Major

Thirty semester credit hours, including 18 upper-division

Religious studies majors will complete one of the following three Tracks:

Track I:  COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Description: This track is designed to give students a comprehensive training in the discipline of Religious Studies. It is intended for students who would plan to pursue career options in Religious Studies, including graduate programs in the study of religion and/or in a theological or seminary setting.

1. Religious Studies 310, Introduction to the Study of Religion 
2. Religious Studies 320, Introduction to Research Methods in the Study of Religion 
3. Three semester credit hours chosen from the Tools Course list: 
   ​African and African Diaspora Studies 345F, Sex and Power in the African Diaspora 
   Anthropology 340C, Ethnographic Research Methods
   Economics 326L, Economics of Education
   Human Dimensions of Organizations 320, Multidisciplinary Methods for Exploring Organizations
   Religious Studies 337, Religion and Society
   Religious Studies 373E, Anthropology Of Religion
   Religious Studies 373T, Talk, Text, and God
4. Six semester credits hours of Religions of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, or the Mediterranean World:
   Religious Studies 302, History of the Religions of Asia
   Religious Studies 304, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: An Introduction
   Religious Studies 310R, Introduction to Middle East Religions
   Religious Studies 312C, Introduction to Buddhism
   Religious Studies 313C, Introduction to the Old Testament
   Religious Studies 313M, Jewish Civilization: Beginnings to 1492
   Religious Studies 313N, Jewish Civilization: 1492 to the Present
   Religious Studies 314K, Introduction to the Middle East: Religious, Cultural, and Historical Foundations
   Religious Studies 315K, Russian Icons and Propaganda
   Religious Studies 315M, Luther's World
   Religious Studies 315N, Introduction to the New Testament
   Religious Studies 316E, American Jews: The Yiddish Experience
   Religious Studies 318, The Rise of Christianity
   Religious Studies 319, Introduction to Islam
   Religious Studies 321, History of Hindu Religious Traditions
   Religious Studies 322, History of Indian Buddhism
   Religious Studies 325, Prophet of Islam: His Life and Times
   Religious Studies 325G, The Qur'an
   Religious Studies 335, Jesus in History and Tradition
   Religious Studies 341E, The Taj Mahal and the Diversity of Indian Art
   Religious Studies 341P, Indian Poetry and Religions
   Religious Studies 341T, Buddhist Art
   Religious Studies 341U, Devotional Literature of India
   Religious Studies 344, The Age of Reformation
   Religious Studies 352D, Japanese Religion and Western Imagination
   Religious Studies 352G, Shamanism and the Primitive
   Religious Studies 352R, Ritual and Religion in Korea
   Religious Studies 353D, The Dead Sea Scrolls
   Religious Studies 353E, Beyond the New Testament
   Religious Studies 353F, Interpretation of Jesus' Death and Resurrection
   Religious Studies 353G, Abraham and Abrahamic Religions
   Religious Studies 353J, Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature
   Religious Studies 353M, Debating Genesis
   Religious Studies 353P, Paul and His Social World
   Religious Studies 354D, The Bible and History
   Religious Studies 355, The Bible as Literature
   Religious Studies 355K, The Bible in British and American Literature
   Religious Studies 356C, Italian Renaissance, 1350-1550
   Religious Studies 356F, Twelfth-Century Renaissance: 1050-1200
   Religious Studies 356G, The Galileo Affair
   Religious Studies 357D, Heresy and the Inquisition
   Religious Studies 357E, Jews of Eastern Europe
   Religious Studies 357F, Heretics and Freedom Fighters, 1350-1650
   Religious Studies 357G, Geography of Religion in Eastern Europe and Russia
   Religious Studies 357I, Byzantine Art
   Religious Studies 357J, Northern Renaissance Art, 1350-1500
   Religious Studies 357K, Northern Renaissance Art, 1500-1600
   Religious Studies 357L, The Spanish Inquisition
   Religious Studies 357M, Spinoza and Modernity
   Religious Studies 357N, Northern Gods, Northern Faiths: The Conversion of Scandinavians, Finns, Northern Slavs and Shamans
   Religious Studies 357O, The Church and the Jews
   Religious Studies 357P, Jewish Folklore
   Religious Studies 357Q, Gothic Cathedral: Amiens
   Religious Studies 357R, The Age of Rembrandt and Rubens: Northern Baroque Art
