Degree Requirements for Current Religious Studies Students

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 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

1. REL 495/496 counts as an elective toward the major, and not as an advanced seminar.
2. 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, STS 370.
3. Only grades of C (2.00) or higher count toward the major or minor.

Requirements for the Minor

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

Areas of Study

Religion, Spirituality, and Society 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
• 205 Introduction to Jewish Studies
• 210 Comparative Christianities
• 211 Islam in America
• 212 Global Islam
• 303 Sexuality and Religion
• 310 Christianity and Law in the West
• 312 The Apocalyptic Imagination
• 321 Sexuality and Christianity: Then and Now
• 342 Sufism
• 350 Mysticism: The Spiritual Search in the Christian Tradition
• 363 Saints, Symbols, and Sacraments: History of Christian Traditions
• CONN 322 Jihad, Islamism, and Colonial Legacies

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 What Is Justice?
• 270 Religion, Activism, and Social Justice
• 272 Public Health Ethics
• 292 Basics of Bioethics
• 298 Reproductive Ethics
• 302 Ethics and the Other
• 315 Modern Jewish Thinkers
• 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
• 444 God in the Anthropocene
• 450 Technology, Enchantment, and Violence
• 456 Ethics and Postmodernity
• 460 Religious Technologies
• 470 Global Migrations and Lived Religions
• 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