The Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See "Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree" in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. Please request a plan from your major advisor or view it and other current advising information on the CSU, Chico Web.

General Education Requirements: 48 units

See "General Education Requirements" in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings. The course requirements marked below with an asterisk (*) may also be applied toward General Education.

Cultural Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See "Cultural Diversity" in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.

American Institutions Requirement: 6 units

See the "American Institutions Requirement" under "Bachelor's Degree Requirements." This requirement is normally fulfilled by completing HIST 130 and POLS 155. Courses used to satisfy this requirement do not apply to General Education.

Literacy Requirement:

See "Mathematics and Writing Requirements" in the University Catalog. Writing proficiency in the major is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a course in your major which has been designated as the Writing Proficiency (WP) course for the semester in which you take the course. Students who earn below a C- are required to repeat the course and earn a C- or better to receive WP credit. See the Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must pass ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a C- or better before you may register for a WP course.

Course Requirements for the Major: 37 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this degree.

Major Core Program: 13 units

5 courses required:

RELS 100 Judaism, Christianity, Islam 3.0 FS *
RELS 110 Asian Religions 3.0 FS * NW
RELS 281 Library Research Methods in RS 1.0 SP
RELS 322 Religion in America 3.0 FA

This course is also offered as AMST 322.

RELS 480 Theories & Criticisms of Relig 3.0 SP
Prerequisites: RELS 100 or RELS 110 or faculty permission.

Writing Proficiency Course: 3 units

1 course selected from:

RELS 482 Seminar in Religious Studies 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher; concurrent enrollment or prior completion of RELS 281 and RELS 480.
RELS 497 Tutorial in Religious Studies 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, faculty permission.

Students must take RELS 497 for 3.0 units to meet the Writing Proficiency requirement.

RELS 499H Senior Honors Research Paper 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, RELS 480 (may be taken concurrently).

World Traditions: 6 units

1 course selected from:

Western Traditions:

RELS 104 Greek Myth and Ritual 3.0 Inq
RELS 107 Bible Controversies 3.0 FS *
RELS 202 Islam 3.0 FS * NW

This course is also offered as HIST 261, and MEST 261.

RELS 204 Judaism 3.0 FS * Eth

This course is also offered as MJIS 204.

RELS 207 Christianity 3.0 FS *
RELS 302 The Qur'an 3.0 Inq

This course is also offered as MEST 302.

RELS 303 Hebrew Bible 3.0 Inq

This course is also offered as MJIS 303.

RELS 307 New Testament 3.0 Inq
RELS 407 History of Christian Thought 3.0 Inq

1 course selected from:

Asian Traditions:

RELS 210 Chinese Religions 3.0 Inq
RELS 211 Japanese Religions 3.0 Inq
RELS 212 Hinduism 3.0 FA * NW
RELS 213 Buddhism 3.0 FS * NW

Religion, Society, and Culture: 6 units

6 units selected from:

RELS 264 Dying, Death, and Afterlife 3.0 FS *
RELS 265 CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien 3.0 Inq
RELS 331 Applied & Prof Ethics Forum 1.0 FS

This course is also offered as PHIL 331.

RELS 332 World Religions & Global Iss 3.0 FS *
RELS 334 Ethics & Environmental Sci 3.0 Inq

This course is also offered as PHIL 334.

RELS 341 Religion/Ethics/Medicine 3.0 Inq
RELS 342H What Motivates Altruism? Hnrs 6.0 FA *
Prerequisites: Open only to students working on the Upper-Division Theme in Honors; must be in good standing in the Honors Program.

This course is also offered as PHIL 313H, and PSYC 313H.

RELS 343 Wealth, Power, and Justice 3.0 SP *
RELS 345 The Problem of Evil 3.0 Inq
RELS 346 Ethical Conflicts & Rel Values 3.0 FS *
RELS 347 Cross-Cultural Environ Ethics 3.0 FS *
RELS 348 Jesus/Buddha/Marx 3.0 FA
RELS 357 End of the World 3.0 FS *
RELS 358 Rel in Amer Public Schools 3.0 FS
RELS 365 Religion and Film 3.0 SP
RELS 366 Mysticism: East and West 3.0 SP
RELS 369 Religion and Sexuality 3.0 FS
RELS 375 Women and Religion 3.0 FS *

This course is also offered as WMST 375.

RELS 381 Sociology of Religion 3.0 Inq

This course is also offered as SOCI 327.

RELS 392 Contemporary Religious Thought 3.0 Inq
RELS 475 Feminist Theology 3.0 Inq
Prerequisites: RELS 375 or WMST 375.

This course is also offered as WMST 475.

RELS 491 Contemporary Religious Thought 3.0 Inq

Note: A maximum of 3 units of any modern foreign language study at the third-semester college level or beyond, or any 3 units of college-level ancient or classical language study, will be credited toward the 6-unit requirement for this category.

Religion and the Americas: 3 units

1 course selected from:

RELS 304 Judaism in America 3.0 Inq

This course is also offered as MJIS 304.

RELS 324 Religion/Amer Eth Minorities 3.0 FS * Eth

This course is also offered as MCGS 324.

RELS 325 Worldviews of American Indians 3.0 Inq Eth

This course is also offered as AIST 325.

Electives: 6 units

6 units selected from:

Choose 6 units from any Religious Studies (RELS) courses listed above or from the following electives.

RELS 180 Introduction to Religion 3.0 FS *
RELS 198 Special Topics 1.0 -3.0 Inq
RELS 398 Special Topics 1.0 -3.0 Inq
RELS 489 Internship in Religious Stud 1.0 -3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
RELS 498 Special Topics 1.0 -3.0 Inq

The following course may also be used as an elective in the RELS major:

PHIL 204 Reason and Religion 3.0 FS *

Supervision Courses

All supervision courses require faculty permission.

A maximum of 3 units of the supervision courses may be counted toward the major, though it is not necessary to take any. Additional units must be requested by petition. (If RELS 497 is taken to fulfill the writing proficiency requirement, a maximum of 6 units of supervision courses will be counted toward the major.)

RELS 391 Reading in Religious Studies 1.0 -3.0 FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
RELS 497 Tutorial in Religious Studies 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, faculty permission.
RELS 499H Senior Honors Research Paper 3.0 FS WP
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, RELS 480 (may be taken concurrently).

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It involves 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or competition in shows. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and later professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are

1. You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. At least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.

2. You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.

3. Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.

4. Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.

5. Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.

6. Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.