Major/Minor Curriculum

For students first enrolled before Fall 2008

To ensure that students who major or minor in Religious Studies gain a well-rounded appreciation of the field of study, the Department requires that they take a certain number of credits in different subject areas. A major in Religious Studies leading toward the B.A. degree requires 24 credits in Religious Studies, passed with a grade of "C" or higher. At least 12 credits must be earned in courses numbered 300 or above and six credits must be taken in each of two of the three following subject areas: 1) Religious Texts; 2) Historical Traditions; 3) Contemporary Issues. An undergraduate minor requires 12 credits, passed with a "C" or higher. At least six credits must be earned in courses numbered 300 or above, and at least three credits must be taken in each of two of the three subject areas. Religious Studies 101 is required of all majors and minors.

Transfer students who major in Religious Studies must complete at least 12 credits in departmental courses numbered 300 or above in residence at the Coral Gables Campus. Transfers who wish to minor in the field must complete at least 6 credits in the same manner.

Religious Literature or Texts

111 INTRO TO THE HEBREW BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)
121 INTRO TO NEW TESTAMENT
311 PROPHECY AND PROPHETIC LITERATURE
312 FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
321 JESUS AND THE GOSPELS
322 ST PAUL : LETTERS AND CONTROVERSIES
510 SEMINAR IN HEBREW BIBLE
520 SEMINAR IN NEW TESTAMENT

Religious Traditions or Historical Traditions

131 RELIGION IN AMERICAN LIFE
171 INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM
231 JEWISH CIVILIZATION: SOCIETY, CULTURE, AND RELIGION
232 HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
268 RELIGION IN MODERN ISRAEL
305 RELIGION AND CULTURE IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
    (may count as area 1)
306 RELIGION AND CULTURE IN ANCIENT EGYPT
307 RELIGION AND CULTURE IN PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA
315 JEWISH MYSTICISM
325 JESUS IN MYTH AND HISTORY
331 RELIGIONS OF ASIA
332 JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM
334 THE AMERICAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE: HOLLYWOOD & POPULAR CULTURE
    (may count as area 3)
336 AMERICAN ENCOUNTER WITH ASIAN RELIGIONS
341 MODERN RELIGIOUS THOUGHT I
342 MODERN RELIGIOUS THOUGHT II
343 CATHOLIC LIFE AND THOUGHT (may count as area 3)
345 RELIGION AND GENDER (may count as area 3)
348 REFORMATION EUROPE
380 ARCHEOLOGY OF PALESTINE FROM PRE-HISTORIC TO ISLAM

Religious Issues and Problems

151 RELIGION AND MORAL CHOICES
252 RELIGION AND HUMAN SEXUALITY
350 CURRENT ISSUES IN RELIGION
351 RELIGIOUS ISSUES IN DEATH AND DYING
352 RELIGION AND SCIENCE
353 RELIGION AND AMERICAN POLITICS (may count as area 2)
354 RELIGION AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
355 RELIGION AND ITS INTERPRETERS (may count as area 2)
356 MYTH AND RELIGION (may count as area 2)
360 RELIGION AND BIOETHICS
370 ISLAM IN MODERN TIMES
375 RELIGION AND DEMOCRACY IN ISRAEL (may count as area 2)
450 PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION
550 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS ETHICS

GENERAL AREA COURSES

101 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION
401 SUPERVISED READING IN RELIGIOUS LITERATURE OR TEXTS
402 SUPERVISED READING IN RELIGIOUS OR HISTORICAL TRADITIONS
403 SUPERVISED READING IN RELIGIOUS ISSUES OR PROBLEMS
404 SPECIAL TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS LITERATURE OR TEXTS (area 1) *
405 SPECIAL TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS OR HISTORICAL TRADITIONS (area 2) *
406 SPECIAL TOPICS IN RELIGIOUS ISSUES OR PROBLEMS (area 3) *
407 SPECIAL PROJECTS IN RELIGIOUS LITERATURE OR TEXTS (area 1) *
408 SPECIAL PROJECTS IN RELIGIOUS OR HISTORICAL TRADITIONS (area 2)
409 SPECIAL PROJECTS IN RELIGIOUS ISSUES OR PROBLEMS (area 3) *
491 SR. HONORS THESIS I
492 SR. HONORS THESIS II
499 SENIOR SEMINAR

* These courses address specific topics or projects (appearing as a sub-titles) offered by different faculty.

THETA ALPHA KAPPA (TAK)

Majors and minors who have achieved academic excellence and have completed 90 credits (12 credits in Religious Studies) are eligible to join TAK, the nationally recognized Honor Society in Religion.

THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS AND CULTURES (SSRC)

The Society for the Study of Religions and Cultures is a student group whose mission is to increase students' knowledge and understanding (beyond what they can gain in the classroom) of the world's religions and the cultures in which they exist. This mission is supported by a senior staff and a faculty advisor from the Department of Religious Studies, as well as by input from other faculty members as desired. The society meets at least twice a month for various activities planned by the members, such as discussions, presentations by faculty members and visiting scholars, and field trips to area religious institutions. SSRC is open to all students, whether religious studies majors/minors or not, and everyone is encouraged to participate in both the society's activities and their planning.

Guidelines and Procedures for Receiving Credit for Religious Studies Courses Not Taken at the University of Miami

Guidelines

1. In view of the fact that Miami-Dade, FIU, Barry, and St. Thomas teach the introductory course with an approach different from that employed at UM, the Department does not accept credit for this course from these schools as equivalent to REL 101. These courses will, however, remain transferable for elective credit in Religious Studies.
2. The department does not accept as core credit any course taken at another university or college that is not equivalent to one of the offerings listed as part of the core curriculum in Religious Studies.
3. Elective credit for a course taken at another university or college can be received if it is equivalent to some non-core offering of the Religious Studies Department at UM.
4. In order to safeguard quality, no credit (core or elective) will be granted unless the student provides evidence that the instructor has earned a Ph.D.

Procedures:

To request that a course(s) in Religious Studies at another university or college be counted as either core or elective credit at UM, please submit to the undergraduate director of the department the following:

1. The formal description of the course you want to take elsewhere. Please photocopy and submit the relevant page(s).
2. Evidence that the instructor has earned a Ph.D. Again, a photocopy of the relevant portion of the school's bulletin will constitute proof.
3. A brief (one or two paragraph) explanation of your reasons for taking the course at another school.

Please submit the request as early as possible in order to allow time for the request to be considered carefully.

Honors Courses and General Honors

The Department of Religious Studies participates in the University of Miami's Honors Program and each semester offers two or more courses for Honors credit. These Honors courses, which may be taken by all students who are enrolled in the Honors Program, count toward the fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with "General Honors." Honors students may also, with the permission of departmental faculty, transform a regular course into an Honors course by doing specified additional work. This additional work is specified on a so-called "pink sheet" that must be signed by the faculty member and submitted to the Honors Program Office by the student before the specified deadline. For more precise information on the requirements for graduating with "General Honors" and on the regulations regarding "pink sheets," please contact the Honors Program Office.

Religious Studies majors and minors may enroll in any course offered by the Department of Religious Studies, including Honors courses, provided that they have the necessary prerequisites or permission of the instructor.

Departmental Honors in Religious Studies

The Department of Religious Studies encourages its majors and minors to intensify and deepen their knowledge of religious texts, traditions, and issues through its departmental honors program. The program is designed to give our students the opportunity to explore various topics and problems in religion that are of particular interest to them, to work more closely with faculty in the department, to develop skills in research and thesis preparation, and in some cases to prepare for graduate work in religious studies.

Minimal requirements for the program are as follows: 1) a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30; 2) a cumulative grade point average in religious studies of at least 3.50; and 3) a thesis that is approved by departmental faculty.

For the determination of honors, cumulative grade point average means either the average of all grades earned at the University of Miami or the combined average of all graded work taken at the University of Miami and elsewhere (whether or not the transfer work is accepted toward a degree at the University of Miami), whichever is lower.

Students have three options for writing the thesis. First, they may take six credit hours of independent study (REL 401: Supervised Reading in Religion) with one or more departmental faculty. Second, they may take a three-credit course offered at the 300-level or above and three credits of independent study (REL 401). Third, in exceptional circumstances, a student's thesis may be written as part of the requirements for earning six credits in religious studies courses at the 300-level or above. In all three cases, the thesis is to be a single, coherent work of scholarship through which the student earns six credit hours in religious studies.

 

Graduation Honors:
Magna cum Laude and Summa cum Laude

Qualified majors and minors in Religious Studies may seek to earn graduation honors at the same time as they seek departmental honors. The thesis written for Departmental Honors in Religious Studies may also be submitted for University graduation honors. To qualify for the latter, students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.75 for graduation magna cum laude and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.90 for graduation summa cum laude. Students who plan to seek university graduation honors should notify the department at the outset of the project and must seek guidance from the Honors Program Office at the same time. Depending upon the project, the department may ask a qualified faculty member from another department to serve on the student's thesis committee.