Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Spring 2016
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
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2014-2015 Graduate Catalog: Master of Arts in Religious Studies
The M.A. in Religious Studies program approaches the academic study of religion and religions from a variety of critical and interdisciplinary perspectives, with an emphasis placed on the global and multicultural aspects of religion. The department offers courses in theories and methods as well as a variety of religious traditions, studied in their historical and contemporary manifestations. The department offers courses in Asian, Middle Eastern, European, and American religious traditions which focus on aspects of both their historical and contemporary manifestations.
Additional Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the university’s graduate admission requirements, all prospective students must submit an essay (statement of purpose) that specifically addresses their motivation for pursuing the M.A. in Religious Studies, including some discussion of their research interests and career or professional goals. Standardized test scores and letters of reference can be no more than five years old.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts in Religious Studies requires the completion, with a GPA of 3.0 or above, of a minimum of 30 semester hours of approved graduate coursework. At least 15 15 15 hours of this total must be in courses open only to graduate students (i.e., at the 6000 level or higher). Upon the completion of 24 hours of coursework, students must pass a comprehensive written examination based on their studies. Students have two options for completing their degree. First, students may complete an MA Thesis option that consists of 24 hours of coursework and 6 hours of thesis work. Second, students may complete a comprehensive examination option, consisting of 30 hours of coursework and comprehensive examinations in three areas. the option of writing a thesis (6 semester hours credit) or of compiling a portfolio of selected research papers written for courses in the program (no additional credit). In either case the candidates must pass an oral examination based on their thesis or writing portfolio. Students completing a thesis may take 6 hours of thesis preparation (RELS 6999) toward their 30 hours. All degree requirements, including the comprehensive examination, thesis or portfolio, and oral defense, must be completed within six calendar years of first enrollment in the program.
Core Courses
All M.A. candidates must complete RELS 6101 (Approaches to the Study of Religion) and RELS 6102 (Teaching in Religious Studies and the Humanities) with a grade of B (3.0) or above within three semesters of their initial admission into the program.
Elective Courses
Up to 6 semester hours of related graduate credit may be earned outside the Department of Religious Studies. Such courses must be formally approved by the director of graduate studies.
Advising
The director of graduate studies serves as formal advisor to the department’s graduate students.
Transfer Credit
Up to 6 semester hours earned from other accredited institutions may be eligible for transfer credit. Formal approval must be obtained from the director of graduate studies and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Foreign Language Requirement
Although students are not required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language as a formal matriculation requirement of the program, they are expected to acquire competency in and use whatever languages they need to pursue their research interests.
Comprehensive Examination
Every student must satisfactorily complete a comprehensive written examination. This examination is normally taken at the end of or after the third semester (for full-time students). Students who elect to write a thesis become eligible for the comprehensive examination after completing 24 hours of coursework; all others become eligible after completing 30 hours of coursework.
Committees for Thesis and Examination Options
Three-member faculty committees, consisting of two graduate faculty members from the Department of Religious Studies and a third member selected from Religious Studies or another department, conduct the comprehensive examinations and or oversee the student’s thesis work. For those choosing the exam option, one One of the examining faculty members will be the student’s instructor for RELS 6101 (Approaches to the Study of Religion).
Thesis
Students have the option of writing a thesis (6 semester hours credit) or of compiling a portfolio of selected research papers written for courses in the program (no additional credit). In either case the candidates must complete an oral examination based on their thesis or writing portfolio.
Application for Degree
Each student should make application for his/her degree by completing the online Application for Degree through Banner Self Service no later than the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar.
Graduate Catalog Course Descriptions
RELS 5000. Topics in Religious Studies. (3) Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
RELS 5010. Major Figure in Religious Studies. (3) The life and works of a major figure who has contributed to religious studies. May be repeated for credit for different figures. (On demand)
RELS 5101. Religion and Modern Thought. (3) The interaction of modern thought and modern religious sensibilities. (On demand Alternate years)
RELS 5107. Early Judaism. (3) Prerequisite: RELS 2104 or 2105 or 3110 or consent of the instructor. Comparative historical and literary study of the varieties of Judaism evidenced during late antiquity (circa 70-640 C.E.), with special attention devoted to the formation and development of rabbinic Judaism. (On demand)
RELS 5108. Medieval Judaism. (3) Prerequisite: RELS 2104 or 3110 or consent of the instructor. Comparative historical and literary study of the varieties of Judaism evidenced in Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and Islamicate realms from approximately 640 C.E. to approximately 1492 C.E. (On demand)
RELS 5109. Modern Judaism. (3) Prerequisites: RELS 3110 or 4107 or 4108 or permission of the instructor. Historical and conceptual study of Judaism and Jewish experience in Europe, America, and Israel, from the 16th century to the present, with special attention paid to the development of denominations, Zionism, and the Holocaust. (On demand)
RELS 5110. Contemporary Jewish Thought. (3) An examination of philosophy, religion, morality, politics, sociality, culture, family, and self-identity, in the light of modern and recent Jewish thought. (Alternate years On demand)
RELS 5201. Religion, Morality, and Justice. (3) Explore the ethical and social dimensions of selected religious traditions in their cultural contexts. (On demand)
RELS 6000. Topics in Religious Studies. (3) Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. May be repeated for credit. (On demand)
