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Undergraduate Catalog 2022-2023
Religious Studies (BA)
Description
The study of religion is an important branch of the humanities and an essential component in any well-grounded program of higher education. It is crucial for the understanding of any culture, and it deals with serious issues for the self-understanding of students of any age. 91福利社's Department of Religious Studies offers programs designed to explore the variety of religious thought and practices that human beings have expressed in the past as well as those that continue to be expressed in the present.
Because of its roots in the Catholic tradition, this department offers a wide variety of courses on Christian themes and developments, while also offering students broad exposure to other traditions, such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Students may choose from three focus areas designed to highlight the role and function of religion in society. These focus areas are social justice, intercultural studies and comparative theology.
The curriculum for a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Religious Studies is designed to serve three purposes: (1) to provide introductory and survey courses in the study of religion that will be valuable for all undergraduates and available in all time slots; (2) to provide a major for students wishing to concentrate in the study of religion; and (3) to provide a program leading to the master's degree for students wishing to engage in advanced studies.
Students who want to deepen their knowledge but do not want to pursue a major in Religious Studies may want to consider an Islamic Studies minor, a Religious Studies minor or a certificate in Catholic Studies.
Degree Requirements - Bachelor of Arts with a major in Religious Studies (120 credits)
To obtain this undergraduate degree, the student must fulfill the requirements of the University Core Curriculum, the requirements for the program major and complete a minimum of 120 credit hours.
Religious Studies Major (30 credits)
Religious Studies majors are required to earn 30 credit hours in the field. At least 15 credits (5 courses) must be earned in upper level courses (3000/4000 level).
To provide a foundation for this major, all students must take RELS 2001 The Study of Religions (3 credits) and one course in each of the three focus areas below. The remaining 18 credits (6 courses) for this major allow the student flexibility to pursue one or more of these focus areas in greater depth.
Near the end of their senior year, majors are also required to submit a portfolio of exams and papers which, in their judgment, give evidence of their knowledge of the field, their skills of research and expression and their personal appropriation of the materials they have covered. No additional grades are given for the portfolios. Their purpose is to assist the department in advising students and assessing the overall effectiveness of the program.
Required Foundational Course
- RELS 2001 The Study of Religions (3 credits)
Social Justice (choose one)
- RELS 2195 Geographies of Religion (3 credits)
- RELS 2230 Prophets and Visionaries (3 credits)
- RELS 2340 Introduction to Christian Ethics (3 credits)
- RELS 2400 Social Ethics (3 credits)
- RELS 2480 The Holocaust (3 credits)
- RELS 2490 Violence, Nonviolence and Religion (3 credits)
- RELS 3055 Islam in America (3 credits)
- RELS 3240 Feminist Biblical Interpretation (3 credits)
- RELS 3400 Class, Race, and Gender (3 credits)
- RELS 3430 Ethics and Economic Theories (3 credits)
- RELS 3470 Catholic Social Thought (3 credits)
- RELS 3480 Justice: Contemporary Issues and Theories (3 credits)
- RELS 3610 Religions and Sci-Fi (3 credits)
- RELS 4132 Religions and Global Wellbeing (3 credits)
- RELS 4140 Gender and Religion (3 credits)
- RELS 4141 Gender in Asian Traditions (3 credits)
- RELS 4340 Christian Ethics (3 credits)
- RELS 4680 Catholic Health Care Ethics (3 credits)
Intercultural Studies (choose one)
- RELS 2020 Asian Religions (3 credits)
- RELS 2030 Western Religions (3 credits)
- RELS 2050 Introduction to Islam (3 credits)
- RELS 2120 Introduction to Judaism (3 credits)
- RELS 2170 Religion in the United States of America (3 credits)
- RELS 2180 Black Religion in America (3 credits)
- RELS 2195 Geographies of Religion (3 credits)
- RELS 2350 Christ in Faith Fiction and Film (3 credits)
- RELS 2360 Religion and Film (3 credits)
- RELS 3051 Creative Islam (3 credits)
- RELS 3060 Buddhism (3 credits)
- RELS 3061 Buddhisms in America (3 credits)
- RELS 3610 Religions and Sci-Fi (3 credits)
- RELS 4112 Contemporary Islam (3 credits)
- RELS 4132 Religions and Global Wellbeing (3 credits)
- RELS 4140 Gender and Religion (3 credits)
- RELS 4141 Gender in Asian Traditions (3 credits)