Students are expected to know the following:
- characteristics of religion, mythology, and spirituality
- core beliefs, practices, and ethics of world religions, including spirituality in First Peoples cultures
- approaches to doctrines or belief systems
- institutional and social structures
- sacred texts, traditions, and narratives
- art, architecture, narratives, and other forms of expression
- relationship between religion and government at different times and places
- Compare and evaluate artifacts as evidence of the cultural influence of religion (evidence):
Key question:
- How is building design evidence of a religion’s cultural influence?
- Compare the growth and decline of religions over time, and determine the extent of continuity and changes in core beliefs and practices (continuity and change):
Key question:
- To what extent do modern religious practices adhere to ancient practices?
- Assess origins and influences of religious movements and groups (cause and consequence):
Key questions:
- What was the role of the Roman Empire in the early growth of Christianity in the 1st century?
- In what ways did Christianity influence the Roman Empire?
- Explain different religious perspectives on past or present people, places, issues, or events (perspective):
Key questions:
- What arguments do mainstream Canadian religious communities make about doctor-assisted suicide?
Is the “golden rule” common to all major religious belief systems? Explain your answer.
- characteristics of religion, mythology, and spirituality:
Key questions:
- What is religion?
- What is the relationship between spirituality and worldviews for First Peoples in Canada?
- core beliefs, practices, and ethics of world religions, including spirituality in First Peoples cultures:
Sample topics:
- doctrines and teachings
- worship, meditation, and prayer
- pillars of Islam
- observances and holidays
- approaches to doctrines or belief systems:
Sample topics:
- role of baptism
- conversion to belief
- evangelism
- non-belief
- institutional and social structures:
Sample topics:
- power relationships in religious leadership
- monastic communities
- theocracy
- caliphates
- church councils and assemblies
- churches, mosques, and temples
- sacred texts, traditions, and narratives:
Sample topics:
- indigenous oral traditions
- Biblical texts
- Pentateuch
- Quran, sharia
- myths
- art, architecture, narratives, and other forms of expression:
Sample topics:
- Cordoba, Spain
- Hagia Sophia
Renaissance