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The Major |
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To graduate as a major in Religious Studies, a student must (1) complete with letter grades the program's three core courses, RELST 250 Introduction to Asian Religions, RELST 251 Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and RELST 449 History and Methods of the Academic Study of Religion; and (2) complete with letter grades seven additional courses approved for the major.
Students must complete 10 courses cross-listed with Religious Studies
Three Core Courses:
RELST 250 Introduction to Asian Religions
RELST 251 Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
RELST 449 History and Methods in the Academic Study of Religion
The requirement for either or both RELST 250/251 may be satisfied by taking two or more courses in the relevant traditions with some attention to breadth: The requirement for RELST 250 may be satisfied by taking at least one course on South Asian traditions AND one course on East Asian traditions. The requirement for RELST 251 may be satisfied by taking at least one course in each of two or more of the traditions of Near Eastern origin (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Absolutely no student will be exempted from RELST 449.
Seven Additional Courses:
In selecting their additional courses for the major, students are expected to consult closely with their advisers to ensure that their programs have adequate breadth in religious studies generally and depth in a particular tradition, cultural area, or approach to the field.
Most courses approved for the major are offered by cooperating
departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. A comprehensive up-to-date
list of these courses is maintained at the office of the Religious Studies Program,
409 White Hall.
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1. Eligibility. 3.0 cumulative average and 3.5 average inside the major with no grade in the major below B-. Program director notifies eligible candidates during the spring semester of the junior year or before commencement of final year.
2. Honors Courses. Candidates must sign in RELST 495 Senior Honors Essay for 8 credits (two courses) for two semesters. After the first semester, an R in the transcript indicates that this course (usually for 8 credits) is a yearlong course. When the project is completed at the end of the second semester, the grade recorded counts for all 8 credits. (The 8-credit limit is the result of the conviction/belief that earning more than 8 credits for a single "piece" of one's undergraduate education is unwise.)
The student submits the honors proposal (with and according to the program's instruction/cover sheet) to the Religious Studies administrator before the end of the spring semester of the junior year, or not later than Sept. 15 of the final year. The administrator then approves the student's signing into the honors courses.
3. Honors Committee-three faculty members. While students are required to have three faculty members on their committee at the time of the submission of the final draft, only two of them must be identified when the proposal is submitted. In the event the adviser is on leave, the program will assign a committee member from the list of approved RELST advisers. The three members should be:
a. The professor who has agreed to work closely with the student over the year and to be the supervisor/grader of the project is chair of the committee.
b. The student's Religious Studies major adviser (required)
c. Another knowledgeable faculty member
Sometimes the adviser is the supervisor/chair. If that
is the case, the student needs two additional knowledgeable professors for the
committee of three.
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Signing into the major: To sign into the major in Religious Studies, a student must have completed at least one course in Religious Studies before scheduling an appointment with the program director.
Here is the process:
1. Schedule an appointment with the director of the Religious Studies Program, whose name and email address can be found on the Religious Studies web site.
In addition to a copy of the current Cornell transcript (the informal one students regularly receive is acceptable), students should bring to their meeting with the director all of these forms, available in the Religious Studies office, 409 White Hall.
a. A completed Religious Studies Major application form found here
b. A proposed "course of study," which will be used as a guide in the student's conversation with the director and revised for formal submission to the program upon your entrance as a major
c. A College of Arts and Sciences adviser/major form, which will be signed by the director and adviser. The adviser will be assigned in the student's meeting with the director based on interest.
Advising in the Religious Studies Program:
Upon entering the major in Religious Studies, a student is assigned faculty adviser whose area of expertise most closely matches the proposed interest of the student. An up-to-date approved adviser list is available in the Religious Studies office. Note that not all faculty members who cross-list courses with RELST can serve as RELST advisers. Working closely with one's RELST adviser when selecting courses is an important component of this program, enabling students to fulfill the requirements for the major while creating an integrated and coherent course of study out of our large number of multidisciplinary course offerings.
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