   Religious Studies 357T, Introduction to Germanic Religion and Myth
   Religious Studies 357U, Medieval Women Mystics
   Religious Studies 357V, Holocaust Aftereffects
   Religious Studies 357W, Russian Orthodox Religion and Culture
   Religious Studies 358C, Islam and Politics
   Religious Studies 358E, Medieval Islam: Faith and History
   Religious Studies 358F, French Empire: The West and Islam
   Religious Studies 358G, Gender Politics in the Islamic World
   Religious Studies 358K, Islamic Law
   Religious Studies 358L, Rule of Law in the Middle East
   Religious Studies 358O, Origins of Monotheism
   Religious Studies 358P, History of the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Hajj
   Religious Studies 358U, Islamic Theology
   Religious Studies 358V, Veiling in the Muslim World
   Religious Studies 359C, Graffiti and Poster Art in the Islamic World
   Religious Studies 359D, Islam in the Early Modern World: Religion and Culture
   Religious Studies 359E, Shia Islam
   Religious Studies 359M, Arts of Islam, 650-1500
   Religious Studies 359N, Arts of Islam 1500-Present
   Religious Studies 365D, Hermits, Monks, and Saints in Early Christianity
   Religious Studies 365G, Death and the Afterlife in Graeco-Roman Antiquity
5. Six semester credit hours Religions of Africa, African Diaspora, or the Americas:
   Religious Studies 313E, Introduction to Jewish Latin America
   Religious Studies 316C, History of Religion in the United States
   Religious Studies 317N, Introduction to Modern North Africa
   Religious Studies 326, History of Religion in America since 1800
   Religious Studies 345, Islamic Spain and North Africa to 1492
   Religious Studies 346D, Native American Religions
   Religious Studies 346F, United States Catholic History
   Religious Studies 346G, Religion in the American West
   Religious Studies 346J, Evangelical Christianity
   Religious Studies 346K, The Black Church in African American Politics
   Religious Studies 346L, Representation of Jews in the American Public Sphere
   Religious Studies 346N, American Jewish Material Culture
   Religious Studies 346U, The History of Islam in the United States
   Religious Studies 346V, African American Religions
   Religious Studies 360C, African Religious Culture and Creativity
   Religious Studies 366C, The Bible in the Colonial Americas
   Religious Studies 366D, Religions of the Caribbean
   Religious Studies 366E, Jewish Cuba
   Religious Studies 368C, When Christ was King
   Religious Studies 368D, Church and State in Latin America
   Religious Studies 368E, The Religious Tradition in Latin America 
6. Six semester credit hours of Comparative Themes:
   Religious Studies 346C, Religion and Visual Culture in the United States
   Religious Studies 346M, Music and Religious Identities in the US
   Religious Studies 346P, Religion in American Political Thought
   Religious Studies 346S, Debating the Bible in the Twenty-First Century
   Religious Studies 352S, Japanese Concepts of Body and Self
   Religious Studies 353C, Angels, Demons, and Magic in Early Christianity
   Religious Studies 353L, The Sacred and the Secular in Contemporary Jewish Literature
   Religious Studies 356D, Satan and the Idea of Evil
   Religious Studies 358S, Saints and Shrines in Islam
   Religious Studies 357S, The Sacred and the Secular in Modern European Thought
   Religious Studies 358W, Gender and Art in the Muslim World
   Religious Studies 368F, Religion, Conquest, and Conversion in Colonial Latin America
   Religious Studies 373D, The History of Christmas
   Religious Studies 373F, Creation
   Religious Studies 373G, Goddesses in World Religions and Cultures
   Religious Studies 373J, Creation and Evolution: Human Origins in Scientific and Religious Discourses
   Religious Studies 373K, Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination
   Religious Studies 373N, Religions in Contact
   Religious Studies 373S, Sport, Religion, and Society
7. Religious Studies 375S, Advanced Seminars in Religious Studies

Track II:  GLOBAL INTERELIGIOUS DYNAMICS

Description: This track is designed for students interested in the human encounters and exchanges within and across global religious traditions. It is intended for students who wish to gain in-depth knowledge of the ways diverse religious practices and ideas impact global politics and civic life, in order to develop skills applicable to careers that address conflict resolution and cultural pluralism.

