Requires a minimum of 27 hours, of which 18 must be in courses above the 100-level, including at least 9 hours in courses at the 300 level.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select courses above the 100-level | 18 | |
| REL 200 | Approaches to the Study of Religion | 3 |
| Select one three hour course (or two 1.5 hour courses) from each of the three groups designated: | 9 | |
A minimum GPA of 2.0 in all courses completed in religious studies at Wake Forest is required for graduation with the major. Up to 3 hours from NLL courses 200 or above may be counted toward the major. Up to 9 hours of coursework completed outside the department and no more than 6 hours of directed reading may be counted toward the major.
Students who major or minor in Religious Studies may elect to complete a concentration in Religion and Public Engagement as part of their program of study. The concentration requires 9 hours of coursework including, (a) REL 332; (b) either REL 288 (Internship) or REL 289 (Mentored Research); and (c) 3 credit hours earned in Group 2 or in a relevant course in the department approved by the Department Chair; but does not require any additional hours beyond those needed for the major or minor. Students declaring a concentration in Religion and Public Engagement must do so prior to the beginning of their final semester.
I: Biblical Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REL 261 | Foundations of Traditional Judaism | 1.5 |
| REL 264 | Jesus and Buddha | 3 |
| REL 308 | Sacred Scripture in the Traditions of Abraham | 3 |
| REL 310 | The Prophetic Literature | 3 |
| REL 312 | The Critical Study of the Pentateuch | 3 |
| REL 313 | Near Eastern Archeology | 3 |
| REL 315 | Field Research in Biblical Archeology | 3 |
| REL 316 | Field Research in Biblical Archeology | 3 |
| REL 317 | Wisdom Literature | 3 |
| REL 318 | Feminist and Contemporary Interpretations of the Bible | 3 |
| REL 319 | What Would Jesus Do? The New Testament and Christian Ethics | 3 |
| REL 323 | Jesus Traditions | 3 |
| REL 324 | Early Christian Literature | 3 |
| REL 328 | Jewish-Christian Relations and the New Testament | 3 |
II: Religion, History, and Society
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REL 210 | Jerusalem in History and Tradition | 3 |
| REL 214 | Excavating the Sacred | 3 |
| REL 230 | Religion and the U.S. Constitution | 3 |
| REL 231 | Against God: Atheism, Secular Humanism, & the Problem of Belief | 3 |
| REL 232 | Trauma Tourism and Religion | 3 |
| REL 233 | Religious Ethics and Moral Problems | 3 |
| REL 242 | Sex, Death and Salvation | 3 |
| REL 244 | Religion, Terrorism, and Violence | 3 |
| REL 246 | Religion and Race | 3 |
| REL 266 | Religious Sects and Cults | 3 |
| REL 267 | Religion and Popular Culture | 3 |
| REL 330 | Pope, Jefferson and Imam: A Study in Comparative Ethics | 3 |
| REL 331 | Religion and Law | 3 |
| REL 332 | Religion and Public Engagement | 3 |
| REL 335 | Religious Ethics and the Problem of War | 3 |
| REL 336 | Religious Traditions and Human Rights | 3 |
| REL 338 | Religion, Ethics, and Politics | 3 |
| REL 340 | Holy Chow! Food and Religion | 3 |
| REL 341 | Religion and Ecology | 3 |
| REL 342 | Religious Intolerance in the U.S. | 3 |
| REL 345 | The African-American Religious Experience | 3 |
| REL 347 | Religion, Politics, and Sexuality in North America | 3 |
| REL 355 | Jewish Identities: Religion, Race, and Rights | 3 |
| REL 356 | Faces of Modern Judaism | 3 |
| REL 357 | Jews in the United States | 3 |
| REL 364 | Topics in U.S. Religious History | 1.5-3 |
| REL 365 | History of Religions in America | 3 |
| REL 367 | Christian Mysticism | 3 |
| REL 368 | Protestant and Catholic Reformations | 3 |
| REL 369 | Radical Christian Movements | 3 |
| REL 372 | History of Christian Thought | 3 |
| REL 373 | Special Topics in African-American Religious Traditions | 3 |
| REL 374 | Black Messiahs and Uncle Toms | 3 |
| REL 375 | Race, Myth, and the American Imagination | 3 |
| REL 376 | Race, Religion, and Film | 3 |
| REL 378 | Latin American Liberation Theologies | 3 |
| HST 378 | Race, Memory, and Identity | 3 |
| HST 381 | Religious Utopias and the American Experience | 3 |
III: World Religions
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| REL 233 | Religious Ethics and Moral Problems | 3 |
| REL 263 | The Religions of Japan | 3 |
| REL 264 | Jesus and Buddha | 3 |
| REL 265 | Culture and Religion in Contemporary Native America | 3 |
| REL 280 | God, Gods, and the Ultimate | 3 |
| REL 282 | Religion and Culture in China | 3 |
| REL 306 | Ritual Studies | 3 |
| REL 329 | Asian Medicine, Health, and Healing Traditions | 3 |
| REL 339 | Religion, Power, and Society in Modern Africa | 3 |
| REL 343 | Religion, Culture, and the Body | 3 |
| REL 349 | Asian Meditation Practices | 3 |
| REL 354 | Meditation and Mindfulness Practices | 3 |
| REL 359 | Hinduism in America | 3 |
| REL 360 | Hindus, Muslims, & Sikhs in North America | 3 |
| REL 361 | Topics in Buddhism | 3 |
| REL 362 | Topics in Islam | 3 |
| REL 379 | Muslim Youth | 3 |
| REL 380 | Islamic Bioethics | 3 |
| REL 381 | Zen Buddhism | 3 |
| REL 383 | The Quran and the Prophet | 3 |
| REL 384 | Islam and Law: Varieties in Interpretation and Expression | 3 |
| REL 385 | Topics in South Asian Religions | 3 |
| REL 386 | The Mahābhārata: Heroes, Demons, Women, and War. | 3 |
| REL 387 | Priests, Warriors and Ascetics in Ancient India | 3 |
| REL 388 | South Asian Women: Religion, Culture and Politics | 3 |
| REL 389 | Islam in the West: Changes and Challenges | 3 |
| REL 391 | Topics in East Asian Religions | 3 |
| REL 392 | Topics in First Peoples' Traditions | 3 |
| REL 393 | Topics in Religions of Africa | 3 |
Highly qualified majors are encouraged to apply for admission to the honors program. Students who wish to pursue this option should refer to the honors guidelines, available on the Department website, for an overview of requirements and procedures. Upon completion of all requirements, a recommendation of honors at graduation will be made by the department based upon the student’s overall academic record and the quality of the final project.