Academic Bulletin Religion - 2006-07

Currently viewing 2006-07 bulletin

Faculty: G. Helman (chair), J. Baer, D. Blix*, W. Chen, K. Ngwa, W. Placher, R. Royalty**, S. Webb

*Sabbatical leave, full year
** Sabbatical leave, fall semester

While most of its courses focus on the Christian tradition, the Wabash religion department also has particular strengths in Asian religions, and in recent years we have had Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu religion majors as well as majors from a Christian background and students with an intellectual interest in religion who are themselves skeptics. The department seeks to expose students to a variety of religious traditions and to help them employ a number of methods that are used to study religion, while helping students from religious backgrounds to come to a deeper understanding of them. Indeed, a religion major often provides undergraduates a useful way of developing, in effect, an interdisciplinary major with work in everything from anthropology to biblical studies.

We try to provide a large number of “entry points” for interested students. Courses numbered in the 100's are typically lecture courses and are appropriate to take as a first course in religion. Courses numbered in the 200's without a prerequisite listed are also appropriate to take as a first course but will be smaller discussion classes. Courses numbered in the 300's are more advanced and have prerequisites as indicated. Religion 490 is usually taken by majors in their senior year.

Comprehensive Examinations: Students write for two days, three hours each day. The usual pattern has been to write on two questions the first day. There is a wide range of questions from which to choose, and questions characteristically draw on material from more than one course. The second day has usually involved writing on one question, which invites reflection on the shape of the major as a whole.

Requirements for the Major: A minimum of nine course credits including:

A. The history of Christianity, Religion 171 and 172

B. A total of two course credits from the following:

•  Hebrew Bible—Religion 141, 240, or 340
•  New Testament—Religion 162, 260, or 360
•  History of Christianity—Religion 272 or 372
•  Theology—Religion 173, 273, 370, or 373
•  Ethics—Religion 270, 274, or 374
•  American religion—Religion 181, 280, or 380
•  Judaism—Religion 150, 250, or 350
•  Independent Study—Religion 287 or 387

C. A total of two course credits from the following:

•  Islam and South-Asian religions—Religion 103, 210, 220, 310, or 320
•  East-Asian religions—Religion 104, 230, or 330
•  Judaism—Religion 151, 251, or 351
•  Independent Study—Religion 288 or 388

D. Religion 297, 298, or 370 taken before the senior year

E. Senior Seminar, Religion 490

F. At least one course at the 200 level or above, apart from those listed under D and E

Requirements for the Minor: a minimum of five course credits, including at least one of the following sequences:

Religion 103 and 104
Religion 141 and 162
Religion 171 and 172
And at least one credit from Religion courses numbered 200 or above.