Undergraduate Programs
Comparative Religion – Major
The program in Comparative Religion is known for its unusually large range of course offerings in the religious traditions of both the East and West. The faculty has particular strength in history, anthropology, and sociology. Participants in the program have an opportunity to enroll in small classes and interact with a faculty that puts emphasis on maintaining close contact with students.
The comparative religion major introduces students to broad theoretical issues in the academic study of religion, and encourages them to explore these issues through mastering details of the textual canons, historical traditions, social contexts, and cultural forms of religion. The program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Religion.
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Major in Comparative Religion
Requirements
50 credits total
- Introductory courses (15 credits)
- RELIG 201: Introduction to World Religions: Western Traditions
- RELIG 202:Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions
- JSIS 202: Culture & Power in International Studies
- Textual Canons and Historical Traditions Courses (minimum 5 credits)
- Religion, Culture, and Power Courses (minimum 5 credits)
- Elective Religion Courses (minimum 25 credits)
- Any combination of Textual Canons and Historical Traditions courses or Religion, Culture, and Power courses.
- May include maximum 10 credits from relevant language courses such as:
- Biblical Hebrew, Coptic, Hindi, Ethiopic, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit.
- List of approved courses below
- Minimum of 25 credits taken in 300- or 400-level courses
- Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA for courses applied to the major
Comparative Religion Courses
Course Lists
Textual Canons & Historical Traditions
Eastern Traditions
- SNSKRT 205: Essential Sanskrit for Yoga and Meditation
- RELIG/CHID 120 Yoga: Past and Present
- RELIG 580/ASIAN 580: Seminar in Hinduism Studies
- RELIG 456:Gender and the Hindu Goddess
- RELIG 354: Buddhism
- JSIS A 461/ASIAN 494: Ramayana in Comparative Perspective
- JSIS A 207: Asian Civilizations” Traditions
- HINDI 503: Reading the Ramayana in the Original Old Hindi
- ASIAN 301: Song of the Saints of India
- ASIAN 223: Buddhist Literature
- C LIT 322: Studies in Asian and Western Literatures
- S ASIA 225: Indian Philosophical Literature
Islam
- ANTH 322/RELIG 320 Comparative Study of Death
- RELIG 211/MELC 230 Introduction to Muslim Beliefs and Practices
- MELC 430/RELIG 430 Classical Muslim Writing
- MELC 429 Islamic Mystical Literature
- JEW ST 358/HSTCMP 368 Jewish Thought
- MELC 336 Islam in Jewish Contexts, Judaism in Muslim Context
- MELC 333 Prophecy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- MELC 314/ARCHY 314 Archaeology of Early Islam
- MELC 234 Introduction to Shi’i Islam
- MELC 234 Introduction to Shi’i Islam
- MELC 231/RELIG 212 Intro to the Quran
- MELC 208/ARCHY 211 Introduction to Islamic Cultures and Thought
- JSIS B 406/POL S 432 Political Islam
- JSIS A 314/HSTAFM 314 History of Modern Israel/Palestine
- JSIS A 210/MELC 229 Introduction to Islamic Civilization
- ARAB 410 Islamic Theological & Mystical Literature
Judaism
- RELIG 440 Angels: From the Bible to American Spirituality
- ANTH 322/RELIG 320 Comparative Study of Death
- RELIG 145/JEW ST 145 Introduction to Judaism
- MELC 320 Jewish Poetry
- MELC 310 Jewish Literature: Foundations and Re-imaginings
- MELC 305/RELIG 315 The Biblical Prophets
- MELC 352/552 Wisdom Literature in the Bible and the Ancient Middle East
- JEW ST 491 Yiddish Literature and Culture
- JEW ST 358/HSTCMP 368 Jewish Thought
- JEW ST 330 The Sages: Foundations of Classical Judaism
- MELC 307/JEW ST 317 From Israelites to Jews: the First Six Centuries BCE
- JEW ST 270 / HSTCMP 270 Race, Religion and Migration
- JEW ST 250/HSTCMP 250 Jewish Cultural History
Christianity
- RELIG 306/MELC 306 The History of Biblical Interpretation
- RELIG 242/HSTAS 242 Christianity in Asia
- RELIG 240/MELC 202 Intro to the Hebrew Bible: Old Testament
- RELIG 220 Introduction to the New Testament
Ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
- RELIG 445/CLAS 445: Greek and Roman Religions
- MELC 305/RELIG 315: The Biblical Prophets
- RELIG 306 /MELC 306: The History of Biblical Interpretation
- RELIG 240/MELC 202: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: Old Testament
- RELIG 220: Introduction to the New Testament
- MELC 211: Introduction: to Myths of the Ancient Middle East
- MELC 311/ARCHY 311: Archaeology of Biblical Israel
- MELC 307/JEW ST 317: From Israelites to Jews
- MELC 302/502: Religions of the Ancient World
- MELC 209/ARCHY 212: Introduction of Ancient Egyptian Archaeology
- MELC 208/ARCHY 211: Introduction to Ancient Middle Eastern Archaeology
- MELC 201: Introduction to the Ancient Middle East
- MELC 307/JEW ST 317: From Israelites to Jews: the First Six Centuries BCE
- HSTAM 290: Ancient Christianity
- HSTAM 320: Ancient Roman History
Religion, Culture, and Power
- RELIG 440/502 Angels: From the Bible to American Spirituality
- RELIG 380/CHID 380: Theories in the Study of Religion
- RELIG 334/GWSS 334: Gender, Sex, and Religion
- ANTH 330/RELIG 329: Religion, Identity and Cultural Pluralism
- ANTH 321/RELIG 321: Comparative Religion
- POL S 307/RELIG 307; Religion and World Politics
- RELIG 254: American Religion
- RELIG 205/MELC 285/HUM 205: Religion, Violence, and Peace
- RELIG 101 A Life Worth Living: Meaning, Morals and Money
- MELC 336: Islam in Jewish Contexts, Judaism in Muslim Context
- MELC 336: Islam in Jewish Contexts, Judaism in Muslim Context
- MELC 335: Islam and Muslims in China
- MELC 333: Prophecy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
- MELC 328/JEW ST 339/B H 339: Bioethics: Secular and Jewish Perspectives
- MELC 320: Jewish Life in Literature and Film
- MELC 312/ARCHY 312: Looting and Loss: The Recent Destruction of Cultural Heritage Sites in the Middle East
- MELC 308: Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient Near East
- MELC 211: Introduction to Myths of the Ancient Middle East
- ART H 453/JSIS D 453: Art, Religion, and Politics in Byzantium, 700-1453 AD
- JSIS B 437: Global Diasporas
- JSIS B 406/POL S 432: Political Islam
- JSIS A 458 Israel: Politics and Society
- JSIS A 340/POL S 340: Politics of India, Pakistan, and South Asia
- JSIS A 314/HSTAFM 314: History of Modern Israel/Palestine
- FRENCH 376: Culture, Politics, and Society in France from the Religious Wars to Revolutions
- JSIS 478/541: Religion and Conflict in International Affairs
- RELIG 242/HSTAS 242: Christianity in East Asia
- JEW ST 466 / HSTCMP 469: The Sephardic Diaspora: 1492- The Present
- JEW ST 462/HSTCMP 462: Anti-Semitism as a Cultural System
- JEW ST 459/HSTAFM 459: History of Modern Jewish-Muslim Relations
- HSTAA 336/JEW ST 336: American Jewish History since 1885
- JEW ST 270 / HSTCMP 270: Race, Religion, and Migration
- JEW ST 206/HSTCMP 206/CHID 206: Violence and Contemporary Thought
Language courses (maximum 10 credits allowed for major & minor)
- BIBHEB 101, 102, 103, 105, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208
- COPTIC 101, 102, 103
- HINDI 101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 301, 302, 303, 431, 451
- Greek: JSIS E 111, 112, 113, 134, 211, 212, 213
- Latin: 101, 102, 103, 300, 301, 304, 305, 306, 307, 401, 402, 404
- Sanskrit: 101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 205, 311, 312, 313