Mennonite Studies

Amish Buggy in front of the Grebel Building

Art installation: THE LANDED BUGGY curated by Rebecca Seiling, “Turtle Island” artwork by Anishinaabe artist August Swinson

Mennonites in Canada and around the world express their convictions through a fascinating diversity of religious and cultural practices. Exploring the past and present lives and thought of Mennonites, in all their variety, allows a glimpse into the place of ethnic and religious minorities in twenty-first century society.

Mennonite Studies is an interdisciplinary minor in the Faculty of Arts that can be combined with existing programs in Arts and other faculties. Through courses in history, religion, and culture, students seek to understand Anabaptist-Mennonite history, culture, thought and practice from the early sixteenth century to the present and explore how this once persecuted minority has interacted with the surrounding society and expanded into a global, multicultural movement.

The Milton Good Library and Mennonite Archives of Ontario enhance the program through unique, hands-on resources for the study of Mennonites locally and around the world.

Mennonite Studies Minor Academic Plan

Students enrolled in any degree program may pursue a minor designation in Mennonite Studies.

Graduates with a Mennonite Studies minor will:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the history of Anabaptist-Mennonite origins within 16th century European religious reformations.
  2. Articulate the basic religious beliefs of Anabaptist-Mennonites.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of Mennonites from a variety of disciplinary, contextual, and experiential perspectives.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse groups of Mennonites globally and locally.
  5. Articulate the present-day role of Mennonites in the organizational and institutional life of Waterloo Region.
  6. Demonstrate an understanding of the place of ethnic and religious minorities in Canada and their contribution to the creation of multicultural identities.
  7. Show basic competency in working with primary source material.
  8. Demonstrate understanding of the role of archives in Mennonite studies research.
  9. have experienced local Mennonite culture and religion through field trips and volunteer activity.
  10. Demonstrate critical research and writing skills.

Mennonite Studies Faculty

Courses

The Mennonite Studies Minor requires successful completion of a minimum of four academic course units (eight courses) with a minimum cumulative average of 65%, including:

Course ID Course name Recent Syllabus on Outline

MENN 125 (previously ARTS 125)

Who are the Mennonites?  
HIST 247 Mennonite History: A Survey HIST 247 Syllabus
HIST 348/RCS 344/*TS 642 The Radical Reformation HIST 348 Syllabus
SOC 275 The Mennonites as a Sociological Community  
and four of:    
HIST 232/PACS 203 History of Peace Movements HIST 232 / PACS 203 Syllabus
HIST 235/RCS 240 History of Christianity HIST 235 / RS 240 Syllabus
HIST 379/RCS 343/*TS 645 Reformation History HIST 379 / RS 343 Syllabus
MENN 390 Special Topics in Mennonite Studies  
MENN 397 Directed Readings in Mennonite Studies  
PACS 201 Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace PACS 201 Syllabus
RCS 235/JS 235 Jesus: Life and Legacy RCS 235 / JS 235 Syllabus
RCS 236/JS 236 Paul: Life and Letters RCS 236 / JS 236 Syllabus
RCS 250 History of Christian Thought  
RCS 253 (previously RS 152) Christianity's Big Questions RCS 253 Syllabus
RCS 320/PACS 320 Christian Approaches to Peacemaking  
RCS 353/PACS 330 War and Peace in Christian Theology  
RCS 357/CMW 363/MUSIC 363/*TS 357 The Christian Hymn RCS 357 / CMW 363 / MUSIC 363 Syllabus
RCS 358/CMW 364/MUSIC 364/*TS 653 Worship and its Music RCS 358 / CMW 364 / MUSIC 364 Syllabus

*TS 636, 642, 645, 652, 653, and 653 are graduate courses.

Notes:

  1. A student may petition to Mennonite Studies to substitute one of the optional courses with an alternate course in which the student has done substantial coursework on Mennonites.
  2. With consent from the Mennonite Studies director and the faculty  member supervising the directed study, a student may substitute one of the optional courses with a directed study.
     

Course syllabi may be viewed by anyone with a WATIAM login using outline.uwaterloo.ca. Contact Mariia Smyrnova for support. 

Find the complete listing of Mennonite Studies courses at the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar website. For a list of current and future course offerings at Grebel, visit course offerings page.

Further information

Contact Troy Osborne, Dean.

There are three awards available in the Mennonite Studies program: the Karin Packull Anabaptist Studies Award, the J. William and Sarah Dyck Award for Russian Mennonite Studies, and the Allan G. Felstead Research Award in Anabaptist Mennonite Studies.

See the research resources in Mennonite Studies provided by the Library and Archives.

Learn more about the Mennonites from the Institute of Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies.

Martyr's Mirror from the Mennonite Archives of Ontario