2025-2026 DRAFT Academic Catalog

Nov 09, 2024

2025-2026 DRAFT Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Comparative Religion, BA (COMPRELGN-BA)

Program Description

Religion is an essential dimension of human thought and experience. It shapes our history, culture, values, and beliefs. It influences debates on a diverse range of issues, including global terrorism and political ideologies, gender and racial equality, ethics and social justice.

The comparative religion faculty offer courses in all the great world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Chinese and Japanese Religions. We teach a variety of courses on Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and American Religious History. In addition, we offer cross-cultural and thematic courses that examine particular topics, including women and religion, religion and politics, human rights, ethics, religious pluralism, mythology, mysticism, and film.

Program faculty use an academic, non-confessional methodology in teaching religion. In our classes we analyze religious beliefs, practices, texts, and institutions both descriptively and critically as intellectual, historical, and cultural phenomena. We do not argue for the truth of one, all, or no religion.

Admission Requirements

Currently admitted to Wright State University

Program Learning Objectives

Students enrolled in the Comparative Religion program will

Acquire effective writing and communication skills
Acquire strong critical thinking skills
Appreciate the diversity of religious worldviews, traditions, beliefs, and practices
Understand how to study religion from an academic perspective.

Program Learning Outcomes

As a result of their learning experience, graduates of the Comparative Religion program have

Effective writing and communication skills
Strong critical thinking skills
An appreciation of the diversity of religious worldviews, traditions, beliefs, and practices
A understanding of how to study religion from an academic perspective.

Comparative Religion Honors Program

Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher in Religion may substitute an Honors project for the major’s Advanced Religion Courses requirement. 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 culminates in the writing of a major research paper (25-30 pages) during the second term and an oral defense of the project with the Program faculty.

For More Information

Comparative Religion, BA
School of Humanities and Cultural Studies
College of Liberal Arts

Program Requirements:

I. Wright State Core: 38 Credit Hours

First-Year Seminar: 3 Credit Hours

All students must successfully complete a First-Year Seminar during their first year. Transfer students who transfer 24 or more credit hours (post high school graduation) are exempt from this requirement and will need to satisfy three additional credit hours in the Additional Core Courses category.

Element A - English Composition: 6 Credit Hours

Element B - Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic: 3 Credit Hours

Additional Core Requirements

Within the 36 credit hours of the Wright State Core students must successfully complete the following:

· One Global Inquiry (GI) course

· Two Inclusive Excellence (IE) courses

· One to two Integrated Writing (IW) courses. To meet degree requirements all students must complete a minimum of 3 IW courses by choosing either (a) 1 in the Core and 2 in the major or (b) 2 in the Core and 1 in the major. Students should check their major program requirements for courses that fulfill Integrated Writing.

Students who do not make choices within the 36 required hours of the Core to fulfill the GI, IE, and IW requirements will take additional Core hours beyond the minimum of 36.

Element C - Arts and Humanities: 6 Credit Hours

Element D - Social and Behavioral Sciences: 6 Credit Hours

Students will select two Social and Behavioral Sciences courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements.

Required:

Element E - Natural Sciences: 7 Credit Hours

Additional Core Courses: 5 Credit Hours

Students will select up to 5 additional credit hours from Elements A-E from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements to reach the 36 minimum hours required in the Core. Unless specified by the student’s major, these are selected by the student. When a major has required courses in this area, the specific Core course(s) required will be listed below.

Credits / Units: 3
LA 1020 - First-Year Seminar: College of Liberal Arts Credit Hour(s): 3

II. Major Requirements: 36 Credit Hours

Introductory Religion Courses: 6 Credit hours

Students must take two 2000-level Religion courses

Upper-Level Religion Electives: 27 Credit hours

Students must take nine 3000-4000 level Religion electives. A minimum of two courses must be taken in each of the following areas:

Asian Religions Area Courses: 6 hours minimum
Western Religions Area Courses: 6 hours minimu

NOTE: Students may substitute one 3-credit upper-level CLS or PHL course for one 3000-level REL elective.

Asian Religion Area Courses

REL 3400 - Topics in Asian Religion Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3410 - Chinese Religions Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3420 - Japanese Religions Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3430 - Buddhism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3440 - Hinduism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3450 - Daoism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3460 - Confucianism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3470 - Zen Buddhism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3480 - Hindu Mythology Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3490 - Hindu Goddesses Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3510 - Comparative Asian Mysticism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3530 - Asian Religious Ethics Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3550 - Human Rights in China Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3810 - Anthropology of Religion Credit Hour(s): 3

Western Religion Area Courses

REL 3100 - Topics in Judaism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3110 - Judaism: Faith and People Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3120 - Modern Jewish Thought Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3200 - Topics in Christianity Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3210 - Christianity Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3300 - Topics in Islam Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3310 - Introduction to Islam Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3320 - Islam in the Modern World Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3520 - Western Mysticisms Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3600 - Topics in American Religion Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3610 - Religion in America Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3620 - New Religious Movements in America Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3630 - Women and Religion in America Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3640 - Religion and Politics in America Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3700 - Topics in Biblical Literature Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3720 - Pentateuch Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3730 - Genesis Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3740 - Prophets and History Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3750 - Introduction to New Testament Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3760 - The Four Gospels Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3770 - The Letters of Paul Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3780 - Apocalypse of John Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3790 - Topics in Greco-Roman Religions Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3820 - Sociology of Religion Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3900 - Topics in Philosophy of Religion Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3930 - Faith and Reason Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 3940 - Existentialism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 4100 - Seminar on Judaism Credit Hour(s): 3
REL 4500 - Seminar on American Religion Credit Hour(s): 3

Advanced Religion Courses: 3 Credit hours

Students must take one 4000-level Religion course.

NOTE: Students cannot use REL 4810 Independent Study to fulfill this requirement.

III. College Requirements: 18-22 Credit Hours

Foreign Language: 12-16 Credit Hours

Through 2020 level (1010, 1020, 2010, 2020) of one language:

Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Chinese, American Sign Language or other.

Methods of Inquiry: 6 Credit Hours

PHL 3000 - Critical Thinking Credit Hour(s): 3
Research Methods - One course from approved list Credit Hour(s): 3

IV. Electives: 24-28 Credit Hours

Total: 120 Credit 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.

Comparative Religion, BA (GPS)
Comparative Religion (3yr) (GPS)