UGA DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION/UNDERGRADUATE

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Religion offers the following Undergraduate degrees:

Major in Religion (B.A.)
Minor in Religion
Major in Arabic
Minor in Arabic
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Description of the Program

The major in religion provides a broad academic study of religion from a humanistic point of view. It covers the principal religions of the world, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. In addition, it offers courses in African-American Religion and Native American Religion, as well as programs in classical Hebrew and Arabic. Comparative Studies are strongly encouraged, the major requiring course work in two or more areas of concentration. The program is located in the College of Arts and Sciences and plays an important role in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. It treats religious studies as an educational matter only, having no doctrinal preference or denomination orientation. Its focus is on the historical, political, sociological, and philosophical aspects of religion.
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Undergraduate Requirements for a Religion Major

Requirements for a major, a certificate program, or a minor will be determined by the Bulletin that is current at the time a student declares a major, a minor, or certificate program.

A department may permit students who matriculate at the University or who enter a college/school or major under one set of courses or graduation requirements to elect for the requirements that have been instituted since students matriculated at the University or entered a college/school or major, minor, or certificate program.

Undergraduate students who have not been enrolled at the University for a period of five years or more may be subjected to different University, college or school, or department requirements than those which existed at the time of matriculation at the University or entry into a given college/school, major, minor, or certificate program.

Semester Core Curriculum Hours
Areas I-V: 40-42 hours

Area I (Foundation Courses - 9 hours): ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102M or ENGL 1050H or ENGL 1060H, and MATH 1101
Area II (Sciences - 7-8 hours): 3-4 hours in Physical Sciences and 3-4 hours in Life Sciences At least one of the physical sciences of life sciences courses must include a laboratory.
Area III (Quantitative Reasoning - 3-4 hours): No Preferred Courses Requested (See Core Curriculum)
Area IV (World Languages and Culture, Humanities and the Arts - 12 hours): World Languages and Cultures (9 hours) and Humanities and the Arts (3 hours). No Preferred Courses Requested (See Core Curriculum)
Area V (Social Sciences - 9 hours): Students who have not met the Georgia and U.S. Constitution requirement by examination should enroll in POLS 1101. A passing grade on an examination on the history of the United States and Georgia is required to satisfy the United States and Georgia History Requirement for all persons receiving a baccalaureate degree from the University, unless exempted by one of the following courses: HIST 2111, HIST 2112. Examinations are given to freshmen during orientation and twice each semester by the History Department. Reexamination is permitted. Examination dates are announced in the Schedule of Classes. No Preferred Courses Requested (See Core Curriculum)

Area VI: (18-19 hours)
Choose one course ( 3 hours) from the following:
The course chosen will affect what is required under major requirements (see below)

RELI 1001 or 2001H (3)
RELI 1002or 2002H (3)
RELI 1003 or 2003H (3)
RELI 1006 (3)
RELI (NAMS) 1100 (3)
RELI (NAMS) 2004 or 2004H(3)
RELI (AFAM) 2005 (3)
RELI 2012 or 2012H(3)

Choose five courses from the following:
First semester of a foreign language, ARHI, ARID, ARST, ARTS, CLAS, CMLT, DRAM, HIST, MUSI, PHIL

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
(All RELI courses must receive a grade of “C” [2.0] or above to count toward major)

21 Hours Required:
There are six (6) course categories. Students are required to take a minimum of at least one course in category one and at least one course in three of the other five different categories. Courses listed in more than one category may be used to satisfy requirements in only one of those categories. The remainder of the required 21 hours may be taken from any Religion courses (regardless of category) numbered 3000 or above.

Category 1: Judaism and Christianity

RELI(AFAM) 3000 (3)
*RELI (HIST) 3150 (3)
RELI 4001/6001 (3)
RELI 4002/6002 (3)
RELI 4003/6003 (3)
*RELI 4005/6005 (3)
RELI 4040/6040 (3)
RELI 4070/6070 (3)
RELI 4071/6071 (3)
RELI 4071H (3)
*RELI 4072/6072 (3)
RELI 4073/6073 (3)
RELI 4080/6080 (3)
RELI 4081/6081 (3)
RELI 4082/6082 (3)
RELI 4083/6083 (3)
RELI 4084/6084 (3)
RELI 4085/6085 (3)
*RELI 4101/6101 (3)
*RELI 4102/6102 (3)
RELI 4105/6105 (3)
RELI 4106/6106 (3)
*RELI 4107/6107 (3)
*RELI (AFAM) 4201/6201 (3)
*RELI (AFAM) 4202/6202 (3)
*RELI (AFAM) 4203/6203 (3)
*RELI (PHIL) 4500/6500 (3)
*RELI 4520/6520 (3)
*RELI 4530/6530 (3)
*RELI 4600/6600 (3)

* This course is also listed in another category. Courses taken in one category CANNOT be used to satisfy another category as well. Courses cannot fulfill two categories at the same time.

Category 2: Religions of India, China, and Japan

RELI 3300 (3)
RELI 4401/6401 (3)
RELI 4402/6402 (3)
RELI 4403/6403 (3)
RELI 4404/6404 (3)
RELI 4405/6405 (3)
RELI 4406/6406 (3)
RELI 4510/6510 (3)
RELI 4910/6910 (3)

Category 3: Islam

RELI 4300/6300 (3)
*RELI 4301/6301 (3)
RELI 4302/6302 (3)
RELI 4303/6303 (3)
RELI 4304/6304 (3)
RELI 4305/6305 (3)
RELI (CMLT) 4307/6307 (3)
RELI 4310/6310 (4)

* This course is also listed in another category. Courses taken in one category CANNOT be used to satisfy another category as well. Courses cannot fulfill two categories at the same time.

Category 4: Religions of the Americas

*RELI (HIST) 3150 (3)
*RELI 4072/6072 (3)
*RELI 4107/6107 (3)
*RELI (AFAM) 4201/6201 (3)
*RELI (AFAM) 4202/6202 (3)
*RELI (AFAM) 4203/6203 (3)
(RELI)HIST 4214/6214 (3)
*RELI (ANTH)(NAMS) 4701/6701 (3)
RELI(NAMS) 4705/6705 (1-3)
RELI(NAMS) 4710/6710 (1-3)

* This course is also listed in another category. Courses taken in one category CANNOT be used to satisfy another category as well. Courses cannot fulfill two categories at the same time.

Category 5: Theory, Thought and Methods

RELI 3030 (3)
*RELI (AFST) 3202 (3)
*RELI 4101/6101 (3)
*RELI 4102/6102 (3)
*RELI 4301/6301 (3)
RELI 4400/6400 (3)
*RELI (PHIL) 4500/6500 (3)
*RELI 4520/6520 (3)
*RELI 4530/6530 (3)
*RELI 4600/6600 (3)
*RELI (AFST) 4625/6625 (3)
RELI (ANTH) 4640/6640 (3)
*RELI (ANTH)(NAMS) 4701/6701 (3)

* This course is also listed in another category. Courses taken in one category CANNOT be used to satisfy another category as well. Courses cannot fulfill two categories at the same time.

Category 6: Indigenous Religions and Other Studies

* HIST(RELI) 4214/6214
* RELI(AFST) 3202
* RELI(AFST) 4625/6625
* RELI(ANTH)(NAMS) 4701/6701
* RELI(NAMS) 4705/6705
* RELI(NAMS) 4710/6710
Any other RELI(AFST) courses numbered 3000 or above

* This course is also listed in another category.Courses taken in one category CANNOT be used to satisfy another category as well.Courses cannot fulfill two categories at the same time.

General Electives: 39
(Refer to College-wide requirements when selecting general electives.)

Upper division (18 hours)
Any level (9-21 hours)

All Religion courses must receive a grade of “C” (2.0) or above to count toward major.

(This total does not include the 1-hour P.E. requirement)

Total hours required 120

Transfer students may transfer two upper division courses in religion to apply toward the major.

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Post Degree Opportunities

An undergraduate degree in Religion is good preparation for Law School or Graduate Study in Archaeology, Classics, Comparative Literature, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology. Career opportunities for a Religion major include education, public service, civil service, private enterprise, and religious vocations. In addition, a major in religion provides a sound basis for doing graduate work in many other academic fields.

Why study Religion?

Theta Alpha Kappa - National Honor Society for Religious Studies

Current Advisees and their Advisor

New Majors need to fill out a New Major Information Sheet and bring it to the Religion Department Office.

For more information for current undergraduate major see the following:

Undergraduate Major Handbook

The project -- Graduate-School.PhDs.org/education-index -- is a comprehensive and informative resource that systematically sorts out the available undergraduate and graduate programs available today in the U.S.