Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies - Religious Studies | Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies

Religious Studies

Curriculum Description
Through a variety of courses in the field of Religious Studies students are invited to deepen their understanding of religion by asking such questions as, Why have humans been so habitually religious? Is religious understanding compatible with reason and science? Can one retrieve anything of significance from ancient religious texts and traditions? What is the relationship between religion and culture? What is theology? What is the status of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other kinds of theology in a religiously plural world?

Format
In addition to the 13 required core and writing courses, 16 courses must be taken from the following Religious Studies courses, which are divided into four categories: Foundational, Biblical, Comparative, and Religion and Culture. Foundational courses explore the question of the coherence, meaning and plausibility of religion, especially in light of the academic, psychological, philosophical, sociological, and feminist suspicion of the integrity of religious life and thought. Biblical courses inquire into the meaning of specifically biblical texts using the modern tools of historical criticism and other current scholarly methods Comparative courses seek to investigate non-Christian religions or religious traditions either in themselves or by comparison with other traditions. Religion and Culture courses relate the religious dimension of human life with other aspects of culture such as art, literature, ethics, science, psychology, and economics. Students are required to take at least one course in each of these areas.

Degree Requirements

A total of 120 credits is required for the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies degree. For a concentration in Religious Studies, additional requirements apply. The following chart specifies the requirements and will help you select courses from the course listing farther down this page. (Enrolled students also can get this information in their degree audit at http://myaccess.georgetown.edu.)

Category	# of credits required	Select courses from?
BALS core courses	48	All 12 courses in the "Program Core" category must be completed (or equivalent transfer credit)
BALS writing course	3	The course listed under "Required Courses" (or equivalent transfer credit)
Non-western studies courses	6	Select 2 courses from the "Nonwestern Studies" category (or equivalent transfer credit)
Either two religious studies core courses OR one religious studies core course and one religious studies human values course	6	Select either ? two courses from the "Curricular Field Core" category or ? one course from "Curricular Field Core" and one course from "Curricular Human Values" (or equivalent transfer credit)
Religious studies elective courses. Must include at least one in each of the following categories: Foundational, Biblical, Comparative, and Religion and Culture	39	Select 13 courses (or equivalent transfer credit) from among the following four categories: "Foundational," "Biblical," "Comparative," and "Religion and Culture". You must include at least one course from each category.
Thesis or one additional religious studies course	3	Complete a thesis (comprising the "Thesis Proposal Workshop," "Thesis Research" and "Thesis Writing" courses) or select one course from the "Curricular Elective," "Curricular Field Core" or "Curricular Human Values" categories (or equivalent transfer credit)
General electives	21	Select 7 courses from all courses listed on this page (or equivalent transfer credit)

Note: Credits add up to more than 120, because the courses taken for the Non-Western Studies requirement also can be used to fulfill other degree requirements. Only 120 credits are required to graduate.