UGA DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION/UNDERGRADUATE

Undergraduate Program

The Department of Religion offers the following Undergraduate degrees:

Major in Religion (B.A.)
Minor in Religion
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

As of January 2007 the requirements for completion of a Religion major have changed. If you enter the major as of Spring 2007 you will graduate under the new requirements. Majors who entered the program before Spring 2007 may graduate on either the new requirements or the former requirements (see below).

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 A-E: 42 hours

Required courses in Area A: ENGL 1101, ENGL 1102, and MATH 1101
Area B: Electives
Area C: No Preferred Courses Requested (See Core Curriculum)
Area D: No Preferred Courses Requested (See Core Curriculum)
Area E: No Preferred Courses Requested (See Core Curriculum)
Area F: 18
Choose one course ( 3 hours) from the following:
The course chosen will affect what is required under major requirements (see below)

RELI 1001 (3)
RELI 1002 (3)
RELI 1003 (3)
RELI 1006 (3)
RELI (NAMS) 1100 (3)
RELI (NAMS) 2004 (3)
RELI (AFAM) 2005 (3)
RELI 2012 (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 five (5) Categories listed below. Students are required to take a minimum of at least one course in four of five different Categories. (Four courses) The remainder of required 21 hours are electives and must be RELI 3000-level or above.

NOTE: Courses taken in Area F determine which Categories are required:

If RELI 1001, RELI 2001H were taken in Area F
One course must be chosen from Category 1
If RELI 1002, RELI 2002H were taken in Area F
One course must be chosen from Category 2
If RELI 1003 or RELI 1006 or Honor equivalent were taken in Area F
Once course must be chosen from Category 1 or Category 2
If none of the above courses were taken in Area F
One course must be taken from all five Categories. (Five courses)

Category 1: 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 4405/6406 (3)
RELI 4406/6406 (3)
RELI 4510/6510 (3)
RELI 4910/6910 (3)

Category 2: 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 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 may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 2 OR Category 4, but not both.
**This course may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 2 OR Category 5, but not both.

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 (4)

* This course may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 3 OR Category 5, but not both.

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 may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 2 OR Category 4, but not both.
**This course may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 4 OR Category 5, but not both.

Category 5: Theory, Thought and Methods

RELI 3030 (3)
**RELI 4005/6005 (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(ANTH) 4640/6640 (3)
***RELI(ANTH)(NAMS) 4701/6701 (3)

*This course may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 2 OR Category 5, but not both.
**This course may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 3 OR Category 5, but not both.
***This course may be used to satisfy EITHER Category 4 OR Category 5, but not both.

Major Electives: 15
Foreign Language (through the third semester)

ElectivesGeneral Electives: 24
(Refer to College-wide requirements when selecting general electives.)

Upper division (18 hours)
Any level (6 hours)

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

Total hours required 120

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

Major Requirements for students who entered the major before Spring 2007:

A major in religion consists of 21 semester hours in courses numbered 3000 or above taken in courses prefixed RELI with a minimum grade of "C" in each course. Of these hours, one three-hour course is required to be taken from each of the following categories (= 9 hours).

CATEGORY I: Judaism, Christianity, Islam;

CATEGORY II: Religions of India, China, Japan

CATEGORY III: Religious Thought.

The remaining 12 hours may be selected from any upper division course offered by the department.

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

Careers in Religion

Franklin College Career Resources
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Undergraduate Coordinator: Russell Kirkland email:kirkland@uga.edu

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