Comparative Religion and Humanities Home
Program Info
Department Info
- College of Humanities and Fine Arts
- (530)898-5351
- (530)898-5581 (fax)
- email: hfa@csuchico.edu
- Comparative Religion and Humanities Department
- (530)898-5661
- email: corh@csuchico.edu
Faculty
Course Offerings

The Certificate in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations

This certificate equips students in a variety of majors with competencies suitable to a range of professional activities involving religiously diverse populations - including education, healthcare, social services and community development, business, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Course Requirements for the Certificate: 21-22 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this certificate.

World Religions

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ANTH 140	Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion	3.0	SMF	GE GC
A cross-cultural examination of religions and world views. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (000499)
RELS 100	Judaism, Christianity, Islam	3.0	FS	GE
An analysis of the religions of the West: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (008129)
RELS 110	Asian Religions	3.0	FS	GE GC
An introduction to the religions of the East: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (008128)
RELS 180	Introduction to Religion	3.0	FS	GE
What is religion? How do we recognize it? Are there functions religions characteristically serve or questions they characteristically ask? Are there characteristic answers? Are there secular religions? How do various cultures approach the category of "religion"? This course explores diverse religious beliefs and practices in light of classic and contemporary analyses from several disciplinary fields. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (008130)
RELS 202	Islam and the World	3.0	FA	GE GC
This course is also offered as HIST 261, MEST 261. Introduces students to the history, faith, practice, and cultures of Islam, starting with the Late Antique Near Eastern milieu from which it emerged and tracing its development and geographic spread around the world to the present day. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004515)
RELS 205	Jews, Muslims, and the West	3.0	FA	GE USD
This course is also offered as MJIS 205. This course traces the history of Jewish and Muslim engagement with the West, explores the diversity of Jewish and Muslim groups in contemporary Europe and the United States, and investigates how Western interactions with Jews and Muslims have defined and challenged European and American identities. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (020675)
RELS 224	Religion and Ethnic Diversity in America	3.0	FA	GE USD
This course is also offered as MCGS 224. This course covers the religions that inform America's various ethnic groups, and the historical, cultural, and social experiences and values of Native American, Hispanic-American, Arab-American, African-American, and Asian-American cultures. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021198)
RELS 264	Dying, Death, and Afterlife	3.0	FS	GE GC
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 General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021321)
RELS 264W	Dying, Death, and Afterlife (W)	3.0	FS	GE GC W
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 Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004443)

Intercultural Relations

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
MCGS 155	Introduction to Multicultural and Gender Studies	3.0	FS	GE USD
An introduction to the concepts, terminology, and issues in multicultural and gender studies, including exploration of America's multicultural history, gender as an element of culture, and contemporary issues in the field. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (002602)
MCGS 155W	Introduction to Multicultural and Gender Studies (W)	3.0	FS	GE USD W
An introduction to the concepts, terminology, and issues in multicultural and gender studies, including exploration of America's multicultural history, gender as an element of culture, and contemporary issues in the field. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021257)
INST 110	Introduction to International Engagement	3.0	FS	GE
The nature of study, work, volunteering, and travel abroad. Emphasis on an exploration of the self as an integrated physiological, social, and psychological being while living abroad. Students learn to differentiate between personal, cultural, and universal patterns in order to develop greater understanding of themselves and people of other cultures. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021206)
INST 110W	Introduction to International Engagement (W)	3.0	FS	GE W
The nature of study, work, volunteering, and travel abroad. Emphasis on an exploration of the self as an integrated physiological, social, and psychological being while living abroad. Students learn to differentiate between personal, cultural, and universal patterns in order to develop greater understanding of themselves and people of other cultures. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021238)

Religion and Social Issues

2 courses selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ANTH 377	Anthropology of the Islamic World	3.0	SP	GE GC
This course examines Muslim cultures in the daily, national and global contexts in which Islam is practiced. Students read ethnography, fiction, history, and poetry in order to appreciate, respect and understand contemporary Islamic cultures. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (020635)
ANTH 377W	Anthropology of the Islamic World (W)	3.0	SP	GE GC W
This course examines Muslim cultures in the daily, national and global contexts in which Islam is practiced. Students read ethnography, fiction, history, and poetry in order to appreciate, respect and understand contemporary Islamic cultures. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021354)
GEOG 303	Geography and World Affairs	3.0	SMF	GE GC
Geography in the news. Analysis of current world conflicts and problem areas, with an emphasis upon examination of social, economic, political, and environmental realities. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (003872)
GEOG 352	The United States	3.0	FS	GE USD
A regional study of our nation in terms of the physical earth and its human use. The course includes emphasis on issues and problems related to resources, environmental concerns, and settlement patterns. Cultural and regional differences in human-environmental relationships are compared and contrasted. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (003902)
HIST 363	The Middle East After 1800	3.0	SP	GE GC
This course is also offered as MEST 363. Survey of the modern Middle East from Napoleon's Conquest of Egypt (1798) to the second Gulf War (2003). Examination of the decline and collapse of the Ottoman Empire, rise of Middle Eastern nation-states, nationalistic movements, and politics in Turkey, Iran, Israel, and the Arab world. Analyses of cultural and political issues, such as the Palestinian question, Arab-Israeli conflict, modernization, secularization, and Islamic resurgence. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021368)
RELS 322W	Religion in America (W)	3.0	SP	W
Religion plays a role in the most contentious social issues of our era: religious freedom, abortion, evolution, racism, and gay rights, among others. The course explores the historical roots of American religions and religious trends such as pluralism and fundamentalism. We pay particular attention to media representations of religious "others" and use case studies to explore the intersections of religion and gender, race, class, and ethnicity. The course uses historical documents, religious texts, films and other media, and also introduces students to basic research methods for religious studies. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Writing Course. (000405)
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 402	Religion, Sex, and Gender	3.0	SP
This course studies the many ways religion shapes gender and sexuality in different cultures and historical periods. It examines how religion affects the social expectations and experiences of women, men, and other genders as well as how religion helps define and regulate sexual behavior, sexual identities, and sexual possibilities. 3 hours seminar. (021634)

