Program Overview

Introduction to RELI 113: Beyond Belief

The study of religion is a vibrant and challenging field. In this course, students will learn to approach religion with an analytical mind by thinking critically and creatively. Religion is more than just matters of belief. This course will explore themes such as ritual and materiality, ethics and politics, gender and embodiment, and mystical experience. Students will investigate diverse religious traditions and communities to better understand how religion shapes our contemporary world.

Course Details

• Dates: 6 July 2026 to 8 November 2026
• Starts: Trimester 2
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,156.00 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,893.60 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Tuesday 11.00am
  • Thursday 11.00am
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 200 hours or 11.1 hours per week for 18 weeks
• Points: 20 points

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: None
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Taught By

The School of Social and Cultural Studies — Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Find important dates—including mid-trimester teaching breaks—on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be provided once the course has begun.

About This Course

This course is designed to engage students in critical and creative thinking about religion. Through a variety of selected themes across different religious traditions, the course fosters interactive small-group discussions that connect theory with lived religious experience. This approach enhances critical thinking and communication skills and keeps students actively engaged in the learning process.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course will be able to:

1. Clearly discuss significant dimensions of religions in the contemporary world and the ways they have been debated and discussed by scholars.
2. Display religious literacy, as reflected in knowledge of basic facts about selected religious issues across a number of different traditions, and the use of basic concepts in the academic study of religion.
3. Express their views clearly both verbally and in writing.
4. Apply analytical, argumentative, and communication skills to scholarly tasks.

How This Course Is Taught

This course can be completed online. Lectures are delivered face-to-face on campus and made available to distance/online students via recordings. Both on-campus and online tutorials are available.

Assessment

• Ten Online Quizzes (Weeks 2-12): 30%
• Annotated Bibliography (1000 words): 20%
• Essay (1500 words): 30%
• End of Class Test: 20%

Mandatory Requirements

To pass this course, students must:

1. Participate in a minimum of 7 of the 9 tutorials to develop oral presentation and teamwork skills and to demonstrate the achievement of all course learning objectives.

Lecture Times and Rooms

• 6 July 2026 to 16 August 2026
• 31 August 2026 to 11 October 2026

What You'll Need to Get

No specific texts or equipment are required for this course.

Course Options

• Offering 1: 6 July to 8 November, 11.00am on Tuesday, 11.00am on Thursday, Kelburn, Trimester 2, CRN 26048
• Offering 2: 6 July to 8 November, No lecture times, Taught Online, Trimester 2, CRN 37392