Requirements for the Major

Religion Major

Requirements

To complete a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree with a major in religion, a student must complete (in addition to other college requirements) thirty semester hours of religion courses structured in the following manner: 

  1. At least three semester hours in each of the three areas: Western, Asian or African, Issues and Approaches. For purposes of the major requirement, religion courses are categorized as follows:

    Western: REL 2121, 2210, 2240, 3128r, 3209, 3224, 3293r, 3363, 3367, 3430, 3505, 3607, 4203r, 4214, 4215, 4290r, 4324r, 4366, 4393, 4510, 4511, 4613, 4914r; IDS 2420

    Asian or African: REL 2315, 2350, 3333, 3337, 3340, 3345, 3358, 3370, 3935, 4335, 4357r, 4359r, 4912r; IDS 3466

    Issues and Approaches: REL 3112, 3142, 3145, 3152, 3160, 3170, 3171r, 3180, 3194, 3345, 3431, 3484; IDS 3197, 3392, 3671; IDH 2611, 2140; PHI 3700

    Note: Either REL 3194 or IDS 3197 (but not both) may be counted toward the major.

    Note: The areas in which REL 3936r, 4190r, 4304r, 4491r, 4905r, and 4932r fall depend on the topic. Students should inquire at the department office or consult with the departmental undergraduate advisors for a current list of all courses and their areas.

  2. At least eighteen semester hours at the 3000/4000 level
  3. REL 4044, which can only be taken after successful completion of at least twelve hours of coursework in the department
  4. At least one religion course with a seminar format (either a course listed as a seminar or one approved as such by the department)
  5. An exit interview or survey 
    Note: Courses in which the student receives a grade below "C-" will not be counted toward the major. 
    For more complete information about the major in religion, including the religion academic map, please see the Department of Religion Undergraduate General Bulletin.

Honors in the Major

The Department of Religion offers an honors program in religion to encourage talented juniors and seniors to undertake independent and original research as part of the undergraduate experience. For requirements and other information, see the "University Honors Office and Honor Societies" chapter of the General Bulletin.

Minor Requirement for Religion Majors

Unless a student is pursuing a double-major, he/she must declare a minor in another department. Minor requirements vary by department. Religion majors should contact the department in which they intend to minor for specific requirements.

Language Requirement for Religion Majors

All majors are required to fulfill the Arts and Science language requirement ("all students who intend to graduate with a bachelor's degree (either a B.A. or B.S.) from a department in the College of Arts and Sciences must show language proficiency beyond that required for university admission. Specifically, students must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to or beyond that attained upon completion of the intermediate level course (2000-level) in a language other than English"). Majors may use one of the ancient languages offered by the department to meet this requirement, but if they do, then those courses cannot also be used towards the 30 hours required for the major.
For Hebrew, only HBR 1102, 1103, 2222, and REL 4203r may count towards the Religion major.


Joint Major in Religion and Classics

The Departments of Religion and Classics cooperate in a joint major designed for students with a special interest in religion in the ancient world. Students interested in this program should discuss it with the undergraduate director of either department. 


Cooperation with Other Programs and Departments

Because religion touches upon many facets of human life, the study of religion is inherently interdisciplinary. The department therefore participates in a number of interdepartmental programs, including the following: American Studies, Asian Studies, African-American Studies, History and Philosophy of Science, Humanities, Middle Eastern Studies, and Women’s Studies. In addition, students of religion will find related courses in other departments, including Anthropology, Art History, Classics, English, History, Philosophy, and Sociology. Students undertaking a major or minor in religion should discuss such courses with the undergraduate advisor in religion.


Minor in Jewish Studies

Advisor: Martin Kavka (Department of Religion)

The Jewish studies minor is concerned with the diversity and complexity of Jewish religious and cultural expression from the time of the Bible to the present day. The minor is interdisciplinary, allowing students to take classes with faculty in various departments at FSU (including but not limited to the departments of religion, history, modern languages, and political science) and to begin to deepen their knowledge of Biblical and/or Modern Hebrew.

Requirements

The minor consists of fifteen semester hours, including two semester of Biblical or Modern Hebrew, or of another Jewish language approved by the advisor for the minor, unless equivalent competence is demonstrated. Courses fulfilling the minor requirements can be comprised of any of the core courses listed in the University Registrar's Undergraduate Bulletin, and any additional courses approved by the advisor for the minor. No more than eight semester hours of 1000-level or 2000-level language courses may be counted toward the minor, and no language courses taken toward the minor may be used to fulfill any University language requirement. Each semester, additional courses will count as core classes (Examples: REL 3293 - Topics in Biblical Studies, REL 4290 - Undergraduate Biblical Studies Seminar. or HIS 4935 - Senior Seminar). To receive a list of such courses, or request that a course count as a core course for the minor, please contact the advisor for the minor.

Students may count toward the minor three semester hours of course with significant, yet not majority, Jewish-studies content (Examples: ASH 4223 - Modern Middle East, EUH 4465 - Weimar and Nazi Germany, or FOW 4930 - Transnational Literature). Students who are not applying any language classes to the minor may count six semester hours of such classes toward the minor. To receive a list of such courses for a given semester, or to request that a course count in this category, please contact the advisor for the minor.