Interreligious Relations

1 course required:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
RELS 368	Interreligious Conflict and Cooperation		3.0	FA
This course examines interreligious conflict and cooperation in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts. It explores belief systems regarding religious "others" and the social, political, and cultural circumstances that shape interactions of religious groups. Emphasis is placed on developing skills for effective participation in a religiously diverse world. 3 hours lecture. (021719)

Professional or Disciplinary Focus

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
CHLD 333W	Children's Gender and Sexuality Development (W)	3.0	FS	GE W
Prerequisite: Junior standing. This topical course is designed for students who wish to develop a broader and deeper understanding of children's gender and sexuality development. Students study multiple theoretical explanations of gender and sexuality development, and learn how biological, social, cultural, and cognitive influences impact concepts of gender and sexuality. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021356)
EDTE 302	Access and Equity in Education	3.0	FS
Prospective teachers examine socio-political issues of education relative to current demographics of California schools, integration of multicultural education, and promotion of social justice. Candidates identify, analyze, and minimize personal and institutional bias and explore the complexities of living and teaching in a pluralistic, multicultural society. Candidates identify barriers English Learners experience in becoming full participants in the school program and strategies for assisting students in overcoming these barriers. 3 hours lecture. (002977)
PHHA 328	Multicultural Health	3.0	FS	USD
This course is also offered as MCGS 328. Ethnic groups in the U.S. face many health problems. This course focuses on those problems which affect the four largest ethnic groups in the U.S.: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and Asian Americans. The effects of history, health beliefs and practices, and socioeconomic status on the health of these ethnic populations are addressed. Current and potential strategies to improve health care delivery to these groups are explored. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved US Diversity course. Formerly HCSV 328. (004448)
JOUR 411	Race and Diversity in Media	3.0	FS
Prerequisite: JOUR 260W. Introduces students to the social constructions of ethnicity and how they are involved in the production, distribution and consumption of the U.S. mass media. 3 hours lecture. (005356)
JOUR 424	Public Opinion and Propaganda	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: CMST 131, CMST 330, CMST 331W, CMST 350 with a grade of C- or higher for CMST majors only. This course is also offered as CMST 424, POLS 424. Analysis of major factors in group and individual opinion formation, with emphasis on politics, opinion measurement, and the role of mass media in the political process. 3 hours lecture. (002029)
MGMT 442	Managing Individual Differences	3.0	FS
Prerequisite: MGMT 303. Organizational outcomes are affected by individual behaviors such as job performance, learning, and decision-making. The purpose of this course is to increase understanding of the individual differences that predict organizationally relevant behaviors including: personality, values, job-related attitudes, emotions, perceptual biases, and abilities. Strategies for effectively managing individual differences are also examined. 3 hours lecture. (005720)
POLS 451B	Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties	3.0	FS
This course is also offered as MCGS 451B. Analysis of judicial cases and related materials illustrating historical and current interpretations of constitutional problems such as racial discrimination, criminal procedures, and freedom of speech and religion. 3 hours lecture. (005645)
PSYC 341	Cross-Cultural Psychology	3.0	FS	GC
This course is also offered as MCGS 341. This course focuses on the importance and various influences of culture on human behavior. Beginning with an examination of theoretical definitions of culture, the course covers a broad range of research that highlights the contributions of cross-cultural psychology to the understanding of human behavior within and between cultures. In addition, conceptual, methodological, and practical issues in cross-cultural research and applications are covered. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (005638)
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 482W	Capstone: Religion, Public Life, and the Professions (W)	4.0	SP	GW W
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, RELS 480. This capstone equips students to analyze the role of religion in public life, including issues of religious freedom and the relationship between religion and American social institutions (government, education, health care, the criminal justice system, etc.). Following a study of the U.S. context, the course explores comparative cases in other countries. Focus is on the position(s) of religion in public space; the shifting boundaries of religious and non-religious activity, and the implications of these arrangements. One unit of credit for this course involves an internship, a research project, or prior learning portfolio assessment/experiential learning essay. 4 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors. This is an approved Writing Course. (008200)
SWRK 305	Community and Organizational Change	3.0	SP
Prerequisite: Social Work majors only. This course provides students with a foundation in community-based change strategies. Students explore how individuals affect communities, how communities affect individuals, and how social workers can become involved to create social change in conjunction with community members. 3 hours lecture. (015907)

Internship

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered
RELS 489	Internship in Religious Stud	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. Enrollment will be determined by permission of the Department of Religious Studies. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (008208)
UNIV 389	Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
This course is an internship offered for 1.0-3.0 units. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (009597)

Internships must be three units. Other appropriate departmental internships may be substituted by permission; please consult with the Certificate Coordinator.