1. Religious Studies 310, Introduction to the Study of Religion 
2. Religious Studies 307, Introduction to Interreligious Dynamics 
3. Religious Studies 320, Introduction to Research Methods in the Study of Religion 
4. Nine semester credit hours of Contemporary Interreligious Dynamics:
   Religious Studies 316C, History of Religion in the United States
   Religious Studies 313N, Jewish Civilization: 1492 to the Present
   Religious Studies 316E, American Jews: The Yiddish Experience
   Anthropology 318L, Mexican American Culture
   Religious Studies 358C, Islam and Politics
   Religious Studies 358F, French Empire: The West and Islam
   Religious Studies 358G, Gender Politics in the Islamic World
   Religious Studies 358L, Rule of Law in the Middle East
   Religious Studies 358V, Veiling in the Muslim World
   Religious Studies 359C, Graffiti and Poster Art in the Islamic World
   Religious Studies 346V, African American Religions
   Religious Studies 326, History of Religion in America since 1800
   Religious Studies 345, Islamic Spain and North Africa to 1492
   Religious Studies 346D, Native American Religions
   Religious Studies 346F, United States Catholic History
   Religious Studies 346G, Religion in the American West
   Religious Studies 346J, Evangelical Christianity
   Religious Studies 346K, The Black Church in African American Politics
   Religious Studies 346L, Representation of Jews in the American Public Sphere
   Religious Studies 346N, American Jewish Material Culture
   Religious Studies 346U, The History of Islam in the United States
   Religious Studies 360C, African Religious Culture and Creativity
   Religious Studies 366C, The Bible in the Colonial Americas
   Religious Studies 366D, Religions of the Caribbean
   Religious Studies 366E, Jewish Cuba
   Religious Studies 368C, When Christ was King
   Religious Studies 368D, Church and State in Latin America
   Religious Studies 368E, The Religious Tradition in Latin America 
5. Nine semester credit hours of Historical Interreligious Dynamics:
   Religious Studies 306D, The Roots of Religious Toleration
   Religious Studies 312C, Introduction to Buddhism
   Religious Studies 304, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: An Introduction
   Religious Studies 312C, Introduction to Buddhism
   Religious Studies 313E, Introduction to Jewish Latin America
   Religious Studies 313M, Jewish Civilization: Beginnings to 1492
   Religious Studies 318, The Rise of Christianity
   Religious Studies 319, Introduction to Islam
   Religious Studies 321, History of Hindu Religious Traditions
   Religious Studies 322, History of Indian Buddhism
   Religious Studies 325, Prophet of Islam: His Life and Times
   Religious Studies 325G, The Qur'an
   Religious Studies 335, Jesus in History and Tradition
   Religious Studies 352D, Japanese Religion and Western Imagination
   Religious Studies 352G, Shamanism and the Primitive
   Religious Studies 352R, Ritual and Religion in Korea
   Religious Studies 353G, Abraham and Abrahamic Religions
   Religious Studies 357E, Jews of Eastern Europe
   Religious Studies 357N, Northern Gods, Northern Faiths: The Conversion of Scandinavians, Finns, Northern Slavs and Shamans
   Religious Studies 357O, The Church and the Jews
   Religious Studies 357P, Jewish Folklore
   Religious Studies 357T, Introduction to Germanic Religion and Myth
   Religious Studies 357U, Medieval Women Mystics
   Religious Studies 357V, Holocaust Aftereffects
   Religious Studies 357W, Russian Orthodox Religion and Culture
   Religious Studies 358E, Medieval Islam: Faith and History
   Religious Studies 358K, Islamic Law
   Religious Studies 358P, History of the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Hajj
   Religious Studies 359D, Islam in the Early Modern World: Religion and Culture
   Religious Studies 359E, Shia Islam
   Religious Studies 359M, Arts of Islam, 650-1500
   Religious Studies 359N, Arts of Islam 1500-Present
   Religious Studies 365D, Hermits, Monks, and Saints in Early Christianity
   Religious Studies 365G, Death and the Afterlife in Graeco-Roman Antiquity 
6. Religious Studies 375S, Advanced Seminars in Religious Studies

