Minor in Religious Studies

Students who take a minor program in Religious Studies are required to complete with a grade of C or better 15 hours of courses in selected fields of Religious Studies. In order to ensure a wide study of the field, students are required to select at least one course in each of the following categories: Historical Methods, Textual Methods, and Critical/Theoretical Methods. As part of these requirements, it is expected that at least one of the above classes focus on Western religious traditions and at least one on non-Western religious traditions. Electives may be filled from any of these courses or from other Religious Studies course offerings (but REL 101 and REL 102 may not be counted toward the minor).

The Minor Adviser will determine whether courses transferred from other institutions qualify for the minor. No more than two transferred courses may count toward the minor. Note also that no more than two courses may be "double-counted" toward both the minor and the departmental requirements of a major.

Courses for the Minor in Religious Studies

• REL 230 South Asian Religious Traditions
• REL 317 Christianity
• REL (HI) 320 Religion in American History
• REL 331 The Hindu Tradition
• REL 332 The Buddhist Traditions
• REL 333 Chinese Religions
• REL 334 Japanese Religions
• REL 340 Islam
• REL 350 Introduction to Judaism
• REL (HI) 402 Early Christianity to the Time of Eusebius
• REL (HI) 407 Islamic History to 1798
• REL (HI) 408 Islam in the Modern World

(B) Courses in Textual Methods (3 credit hours)

• REL 311 Introduction to the Old Testament
• REL 312 Introduction to the New Testament
• REL 314 Introduction to Intertestamental Literature
• REL 412 Advanced Readings in the Christian Gospels
• REL 413 The Life and Letters of the Apostle Paul
• REL 491 Advanced Readings in Theological and Religious Literature

(C) Courses in Critical/Theoretical Methods (3 credit hours)

• REL (SOC) 309 Religion and Society
• REL 323 Religious Cults, Sects, and Minority Faiths in America
• REL 327 Issues in Contemporary Religion
• REL 383 Religion, Globalism, and Justice
• REL 423 Religion & Politics in America
• REL (STS) 471 Darwinism and Christianity
• REL (WGS) 472 Women & Religion
• REL 473 Religion, Gender and Reproductive Technologies
• REL 482 Religion and Conflict
• REL 489 Interpretations of Religion

(D) Elective Courses: Any two REL courses (6 credit hours)

Courses that fulfill the Western Religious Traditions requirement:

REL 311, 312, 314, 317, 320, 323, 350, 402, 412, 413, and 423.

Courses that fulfill the Non-Western Religious Traditions requirement:

REL 230, 331, 332, 333, 334, 340, 407, and 408.

Procedures

1. As soon as you are ready to declare the minor, you should complete and sign the NC State “Declare a Minor” form (available here) and bring it to the Department’s Student Services Assistant, Mr. Ken Peters, in Withers Hall, Room 340.
2. Mr. Peters will obtain the required departmental signatures and submit the form to Registration and Records on your behalf so that a minor degree audit can be added to your record.
3. You should consult with the Minor Adviser, Dr. Jason Bivins, during each registration period to ensure that you are making headway toward completing the requirements of the minor.
4. After registering for your last semester and before submitting your on-line application to graduate, you should complete a “Minor Certification Form” with Mr. Ken Peters in Withers Hall, Room 340.

Contacts

• Minor Adviser: Dr. Jason Bivins, 340B Withers Hall, 919-515-6102, jcbivins@ncsu.edu

• Departmental Student Services Assistant: Mr. Ken Peters, 340 Withers Hall, 919-515-6100, kepeters@ncsu.edu