RELS 6101. Approaches to the Study of Religion. (3) This course provides students with critical tools for research, analytical thinking, and writing in the academic study of religion. The topics and individuals this course covers represent several major currents of thought in the field of religious studies. (Fall)
RELS 6102. Teaching in Religious Studies and the Humanities. (3) This course will approach the academic study of religion through the lens of its particular pedagogical challenges and rewards. We will explore the history of religious studies in American classrooms and survey the scholarship of teaching and learning. We will examine a range of pedagogical philosophies and will have the opportunity to articulate their own vision of teaching. Students will have an opportunity to develop teaching portfolios, syllabi, and to create meaningful assignments. (Spring)
RELS 6103. Material Christianity. (3) Explores the ways in which individuals and societies throughout the Christian tradition have invested material objects with sanctity and power. (Alternate years On demand)
RELS 6104. Religion and Art in Islam. (3) Explores the relationships between Islamic thought and the development of Islamic art and architecture. (Alternate years On demand)
RELS 6105. Religion, Art and Architecture of East Asia. (3) A study of the religious ideas in physical forms in the cultures of China and Japan. The course focuses on the Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist traditions. (Alternate years On demand)
RELS 6111. Qumran and its Literature. (3) A study of the manuscripts recovered from the caves of Qumran. Attention given to their connections to Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, and later developments in Islam. (Alternate years On demand)
RELS 6602. Seminar in the Religion of Ancient Israel. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the study of the religion of ancient Israel. A general theme will be chosen which at times will be keyed to the pertinent archaeological evidence available for evaluating the complex scope of Israelite religiosity, but which at other times may selectively focus on narratological descriptions of religious behavior (e.g., the religious ideology of Deuteronomy). Extensive attention will be devoted to the comparative study of Israelite religion within its ancient Near Eastern context. (On demand)
RELS 6603. Seminar in Early Judaism. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the historical-critical study of early Judaism and its literature. A general theme will be chosen: a narrative source (Mishnah, Midrash, Talmud); a subdivision of texts (Jewish apocrypha and pseudepigrapha) or literary genres (apocalyptic literature); a single ancient text (1 Enoch; Avot de R. Natan); or a topical investigation (written and oral Torah; construction of authority in rabbinic Judaism; sectarian disputes within early Judaism; cultural impact of the Roman destruction of the Temple). (On demand)
RELS 6612. Seminar in Christian Origins. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the historical-critical study of the origins and development of earliest Christianity. A general theme will be chosen: an historical figure (John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, James); an ancient text (a New Testament document; Gospel of Thomas; the Gnostic Nag Hammadi codices); or a topical investigation (Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls; the development of early Christian liturgy; the development of early Christian Christology; ancient Judaism and emerging Christianity). (On demand)
RELS 6615. Seminar in the Religions of Late Antiquity. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the academic study of one or more of the religions practiced in the Roman and/or Sasanian Empires during late antiquity. A general theme will be chosen that may center upon one or more specific religious identities or trajectories; one or more textual traditions; an influential figure or interpretive school; or a topical investigation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (On demand)
RELS 6622. Seminar in Religion and Modern Culture. (3) A seminar on issues related to the historical-critical study of the interaction between religion and modern culture. One or more general themes will be chosen: leading theorists, appropriate historical contexts, global contexts, or a topical investigation. (Yearly On demand)
RELS 6625. Seminar in American Religions. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the academic study of one or more of the religions of North America. A general theme will be chosen that may center upon one or more specific religious traditions; an important individual figure or character; an historical period or epoch; or a topical investigation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (On demand)
RELS 6631. Seminar in Islamic Studies. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the academic study of Islam. A general theme will be chosen that may center upon one or more schools of thought; an important individual figure or character; one or more textual sources or literary genres; an historical period or epoch; or a topical investigation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly On demand)
RELS 6641. Seminar in Asian Religions. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the academic study of one or more of the religions of South and/or East Asia. A general theme will be chosen that may center upon one or more specific religious traditions; an important individual figure or character; one or more textual sources or literary genres; an historical period or epoch; or a topical investigation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly On demand)
RELS 6651. Seminar in the History of Religions. (3) Current and seminal issues related to the academic study of one or more of the interpretive categories or concepts associated with the practice and expression of religion(s). A general theme will be chosen that may center upon a specific interpretive category or concept; an influential scholar or school of interpretation; a prominent historical period or cultural movement; or a topical investigation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly On demand)
RELS 6671. Seminar in Theory and Methods. (3) Current and seminal issues related to contemporary theory and cultural studies and their import for the academic study of religion(s). A general theme will be chosen that may center one or more specific theories or methods; an influential thinker or school of thought; an historical period or cultural movement; or a topical investigation. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. (Yearly On demand)
RELS 6800. Directed Readings/Research. (1-3) Prerequisite: prior written consent of instructor. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
RELS 6999. Thesis. (3 or 6) May be repeated by permission, if taken for three hours credit. Six hours of Thesis may be taken during a single semester. Appropriate research and written exposition of that research is required. (On demand)
RELS 7999. Master's Degree Residence. (1)