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)
A major in Religion, Spirituality and Society consists of 9 units:
- 1 unit in ethical thought
- 1 unit in religious studies theory (REL 340 Imagining Religion)
- 2 units in religious traditions:
- 1 unit in Abrahamic religious traditions
- 1 unit in Asian religious traditions
- 1 unit in a 400-level REL advanced seminar
- 4 additional elective units
- At least 4 of the 9 total units must come from within one of the three concentrations below
- Self, Identity and Society
- Ethics, Health and Sexuality
- Social Justice, Activism and Law
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: ENGL 353, GLAM 321, GLAM330, 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 in Ethical Thought
- One course in Abrahamic religious traditions
- One course in Asian Religious Traditions
- Two additional Religion, Spirituality, and Society electives
At least one of the five courses must be numbered 300 or above.
Note
Only grades of C (2.00) or higher count towards the major or minor.
Ethical Thought Courses
- BIOE/REL 255 Pandemic Ethics, Laws, and Health Inequities
- BIOE/REL 272 Public Health Ethics
- CONN 318 Crime and Punishment
- GQS/REL 215 Religion and Queer Politics
- REL 222 Antisemitism and Islamophobia
- REL 265 What is Justice?
- REL 270 Religion, Activism and Social Justice
- REL 298 Reproductive Ethics
- REL 302 Ethics and the Other
- REL 456 Ethics and Postmodernity
- REL 470 Global Migrations and Lived Religions
Abrahamic Religious Traditions Courses
- 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 260 The Apocalyptic Imagination
- REL 303 Sexuality and Religion
- REL 310 Christianity and Law in the West
- 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
Asian Religious Traditions Courses
- 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 335 Classical Hinduism
Concentration Option 1: Self, Identity and Society Courses
- CONN 318 Crime and Punishment
- CONN 322 Jihad, Islamism, and Colonial Legacies
- CONN 344 Magic and Religion
- REL 202 Introduction to the Study of World Religions
- REL 205 Introduction to Jewish Studies
- REL 208 Yoga, Psychedelics, and Mind Science
- REL 211 Islam in America
- REL 212 Global Islam
- REL 225 New Religious Movements
- REL 231 Korean Religions and Culture
- REL 233 Japanese Religious Traditions
- REL 234 Chinese Religious Traditions
- REL 260 The Apocalyptic Imagination
- REL 300 Japanimals: Power, Knowledge, and Spirituality at the Intersection of Species
- REL 301 Consciousness and the Bourgeoisie
- REL 302 Ethics and the Other
- REL 315 Modern Jewish Thinkers
- REL 332 Buddhism
- REL 335 Classical Hinduism
- 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
- REL 368 Gender Matters
- 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 460 Religious Technologies
- REL 470 Global Migrations and Lived Religions
Concentration Option 2: Ethics, Health and Sexuality Courses
- BIOE/REL 255 Pandemic Ethics, Laws, and Health Inequities
- BIOE/REL 272 Public Health Ethics
- BIOE/REL 292 Basics of Bioethics
- GQS/REL 215 Religion and Queer Politics
- REL 204 Religions of the Book
- REL 208 Yoga, Psychedelics, and Mind Science
- REL 222 Antisemitism and Islamophobia
- REL 225 New Religious Movements
- REL 265 What is Justice?
- REL 298 Reproductive Ethics
- REL 303 Sexuality and Religion
- REL 307 Prisons, Gender and Education
- REL 321 Sexuality & Christianity: Then and Now
- REL 323 Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Societies
- REL 368 Gender Matters
- REL 430 The Politics of Living and Dying
- REL 444 God in the Anthropocene
- REL 456 Ethics and Postmodernity
Concentration Option 3: Social Justice, Activism and Law Courses
- BIOE/REL 255 Pandemic Ethics, Laws, and Health Inequities
- BIOE/REL 272 Public Health Ethics
- CLJ 220 Introduction to Crime, Law and Justice
- CLJ 370 Prison Archives and Public Memories: Researching the Incarceration of Women and Girls in Washington
- CONN 318 Crime and Punishment
- CONN 322 Jihad, Islamism, and Colonial Legacies
- GQS/REL 215 Religion and Queer Politics
- REL 202 Introduction to the Study of World Religions
- REL 260 The Apocalyptic Imagination
- REL 265 What is Justice?
- REL 270 Religion, Activism and Social Justice
- REL 298 Reproductive Ethics
- REL 302 Ethics and the Other
- REL 307 Prisons, Gender and Education
- REL 310 Christianity and Law in the West
- REL 320 Law and Religion
- REL 330 Religious Freedom in the United States
- REL 368 Gender Matters
- REL 430 The Politics of Living and Dying
- REL 444 God in the Anthropocene
- REL 456 Ethics and Postmodernity
- REL 470 Global Migrations and Lived Religions