Offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences the Minor in Religious Studies may be completed entirely online.
Students in religious studies courses develop a critical understanding of the important role of religious diversity and change in the world we inhabit. Students learn to analyze religion’s profound influences on people and societies around the world.
Online Curriculum
The undergraduate minor in religious studies requires a minimum of 15 semester hours in religious studies courses, including 12 semester hours in courses taken at the University of Iowa. Students may count up to three semester hours of transfer credit toward the minor with approval of the department’s undergraduate committee. All students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 in all departmental and UI courses for the minor. Coursework for the minor cannot be taken pass/nonpass.
Students must take one course from at least three different core areas for a total of nine semester hours. The remaining six semester hours may be taken from any of the five core areas or from the list of elective courses. At least one three-semester hour course must be at 3000 level or above.
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The minor in religious studies requires the following coursework.
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| Core Area Courses | 9 |
| Additional Coursework | 6 |
Core Area Courses
Students select courses from at least three out of the five core areas for a total of 9 s.h. (typically three courses).
Social Justice, Equity, Inclusion, and Religion
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RELS:1015 | Global Religious Conflict and Diversity | 3 |
| RELS:1041 | African American Religion and Popular Culture | 3 |
| RELS:1350 | Introduction to African American Religions | 3 |
| RELS:1810 | Happiness in a Difficult World | 3 |
| RELS:2000 | Engaging Religious Diversity for Leadership and Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| RELS:2330 | Wealth, Inequality, and Islam | 3 |
| RELS:3745 | Twentieth- and Twenty-first-Century African American Religion: Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter | 3 |
Religion in History
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RELS:1001 | Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | 3 |
| RELS:1225 | Medieval Religion and Culture | 3 |
| RELS:1250 | Modern Religion and Culture | 3 |
| RELS:2152 | The Gnostic Religion: Knowledge, Institution, and Salvation | 3 |
| RELS:2775 | The Bible and the Holocaust | 3 |
| RELS:2930 | Digital Media and Religion | 3 |
| RELS:3190 | Medieval to Modern: The Birth of Protestantism | 3 |
Religion in Global Context
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RELS:1130 | Introduction to Islamic Civilization | 3 |
| RELS:1404 | Introduction to Asian Religions | 3 |
| RELS:1506 | Introduction to Buddhism | 3 |
| RELS:1670 | Korea in the World | 3 |
| RELS:2515 | Introduction to Chinese Religious Thought: How Best to Live | 3 |
| RELS:2852 | Women in Islam and the Middle East | 3 |
| RELS:3655 | Zen Buddhism | 3 |
| RELS:3855 | Human Rights and Islam | 3 |
Religion, Values, and Culture
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RELS:1070 | Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament | 3 |
| RELS:1080 | Introduction to the New Testament | 3 |
| RELS:1702 | Religion in America Today | 3 |
| RELS:1903 | Quest for Human Destiny | 3 |
| RELS:2260 | Hard Cases in Healthcare at the Beginning of Life | 3 |
| RELS:2265 | Hard Cases in Healthcare at the End of Life | 3 |
| RELS:2272 | Gods and Superheroes: Mythologies for a Modern World | 3 |
| RELS:2877 | Sport and Religion in America | 3 |
Special Topics and Current Events
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| RELS:1050 | Big Ideas: Introduction to Information, Society, and Culture | 3 |
| RELS:2122 | The Place of Animals in the Hebrew Bible | 3 |
| RELS:2674 | Food, Body, and Belief: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| RELS:2980 | Religion and Contemporary Popular Culture | 3 |
| RELS:3055 | Death, Dying, and Beyond in Asian Religions | 3 |
| RELS:3267 | Dissent and Rebellion in Islamic Societies: Was There an Arab Spring? | 3 |
| RELS:3325 | Bioethics and Religious Diversity | 3 |
| RELS:4893 | Classical Arabic: Vocabulary, Syntax, and Grammar | 1-3 |
| RELS:4930 | Internship in Research on Rights and Remedial Justice | 1-3 |
| RELS:4960 | Individual Study: Undergraduates | arr. |
Additional Coursework
Students select an additional 6 s.h. from any core area list or any other religious studies course to reach the required minimum of 15 s.h.
Search for ONLINE course offerings here, be sure to select the correct session in the upper right corner of the screen.
How to Declare the Minor
Students may add a minor to their plan of study at any time. Declaring a minor will allow you to request a degree audit for the minor requirements in MyUI. There is no penalty to remove a minor from a plan of study and one may be removed at any time.
Current BAS/BLS University of Iowa students may add the minor to their plan of study by contacting their assigned BAS/BLS advisor or students may declare minors through MyUI by selecting Student Records > Advising > Programs of Study & Advisors. After the minor has been declared, please log into MyUI to make an appointment with your advisor for the Minor in Religious Studies.
How to remove the minor from your program of study
Current BAS/BLS students can email their assigned academic advisor to ask to remove the minor from their plan of study. There is no penalty to remove a minor program from a plan of study and one may be removed at any time.