The Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Degree MAPs page in the University Catalog or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Literacy Requirement:

See Mathematics and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog. Writing proficiency in the major is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a course in your major which has been designated as the Writing Proficiency (WP) course for the semester in which you take the course. Students who earn below a C- are required to repeat the course and earn a C- or higher to receive WP credit. See the Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must pass ENGL 130I or JOUR 130I (or equivalent) with a C- or higher before you may register for a WP course.

Course Requirements for the Major: 37 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Major Core Program: 16 units

6 courses required:

Writing Proficiency Course: 3 units

1 course selected from:

World Traditions: 6 units

1 course selected from:

Western Traditions:

1 course selected from:

Asian Traditions:

Religion, Society, and Culture: 6 units

6 units selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
RELS 224	Religion and America's Ethnic Minorities		3.0	FA	GE  USD
This course is also offered as MCGS 224. This course covers the religions that inform America's ethnic minorities, and the historical, cultural, and social experiences and values of Native American, Hispanic-American, Arab-American, African-American, and Asian-American minority groups. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021198)
RELS 247	Religion, Ethics, and Ecology		3.0	FS	GE
An introduction to ways that religious and secular world views and ethics influence attitudes, behaviors, and policies toward the environment, society, and economy. The course considers alternative views of self and society, the relationship between human beings and the natural world, and issues of lifestyle, justice, and sustainability. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021200)
RELS 264I	Dying, Death, and Afterlife		3.0	FS	GE  GC  WI
A study of the religious, ethical, spiritual, psychological, and socio-cultural dimensions of dying, death, and afterlife. Reading and discussion of issues surrounding dying (dying as one's last career, patient-centered approaches, spirit/body relationships); death (definitions, religious meanings, ritual practices); and afterlife (religious conceptions, relation to the human quest for meaning). 3 hours seminar.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004443)
RELS 265	CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien		3.0	INQ
This course explores mythology and fiction through an analysis of the fantasy and science fiction works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Do Judaism and Christianity have a mythology comparable to that of other cultures? What do the works of Lewis and Tolkien tell us about our own time and the issues our civilization faces? Topics include the nature and origin of evil, the seductions of technolgoy and control, the place of earth in the cosmos, the purpose and origin of humankind and the universe, and the nature of God in the face of evil. 3 hours discussion. (008156)
RELS 275I	Women and Religion		3.0	FS	GE  GC  WI
This course is also offered as WMST 275I. Analysis of the images, roles, and experiences of women in world religions in historical and contemporary contexts. 3 hours discussion.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021201)
RELS 304	Judaism in America		3.0	INQ
This course is also offered as MJIS 304. An exploration of the forces influencing, and the important events in, the emergence of Judaism in America. Attention is given to issues of community identity and the interaction of Judaism with the larger culture in the context of society and politics in America. 3 hours discussion. (005859)
RELS 325	Worldviews of American Indians		3.0	INQ	USD
This course is also offered as AIST 325. A description and analysis of selected American Indian religions and philosophies of American Indian peoples of North America. The course will emphasize the Indians' spiritual relationship with nature as depicted in ceremonies, music, literature, and oral traditions. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved US Diversity course. (000384)
RELS 331	Center for Applied and Professional Ethics (CAPE) Forum		1.0	FS
An introduction to current ethical issues facing individuals, institutions, and society. Students attend regularly scheduled CAPE forums, symposia, and seminars and do appropriate reading and writing in conjunction with sessions. 1 hour lecture. Formerly PHIL 331. (007236)
RELS 332	World Religions and Global Issues		3.0	FS	GE  GC
An introduction to major religions of the contemporary world (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Chinese religions) with particular emphasis on their relationship to pressing global issues, including economics and poverty, environmental issues, war and peace, and human rights. Explores a number of religious traditions that are closely identified with specific ethnic groups in this country. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (008190)
RELS 343	Wealth, Power, and Justice		3.0	SP
