testament studies. It considers the issue of the continuity of the Old Testament and lays the foundation on which further studies in the New Testament will be based. Students will be led to background studies of the gospels, the epistles and the apocalypse.
RS 358: Theology and Ethics of the Old Testament
The course will examine the key theological concepts of the Old Testament: God, creation, covenant, man, land, death. It will also focus on selective ethical ideas of the Hebrew Bible. The Decalogue, the leading ideas of the prophets in relation to social, political, economic and religious tensions of their age. The relationship between theological reflection and ethical theology will also be studied. The objective is to introduce the student to the theocentric character of ethical reflection in the Bible.
RS 359: Hebrew I
This course is designed to introduce the student to Biblical Hebrew. The course will concentrate in alphabet, vowel, system, sounds and vocabulary of Biblical Hebrew, as well as the systems of the noun and strong verb.
RS 360: Islamic Ethics
This course is designed to introduce the student to the general characteristics of Islamic Ethics and morality. Works of selected Islamic moral philosophers and theologians will be examined. The course will also examine the following: internal and external actions, moral education and enforcement of morals. Key ethical issues such as abortion, mercy killing, AIDS, usury, will be critically examined. The course will examine the basis of a Muslim’s response to moral questions.
RS 361: Christian Ethics
This course deals with the sources and characteristics of Christian ethical teaching. The relation between religion and morality in the Bible. Some specific biblical teachings, e.g. stewardship, just, love (agape), human beings, wealth and riches, work, sex and marriage, the state, the place of the Holy Spirit in moral life. A study of some themes from Church Councils, Fathers and Theologians, e.g. Augustine, Luther, Calvin, the Vatican Council: church and state, law, marriage, work, election. A discussion of some contemporary ethical and moral issues such as human rights, abortion, AIDS, work ethics, gambling, corruption, teenage pregnancy, integrity and accountability. The course will examine the basis of Christian response to moral questions.
RS 362: Theology and Ethics of the New Testament
This course will examine the major New Testament theological and ethical concepts. Ethical and theological issues presented in the Pauline corpus such as sin, marriage, divorce, death, regeneration, church and state, will be examined. Ample time will be given to the ethical and theological issues embodied in the synoptic tradition. The Sermon on the Mount, turning the other cheek, politics, the apocalypse and active involvement in the world.
RS 363: Medicine, Healing and Spirituality
This course presents an inquiry into the perspective of modern Western Scientific Medicine and African Healing and Spiritual Practices. Analysis of cultural and religious influences on the concepts of illness and health, accessibility and utilization of health facilities and the relationship of body and mind. Direct field research project.
RS 364: Shari’a
Also known as Islamic Law, this course intends to take students through the sources and development of shari’a. It will also introduce students to the nature and scope of Islamic law, Islamic legal categories and conceptions and the development of the various schools of law in Islam. Such details as the personal status, family law (marriage, divorce and inheritance, etc), law of contract, criminal law, commercial law as well as politics and the state. The course will also take students through the challenges of the law in its implementation by some African states.
RS 365: Qur’anic Arabic I
The course is intended to introduce students to the rudiments of the Arabic language in the Qur’an. Students will be introduced to the Arabic alphabet, syntax, phonetics and imagery. The aim is to prepare students for a more detailed study of Qur’anic and Arabic studies.
RS 366: Qur’anic Arabic II
This course is designed to lead students to a detailed study of Qur’anic Arabic to consolidate what has been introduced in RS 365. Students will be taught translation of Arabic into English and vice versa. The aim is to equip students with the necessary knowledge for more advanced study and understanding of the Qur’an.
RS 367: Modern Trends in Islam
This course seeks to critically analyze Islam’s response to contemporary issues. The place and response of Islam to such issues as Women in Islam, Inter-religion Dialogue, Terrorism, HIV and AIDS, Islam and Politics, Islam and Human Rights, the Rise of Islamism, etc. will be carefully studied. The aim is to expose students to how Muslims are dealing with contemporary issues which may not have direct Qur’an or Sunna references.
