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Religious Studies

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Faculty

Offered by the Department

Major in religious studies with the B.A. degree in liberal arts and sciences.

Minor in religious studies.

The Major

Religious studies seeks to explore the role of religion as an important part of human history. It is designed to improve understanding of religion, not to advocate religious belief or any particular religious tradition.

Religious studies students examine the major Eastern and Western religions, their founders and leaders, myths and rituals, theologies, creeds and scriptures, and institutional forms, as well as the relationship between religion and literature, the arts, ethics, science, and psychology.

Career opportunities available to religious studies graduates include positions such as university, college, community college, or secondary school teacher (graduate study and/or teaching credential required); counselor and social worker (graduate study required); religious education director, rabbi, priest, or minister in a church or synagogue setting (graduate study required); religion reporter or editor for a newspaper or magazine; textbook editor. The religious studies program is also excellent background for graduate professional programs in such areas as law, business, and foreign service.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major. Students seeking a minor in religious studies under the Individualized Program area must confer with the department adviser in the first semester of their study.

Religious Studies Major

All candidates for a degree in liberal arts and sciences must complete the graduation requirements listed in the section of this catalog on "Graduation Requirements." No more than 48 units in religious studies courses can apply to the degree.

A minor is not required with this major.

Preparation for the Major. Religious Studies 101; Philosophy 101 or 102 or Religious Studies 102. (6 units)

Foreign Language Requirement. Competency (successfully completing the third college semester or fifth college quarter) is required in one foreign language as part of the preparation for the major. Refer to section of catalog on "Graduation Requirements."

Upper Division Writing Requirement. Religious Studies 396W or, with approval of the department, Anthropology 396W, Rhetoric and Writing Studies 305W, or Sociology 396W with a grade of C (2.0) or better.

Major. A minimum of 27 upper division units in religious studies to include Religious Studies 300, either 301 or 305, and at least three units from each of the three areas listed below:

Western Religious Traditions: Religious Studies 318, 320, 325, 330, 331, 340, 390, 580*, 581*, 582*, 583*, 596*.

Eastern Religious Traditions: Religious Studies 401, 403, 580*, 581*, 582*, 583*, 596*.

Religion and Culture: Three units from Religious Studies 350, 353, 354, 355, 360, 363, 365, 370, 380, 385, 580*, 581*, 582*, 583*, 596*.

* When deemed relevant by the department adviser. Maximum credit six units for any course with variable content.

Religious Studies Minor

The minor in religious studies consists of a minimum of 15 units to include at least three lower division units in religious studies, and 12 units from one of the three areas listed below:

Western Religions: Religious Studies 301, 305, 318, 320, 325, 330, 331, 340, 390, 580*, 581*, 582*, 583*, 596*.

Eastern Religions : Religious Studies 401, 403, 580*, 581*, 582*, 583*, 596*.

Religion and Culture: Religious Studies 350, 353, 354, 355, 360, 363, 365, 370, 380, 385, 580*, 581*, 582*, 583*, 596*.

Or AN INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM of 12 upper division units approved in advance by the department adviser.

Courses in the minor may not be counted toward the major, but may be used to satisfy preparation for the major and general education requirements, if applicable. A minimum of six upper division units must be completed in residence at San Diego State University.

* When deemed relevant by the department adviser. Maximum credit six units for any course with variable content.

Courses

102. Introduction to Religion (3) I, II
Nature, meaning, and presuppositions of religious experience.

296. Experimental Topics (1-4)
Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.

300. Ways of Understanding Religion (3) I
Prerequisite: Three units of religious studies.

Major approaches to study of religious phenomena and central issues in methodology.

Problems of composition and historical significance in the context of religious meanings of the scriptures known to Jews as the Tanakh (the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings) and to Christians as the Old Testament.

Problems of composition and historical significance in the context of religious meanings.

Selected issues in religious thought in Europe and America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Major doctrines, practices, and developments from rabbinic times to present.

Major doctrines, practices and developments from time of Jesus to present.

Selected topics such as early Hebrew religion, the Talmudic period, medieval religious thought, mysticism, modern Judaism from the emancipation to the Holocaust, contemporary thought. May be repeated with different content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

Selected topics such as the Qur'an and its interpretation (tafsir), Prophet Muhammed and his traditions (hadith) , and Islamic mysticism (Sufism) . May be repeated with new content. Maximum credit six units.

Major doctrines, practices and developments from the time of Muhammed to the present.

Chief data and major approaches in the study of individuals' religious behavior and experiences. Special attention to relevant problems in world religions and philosophical views of man.

Theological and religious interpretations of psychological dimension of human existence. Critique of psychological inquiry into traditional and contemporary forms of religious life. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units of which three units may be applicable to General Education.

Theological and religious interpretations of the social dimension of human existence. Critique of social science inquiry into traditional and contemporary forms of religious life.

Judeo-Christian practice and meaning of love, romance, and marriage based on historical and literary sources. Biblical period to present with emphasis on contemporary values and issues.

The relations between religion, literature, and the arts in major cultural traditions.

Relation of the natural sciences to religious questions of nature, humanity, and destiny.

Values, morality, and responsibility, from religious perspectives. Application to contemporary moral issues.

Place and role of women in major religious traditions; historic contributions of women to religion; female deities; feminist responses to male-centered traditions.

Shamanism from a global perspective, from primal to modern times, its persistence and revitalization in post-industrial religion; its religious forms through comparative study of Amazonian, African, Native American, and Southeast Asian forms.

Native American religions with focus on sacred culture, world view, ritual life, community and myth as a basis for interpreting religious experience; encounter of Indian traditions with modernity and revitalization responses.

Selected topics in religion in America, such as church-state relations, transcendentalism, Black Christianity, pentecostalism, theosophy, oriental movements in America and neo-paganism. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

Research and writing in field of religious studies.

Phenomenological studies in the major religious traditions of India, especially Hinduism and Buddhism.

Phenomenological studies in the major religious traditions of east Asia, especially China and Japan.

Selected topics. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree.

Individual study. Maximum credit six units.

Life, works and significance of one major figure in a religious tradition. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

Advanced systematic study of a theme or motif selected from major religious traditions. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

Advanced systematic study of a selected scripture or classic text(s) selected from one of the major religious traditions. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

Advanced systematic study of the doctrines, practices, and development of a major religious tradition. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Maximum credit six units.

Advanced selected topics in religious studies. May be repeated with new content. See Class Schedule for specific content. Limit of nine units of any combination of 296, 496, 596 courses applicable to a bachelor's degree. Maximum credit of six units of 596 applicable to a master's degree. Maximum combined credit of six units of 596 and 696 applicable to a 30-unit master's degree.

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