What is the proper attitude toward wealth and poverty? Do the rich have an obligation to help the poor? How should we balance a commitment to human equality and to individual liberty? How are we to determine whether a society's distribution of wealth and power is just or unjust? What methods constitute legitimate means of achieving social change? This course explores alternative religious perspectives on these and other ethical questions that arise in connection with contemporary social, political, and economic life. 3 hours lecture. (008167)
RELS 346	Ethical Conflicts and Religious Values		3.0	FS
What role does religion play in contemporary debates about ethics and morality in modern pluralistic societies? Topics may include abortion, capital punishment, assisted suicide, war and peace, environmental destruction, sex, and world hunger and poverty, as well as the conflicts between secular and religious world views. 3 hours lecture. (008158)
RELS 348	Jesus, Buddha, and Marx: A Study in Comparative Ethics		3.0	FA
This course explores how Christians, Buddhists, and Marxists have sought to answer questions about the nature and goals of human life and about the methods of individual and social transformation. Attention will be given to the diversity of ethical perspectives in the traditions on such topics as the human good, the ideal society, political and economic life, war and peace, the family, the meaning of freedom, and the nature of salvation. 3 hours discussion. (008165)
RELS 357I	End of the World - WI		3.0	FS	GE  WI
This course introduces students to the ways in which historic and contemporary religious communities interpret catastrophes and how religious worlds explain and provide humans with tools to cope with catastrophes and with making meaning out of suffering and death. Focus is on visions of the end of the world (apocalypticism, environmental destruction), interpreting the meaning of disasters (natural, human-induced), and personal and global annihilation (epidemics, nuclear destruction). 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. (008166)
RELS 358	Religion in American Public Schools		3.0	FS
An introduction to the major world religions and an analysis of legal, intellectual, and educational issues that arise in connection with the study of religions in American public schools. 3 hours lecture. (008168)
RELS 365	Religion and Film		3.0	SP
An examination of the representation of religious concerns and meaning in modern film. Utilizing resources developed in religious traditions and in the field of religious studies, the course examines themes central to the human condition such as selfhood, religious conviction, despair, redemption, and race and ethnicity. 3 hours lecture. (008149)
RELS 369	Religion and Sexuality		3.0	FS
A cross-cultural study of the ways religious world views, institutions, and rituals shape views of human sexuality. Topics include sacred sexuality; religious asceticism; the regulation of reproductive sexuality; religious perspectives on homosexuality; the role of religion in constructing gender identity and the special ritual role of "third" genders in some cultural communities; and critiques of religious perspective on sexuality from feminist and queer communities. 3 hours lecture. (020224)
RELS 381	Sociology of Religion		3.0	INQ
This course is also offered as SOCI 327. This course explores the impact of religion on the individual and society, and surveys the major developments in the field. This includes interactive relationships between religion and other social institutions, and debates on controversial issues. 3 hours lecture. (008184)
RELS 392	Contemporary Religious Thought		3.0	INQ
See description under RELS 491. 3 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (008160)
RELS 475	Feminist Theology		3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: RELS 375 or WMST 375. This course is also offered as WMST 475. A study of the development of feminist theology in Christian, Jewish, and other religious traditions over the past 30 years. Examines feminist theological analysis of religious symbols, texts, rituals, beliefs, and practices in the U.S. and international contexts. 3 hours seminar. (008199)

Note: A maximum of 3 units of any modern foreign language study at the third-semester college level or beyond, or any 3 units of college-level ancient or classical language study, will be credited toward the 6-unit requirement for this category.

Electives: 6 units

6 units selected from:

Choose 6 units from any Religious Studies (RELS) courses listed above or from the following electives.

Supervision Courses

All supervision courses require faculty permission.

A maximum of 3 units of the supervision courses may be counted toward the major, though it is not necessary to take any. Additional units must be requested by petition. (If RELS 497 is taken to fulfill the writing proficiency requirement, a maximum of 6 units of supervision courses will be counted toward the major.)

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

1. You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
2. You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
3. Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
4. Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
5. Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
6. Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.