The request to revise BA in Religious Studies
Date: May 24, 2016
To: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: May 17, 2016
Approved by: Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Committee
Implementation Date: Spring 2017
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Catalog Copy
Degree Requirements
A Major in Religious Studies leading to the B.A. degree requires 30 credit hours in RELS courses.*
General Education Courses (37-43 credit hours)
For details on required courses, refer to the General Education program.
Major Courses (24 credit hours)
Academic Study of Religion Courses (6 credit hours)
Two courses to orient the student to the academic study of religion.
Note:
Students are encouraged to take RELS 2600 as early as possible in their program; students typically take RELS 4600 during their final year.
Textual Analysis Courses (6 credit hours)
Two courses designated as Textual Analysis [T] ** (as signaled in the department’s semester course listings). These courses focus on reading texts closely and carefully, examine methods and histories of textual interpretation, and consider how religious groups and cultures have composed, transmitted, and been shaped by texts.
Historical Analysis Courses (6 credit hours)
Two courses designated as Historical Analysis [H]** (as signaled in the department’s semester course listings). These courses focus on a particular historical period or figure; consider a movement, idea, or institution across several historical periods; and examine questions of historiography more generally.
Cultural Analysis Courses (6 credit hours)
Two courses designated as Cultural Analysis [C]** (as signaled in the department’s semester course listings). These courses focus on how religious discourses, practices, institutions, and communities interact with, influence, and are influenced by the larger culture of which they are a part.
Restricted Elective Courses (6 credit hours)
Students should choose two elective courses in consultation with their academic advisor.
Notes:
*At least five (5) courses, including RELS 4600, must be at the 3000-level or above. Two three-hour courses that are cross-listed in Religious Studies and are taught in another department (e.g., History, Anthropology, Africana Studies, Women and Gender Studies, etc.) may count toward the major in Religious Studies. These courses may have the designation of the cross-listed department. For these courses to be counted toward the Religious Studies major, a student must request from their advisor a “Request for Cross-Listed Courses in Another Department to Count Toward The Major in Religious Studies” form and submit it to their advisor who will include it in their advising file. The form must be submitted no later than October 1st for graduation in December; March 1st for graduation in May; and June 1st for graduation in summer.
**Depending on how respective sections are taught, a course could fulfill the requirement for Cultural Analysis [C], Historical Analysis [H], or Textual Analysis [T]. Students must consult the course descriptions circulated each semester to determine which designations have been assigned to a particular course.
Unrestricted Elective Courses
As needed.
Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours
Honors Program
For details about the Honors Program in Religious Studies, visit the program page.
Suggested Curriculum
For a suggested curriculum progression toward completing the major, please see the Academic Plan of Study available online at academics.uncc.edu.