Program Requirements
B.A. in Religious Studies
All courses that may be applied to the major are included in the determination of the grade point average in the major.
Requirements
- Ten REST courses chosen in consultation with a departmental advisor, for a total of 30 credits in religious studies. Only two courses may be applied from the 100 level, but no courses from the foundational areas of Core 2020 may apply. These areas include Learning Community, Research-Based Writing, and Data Analysis courses.
- Four of the courses must be at or beyond the 300 level and include REST 496 - Independent Study.
- In the independent study course, a major research paper is written under the direction of a member of the religious studies department, culminating in an oral presentation to the religious studies majors and minors.
- Six of the courses must be completed in one of the religious studies concentrations. Courses that are to be applied to the particular concentration must be approved by the department chair. See areas of concentration listed below.
Total: 30 credits
Students are encouraged to select a foreign language—biblical, classical, or modern—that will help them explore the primary sources of their major study. Double-majors may wish to select a slate of courses in religious studies that complements their work in a related field such as anthropology, business, communication, history, international studies, languages, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, or sociology.
Concentrations
- Roman Catholic Theology – To recognize the methods and sources of Roman Catholic theology.
- World Religions – To recognize and research world religions, both Eastern and Western.
- Ethics – To emphasize a personal and communal process of moral decision-making from professional, cultural, and religious perspectives.
- World Scriptures – To read and explore the original sources of various world religions in translation to appreciate the literary richness of selected World Religions.
- Spirituality – To explore the forms, traditions, and practices related to the human experience of transcendence.