Nov 21, 2024

2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog

2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Religious Studies Minor

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The discipline of Religious Studies describes, interprets, explains, and evaluates the variety of religious phenomena across cultures. By developing a nuanced, critical, and sympathetic understanding of how human beings have structured and given meaning to their lives, students of religion gain a broadened perspective on human cultures and societies. Religious Studies students also acquire widely transferable skills of analysis, research, and communication.

Department Information

History & Philosophy | James Egge, Ph.D., Department Head | 701 Pray-Harrold, 734.487.1018, jegge@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Please see the History Section website for advising information.

Minor Requirements: 20-21 hours

Students considering a minor in Religious Studies should meet with an advisor early in their university studies to map out a tentative course of study.

Required Area Courses: 6 hours

Restricted Elective Courses: 12 hours

Select six credit hours in each of the following two areas. Students may apply other courses toward this requirement with approval from a Religious Studies advisor.

Traditions

Select two courses on different religious traditions from the following
HIST 203 - Global History of Islam [GEGA] 3 hrs
HIST 204 - Introduction to the History of Judaism [GEKH] 3 hrs
or HIST 304 - Early Judaism 3 hrs

or RLST 304 - Early Judaism 3 hrs
RLST 306 - Hinduism 3 hrs
or HIST 306 - Hinduism 3 hrs
RLST 307 - Buddhism 3 hrs
or HIST 307 - Buddhism 3 hrs
RLST 334 - Early Christianity 3 hrs
or HIST 334 - Early Christianity 3 hrs

or HIST 303 - History of American Religion 3 hrs
Methods

Select two courses from the following
ANTH 338 - Anthropology of Religion 3 hrs
PHIL 215 - Philosophy of Religion [GEKH] 3 hrs
PSY 225 - Psychology of Religion 3 hrs
RLST 202 - Religions in Conflict and Dialogue: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam [GEGA] 3 hrs
or HIST 202 - Religions in Conflict and Dialogue: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam [GEGA] 3 hrs
RLST 275 - Gender, Sexuality, and Religion in the U.S. [GEUS or GEKH] 3 hrs
or WGST 275 - Gender, Sexuality, and Religion in the U.S. [GEUS or GEKH] 3 hrs
RLST 320 - Gender, World Religions, and Social Justice 3 hrs
RLST 362 - Black Women: Religion and Sexism 3 hrs
or AFC 362 - Black Women: Religion and Sexism 3 hrs

or WGST 362 - Black Women: Religion and Sexism 3 hrs
SOCL 320 - Sociology of Religion 3 hrs
Note - ANTH 338 , SOCL 320 , and PSY 225 all have prerequisites. Students intending to take one of these classes should take the prerequisite course as part of their General Education program.

Elective Courses: 2-3 hours

Select one course from the list of restricted electives (not already taken) or from the following. Students may apply other courses toward this requirement with approval from a Religious Studies advisor.

ARTH 162 - Survey of Western Art I [GEKA] 3 hrs
ARTH 468 - Medieval Art History 3 hrs
ARTH 469 - Baroque Art 3 hrs
ARTH 476 - Art of China 3 hrs
CLAS 301 - Classical Mythology 3 hrs
LITR 251 - The Bible as Literature [GEKH] 3 hrs
PHIL 228 - Global Ethics [GEGA or GEKH] 3 hrs
PHIL 260 - Existentialism [GEKH] 3 hrs
PHIL 291 - Introduction to Asian Philosophy [GEGA] 3 hrs

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.