Method and Theory in the Study of Religion: A 50-year Critical Retrospective of RLG1000Y Course Syllabi at the University of Toronto, 1976-2026

"Method and Theory in the Study of Religion" has been a core doctoral course in the Department for the Study of Religion (DSR) at the University of Toronto since 1976. While its primary goal of equipping first-year doctoral students with critical tools for studying religion remains unchanged, both the course content and pedagogy have evolved significantly over the past five decades. This evolution reflects broader historiographical trends and the inclusion of feminist, postcolonial, Indigenous, and Queer studies, among others. The presentation analyzes changes in course content and pedagogy in relation to developments in the field of religious studies from 1976 to 2025. By examining archived RLG/REL1000Y syllabi and Academic Calendars from the School of Graduate Studies Studies (SGS), this presentation details the foundational role of "Method and Theory in the Study of Religion" at the Department for the Study of Religion from 1976 to the present. It also shares insights on constructing an extensive relational database, from extracting data to creating a metadata schema using various Digital Humanities methods.