RS 368: Hebrew II
The course builds on Biblical Hebrew I. It deals with the systems of the weak verbs, introduction to the difficult parts of the Hebrew grammar, syntax and reading (translating) of the biblical text. (Prerequisite Hebrew I)
RS 369: Prophecy in the Old Testament
This course covers the origin, development, traditions and distinctive features of prophecy in Israel. It examines prophecy and the cultus, prophecy and socio-political life, prophecy and covenant, the prophets and social justice and righteousness. Exegetical and theological studies of selected texts from the prophetic literature will be presented.
RS 370: New Testament Greek I
This course will introduce the student to the grammar, syntax and morphology of the New Testament Greek.
RS 371: Topics in African Traditional Ethics
This course presents an analytical, critical and rigorous study of selected topics and issues in African Traditional Ethics, Unity of life, community, tradition, authority. Sources and determinants of morality, inculcation and enforcement of morality. Specific cherished virtues and abhorred vices, e.g. respect for authority and age, hospitality, truthfulness, reliability, hard work, arrogance, cruelty, dishonesty, etc. will be examined.
RS 372: Old Testament Apocalyptic
In this course, students will be taken through the origins and development of the Jewish apocalyptic literature. The study will focus on the nature and central characteristics, theology and socio-religious relevance of apocalypticism. The book of Daniel will be exegetically and theologically studied as a paradigm of Old Testament apocalyptic literature.
RS 373: Pentecostalism in Ghana
The course is designed to introduce the student to the Pentecostal phenomenon in Ghana. Issues to be examined include: What is Pentecostalism? What socio-cultural factors gave rise to Pentecostalism? Pentecostalism as a Spiritual Movement; training of Ministers and Leaders in the Pentecostal Churches, doctrines, Pentecostalism and denominationalism. Key Pentecostal personalities like Rev. James McKeown, P.D. Anim and others will be studied.
RS 374: African Traditional Patterns of Learning and Religious Education
The course is an examination of traditional patterns of learning and how they provide resources for other forms of education in Africa. Learning patterns in selected traditional institutions like chieftaincy and the nurturing of the traditional leaders, initiation rites and rituals and festivals will be studied in relation to other forms of religious educational practices like ministerial formation, leadership development, baptism, confirmation, Holy Communion and festivals. Efforts will be made to establish integration and lack of integration between e.g. Christian education and traditional patterns of learning.
RS 375: A History of the Reformation and Counter Reformation
The study discusses the background of the Reformation. The course will discuss the causes and course of the Reformation leading to the formation of Protestantism. It will also discuss the works and impact of reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Zwingli. This will also discuss Reformation and Puritanism in England: Luther and the German Reformation. The Reformation in Switzerland. The Reformed faith outside Switzerland. The Reformation and Puritanism in England. Counter Reformation and Evaluation. The course discusses the Renewal, Reform and the Reaction against Protestantism. The Thirty years’ war.
YEAR FOUR
RS 451: Comparative Study of Religions
This course is the study of the interrelationship of the major systems of religious thought and of the way in which the diffusion of religious themes and ideas has taken place. Selected religious themes will be treated comparatively in order to uncover universal conceptual patterns of religiosity and how these are expressed contextually in different Faiths. Among the themes to be considered are the conceptions of ultimate reality, Man, soteriology, ritual, death, etc.
RS 452: New Religious Movement
A study of the typologies, origins and development of New Religious movements. The characteristics, teachings and practices of the New Religious Movements. The study will uncover New-Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches and Ministries, Independent Churches, Afrikania Mission, Eckanker, Nichurin Shoshiu, the Bahai: Faith and others.
RS 453: Islam in Ghana
This course traces the advent of Islam in the pre-modern kingdoms of Ghana. It will also consider the development and emergence of the various different groups of the religion in Ghana today – their development and impact on the Ghanaian society. Its objective is to enable students trace the routes and spread of the faith in Ghana, and to examine the religion’s contribution to the national development, from its inception to date.
