Religious Studies, also known as Comparative Religion, the Science of Religion, or the academic study of religion, is a part of the human sciences, and it engages in the analysis of cross-cultural religious phenomena. As such, the mission of Religious Studies is to foster critical awareness of the role religion in society, the ways in which people’s values and worldviews shape their involvement in the world, such as business, law, and government, and to provide tools for students to track and measure these developments socially and reflectively in themselves.
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS | ||
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or SS 1500 | Strong Start Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3-4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| Mathematics requirement (met with MATH 2623 or PHIL 2619) | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities (6 s.h.) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences (2 courses, 1 with lab) (6-7 s.h.) | 7 | |
| Social Science (6 s.h.) | 6 | |
| Social and Personal Awareness (6 s.h.) | 6 | |
| Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| FNLG 1550 | Elementary Foreign Language | 4 |
| FNLG 2600 | Intermediate Foreign Language | 4 |
| Required Courses for Major (31 s.h. - 22 s.h. must be at the 3700-level or higher) | ||
| Religious Studies Core Courses | ||
| REL 2602 | Introduction to Religious Studies | 3 |
| REL 4825 | Methods and Study of Religion | 3 |
| Group A: Select one course from: | ||
| REL 2617 | Introduction to Asian Religions | 3 |
| REL 3708 | African-American Religion | 3 |
| REL 3710 | African and Neo-African Religion | 3 |
| REL 3720 | The World of Islam | 3 |
| REL 3726 | Buddhist Beliefs Practices and Debate | 3 |
| REL 3744 | Islamic Culture and Literature | 3 |
| REL 3748 | Islam and the West | 3 |
| Group B: Select one course from: | ||
| REL 2611 | Judaism Christianity and Islam | 3 |
| REL 3732 | Jesus and the Gospels | 3 |
| REL 3722 | Popes Saints and Rebels | 3 |
| REL 3731 | Hebrew Scriptures | 3 |
| REL 3733 | Women And the Bible | 3 |
| ANTH 4815 | Anthropology of Religion | 3 |
| JUDC 1500 | 3 | |
| HIST 3789 | Jewish History | 3 |
| Analytics - Select one course from two of the analytic groups: | 6 | |
| Political Science: | ||
| Global Ethics | ||
| Religion and the Earth | ||
| Reform, Revolt, or Revolution in Islam | ||
| Islamic Culture and Literature | ||
| Liberation Theologies and Revolutionary Change | ||
| Religion and Violence | ||
| The Holocaust | ||
| Anthropology: | ||
| Hindu Traditions | ||
| Anthropology of Religion | ||
| Sociology: | ||
| Religion and Race | ||
| Philosophy: | ||
| The Examined Life | ||
| Religion and Moral Issues | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Feminism, Ecology and Religion | ||
| Psychology: | ||
| Psychology of Religion | ||
| Remaining Hours: | ||
| REL 4850 | Seminar in Religious Studies | 3 |
| REL 4869 | Capstone Cooperative Seminar | 1 |
| REL 4871 | Senior Capstone Project | 3 |
| Religious Studies Electives | 6 | |
| Minor | 18 | |
| Electives Must complete a minimum number of electives to meet the 120sh total graduation requirement | ||
| Total Degree Hours = 120 s.h. | ||
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1 |
| REL 2602 | Introduction to Religious Studies | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| ENGL 1550 or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 or Writing 1 with Support | 3-4 |
| Foreign Language 1550 | 4 | |
| Semester Hours | 14-15 | |
| Spring | ||
| REL 37XX Group A | 3 | |
| Social Science 15XX/26XX | 3 | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| REL 37XX Group B | 3 | |
| Foreign Language 2600 | 4 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 2619 or MATH 2623 | Introduction to Logic or Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| Natural Science 15XX/26XX | 3 | |
| Minor 15XX/26XX course | 3 | |
| Social and Personal Awareness 15XX/26XX | 3 | |
| Elective 15XX/26XX | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| REL 37XX Analytics | 3 | |
| REL 37XX Analytics | 3 | |
| Minor 15XX/26XX course | 3 | |
| Natural Science plus lab 15XX/26XX | 4 | |
| Social and Personal Awareness 15XX/26XX | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| REL Elective | 3 | |
| Minor 15XX/26XX course | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| REL Elective | 3 | |
| Minor 37XX course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| REL 4825 | Methods and Study of Religion | 3 |
| Minor 37XX course | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX | 3 | |
| REL 4850 | Seminar in Religious Studies | 3 |
| Elective 15XX/26XX | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| REL 4871 | Senior Capstone Project | 3 |
| REL 4869 | Capstone Cooperative Seminar | 1 |
| Minor 37XX course | 3 | |
| Elective XXXX | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 13 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 119-120 | |
Learning Objectives
- Students will understand the various approaches to the study of religion under the field that is called Religious Studies. This is accomplished through enrollment in the two core course, “Introduction to Religious Studies,” and “Methods and the Study of Religion."
- Students will develop an appreciation of two discrete religious systems to allow for healthy comparisons. This is accomplished by fulfilling the requirement of taking one course from “Class A,” which addresses Christian and Jewish traditions, and “Class B,” which covers Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and African-American traditions.
- Students will accumulate two different methods to study religion. This is accomplished through the enrolment of one course from at least two different analytic groups: anthropology, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.