RELIGIOUS
STUDIES
RELIGIOUS
STUDIES
The 30-hour Major in Religious Studies is designed with two goals in mind. We want our students to become literate in at least two prominent world religious traditions--their own may be one of the two. We also ask students to take courses that will familiarize them with the range of ways in which religion is studied and understood. A Major in Religious Studies lays a solid foundation on which to build either a career in professions that demand contact with diverse populations, such as international business, medicine, social work, law, and education or graduate and seminary studies.
Students majoring in Religious Studies must complete at least 30 hours distributed as follows. The freshman seminar (115) may be counted toward the major in either Category 1 or Category 2, according to its topic. Students planning to pursue graduate studies are especially encouraged to take language courses.
Category 1 : RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN CULTURAL CONTEXTS: (a-f)
a. Christianity
103, Catholicism: An Historical Introduction
109, Themes in the New Testament
131, Themes in Western Religions
180, History of Christian Traditions
201, The Problem of Biblical Authority
204, The Evangelical Movement in America
209, The New Testament
210, Interpreting the Gospels
211, Jesus & Early Christian Communities
212, Pauline Interpretation of Christianity
213, Ethics of the New Testament
214, Modern European Christianity
215, Formation of Catholic Tradition
216, Christianity in the Reformation Era
217, The History of Religion in America
Greek 102, Beginning Greek II
Latin 102, Beginning Latin II
b. Judaism
106, The Hebrew Bible & Its Interpretation
108, Themes in the Hebrew Bible
112, Introduction to Judaism
131, Themes in Western Religions
207, Jesus the Jew
208, The Hebrew Bible
222, Jewish Ethics
226, Jew/Christian Self-Definition in Antiquity
227, Religion & Politics in Middle East
228, Judaism and Modernity
229, The Holocaust
Hebrew 111b, Elementary Hebrew II
c. Islam
113, Introduction to Islam
117, Islam in the African-American Experience
131, Themes in Western Religions
250, Black Islam in America
252, Islam in America
253, Introduction to Islamic Law & Theology
Arabic 210b, Introduction to Classical Arabic II
d. Buddhism & East Asian Religious Traditions
130, Themes in Asian Religions
132, Religion and Culture in Japan
133, Religions in India
150, Medicine, Healing and Spirituality
231, Women in Buddhists Traditions
244, Buddhist Traditions
245, East Asian Folk Religion
247, Religious Values in Japanese Culture
249, Zen Buddhism
Japanese 212, Intermediate Modern Japanese
e. African-American Religious Traditions
107, African-American Religious Traditions
110, Introduction to Southrn Religion and Culture
114, African-American Philosophies of Religion
117, Uskan ub tge African-American Experience
145, Interfaith Dialogue and African American Culture
205, The Black Church in America
218, Religion & Ethic Nationalism in the U.S.
219, M.L.K., Jr., & Social Roles of Religion
250, Black Islam in America
f. Native American Religious Traditions
254, Native American Religious Traditions
ANTH 250, Shamanism & Spiritual Curing
ANTH 244, Intermediate Nahuatl Language, Culture, & Literature
ANTH 263, Myth and Legend: Oral Tradition
Category 2 : RELIGION AND ITS ROLE IN HUMAN LIFE:(a & b)
a. Critical Theories of Religion & Methods
120, Religion, Sexuality, and Power
121, Religion & Discovery of the Individual
234, Post-Freudian Theories and Religion
235, Freudian Theories and Religion
236, The Religious Self According to Jung
237, Psychology of Religious Myth and Ritual
240, What is Religion
256, Comparative Studies of Religion
b. Ways in Which Religion Shapes the Thoughts, Lives & Values of Practitioners
102, Science & Religion in the Modern & Post Modern World
140, Introduction to Western Religious Ethics
201, The Problem of Biblical Authority
202, Natural Science & the Religious Life
208, The Hebrew Bible
218, The Mission of the Church in the New Testament
220, Ethics and Social Problems
223, Ethics and Feminism
224, The Ancient Origins of Religious Conflict in the Middle East
230, Women and Religion
231, Women in Buddhist Traditions
232, Feminism and the Bible
238, Death, Religion and Human Meaning
239, Religious Autobiography
248, Myth, Ritual and Symbol
ANTH 226, Myth, Ritual & Belief: Anthropology of Religion
PHIL 242, Philosophy of Religion
SOC 246, Sociology of Religion
STH 203, Theories of the Universe
Category 3 : SENIOR REQUIREMENTS - A Senior Seminar (280, 3-credit hours) gathering
majors during the fall semester of their last year.
HONORS PROGRAM. The honors program in Religious Studies is designed to afford superior students the opportunity to pursue more intensive work within their major field. The program requires: a) a 3.0 cumulative grade point average; b) 6 hours of independent research, 299a-299b (Honors Research) normally taken during the senior year; c) an honors thesis to be completed by the spring of the senior year; d) successful completion of an honors oral examination on the topic of the thesis.
MINOR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES 18 hours. Students complete a minimum of 12 hours in Category 1 (see above--6 hours in each of two religious traditions). Students complete a minimum of 6 hours in Category 2 (see above--3 hours from each group). The freshman seminar (115) may be counted toward the minor in either Category 1 or Category 2, according to its topic. Students may elect to participate in the Senior Seminar (280) to be counted in Category 2.
MINOR IN JEWISH STUDIES requires completion of the following:
1. Core Area (10 hours) a. One of the following methodology courses: Anthropology 226 or RLST 131, 240, or 248; b. RLST 112; and c. Hebrew 111b
2. One of the following area modules (6 hours) :
Ancient (one course form each category) a. Classics 207; b. RLST *106, *108 or *208
Medieval (two courses, but not both RLST 202 and 222): History 211b; Philosophy *211; RLST *202, *222
Modern (two courses from the following list): History 210, 230b; RLST *229
3. Either Hebrew 113b or a starred course from a module other than the one used to satisfy requirement 2 (3 hours)