Religion, BA

Program Description:

The Religion major educates students in the ideas and practices of the worlds enduring religious traditions in a comprehensive and nonsectarian way. Religion has been, and remains, a powerful force in shaping the world, having profound influences on art, literature, history, and social institutions. Understanding such a complex phenomenon requires students to utilize a variety of methods, to read carefully and critically, to think clearly, and to write convincingly-skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

A major in religion requires 12 courses within the department. The 3 introductory courses (REL 2050 , REL 2060 , and REL 2070 ) should be completed as soon as possible, while the senior seminar (REL 4930 ) should be taken near the end. Of the remaining 8 courses, 5 are guided electives (one course in each area: American Religion, Biblical Studies, East Asian Religions, South Asian Religions, and Western Religions) and 3 are open electives. At least one of the guided or open electives must be at the 4000 level.

Graduates follow a variety of career paths. A few go on to the graduate study of religion; some go directly into the job market in non-technical fields, others pursue a professional career, such as ministry, law, counseling, social services, even medicine.

Faculty:

Professors Barr (Emeritus), Chamberlain (Chair)

Associate Professors Halabi, Murray, Stoker, Verman

Assistant Professor Wendt

Lecturer Wolpert

Religion Minor

A minor in Religion is available for students unable to fit the major into their program. It consists of 3 introductory courses (REL 2050 , REL 2060 , and REL 2070 ) plus 4 open electives.

Religion Honors Program

Students with a GPA of 3.5 or better in Religion may substitute an Honors project for the Senior Seminar. An Honors project involves independent study with a faculty mentor. It will usually extend over two consecutive terms and earn six hours of credit upon its successful completion. The project will normally culminate in the writing of a major research paper (25-30 pages) or a series of related shorter papers during the second term and an oral defense of the project with the Department faculty.

Program Requirements:

I. Wright State Core: 38 Hours

Element 1: Communication: 6 Hours

Element 2: Mathematics: 3 Hours

Element 3: Global Traditions: 6 Hours

Element 4: Arts and Humanities: 3 Hours

Element 5: Social Sciences: 6 Hours

Element 6: Natural Sciences: 8 Hours

Additional Core Courses: 6 Hours

II. Departmental Requirements: 36 Hours

REL 2050 - What Is Religion? Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 2060 - Asian Religions Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 2070 - Western Religions Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 4930 - Seminar in Religion Credit Hour(s): 3

Five additional courses, one from each area: 15 Hours

American Religion
Biblical Studies
East Asian Religions
South Asian Religions
Western Religions

Religion electives (3 courses): 9 Hours

Note(s):

*At least 1 of the additional or elective courses must be at the 4000 level

III. Related Requirements

IV. College Requirements: 18 Hours

Foreign Language: 12 Hours

Through 2020 level (1010, 1020, 2010, 2020) of one language:
Spanish, French, German, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, American Sign Language or other.

Methods of Inquiry

Quantitative Methods: 3 Hours

One Course from:

COM 4490 - Survey of Communication Research Credit Hour(s): 3
MUS 4140 - Intro to Research in Music Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 2100 - Quantitative Methods in Political Science Credit Hour(s): 3
SW 2910 - Social Science Data Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3400 - Sociological Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
URS 4980 - Quantitative/Qualitative Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3410 - Introduction to Research Methods Credit Hour(s): 3
MS 2040 - Introduction to Business Statistics Credit Hour(s): 3

Qualitative Methods: 3 Hours

One Course from:

PHL 2150 - Inductive Logic Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 2230 - Symbolic Logic I Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3230 - Symbolic Logic II Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4710 - Philosophy of Physical Science Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4720 - Philosophy of Social Science Credit Hour(s): 3

V. Electives: 32 Hours

Total: 124 Hours

Graduation Planning Strategy

The Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS) has been created to illustrate one option to complete degree requirements within a particular time frame. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to adjust this plan based on credit already earned, individual needs or curricular changes that may not be reflected in this year’s catalog.