Track III:  RELIGION, ETHICS, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Description: This track is designed to train students in applied methods for the study of religion in everyday life, including secular spaces and popular cultures that often fall outside conventional understandings of religious traditions and the study of religion. This track emphasizes concerns of ethics and justice in society. It is intended for pre-professional students interested in careers in medicine, law, social work, non-profits, community engagement, workplace equity, human rights, and democratic engagement.

1. Religious Studies 310, Introduction to the Study of Religion 
2. Religious Studies 320, Introduction to Research Methods in the Study of Religion
3. Three semester credit hours chosen from the Tools Course list:
   African and African Diaspora Studies 345F, Sex and Power in the African Diaspora
   Anthropology 340C, Ethnographic Research Methods
   Economics 326L, Economics of Education
   Human Dimensions of Organizations 320, Multidisciplinary Methods for Exploring Organizations
   Religious Studies 337, Religion and Society
   Religious Studies 373E, Anthropology Of Religion
   Religious Studies 373T, Talk, Text, and God
4. Nine semester credit hours of Religious Ethics and Moral Traditions:
   African and African Diaspora Studies 351U, Race, Capitalism, and the Environment
   Religious Studies 358R, Islamic Ethics
   Religious Studies 306C, Comparative Religious Ethics
   Religious Studies 346S, Debating the Bible in the Twenty-First Century
   Religious Studies 373M, Biomedicine, Ethics, and Culture
   Religious Studies 352F, Religion and Family in Japanese Society
   Religious Studies 358J, Sex and Sexuality in the Muslim World
   Religious Studies 373L, Science, Magic, and Religion
   Religious Studies 358D, Muslim Women in Politics
   Religious Studies 341F, Jainism: Religion of Non-Violence
   Religious Studies 341K, Karma: Ethical Theories of India
   Religious Studies 341M, Gender, Sexuality, and the Family in Indian Religions and Cultures
   Religious Studies 352E, Confucianism
   Religious Studies 373K, Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Culture, Religion, and Imagination 
5. Nine semester credit hours of Human Rights and Social Justice:
   African and African Diaspora Studies 301, African American Culture
   African and African Diaspora Studies 350U, The Civil Rights Movement from a Comparative Perspective
   African and African Diaspora Studies 351F, Black Americans and the South
   African and African Diaspora Studies 351L, The United States in the Civil Rights Era
   African and African Diaspora Studies 351T, Anthropology for Liberation
   African and African Diaspora Studies 360F, Urban Unrest
   Anthropology 320G, Endangered Languages
   Anthropology 325U, Austin Jews in the Civil Rights Era
   Government 314D, Human Rights Theories and Practices
   Government 320N, United States Constitutional Development: Rights
   Government 335Q, Global Justice
   Government 351C, The Classical Quest for Justice
   Government 351E, Contemporary Political Theory
   Government 357D, Civil Liberties
   Government 357G, Structure of Individual Liberties
   Government 365W, Human Rights and World Politics
   Religious Studies 341C, Gandhi and Gandhism
   Religious Studies 346R, Religion and Social Justice in United States
   Religious Studies 346E, Religion and Film
   Religious Studies 346V, African American Religions
   Religious Studies 346D, Native American Religions
   Religious Studies 346K, The Black Church in African American Politics
   Religious Studies 357C, Machiavelli: Politics and Culture
   Religious Studies 358G, Gender Politics in the Islamic World
   Religious Studies 373C, Religious Ethics and Human Rights 
6. Religious Studies 375S, Advanced Seminars in Religious Studies