Degree Requirements for Religious Studies
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 at least a cumulative 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 in Religion, Spirituality, and Society (BA)
The major in Religion, Spirituality, and Society 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 Religion, Spirituality, and Society, 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 ancillary course may be applied toward the major as an elective, with the permission of the chair. Examples of ancillary courses include: CLSC 321, 330, CONN 332, ENGL 353, HIST 311, HIST 393, STHS 370.
- Only grades of C (2.00) or higher count toward the major or minor.
Requirements for the Minor in Religion, Spirituality, and Society
The minor in Religion, Spirituality, and Society is five courses:
One course each from Area A, B, and C; and two additional Religion, Spirituality, and Society courses, at least one course must be above the 200 level.
Note
Only grades of C (2.00) or higher count towards the major or minor.
Area A. Abrahamic Religions
- CONN 322 Jihad, Islamism, and Colonial Legacies
- REL 201 The History and Literature of the New Testament
- REL 203 Jesus and the Jesus Traditions
- REL 204 Religions of the Book
- REL 205 Introduction to Jewish Studies
- REL 210 Comparative Christianities
- REL 211 Islam in America
- REL 212 Global Islam
- REL 222 Antisemitism and Islamophobia
- REL 303 Sexuality and Religion
- REL 310 Christianity and Law in the West
- REL 312 The Apocalyptic Imagination
- REL 321 Sexuality & Christianity: Then and Now
- REL 323 Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Societies
- REL 342 Mystical Islam: Saints and Sinners on the Way of God
- REL 350 Mysticism & Spirituality in Christianity
- REL 363 Saints, Symbols, and Sacraments: History of Christian Traditions
Area B. Asian Religions
- REL 231 Korean Religions and Culture
- REL 233 Japanese Religious Traditions
- REL 234 Chinese Religious Traditions
- REL 300 Japanimals: Power, Knowledge, and Spirituality at the Intersection of Species
- REL 328 Religion, the State, and Nationalism in Japan
- REL 332 Buddhism
- REL 334 Vedic Religion and Brahmanism
- REL 335 Classical Hinduism
Area C. Cultural and Ethical Studies
- AFAM/REL 265 What is Justice?
- BIOE/REL 272 Public Health Ethics
- BIOE/REL 292 Basics of Bioethics
- CONN 318 Crime and Punishment
- GQS/REL 215 Religion and Queer Politics
- REL 222 Antisemitism and Islamophobia
- REL 270 Religion, Activism and Social Justice
- REL 298 Reproductive Ethics
- REL 302 Ethics and the Other
- REL 303 Sexuality and Religion
- REL 315 Modern Jewish Thinkers
- REL 323 Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Societies
- REL 325 New Religious Movements
- REL 368 Gender Matters
Area D. Advanced Seminars in Religious Studies
- REL 320 Law and Religion
- REL 410 Religion and Violence
- REL 430 The Politics of Living and Dying
- REL 440 The Body in Comparative Religions
- REL 444 God in the Anthropocene
- REL 450 Technology, Enchantment, and Violence
- REL 456 Ethics and Postmodernity
- REL 460 Religious Technologies
- REL 470 Global Migrations and Lived Religions
- REL 494 Special Topics
Area E. Additional Courses
- CLJ/REL 307 Prisons, Gender and Education
- CONN 344 Magic and Religion
- GQS/REL 215 Religion and Queer Politics
- REL 202 Introduction to the Study of World Religions
- REL 208 Yoga, Psychedelics, and Mind Science
- REL 301 Consciousness and the Bourgeoisie
- REL 305 Marxism and the Messianic
- REL 330 Religious Freedom in the United States
- REL 495 Independent Study (Variable credit up to 1.00 unit.)
- REL 496 Independent Study (Variable credit up to 1.00 unit.)