RS 454: Islamic Spirituality
What is suf? How did Sufism originate in Islam? The course intends to look at the origins of Sufism, asceticism, mysticism and pantheism in Islam. Fathers of Sufism such as al-Ghazali, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina will be studied alongside philosophers and orthodox theologians like al-Ashari and al-Kindi. Sufi Brotherhoods that are present in the African continent, especially those in West Africa and Ghana in particular will be studied. The aim is to discover their contribution to the general socio-religious and political development of Islam and the state.
RS 455: West African Church History
This course will assess materials on the History of the Church in West Africa. Events leading to the establishment of Christianity in West Africa – The two stages of mission: (a) Catholic Portuguese – 15th Century, (b) Protestant and Catholic from the 18th Century. Mission Theories and Methods; Missions and West African Culture; Impact and consequences of the Church in West Africa; Contemporary Church life and Organization in West Africa.
RS 456: Christianity and African Culture
This course covers the historical interaction between Christianity and African Culture. It will deal with the study of problems connected with specific African institutions and practices such as: chieftaincy, ancestral beliefs, libation, rites of passage, funeral rites, observance of taboos, polygamy, etc. The mutual impact of Christianity and African Culture. The problems of inculturation. A critical study of the works of selected theologians.
RS 457: New Testament Greek II
This course continues from Greek I. It covers the grammar, syntax and morphology of New Testament Greek: Selected texts will be studied. (Prerequisite Greek I).
RS 458: Greek III
The objective of this course is to enable students interpret the New Testament meaningfully. Students will learn to apply syntactical insights to sound exegesis of New Testament Texts. (Prerequisite Greek II).
RS 459: Hebrew III
This course is designed to integrate Hebrew reading and syntax. The course provides advanced instruction in Hebrew syntax and applies this through reading selected portions from various genres in the Hebrew Bible. Attention is also given to developing and strengthening the student’s Hebrew vocabularies. (Prerequisite Hebrew II)
RS 460: Science and Religion
This course will explore the relationship between science and religion. Are science and religion as strongly contrasting enterprises which have essentially nothing to do with each other? How can God act if the world is law-abiding? Methods of inquiry in science and religion, the human’s relation to nature and God’s relation to nature. Discussion will include the interconnectedness of ‘objectivity’ and ‘subjectivity’, the separation of science and religion as complementary languages.
RS 461: Topics in Islamic Studies
This course covers a detailed study of selected topics and issues in Islam. Examples: Islam and Ecology, Islam and Politics, Reason and Revelation, Islamic Law in pluralistic societies, ‘holy war’, attitudes to other faiths, with particular reference to Muslim-Christian relations in West Africa.
RS 462: Religions and Gender
This course is designed to introduce students to the issue of gender in religion. Critique of the African Traditional Religion, Islam and Christianity with regard to gender construction and roles. Deconstructing and reconstructing images of gender and power relations. Gender advocacy methods, works of advocacy groups and bodies such as Circle of Concerned African Theologians, Institute of Women in Religion and Culture, FOMWAG, etc.
RS 463: The Caliphate
The course will trace the origins and concept of the Caliphate as a religio-political institution in Islam. Students will be taken through the period of the first four Caliphs, the expansion of Islam under them, the civil wars, the schism between Shia and Sunni Islam.
RS 464: Islamic History and Civilization
This course is designed to introduce students to the rise of the dynasties (Umayyads, the Abbasids and the Fatimids and the Ottomans) and the emergence of the Khilafa. The Mu’awiya and Ali conflict will be analyzed. In addition the expansion of Islam under the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties will be studied and discover the extent to which Islam was influenced by the Greek, Jewish and Christian culture and religion. Other areas to be studied would include the development of Islamic religious thought, intellectual, scientific and cultural self identity of Islam.
RS 465: Islam and African Culture
The course aims at looking at Islam within the parameters of African culture. It is comparative in nature whereby the various areas of convergence and divergence will be critically examined. How both Islam and African culture manifest in life and living will be examined.
