Religious Studies
Program Director--Dr. Kevin West
The Religious Studies Minor
Religious studies is an academic discipline devoted to interrogating and understanding religious belief, behavior, and production. As distinct from theology, which tends to study religion from a confessional perspective and/or from the perspective of a particular religious tradition, religious studies aims to consider, without endorsing any particular faith or creed, any and all religious traditions as manifestations of the human desire for transcendence or ultimate truth. Students pursuing the Religious Studies minor at SFA will gain a deeper understanding of religion as an impulse, as a practice, and as an historical force.
Courses and Hours Required
The Religious Studies minor requires 18 hours, to be distributed as described below:
Students take the following three courses as a 9-hour core:
- English 301: Sacred Texts and Traditions
- Philosophy 360: Philosophy of Religion
- Sociology 341: Sociology of Religion
Students then take 9 hours from such elective courses as the following:
- Anthropology 277/477: Special Topics in Anthropology (when appropriate topic)
- Art 491: Special Problems in Art (when appropriate topic)
- Art 497: Art Topics (when appropriate topic)
- English 211: World Literature through the Renaissance
- English 300: Mythology
- English 383 (390): The Bible as Literature
- English 390: Special Topics in Literature (when appropriate topic)
- English 405: Topics in Comparative World Literature (when appropriate topic)
- Greek 495: Independent Study (with appropriate topic)
- History 310: Topics in American Society (when appropriate topic)
- History 312: Topics in European Social, Cultural, and Intellectual History (when
appropriate topic) - History 313: Topics in World History (when appropriate topic)
- Latin 495: Independent Study (with appropriate topic)
- Philosophy 390: Special Topics in Philosophy (when appropriate topic)
- Philosophy 400: Philosophical Issues in World Religions
- Philosophy 490: Advanced Studies in Philosophy (when appropriate topic)
- Political Science 399: Topics in Political Science (when appropriate topic)
- Psychology 498: Topics in Psychology (when appropriate topic)
- Sociology 305: Sociology of Death and Dying
- Sociology 477: Topics in Sociology (when appropriate topic)
- Theatre 471: Topics in the Theatre and Drama (when appropriate topic)
Note: Elective courses with substantial religious content other than those listed above may be counted toward the Religious Studies minor at the discretion of the director of the Religious Studies minor or the Chair of the English and Philosophy department. A maximum of 9 hours of the minor may come from any one discipline.
For more information on the Religious Studies minor, please contact Dr. Kevin R. West (westkr@sfasu.edu).