Religious Studies Major

Dual Majors

Students who wish to supplement a major in another discipline - for example, economics, government, history, literature, or psychology - with substantial study in religious studies, are encouraged to complete a dual major including religious studies.

Dual majors including religious studies must take at least seven courses in religious studies, including:

• RLST 180 PO -Interpreting Religious Worlds , or
• RLST 190 PO - Senior Seminar in Religious Studies .

The remaining six courses are chosen in consultation with the student’s departmental advisor.

Students with a dual major including religious studies are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in their major. For further information, see Senior Thesis in Religious Studies above.

Please note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in Religious Studies below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, please check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Honors in Religious Studies

To be eligible for honors in religious studies, students must complete a major in religious studies, earn a grade point average of 10.50 or better in major courses, and must be voted honors by the members of the department. Students with a dual major including religious studies who wish to be considered for honors in religious studies will only receive honors if they:

• have completed all requirements for a full major in religious studies and are granted honors, or
• qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation  for details.

Theta Alpha Kappa

Claremont McKenna College is a member of The Claremont Colleges’ chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa, honorary Religious Studies/Theology society. Students are elected to membership on the basis of academic standing and regulations for eligibility established by the chapter and the national society. For further information, contact Professor Gilbert.

Learning Goals

The learning goals of the program in Religious Studies are:

1. To study the fundamental ideas, practices, and institutions that have shaped and defined religious traditions and communities.
2. To understand the intersection of religious traditions with other realms of human experience including social, political, economic, and cultural.
3. To understand the theories and methods (e.g., literary criticism, gender theory, post-modern and post-colonial analysis) used in the study of religion.

Student Learning Outcomes

The student learning outcomes for the major are:

1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the texts, beliefs, and practices of more than one religious tradition.
2. Students will be able to trace the historical development of at least one religious tradition from its origin to the present.
3. Students will be able to identify and analyze the intersections between religious traditions and major social and cultural issues (e.g. politics, gender, ethnicity, race, ethics).
4. Students will be able to work with multiple sources of information (e.g. textual, performative, material, philosophical) used in the study of religion.
5. Students will demonstrate proficiency in a variety of disciplinary approaches to the study of religion (e.g. historical, philosophical, anthropological).
6. Students will be able to analyze and assess religious phenomena through the use of critical theories (e.g. literary criticism, gender theory, post-modern and post-colonial analysis).