Religious Studies, Bachelor of Arts (769)
- Undergraduate
- AB
- Arts & Letters
- History
Overview
The academic study of religion provides the student with the methodological orientation necessary to comprehend the central beliefs, ethical practices, ritual systems, and social institutions of diverse religious traditions in their historic, contemporary and global contexts. Study in this field is multicultural and comparative, examining the patterns of life and moral worlds of societies past and present, our own as well as others. The student learns to probe for the structure, function and meaning of religion through those rites of passage, sacred narratives, faith communities, and codes of behavior that give meaning to human existence.
Program Requirements (30 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major in Religious Studies requires a minimum of 30 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. At least fifteen hours must be at the 300- or 400-level. A minor or second major is required.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| World Religions | ||
| RELS 102 | World Religions | 3 |
| Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives | ||
| Select six courses from the following: | 18 | |
RELS 100 | The New Testament | |
RELS 101 | The Old Testament/ Hebrew Scriptures | |
RELS 211 | Jesus in Film | |
RELS 222 | Christians, Jews, and Pagans in the Greco-Roman World | |
RELS 242 | The Meaning of Life; Atheism to Zen | |
RELS 300 | The Life of Jesus | |
RELS 302 | Buddhism | |
RELS 303 | Hinduism | |
RELS 304 | Judaism | |
RELS 305 | Christianity | |
RELS 306 | Islam | |
RELS 309 | Global Christianity | |
RELS 317 | Confucianism | |
RELS 318 | Daoism | |
RELS 319 | Religions of Asia | |
RELS 322 | Pilgrimage, Islam and Modernity | |
RELS 331 | Islam in America: Hope & Hip Hop | |
RELS 333 | Women and Religion | |
RELS 335 | Islam, Sexuality, and Gender | |
RELS 340 | Popular Culture and the Religious Marketplace | |
RELS 341 | Religion and the Environment | |
RELS 455 | Saints, Monsters and Superheroes | |
| Electives | ||
| Select two courses from the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Any RELS course not already counted toward the major. | ||
ANTH 446 | Anthropology of Religion | |
ART 316 | Medieval Art & Architecture | |
ART 407 | Islamic Art and Architecture | |
ENG 396 | Mythology | |
ENG 487 | Dante’s Divine Comedy and Its Influences | |
HIST 318 | Age of the Reformation | |
HIST 407 | The Crusades: West Meets East | |
HIST 454 | History of Religion in America | |
PSYS 451 | Psychology of Religion | |
SOCL 322 | Religion in Society | |
| Senior Seminar | ||
| RELS 496 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- 1
9 Hours must be in religious studies courses; Students may count up to 1 year of language sequence in Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, or Latin, or other languages approved by the Department Chair.
Finish in Four Plans
Finish in Four Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| COMM 145 or ENG 100 | 3 | ENG 100 or COMM 145 | 3 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | MATH 109 (or higher) | 3 |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences w. Lab | 3-4 | Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences | 3 |
| RELS 102 | 3 | Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives Course | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | Colonnade: Social & Behavioral Science | 3 |
| 15-16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENG 200 | 3 | Colonnade Connections Course | 3 |
| Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives Course | 3 | Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives Course | 3 |
| Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives Course | 3 | Religious Studies Elective | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives Course | 3 | Religious Traditions, Comparative Approaches, and Restricted Electives Course | 3 |
| ENG 300 | 3 | Colonnade Connections Course | 3 |
| Colonnade Connections Course | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| RELS 496 | 3 | Religious Studies Elective | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 | General Elective or Course for Second Major or Minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120-121 | |||