| Undergraduate Program Description
Overview
Undergraduate courses on religion at Penn
span three of the General Requirement sectors: (I) Society, (II)
History and Tradition, and (III) Arts and Letters. Society courses
investigate the diverse roles religion plays in modem society and the
critical analysis of competing methods for understanding those roles.
History & Tradition courses explore a great variety of religions
individually and comparatively. Arts & Letters courses deal with
the interpretation of religious concepts, symbols, myths and rituals as
they appear in texts, art and architecture, music, theatre, and film.
Each of the sectors is represented by two of the Department's half
dozen courses that are introductory to the field and also fulfill the
General Requirement for that sector:
RelS 001 Religions of Asia (History & Tradition)
RelS 002 Religions of the West (History & Tradition)
RelS 003 Religion and Literature (Arts & Letters)
RelS 005 Women and Religion (Society)
RelS 006 Understanding the Cult Controversy (Society)
A brochure of course offerings for each
semester is available at the
Department office prior to preregistration for that semester. Courses
are also
posted online
on this site.
The Major Program
Minimum Requirement 12 c.u.
Each major program is planned
individually with the Undergraduate Chair. Most programs will be
concentrated in one of the three sectors (Society, History &
Tradition, and Arts & Letters), but it is also possible to focus
upon an individualized topic. A sector concentration includes six
courses from that sector, at least one from each of the other two
sectors, and four electives. Normally a concentration will include the
two introductory courses for that sector (listed above), three
intermediate courses (100 or above), and one course that is a seminar
at the 400 level or above. Many courses offered by other departments
are approved for inclusion in the Religious Studies major, up to a
maximum of six. (Six is also the maximum number that can count toward
both parts of a double major.) Those who prefer an individualized topic
to one of the three sectors will take six courses dealing with their
topic, including two introductory courses, three intermediate, and at
least one seminar at the 400 level or above. Such programs must be
approved in advance by the Undergraduate Chair. Majors are encouraged
to take advantage of Penn's Study Abroad programs, among which the
University of Edinburgh and Hebrew University in Jerusalem have
especially strong offerings in religious studies. Our faculty welcomes
the opportunity for collaborative research projects on topics of mutual
interest, and majors often pursue independent research projects by
registering for RelS 399. There is a weekly Religious Studies
Colloquium on a variety of topics to which all majors are invited. The
Religious Studies Undergraduate Advisory Board sponsors films and other
activities several times a year.
Summary of Requirements for a
Religious Studies Major
1. Six courses in the sector
concentration or an individualized topic, including two at the
introductory level, three intermediate courses, and one advanced
seminar.
2. At least one course in each of the three sectors.
3. Electives to bring the total to 12 courses.
The Honors Program
14 c.u.
Highly motivated students having at least
a 3.5 GPA in Religious Studies may apply for honors standing, which
involves enrolling in two additional courses according to one of two
options. The first Honors option entails taking two upper level
ccurses: one must be RelS 400: Theories of Religion, and the other must
be a graduate level course (500 or above). The term paper for one of
these courses will count as the Honors thesis. The other Honors option
allows the student to do independent research and writing on a topic
agreed upon with a faculty member who supervises the project. Students
pursuing this alternative will normally enroll in RelS 399 and 309 in
their final two semesters. All honors candidates must earn a 3.5
average in their honors courses in order to graduate with honors.
The Minor Program
6 c.u.
Like the major, the Religious Studies
minor offers three concentrations corresponding to the three sectors of
the General Requirement: (I) Society; (II) History & Tradition; and
(III) Arts & Letters. Every minor program must include one of the
two introductory courses in the concentration and one course from one
of the other sectors. In addition, two additional courses are required
within the concentration, one of which should be at the 200 level or
above. Students wishing to focus on an individualized topic rather than
a sector concentration may work out a program with the Undergraduate
Chair. A maximum of two courses offered by other departments may be
counted toward the minor.
Combined B.A./M.A.
Degree in Religious Studies
Submatriculation toward the M.A. is
possible for outstanding majors who submit an acceptable proposal of
study to the Undergraduate and Graduate Chairs.
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