RS 466: Contemporary Ethical and Moral Issues
An examination of the Nature of Ethical Inquiry, Fundamental Concepts, Assessment of Strengths and Weaknesses of various Ethical Theories, The multidisciplinary character of contemporary ethics, study of ethical views and assumptions underpinning policy statements and human activity; Ethical foundation of Human Rights, Bioethics, Sexual Ethics, etc.
RS 467: The Old Testament and African Life and Thought
A study of attitudes to the Old Testament in the history of the church, African Christians and the Old Testament. A comparative study of Old Testament and African thought on themes such as: life, death and beyond, land, the individual and the community, family and kinship relations, the concept of alienation, sin, collective responsibility, sacrifice and social welfare.
RS 468: Hadith Studies
A study of the origin and structure of Hadith with reference to Sunnah, Isnad and Matn. Transmission, preservation, collection and classification of Hadith. Six authentic collections of Hadith. Muwatta, Musarad of Ahmad to Hanbal and al-Nawari collection. A study of selected Ahadith from al-Nawari including Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The religious, cultural and social significance of Hadith.
RS 469: Religion, Morality and Leadership
An examination of religion morality and their impact on leadership. The course will examine the religious foundations upon which societies have built their ideas of what is right and what is wrong, of what is expected of human beings and of what is to be disapproved and possibly prohibited and punished. Attention will be given to what moral leadership entails the moral qualities expected of a leader, the issues of integrity, humility, servant leadership, accountability and the need for moral leaders. Ethical reasoning will be developed and applied to a variety of leadership situations.
RS 470: Professional Ethics
The course is designed to raise sensitivity to the ethical and moral dimensions of issues and problems that face modern business people and professionals as well as the right and expectations of clients. It will draw on moral insight from both religious and non-religious ethical theories and principles in discussing them. The Codes of Ethics of selected professional groups and cases will be discussed. Discussion will include technique and procedures in rational decision-making, and the development of appropriate values and virtues for professionals.
RS 471: Religion and Human Rights
This course is designed to bring to bear on religious studies issues of human rights and social concern. The perspective of religious studies will be applied to contemporary problems
involving human rights such as: children and women issues, war and peace, the denial of people’s basic rights and needs, factors that dehumanize people and the liberation of peoples.
RS 472: Religion and the Environment
This course builds on the fundamentals of religious studies, asking what the implications of our faith are for the environment. It emphasizes reflection on the nature of creation, humans in the world, stewardship of creation, land degradation, water pollution, industrial and mining activities, poverty and other factors that affect the environment either for good or ill.
RS 473: Introduction to Christian Spirituality
In this introductory course, important facets of Christian spirituality and spiritual direction will be highlighted. Christian Spirituality will be examined in relationship to theology, faith, religious practice, psychology, history and culture. The spiritual journey, biblical spirituality, spiritual direction and selected development in the history of spirituality to Christian life today will be introduced.
RS 474: Comparative Ethics
An in-depth treatment of selected themes in Comparative Ethics in order to uncover similarities and dissimilarities in the ethical thought among religions. Comparisons may be discussed among religions of the world. Christianity-Islam, Hinduism-Buddhism, Judaism-Zoroastrianism, African Traditional Religion and Christianity, what prompted these leanings, what were the backgrounds of these teachings?
RS 475: Topics in New Testament Studies
An in-depth study of the New Testament documents following central themes – such as salvation, evil, sin; the role of Christ, God and the Spirit; discipleship, work, stewardship etc.
RS 476: Issues in Religion and Science
This course presents and in-depth study of selected themes in Science and Religion. Themes like Religion and the Methods of Science, Evolution and Creation, God and nature, the languages of science and religion, etc. will be examined. The specific focus of this course will vary over time in response to changing concerns in the field.
RS 490: Project Work
All final year students of the department are required to write a long essay of not less than 65 pages, double line spaced to be submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree.