Dec 13, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Philosophy and Religious Studies, B.A. (E, A)


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The major in Philosophy and Religious Studies offers students a combined but flexible program of study in philosophy and religious studies. All students complete a nine-credit hour common core. Following this, students complete courses from four content areas. Outside the common core, students are free to combine philosophy, religious studies, and other approved courses as they see fit (observing prerequisites where they exist).

REAL Curriculum


The Philosophy and Religious Studies major fulfills the E and A area of the REAL Curriculum. Focused on the topic of humanistic inquiry as written into the E learning outcome, both philosophy and religious studies grapple with the biggest questions humans have raised about being human and the nature of reality. In the philosophy concentration students learn about the human endeavor in the areas of ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics and how various philosophers and thinkers have attempted to address these areas. In the religious studies concentration students learn about the same topics with an emphasis on how they are addressed in religious traditions. Students learn about how philosophical and religious worldviews shape society and inform human behaviors. These topics are introduced in the major’s nine credit common core, reinforced in foundational literacies menus, and expanded in the topics and issues menus. Students need majors and/or minors to fulfill the R and L areas to complete the REAL Curriculum requirements.

REAL Foundational Requirements


REAL Cornerstone Requirements


Writing Intensive (WI) Courses (6 credits)


Writing Intensive courses are denoted below with a (WI). Two writing intensive courses are required to graduate, with at least one at the 300- or 400-level. The Philosophy and Religious Studies major includes 0-3 credits of writing intensive courses.

General Education Requirements


General Education courses will be denoted below with a (GE). Students are required to take at least 30 credit hours of general education designated courses within their degree requirements. The Philosophy and Religious Studies major includes 9-24 general education credits.

Major Requirements (45-47 credits)


B.A. Requirements (6-8 credits)


The Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of the B.A. language requirements. Completion of a minimum of two semesters of one language in a foreign/sign language program. Students will be placed in the appropriate level of their chosen language depending on their previous foreign language experience and on the placement examination results as determined by the department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. 

Required Courses (39 credits)


Thinking About the History of Ideas (9 credits)


Thinking About Social Issues (12 credits)


Additional Degree Requirements


To graduate with a major Philosophy and Religious Studies, a student must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken with a PHIL or RELN prefix.

Open Credit Hours (75-77 credits)


These credits can be used to fulfill additional courses, majors, minors, and/or REAL Curriculum requirements, including Foundational Writing and Foundational Math.

Total Credits Needed for Degree 120


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