Religious Studies

We live in a world of many cultures. Each of these cultures is shaped by at least one religion and often more than one. A minor in Religious Studies can bring an important dimension of multicultural awareness to a major in any other discipline, and the issues raised by the study of religion and the investigation of these issues involve factual discovery and conceptual insight.

The Religious Studies minor helps develop critical thinking and writing skills, critical historical analysis, sociocultural analysis and comparative analysis of the other. Anyone who will need to know something of the beliefs, rituals and moral values of other people in order to better appreciate different cultural patterns and individual aspirations would benefit from a Religious Studies minor to supplements one’s major.

A minor in Religious Studies consists of 3 units of lower division and 15 units of upper division credit. With approval of the department advisor, students may apply an Experimental Topics course (RS 396A-Z) to fulfill the requirements of the minor.

1. Lower Division Required Course (3 units)

Choose one course from the following:

RS 100 Introduction to Religious Studies (3)
RS 101 The Bible (3)
RS 150 World Religions (3)
RS 160 Religion in Western Civilization (3)
RS 240 Approaches to the History of Religions (3)

2. Upper Division Required Courses (15 units)

A. Religion in the United States (3 units)

Choose one course from the following:

RS 305 New Religious Movements in America (3)
RS 306 American Religious Diversity (3)
RS 307 Religion in America (3)
RS 308 Native American Religions (3)
RS 378 American Jewish Experience (3)

B. Current Issues in Religion (3 units)

Choose one course from the following:

RS 300 Religion and Society (3)
RS 302 Modern Religious Ethics (3)
RS 303 Religion and Personality (3)
RS 304 Women and Religion (3)
RS 310 Religion and Literature (3)
RS 311 Religion and Film (3)
RS 313 Religion and Art (3)
RS 356 Contemporary Religious Thought (3)
RS 361 Contemporary Ethical Issues (3)
RS 370 Religion and Ecology (3)

C. Sacred Texts of the World (3 units)

Choose one course from the following:

RS 320 Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (3)
RS 325 New Testament (3)
RS 327 Teachings of Jesus (3)
RS 375 Classical Judaic Texts (3)
RS 383 Asian Religious Texts (3)
RS 384 Approaching the Qur’an (3)

D. Religious Traditions (6 units)

Choose two courses from the following:

JS 300 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Arts and Literature (3)
RS 345 Christianity (3)
RS 365 Islam (3)
RS 380 Asian Religions: Communal Traditions and Transitions (3)
RS 385 Hinduism (3)
RS 390 Buddhism (3)
RS 426 Religions of China: Taoism (3)

With approval of the department advisor, students may apply an Experimental Topics in Religion course (RS 396A-Z) to the appropriate category listed above.

Total Units in the Minor: 18