2021-2022 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Religious Studies, BA
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About the ProgramThe religious studies program at Purdue offers students the opportunity to investigate how the different religious traditions of the world seek and understand ultimate reality, how this understanding influences human action and belief about the world, and how historical contexts influence religious thought and practice. By learning about the different religious traditions of the world and their historical contexts, students will cultivate a critical appreciation of diverse religious traditions. Students will have the opportunity to study this major from the perspective of different departments at Purdue, such as English, history, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology. Such an interdepartmental approach is designed to help students tailor the program to their special interests. Please visit Religious Studies for more information.
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Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredLiberal Arts Curriculum
Each liberal arts major is designed as a four-year plan of study and includes three types of courses: Major, Core, and Elective. Most students take five courses per semester, with some of each type. Professional academic advisors meet individually with each of our students on a regular basis to help with course selection, academic planning, and career development, as well as to help students find additional resources on campus. Departmental/Program Major Course Requirements (33 credits)
A. Required Courses (9 credits)
B. Category I: Religious Traditions and Diversity (6 credits)
Choose two.
C. Category II: Religion, Society and the Public Square (9 credits)
Choose three.
D. Category III: Philosophy, Culture, and Intellectual History (9 credits)
Choose three.
Note for B, C, D
- At least Twelve Credit hours from Categories I, II, and III must be at the 30000, 40000, or 50000 level.
Other Departmental - Liberal Arts Core (31-55 credits)
The College of Liberal Arts Other Departmental area is designed to be experiential, informative, and relevant to life in a rapidly changing universe. It combines courses that fulfill University Core foundational outcomes, discipline diversity, social diversity, and other languages to produce a well-rounded background for students. Coursework is integrative and collaborative and fosters insight, understanding, independence, initiative, and the desire to reach across divides and redefine our relationship to the peoples and the worlds that surround us.
Core I: Disciplinary Diversity (6-18 credits)
Choose 1 course in 6 different disciplines within the College of Liberal Arts.
Note: Disciplines are differentiated by course prefix. Undistributed credit does not count to satisfy this requirement.
Core II: Social Diversity (1-3 credits)
Culture, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity all play a role in how others perceive us and how we experience the world, and as such, are meaningful categories for analyzing social change and social problems past and present. The purpose of this category is to acquaint students with the pluralistic nature of the world and foster an appreciation and awareness of the diverse range of lived human experience. Courses in this list will expose students to important aspects of human diversity and foster understanding about different world views.
Choose 1 course from the Social Diversity Selective List .
Core III: Linguistic Diversity (3-4 credits)
Proficiency through Level IV in one world language. Courses may be required to reach Level IV proficiency; these courses will be counted toward electives. (fulfills Humanities for core)
Foundational Requirements (21-30 credits)
Students must complete approved coursework that meet the following foundational outcomes. Many of these can also be used to fulfill Core I, Core II, or Core III.
- Humanities - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Humanities for core)
- Behavioral/Social Science - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Behavioral/Social Science for core)
- Information Literacy - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Information Literacy for core)
- Science #1 - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Science for core)
- Science #2 - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Science for core)
- Science, Technology, and Society - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Science, Technology, Society for core)
- Written Communication - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Written Communication for core)
- Oral Communication - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Oral Communication for core)
- Quantitative Reasoning - all approved courses accepted. (fulfills Quantitative Reasoning for core)
Notes
- Double counting of courses is allowed across the various categories.
- All accredited programs whose accreditation is threatened by CLA Core requirements, both professional BAs and BFAs, are exempt from Liberal Arts Core I & II in order to meet accreditation standards and requirements. Liberal Arts Core III: Linguistic Diversity is still required for such programs.
- “Degree +” students (students with a second major outside of Liberal Arts) are exempt from the CLA Core
Electives (27-55 credits)
University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement:
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.
Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:
- Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
- Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
- Earning a passing grade for one of these approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)
For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.
Prerequisite Information:
For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.
Fall 1st Year
- Written Communication - Credit hours: 3.00 (CLA Core I: 1 of 6)
- Quantitative Reasoning - Credit Hours: 3.00
- World Language Level I - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Information Literacy - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Fall 3rd Year
- Religious Traditions & Diversity Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Religion, Society, and the Public Square Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- CLA Core I: 5 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- CLA Core I: 6 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 3rd Year
- Religious Traditions & Diversity Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Religion, Society, & the Public Square Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science, Technology, and Society - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Fall 4th Year
- Religion, Society, & the Public Square Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Philosophy, Culture, & Intellectual History Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours 3.00
Spring 4th Year
- Philosophy, Culture, & Intellectual History Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Philosophy, Culture, & Intellectual History Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Notes
- 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.
- 32 credit hours of Purdue coursework at the 30000 level or higher required for Bachelor of Arts degree.
- Liberal Arts offers a streamlined plan of study for students pursuing a second degree outside CLA. Contact the CLA Advising Office for more information.
- Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student.
College of Liberal Arts Pass/No Pass Option Policy
- P/NP cannot be used to satisfy Liberal Arts Core, Liberal Arts major, minor, or certificate requirements.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor.
| ASL-American Sign Language |
ARAB-Arabic |
CHNS-Chinese |
FR-French |
| GER-German |
GREK-Greek (Ancient) |
HEBR-Hebrew (Biblical) |
HEBR-Hebrew (modern) |
| ITAL-Italian |
JPNS-Japanese |
KOR-Korean |
LATN-Latin |
| PTGS-Portuguese |
RUSS-Russian |
SPAN-Spanish |
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Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”.
Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.
The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
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