Undergraduate Program

College of Arts and Sciences and Religious Studies Program Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

  • Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
  • Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Communication.
  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics.
  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Second Language.

Completion of Religious Studies Program admission course work with grades of "C" or better:

  • RELG 2110.
  • RELG 2120.

Degree Offered

  • Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (B.A.)

Major Study Requirements

The major must complete 33 hours of coursework in Religious Studies, complying with the following requirements:

  1. 18 of these 33 hours must be at the upper division level.
  2. All students must take one of the following introductory courses: RELG 1110 (Introduction to World Religions), RELG 1120 (Introduction to the Bible), or RELG 1550 (Religion, Health and Medicine).
  3. Additional required courses are RELG 2110 (Eastern Religions); RELG 2120 (Western Religions); and RELG 452 (Theories of Religion), the capstone course.
  4. In addition to the introductory course listed in #1, and the three required courses listed in #2, students must also take at least one course in each of the following distributional areas: Asian Religions; Abrahamic Religions; Religion, Life and Culture; and Religion in the Americas. Courses that meet these distribution requirements are listed below. Relevant topics courses (RELG 347, RELG 447, RELG 463) may also fill distribution requirements with approval of undergraduate director or program director.
  5. In order to provide flexibility, the Asian religions requirements (RELG 2110 and another Asian religions course) and the Western/Abrahamic religions requirements (RELG 2120 and an Abrahamic religions course) may also be met by appropriate pairs of courses that together cover Asian and Abrahamic religions respectively. Thus, for example, the Asian religions requirements may also be met by taking two courses, one in Hinduism and one in Buddhism, and the Abrahamic religions requirements may also be met by taking two courses that cover the Abrahamic traditions (i.e. Judaism, Christianity, or Islam).
  6. Students are encouraged but not required to develop an informal concentration within the program, by taking at least three courses from one distributional area of their choosing.

Distributional Area Courses:

  • Asian Religions: 2110, 332, 335, 337, 347 (relevant topics courses), 447 (relevant religious studies topics seminars).
  • Abrahamic Religions: 1123, 1126, 2120, 312, 314, 326, 327, 347 (relevant topics courses), 447 (relevant religious studies topics seminars), 463 (relevant to biblical studies topics seminars).
  • Religion, Life and Culture: 303, 319, 320, 321, 347 (relevant topics courses), 350, 355, 447 (relevant religious studies topics seminars).
  • Religion in the Americas: 346, 351, 347 (relevant topics courses), 441, 447 (relevant religious studies topics seminars).

Second Major Requirements

Students may add Religious Studies as a second major to their undergraduate degree. For students completing a Religious Studies major as a second major, the total number of credit hours required is reduced from 33 to 24, while the other requirements for the major remain the same. Students completing a second major in Religious Studies must comply with the following requirements:

  1. All students must take one of the following introductory courses: RELG 1110 (Introduction to World Religions), RELG 1120 (Introduction to the Bible), or RELG 1550 (Religion, Health and Medicine).
  2. Additional required courses are RELG 2110 (Eastern Religions); RELG 2120 (Western Religions); and RELG 452 (Theories of Religion), the capstone course.
  3. In addition to the introductory course listed in #2, and the three required courses listed in #3, students must also take at least one course in each of the following distributional areas: Asian Religions; Abrahamic Religions; Religion, Life and Culture; and Religion in the Americas. Relevant topics courses (RELG 347, RELG 447, RELG 463) may also fill distribution requirements with approval of undergraduate director or program director.
  4. In order to provide flexibility, the Asian religions requirements (RELG 2110 and another Asian religions course) and the Western/Abrahamic religions requirements (RELG 2120 and an Abrahamic religions course) may also be met by appropriate pairs of courses that together cover Asian and Abrahamic religions respectively. Thus, for example, the Asian religions requirements may also be met by taking two courses, one in Hinduism and one in Buddhism, and the Abrahamic religions requirements may also be met by taking two courses that cover the Abrahamic traditions (i.e. Judaism, Christianity, or Islam).

Minor Study Requirements

The Religious Studies minor requires 18 credit hours, of which at least 9 must be in courses with a RELG prefix.


Additional Information

With the permission of the Director of the Religious Studies Program, a student may include among courses for a major or minor a limited number of courses in such languages as Classical Chinese, Classical or Biblical Greek, Latin, Biblical Hebrew, Arabic and Sanskrit, when these courses include a study of religious texts and are integrated with a program of advanced studies of sacred texts.

Religious Studies undergraduate courses count with Group II (Humanities) in the Arts and Sciences group requirements.


Departmental Honors

Students wishing to work for Honors in Religious Studies should contact the Director of the Religious Studies Program during their junior year. Honors students sign up for two consecutive semesters of RELG 497, in which they prepare an Honors thesis under the direction of a committee.


Courses

RELG 1110. Introduction to World Religions. (3)



RELG 1120. Introduction to the Bible. (3)



RELG 1123. Hebrew Bible. (3)



RELG 1126. New Testament. (3)



RELG 1550. Religion, Health and Medicine. (3)



RELG 1996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



RELG 2110. Eastern Religions. (3)



RELG 2120. Western Religions. (3)



RELG 2996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



RELG 303. Black Liberation and Religion. (3)



RELG 310. Introduction to Jewish Thought. (3)



RELG 312. Introduction to Islam. (3)



RELG 313. Islamic Fundamentalism. (3)



RELG 314. Islamic Mysticism. (3)



RELG 315. Radical Religions and American Transformations. (3)



RELG 319. Sex and Gender in Ancient Religion. (3)



RELG 320. Magic in Ancient Religion. (3)



RELG 321. Apocalypse in the Ancient World. (3)



RELG 326. History of Christianity to 1517. (3)



RELG 327. History of Christianity, 1517 to Present. (3)



RELG 332. Introduction to Buddhism. (3)



RELG 335. Goddesses and Gods of India. (3)



RELG 337. Early Daoism. (3)



RELG 346. Religion in New Mexico. (3)



RELG 347. Topics in Religious Studies. (3, may be repeated six times Δ)



RELG 350. Religion and Literature. (3)



RELG 351. Catholicism in America. (3)



RELG 355. Atheism: Trends and Critiques. (3)



RELG 441. Religion in American History. (3)



RELG *447. Seminar in Religious Studies. (1-3, may be repeated three times Δ)



RELG 452. Theories of Religion. (3)



RELG 453. Asian Studies Thesis. (3)



RELG *463. Seminar in Biblical Studies. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



RELG *475. Dante in Translation. (3)



RELG 497. Independent Studies. (1-3, may be repeated six times Δ)



RELG 507. Teaching World Religions. (3)



RELG 547. Advanced Seminar in Religious Studies. (3, may be repeated six times Δ)



RELG 551. M.A. Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



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