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Master of Arts in Religious Studies

The Academic Program

1. The Core Curriculum

The MA degree requires at least 30 credit hours of graduate study, of which 24 are to be taken in residence. Religious Studies course work at the 7000 level or above may be counted toward the degree, but at least 15 hours must be at the 8000 level. The program allows considerable latitude for different courses of study, and expects that each student will work out an appropriate selection of courses in consultation with a member of the department. A core curriculum explores subjects fundamental to the study of religion and is required of all graduate students. The program requires that graduate students take a course in the methodologies of religious studies or demonstrate competence in this area, normally by demonstrating that they have taken an equivalent course elsewhere. Each fall, the department offers a course on Modern Perspectives in the Study of Religion that satisfies this requirement. In addition, the degree requires a sequence of three courses that examine the major forms of religious expression and religious action and teach students how scholars in the field have approached them. They are

Religious Texts and Interpretation-Courses 8200-8299. These courses will be a close examination of a canonical or foundation text and its role in the religious traditions in which it is authoritative. The course will consider both the traditional interpretations and appropriations of the text and contemporary methods of interpretation. The goal of the course is to understand and to use the fundamental tools of textual interpretation. The specific course topic will vary each semester.

Religious History-Courses 8400-8499. These courses will study the life of a religious community in its geographical and historical specificity. The goal of the course is to learn how to examine a particular religious community within its cultural, social and historical contexts. The specific course topic will vary each semester.

Comparative Religion-Courses 8600-8699. These courses will study points of contact or comparison within or among Asian, Western and Indigenous traditions. Topics may include religious issues common to various religions, problems of understanding and inequities of power in the encounter of religious traditions, and phenomenological categories of religion, such as sacred time or space. The goal of the course is to understand the methods and issues in the comparative study of religion. The specific course topic will vary each semester.

In addition to these core requirements, students will take course work or be able to show competence in one or more of the religious traditions of Asia, of the West and of Indigenous peoples. Core courses may be used to demonstrate competence.

Specific topics considered in these courses will vary from year to year. RS 7200 and 7300 may be taken in any order, and the two courses form the normal prerequisites for RS 7400.

In addition to these core courses, students will take course work or be able to show competence in one or more of the religious traditions of Asia, of the West, and of Indigenous peoples. RS 7200 and 7300 may be used in partial satisfaction of the requirement.

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