Students who declare a major or minor in religious studies are required to take World Religions: Asian Traditions and World Religions: Near Eastern Traditions. The degree plan below is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.
Course Requirements
The religious studies major requires 44 credits in religious studies courses, not all of which need to carry the REL subject code. Of the 44 credits:
- 8 must be in World Religions (REL 101, REL 102)
- 28 must be upper division courses
Of these upper-division credits, at least:
- 16 must be in courses with the REL subject code
- 4 must be in REL 411: Making Sense of Religion
Courses used to satisfy major requirements must be taken for letter grades and passed with a mid-C or better.
Grading Standards
What follows is meant to help students understand departmental expectations regarding the grading of course assignments. These are general expectations, but specifics will vary depending on the needs and assignments of course level, course type, and subject area.
Students are responsible for paying attention to the following:
- Course syllabi
- Assignment descriptions
- Oral instructions in class and in conference regarding the evaluation of course assignments
- Written comments on essay assignments
- Documentation on course web sites
- Greater outside research needed for upper-level seminar writing assignments
- Expectations regarding exams and written assignments for language-related courses
A+ = Work of the highest distinction, rarely awarded.
A = Excellent grasp of material, precise and sophisticated execution of an assignment that is reasonably free of errors. Where applicable, great originality, depth of insight, and thoroughness of research will characterize work at this level.
B = Fulfillment of main criteria of an assignment that demonstrates a good grasp of material and high level of execution with some room for improvement. Where applicable, it lacks the characteristics of an A grade.
C = Fulfillment of a good portion of the criteria of an assignment that demonstrates a promising but incomplete grasp of material, with fair execution that leaves room for improvement. Where applicable, work at this level contains some originality and insight but research remains rudimentary.
D = Fulfillment of some criteria of assignment with poor grasp of material and poor execution of assignment. Where applicable, work lacks originality and insight and is deficient in research.
F = Work that fails to fulfill basic requirements of an assignment, remains largely incomplete with little grasp of material, and fails to execute required elements properly.