Skip to main content
Department of Religious Studies

Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy

Students on Summer 2018, Fall 2018, or Spring 2019 requirements RELPHILBA
The Interdepartmental Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy allows students to study both disciplines within a single major. It offers students an opportunity to explore and understand the religious traditions and various expressions of religious life around the world, as well as to explore foundational questions about who we are, what we can know, how we should live, and what there is. The program teaches a variety of approaches to the academic study of religion and religion's intersections with other aspects of human society and culture. It also emphasizes study of the history of philosophy and training in contemporary philosophical research, including skills in identifying and critically evaluating arguments, thinking clearly and independently, writing analytically, and applying principles of logic and good reasoning. The program prepares students for a wide variety of careers, including careers in education, the social sciences, law, medicine, public service, and politics.

Requirements

The major requires at least 42 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
  1. Religious Studies Courses. 21 credit hours, with no more than one 100-level course counting toward the minimum and with at least 12 credit hours in courses at the 300–499 level (other than REL-X 370, REL-X 371, REL-X 498 and REL-R 499), including:
    1. At least one (1) course:
      • REL-D 201 Shamans, Spirit Mediums and Prophets
      • REL-D 202 Issues in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison
      • REL-D 250 Religion, Ecology, and the Self
      • REL-D 300 Studies in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison
      • REL-D 301 Religion and Its Critics
      • REL-D 310 Contemporary Religious Thought
      • REL-D 315 Religion and Personality
      • REL-D 325 Religions in Practice: Social Theories of Religion
      • REL-D 330 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism I
      • REL-D 331 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism II
      • REL-D 339 Pilgrimage and Sacred Landscapes
      • REL-D 340 Religion and Bioethics
      • REL-D 349 Religion, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
      • REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
      • REL-D 362 Religious Issues in Contemporary Judaism
      • REL-D 365 Friendship, Benevolence, and Love
      • REL-D 369 Religion and the Arts
      • REL-D 370 Topics in Gender and Western Religions
      • REL-D 375 Religion and Literature
      • REL-D 380 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena
      • REL-D 385 Messianism and Messiahs in Comparative Perspective
      • REL-D 399 Gender, Sex, Bodies, and Religion
      • REL-D 410 Topics in Religious Thought
      • REL-D 430 Problems in Social Ethics
      • REL-D 485 Religion and Media
    2. At least one (1) course at the 200–499 level chosen from two (2) of the remaining three areas from the Area A, Area B, and Area C lists.
      • REL-A 202 Issues in African, European, and West Asian Religions
      • REL-A 210 Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
      • REL-A 220 Introduction to the New Testament
      • REL-A 230 Introduction to Judaism
      • REL-A 235 Sacred Books of the Jews
      • REL-A 250 Introduction to Christianity
      • REL-A 270 Introduction to Islam
      • REL-A 275 Sex and Gender in Islam
      • REL-A 300 Studies in African, European, and West Asian Religions
      • REL-A 305 Ancient Mediterranean Religions
      • REL-A 314 Gender and Power in the Hebrew Bible
      • REL-A 315 Prophecy in Ancient Israel
      • REL-A 316 Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity
      • REL-A 317 Judaism in the Making
      • REL-A 318 Rabbinic Judaism: Literature and Beliefs
      • REL-A 319 Magic and Witchcraft in the Ancient World
      • REL-A 320 Jesus
      • REL-A 321 Paul and His Influence in Early Christianity
      • REL-A 325 Christianity: Christ to Constantine
      • REL-A 326 Early Christian Monasticism
      • REL-A 335 Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
      • REL-A 350 Christianity, 400--1500
      • REL-A 351 Christianity and Modernity
      • REL-A 355 The Right Belief: History of Orthodox Christianity
      • REL-A 375 Women in the Bible
      • REL-A 380 Knowing the Will of God in Islam I: Law
      • REL-A 415 Topics in Ancient Israelite Religion
      • REL-A 426 Gnostic Religion and Literature
      • REL-A 430 Topics in the History of Judaism
      • REL-A 435 Catholic Controversies
      • REL-A 440 Judaism and Gender: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives
      • REL-A 450 Topics in the History of Christianity
      • REL-A 470 Topics in Islamic Studies
      • REL-A 480 Knowing the Will of God in Islam II: Theology
      • REL-A 485 The Life and Legacy of Muhammad
      • REL-B 202 Issues in South and East Asian Religions
      • REL-B 210 Introduction to Buddhism
      • REL-B 220 Introduction to Hinduism
      • REL-B 230 Introduction to Chinese Religion
      • REL-B 300 Studies in South and East Asian Religions
      • REL-B 310 East Asian Buddhism
      • REL-B 312 Mythologies of Martial Arts
      • REL-B 315 Tantric Buddhism
      • REL-B 320 Hindu Goddesses
      • REL-B 330 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions
      • REL-B 333 Seeing the Buddha: Buddhist Art of India and Tibet
      • REL-B 335 Bollywood and Beyond: Religion in South Asian Film
      • REL-B 360 Religions in Japan
      • REL-B 374 Classical Chinese Thought
      • REL-B 410 Topics in the Buddhist Tradition
      • REL-B 412 Buddhism and Popular Culture
      • REL-B 414 Buddhist Philosophy in India
      • REL-B 420 Topics in Hindu Religious Traditions
      • REL-B 433 Embodying Nirvana
      • REL-B 440 Topics in Daoism and Chinese Religion
      • REL-B 460 Topics in East Asian Religions
      • REL-C 202 Issues in Religion in the Americas
      • REL-C 220 American Religion and Politics
      • REL-C 230 American Jewish History
      • REL-C 300 Studies in Religion in the Americas
      • REL-C 303 Superheroes and Religion in American Culture
      • REL-C 320 African American Religions
      • REL-C 323 Jews and Race in the United States
      • REL-C 325 Race, Religion, and Ethnicity in the Americas
      • REL-C 330 Evangelical America
      • REL-C 335 New Religious Movements in the Americas
      • REL-C 345 Disaster in American Religion and Culture
      • REL-C 355 Religion and Sex in America
      • REL-C 401 Topics in American Religious History
      • REL-C 402 Religion, Illness, and Healing
      • REL-C 420 Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in American Religion
    3. At least one (1) course in Religious Studies (3 credit hours) at the 400–499 level (other than REL-X 498 and REL-R 499).
    4. One (1) course:
      • REL-R 389 Majors Seminar in Religion
  2. Philosophy Courses. 21 credit hours, with no more than one 100-level course counting toward the minimum and with at least 12 credit hours in 300–499 level courses:
    1. Ethics and value theory. At least one (1) course:
      • PHIL-P 242 Applied Ethics
      • PHIL-P 246 Introduction to Philosophy and Art
      • PHIL-P 332 Feminism and Value
      • PHIL-P 340 Classics in Ethics
      • PHIL-P 342 Problems of Ethics
      • PHIL-P 343 Classics in Social and Political Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 345 Problems in Social and Political Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 346 Classics in Philosophy of Art
      • PHIL-P 347 Contemporary Controversies in Philosophy of Art
      • PHIL-P 375 Philosophy of Law
      • PHIL-P 393 Biomedical Ethics
    2. History of philosophy. At least one (1) course:
      • PHIL-P 201 Ancient Greek Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 205 Modern Jewish Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 211 Early Modern Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 301 Medieval Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 304 19th Century Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 305 Topics in the Philosophy of Judaism
      • PHIL-P 319 American Pragmatism
      • PHIL-P 328 Philosophies of India
      • PHIL-P 330 Marxist Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 335 Phenomenology and Existentialism
      • PHIL-P 374 Early Chinese Philosophy
    3. Epistemology and metaphysics. At least one (1) course:
      • PHIL-P 310 Topics in Metaphysics
      • PHIL-P 312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge
      • PHIL-P 320 Philosophy of Language
      • PHIL-P 360 Philosophy of Mind
      • PHIL-P 366 Philosophy of Action
    4. Logic. At least one (1) course:
      • PHIL-P 150 Elementary Logic
      • PHIL-P 250 Introductory Symbolic Logic
    5. Research. At least one (1) course:
      • PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
      • PHIL-P 470 Special Topics in Philosophy
      • PHIL-P 498 Honors Thesis Directed Research
      • PHIL-P 499 Honors Thesis
  3. Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
    1. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
    2. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
    3. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
    4. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
    5. Exceptions to major requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.