Student ID:__________________________ Student Name:_______________________ Adviser Name:_______________________ Catalog: 2020-21 College of Liberal Arts Program: Religious Studies Major Minimum Credits Required:__________________

Religious Studies Major

Meet the Faculty

Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” The disciplines of philosophy and religion examine our lives by investigating the most basic concepts and categories of our self-understanding: true and false, right and wrong, real and imaginary, sacred and profane.

Courses in the history of philosophy introduce students to the ideas of great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche. Undergraduates learn by doing – by engaging in argumentative dialogue with these philosophers. Non-majors acquire valuable skills of analysis and argumentation while learning to ask fundamental questions about identity, meaning, and value. Thematic courses range from ethics and social philosophy to the mind-body problem. Advisors encourage students to acquire background in a special interest by taking courses in other disciplines. A philosopher of science, for example, needs to study biology, just as a student interested in aesthetics must learn about art, music, and literature.

Religious studies examine the history, beliefs, practices, and role of religion in creating and shaping the world’s cultures and societies. The department offers courses in Western and Asian religions, courses in scriptures such as the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, as well as more advanced and thematic courses such as Religion and Film, Women and Religion, and Buddhist Philosophy. The objectives of the Religious Studies major are to explore the history of religions, to comprehend religious beliefs along with their philosophical and psychological underpinnings, to appreciate the varieties of religious experience and to assess the role that religions have historically played in shaping society’s values.

The department offers majors and minors in both philosophy and religious studies.

Major Requirements

Ten (10) courses are required.

Core Courses

Course NameCrs:Term TakenGradeGen Ed
REL 113 - Asian Religions

 

REL 125 - Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)

OR

REL 217 - Jewish Life and Thought

 

REL 126 - New Testament

OR

REL 218 - Christianity: Thought and Practice

 

REL 490 - Senior Seminar

Prereq(s): Junior or senior standing and REL major or minor.

OR

REL 499 - Senior Independent Study

Electives

Six (6) electives are required: four (4) at the 300- or 400-level and at least four (4) in REL.

Course NameCrs:Term TakenGradeGen Ed
ANT 259 - Contemporary Middle East and North Africa
ANT 365 - Real and the Supernatural in Latin America

Prereq(s): Completion of one ANT course

ARH 213 - Art and Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East
CLS 232 - Greek Mythology
CLS 306 - Topics in Classical Archaeology
CLS 322 - Classical Religion
ENG 241 - The Bible as Literature
PHI 317 - Philosophy of Religion

Prereq(s): Completion of one PHI or REL course.

POL 306 - Muslims in Western Politics.
POL 307 - Islam and Politics.

Prereq(s): POL 100, POL 130, or ANT 255​ 

PSY 313 - IS: Psychology of Religious Experience

Prereq(s): PSY 150.

  • REL or PHI courses not taken to fulfill above requirements
  • Notes: