UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES
150 Humanities
Instructional Building; (949) 824-8119
Carol Burke, Director
Core Faculty
Elizabeth Allen, Associate Professor of English
Marc Baer, Associate Professor of History
Carol Burke, Director of Religious Studies and Professor of English
James Chiampi, Professor of Italian
Susan Bibler Coutin, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society
Lara Deeb, Associate Professor of Women's Studies
James B. Given, Professor of History
Michelle M. Hamilton, Associate Professor of Spanish
Lamar M. Hill, Professor Emeritus of History
Bonnie Kent, Professor of Philosophy
Susan B. Klein, Associate Professor of Japanese
Karen Leonard, Director of the Center for Asian Studies and Professor of Anthropology
Mark A. LeVine, Professor of History
Jayne E. Lewis, Professor of English
Julia Reinhard Lupton, UCI Chancellor's Fellow, Director of Humanities Core Course, and Professor of English, Comparative Literature, and Education
Steven Mailloux, UCI Chancellor's Professor of Rhetoric and Asian American Studies
Jack Miles, UCI Distinguished Professor of English
Keith L. Nelson, Professor Emeritus of History
Alka Patel, Assistant Professor of Art History
Victoria Silver, Associate Professor of English
Affiliated Faculty
Linda Freeman Bauer, Professor Emerita of Art History
Victoria Bernal, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Dickson D. Bruce, Jr., Professor Emeritus of History
Yong Chen, Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies
Chungmoo Choi, Associate Professor of Korean Culture
Edward Fowler, Professor of Japanese
Michael A. Fuller, Associate Professor of Chinese
Alexander Gelley, Professor of Comparative Literature
Linda Georgianna, Professor Emerita of English
Anna Gonosová, Associate Professor of Art History
Judy C. Ho, Professor Emerita of Art History
S. Nicholas Jolley, Professor of Philosophy
Cecelia Lynch, Director of the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science
Sanjoy Mazumdar, Professor of Planning, Policy, and Design and of Environmental Health, Science, and Policy
Michael T. McBride, Assistant Professor of Economics
Margaret M. Miles, Professor of Art History and Classics
Maria C. Pantelia, Professor of Classics and Director, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae®
Kenneth L. Pomeranz, UCI Chancellor's Professor of History
Jen'nan Read, Associate Professor of Sociology
Gary Richardson, Associate Professor of Economics
Michael Ryan, Professor of English and Creative Writing
Thomas P. Saine, Professor Emeritus of German
Martin Schwab, Director of the Minor in Humanities and Law and Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Literature
John H. Smith, Department Chair and Professor of German, and Professor of Comparative Literature
Daniel Stokols, UCI Chancellor's Professor of Planning, Policy, and Design; Psychology and Social Behavior; Environmental Health, Science, and Policy; and Public Health
Ulrike Strasser, Associate Professor of History
Timothy Tackett, Professor of History
Roxanne Varzi, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and of Film and Media Studies
Roger N. Walsh, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Religious Studies includes an interdisciplinary major and minor that focus on the comparative understanding of the various ways different peoples, across space and through time, have developed their religious ideas, values, systems, beliefs, rituals, and traditions in response to fundamental questions of human existence. The curriculum seeks to provide a wide-ranging academic understanding and knowledge of the religious experience in society through study in the Schools of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Social Ecology, and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. As an interdisciplinary academic discipline, the study of religion offers a rigorous, systematic, and dispassionate intellectual inquiry into various aspects of religious systems, their practitioners and outlooks, and their goals and expressions. It employs a wide variety of approaches and methods in order to understand the role of religion in both human experience and thought.
Students in the Religious Studies major complete an emphasis in either Judaism/Christianity/Islam or in World Religious Traditions.
CAREERS FOR THE RELIGIOUS STUDIES MAJOR
Majoring in Religious Studies is an excellent preparation for living in a multicultural society and for a variety of careers in counseling, teaching, commerce, writing, government, the arts, and professional religious leadership. The major's emphasis on broad understanding, critical thinking skills, and clear written expression provides an effective springboard for graduate study in the humanities and social science or professional schools in medicine, law, or business.
The UCI Career Center provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career Center section for additional information.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE
University Requirements: See pages 56–62.
School Requirements: See pages 255–256.
Requirements for the Major
A. Three core courses: Religious Studies 5A, 5B, 5C.
B. Religious Studies 110.
C. Six upper-division electives, two selected from each of the following three categories. One relevant lower-division course may be substituted for an upper-division course, with prior approval.
1. Judaism/Christianity/Islam: Religious Studies 130, 140, 141; Anthropology 125Z; Art History 112, 114, 118; English 102A*, 103*; History 110*, 123A, 130A, B, C, 131, 132, 133B; International Studies 179*; Philosophy 11, 111, 123; Spanish 116; Women's Studies 166A*.
2. World Religious Traditions: Religious Studies 91, 120; Anthropology 135H, 135I; Art History 152, 175; Asian American Studies 150*; Classics 45A, 151; East Asian Languages and Literatures 20, 116, 117; Environmental Analysis and Design E15; Philosophy 117; Sociology 136.
3. Thematic Approaches to Religion: Religious Studies 100, 103, 106, 170; Anthropology 134E, 135A; Comparative Literature 132*; English 106*; History 135B, 180*; Philosophy 21, 123; Political Science 149*; Social Science 170P; Sociology 56; Women's Studies 60C.
D. Completion of an emphasis in either Judaism/Christianity/Islam or in World Religious Traditions: select two additional upper-division courses from either category 1 or 2 above.
*with prior approval, when topic is appropriate
Other courses will be approved for each category on a quarterly basis; see http://www.humanities.uci.edu/religious_studies/.
Residence Requirement for the Major: A minimum of five upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.
Requirements for the Minor
Religious Studies 5A, 5B, 5C, 110; four upper-division electives selected from the three categories above, including at least one course from both categories 1 and 2. Two of the four courses must be outside of the student's major. One relevant lower-division course may be substituted for an upper-division course, with prior approval.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: Four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI. Two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, provided course content is approved in advance by the appropriate department chair.
LOWER-DIVISION
5A World Religions I (4). An introduction to the history, doctrine, culture, and writing of the three "religions of Abraham": Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Formerly Humanities 5A. (IV, VIII)
5B World Religions II (4). An introduction to various religious traditions in selected areas of the world—including India and South Asia, East Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Formerly Humanities 5B. (IV, VIII)
5C World Religions III (4). A thematic comparison of selected structures and activities that characterize religious traditions. Comparative features may include, for example, holy scriptures, symbolizations of the sacred, attitudes toward afterlife, collective religious behavior, and religious dissent. Formerly Humanities 5C. (IV, VIII)
17 An Economic Approach to Religion (4) Introduction to how basic economic concepts such as demand, supply, consumption, production, competition, free-riding, innovation, regulation, and rent-seeking can be applied to understand observed religious behavior. Same as Economics 17. (III)
21 Philosophy and Religion (4). Examines the intersection of religion and philosophy from a standpoint that does not presuppose previous academic study of either. Both Western and Eastern traditions and perspectives may be explored. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
56 Society and Religion (4). A critical and personal examination of the varieties of religious and spiritual experience human beings are undergoing in contemporary society. The role of conscious understanding and unconscious conditioning regarding religion and spirituality. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
60 Gender and Religion (4). Introduces the topic of religion in a feminist context by performing cross-cultural exploration of gender, authority, and faith in various traditions. Study includes (but is not limited to) writings of contemporary Jewish, Christian, and Muslim feminists. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
90 Aspects of Religion (4). A presentation of selected issues in the study of religion. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
91 Aspects of Asian Religions (4). A survey course of a specific Asian religious tradition such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or Shinto in its manifestation in Asia or in its transmission to the Americas. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
UPPER-DIVISION
100 Topics in the Study of Religion (4). The intersection of religious belief and practices with selected subjects of continuing interest. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
103 Topics in the Philosophy of Religion (4). Critical examination of philosophical concepts in religious scripture and theology, e.g., the nature and existence of God, miracles, the problem of evil, divine command theories in ethics. May include both Eastern and Western religious traditions. May be take for credit three times as topics vary.
106 Topics in Gender and Religion (4). Critical examination of how religious beliefs and practices have shaped (and been shaped by) attitudes toward gender and sexuality in modern and/or premodern society. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
110 Theory and Methodologies in the Study of Religion (4). Introduction to major thinkers, theories, and methodologies in the study of religions. Includes paper on relevant Religious Studies topic; emphasis on developing the student's ability to analyze and articulate theoretical arguments. Prerequisite: Religious Studies major or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
120 Asian Religious Traditions (4). Studies involving (but not limited to) Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, and Shamanism, including both elite and doctrinal aspects and forms of more popular religiosity. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
130 Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Religious Traditions (4). Character and evolution of Egyptian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Muslim, and other religious communities of the region from their formative periods to the present era. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
140 Early Western Religious Traditions (4). Religious perspectives of the Mediterranean and European regions from the earliest times to approximately 1500 C.E. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
141 Recent Western Religious Traditions (4). Studies related to Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christianity as well as alternative belief systems in Europe of the early modern and modern eras. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
150 Religion in the Americas (4). Religious belief and social context in North and South America from the earliest human societies to the present. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
160 Diaspora Religions (4). Examination of what happens to belief and practice as religious communities are scattered geographically. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
170 Comparative Studies in Religion (4). Systematic comparisons of different religious and quasi-religious traditions, their beliefs, and practices. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
190 Senior Colloquium (4). Reading and group discussion of selected texts under the direction of an instructor. Paper required. Prerequisite: consent of instructor; a minimum of two students must enroll. May be taken for credit three times as topics vary.
199 Independent Study (1 to 4). Directed reading and research in consultation with a faculty advisor. Substantial written work required. Prerequisites: upper-division standing and consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.