Program Description
The Religious Studies major is an interdisciplinary humanities program that focuses on the academic study of the world’s religious traditions and how they are related to various aspects of human existence (psychology, sociology, ethics, philosophy, language, economics, politics, science, etc.) The BA in Religious Studies provides grounding in the histories, scriptures, rituals, mythologies, ethics, and beliefs of religious communities as they have been situated in specific geo-political contexts throughout the past three millennia. It should be emphasized that the program is not intended to indoctrinate students into one particular religion or to teach them to become religious, but is focused rather on studying how religion both historically and theoretically motivates, provides meaning for, and helps to organize human life. The program trains students to be global thinkers with a deeper understanding of the world’s cultural, political, and social differences. Historically, Religious Studies majors have gone on to pursue graduate work and employment in a number of fields, including law, medicine, ministry, non-profit and service-related industries, in addition to numerous others.
In addition to completing the General Education curriculum, the Religious Studies major must meet the humanities degree requirements of the College of Arts and Humanities. Students are encouraged to substitute a double-major for their minor and should speak with their advisor early during their academic tenure at Clemson to ensure that both majors are completed within four years.
All majors must take REL 3000 and REL 3990 . They must also take one course each in Judaism (REL 3010 or REL 3060 ), Christianity (REL 3020 or REL 3070 ), Islam (REL 3030 or REL 3150 ), and American religious traditions (REL 3090 , REL 3100 , REL 3110 , or REL 3170 ), as well as 12 additional credits in Religious Studies, nine of which must be at the 2000 level or above and six of which must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. Students may also take ANTH 4270 , ENGL 3500 , ENGL 4140 , HIST 3960 , HIST 4720 , PHIL 3030 , POSC 4070 , POSC 4080 , POSC 4390 , and SOC 4320 for this last requirement.
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