Degree Requirements for Religious Studies

In this section

General Requirements for the Major or Minor

General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major or three units of the minor be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn a GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major or the minor; and 3) all courses taken for a major or minor must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major and minor degree requirements listed below.

Requirements for the Major

The major in Religious Studies is nine courses, one of which is the required REL 340 Imagining Religion.

From Area A: 1 course
From Area B: 1 course
From Area C: 1 course
From Area D: 2 courses
REL 340, Imagining Religion (usually taken sophomore or junior year)
From Areas A through E: 3 additional elective courses in Religious Studies, at least one at the 300 level or above

Notes

REL 495/496 counts as an elective toward the major, and not as an advanced seminar.
One approved ancillary course may be applied toward the major as an elective. Approved ancillary courses include: CLSC 210, CLSC 318, CONN 332, ENGL 353, HIST 350, HIST 393, STS 370.
Only grades of C (2.00) or higher count toward the major or minor.

Requirements for the Minor

The minor in Religious Studies is five courses:

One course each from Area A, B, and C; and two additional Religious Studies courses, at least one of which is above the 200 level.

Note

Only grades of C (2.00) or higher count towards the major or minor.

Areas of Study

Religious Studies courses are grouped into the following areas:

Area A. Abrahamic Religions

201 The History and Literature of the New Testament
203 Jesus and the Jesus Tradition
204 Religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
205 Introduction to Jewish Studies
210 Comparative Christianities
211 Islam in America
212 The Religion of Islam
303 Sexuality and Religion in Modern America
310 Christianity and Law in the West
312 The Apocalyptic Imagination
342 Sufism
350 Mysticism: The Spiritual Search in the Christian Tradition
363 Saints, Symbols, and Sacraments: History of Christian Traditions
CONN 322 Jihad and Islamic Fundamentalism

Area B. Asian Religions

231 Korean Religions and Culture
233 Japanese Religious Traditions
234 Chinese Religious Traditions
300 Japanimals: Power, Knowledge, and Spirituality at the Intersection of Species
328 Religion, the State, and Nationalism in Japan
332 Buddhism
334 Vedic Religion and Brahmanism
335 Classical Hinduism

Area C. Cultural and Ethical Studies

220 Spirituality and the Self
265 Thinking Ethically
270 Religion, Social Movements, and (in)Justice in the United States
272 Public Health Issues
292 Basics of Bioethics
302 Ethics and the Other
315 Modern Jewish Thinkers
320 Reproductive Ethics?
323 Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Societies
325 New Religious Movements
368 Gender Matters
CONN 318 Crime and Punishment

Area D. Advanced Seminars in Religious Studies

410 Religion and Violence
420 Law and Religion
430 The Politics of Living and Dying
440 The Body in Comparative Religions
450 Modernity and its Discontents
456 Ethics and Postmodernity
460 Religious Technologies
494 Special Topics

Area E. Additional Courses

202 Introduction to the Study of World Religions
208 Yoga, Psychedelics,and the Ascetic Imperative
215 Religion and Queer Politics
301 Consciousness and the Bourgeoisie
305 Marxism and the Messianic
307 Prisons, Gender and Education
330 Religious Freedom in the United States
495/496 Independent Study
CONN 344 Magic and Religion