Religious studies provides students an understanding of the traditions of religions across the globe. Areas of study offered by the department include Asian religious traditions, Near (Middle) East religious traditions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity), and comparative aspects of religion. Students develop skills in reading and interpreting sacred texts. They explore the historical and social dimensions of religion along with a consideration of religious values and ethics from comparative and cross-cultural perspectives, and with relation to global issues. Students go on to work in the government, service, or nonprofit sectors, as well as pursue graduate work in the humanities and social sciences.
Policies
Students in this major complete at least 33 credits within the major, earning a minimum grade of 2.00 in each course. No course applied to the major in religious studies may be used to fulfill more than one requirement.
For policies governing all undergraduate degrees, see AP.5 Undergraduate Policies.
Degree Requirements
Total credits: minimum 120
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Core Courses in the Major
Introductory Courses to the Study of Religion
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| RELI 211 | Introduction to Religions of the "West" (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 212 | Introduction to Religions of Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 300 | Theories and Methods in Religious Studies | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Religious Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select four courses (12 credits) from any religious studies courses (RELI) at the 300 and 400 level other than those used to fulfill the requirements above. | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Capstone or Synthesis Course
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Capstone Seminar in Studies of Religion (Mason Core) | ||
| Comparative Study of Religions (Mason Core) | ||
| Total Credits | 3 | |
Electives in the Major
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 9 credits of electives from the following: | 9 | |
up to 6 credits of scriptural language 1 | ||
| Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core) | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core) (when topic is relevant with prior written approval of the undergraduate director) | ||
| Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) | ||
| Warfare, Violence, and Sacrifice in Antiquity | ||
| Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts (Mason Core) | ||
| Art of the Islamic World (Mason Core) | ||
| Early Christian and Byzantine Art (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of India (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of China (Mason Core) | ||
| Arts of Japan (Mason Core) | ||
| Classical Mythology (Mason Core) | ||
| Topics in Myth and Literature | ||
| Literature of the Middle Ages (when topic is relevant with prior written approval of the undergraduate director) | ||
| Folklore and the Supernatural | ||
| Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Literature (when topic is relevant with prior written approval of the undergraduate director) | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Milton | ||
| Islam and Politics | ||
| The Reformation | ||
| Women in Islamic Society (Mason Core) | ||
| Introduction to Ethics | ||
| Happiness and the Good Life | ||
| Twentieth-Century Continental Thought: Existentialism (when topic is relevant with prior written approval of the undergraduate director) | ||
| Recent Continental Philosophy (when topic is relevant with prior written approval of the undergraduate director) | ||
| Religion and Society | ||
| Violence and Religion | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
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such as Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit.
Writing-Intensive Requirement
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors. Students majoring in religious studies fulfill this requirement by successfully completing RELI 420 Capstone Seminar in Studies of Religion (Mason Core).
Upper Level Requirement
Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.
Additional Electives
Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.
College Level Requirements for the BA Degree
In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).
Philosophy or Religious Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
PHIL 1 | ||
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Note that the following courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement:
- PHIL 323 Classical Western Political Theory
- PHIL 324 Modern Western Political Theory
- PHIL 327 Contemporary Western Political Theory
- PHIL 393 Humanities College to Career
- PHIL 460 Senior Seminar in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Additionally, PHIL 253, RELI 235, RELI 333, and RELI 339 cannot be used to fulfill both the philosophy/religious studies requirement and the Mason Core literature requirement.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits of social and behavioral sciences from the following (additional to the Mason Core social and behavioral sciences requirement) 1 | 3 | |
| ANTH | ||
| CRIM | ||
| ECON | ||
| GOVT | ||
| HIST 2 | ||
| LING | ||
| PSYC | ||
| SOCI | ||
| Or choose from the following GGS courses: | ||
| Major World Regions (Mason Core) | ||
| Human Geography (Mason Core) | ||
| Introduction to Geoinformation Technologies | ||
| Political Geography (Mason Core) | ||
| Geography of Resource Conservation (Mason Core) | ||
| Population Geography (Mason Core) | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Urban Geography | ||
| Geography of the United States | ||
| Geography of Latin America | ||
| Geography of Europe | ||
| Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | ||
| Geography of Eastern Europe and Russia | ||
| Urban Planning | ||
| Geography of Virginia | ||
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The two courses used to fulfill the combined college and Mason Core requirements must be from different disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.
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HIST 100 and HIST 125 may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
Foreign Language
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, fulfilled by: 1 | ||
Or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test | ||
Or completing the following ASL three course sequence: | ||
| American Sign Language (ASL) I | ||
| American Sign Language (ASL) II | ||
| American Sign Language (ASL) III | ||
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Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Non-Western Culture
Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 3 credits (additional to Mason Core Global Understanding requirement) 1 | ||
| ANTH 114 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 300 | Civilizations | 3 |
| ANTH 302 | Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 307 | Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 308 | Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 309 | Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 313 | Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 314 | Zombies | 3 |
| ANTH 317 | East Asian Cultures | 3 |
| ANTH 330 | Peoples and Cultures of Selected Regions: Non-Western | 3 |
| ANTH 332 | Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Globalization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ANTH 381 | Medical Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 396 | Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARAB 360 | Topics in Arabic Cultural Production | 3 |
| ARAB 365 | Black and Minority Cultures in Arabic Literature (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARAB 420 | Survey of Arabic Literature | 3 |
| ARAB 440 | Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 203 | Survey of Asian Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 204 | Survey of Latin American Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 206 | Survey of African Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 317 | The Black Pharaohs: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Nubia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 318 | Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | 3 |
| ARTH 319 | Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 320 | Art of the Islamic World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 382 | Arts of India (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 383 | Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 384 | Arts of China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 385 | Arts of Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ARTH 482 | RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art (Mason Core) | 3 |
| CHIN 318 | Introduction to Classical Chinese (Mason Core) | 3 |
| CHIN 320 | Contemporary Chinese Film | 3 |
| CHIN 325 | Major Chinese Writers (Mason Core) | 3 |
| CHIN 470 | Special Topics in Chinese Studies | 3 |
| DANC 118 | Global Dance Perspectives I (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ECON 361 | Economic Development of Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| ECON 362 | African Economic Development (Mason Core) | 3 |
| FREN 454 | Topics in Caribbean Francophone Literature and Culture | 3 |
| GGS 101 | Major World Regions (Mason Core) | 3 |
| GGS 316 | Geography of Latin America | 3 |
| GGS 317 | Geography of China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| GGS 325 | Geography of North Africa and the Middle East | 3 |
| GGS 399 | Select Topics in GGS | 3 |
| GOVT 332 | Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | 3 |
| GOVT 333 | Politics of East Asia | 3 |
| GOVT 338 | Politics of Eurasia | 3 |
| GOVT 340 | Central Asian Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 341 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 3 |
| GOVT 345 | Islam and Politics | 3 |
| GOVT 433 | Political Economy of East Asia | 3 |
| HIST 251 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 252 | Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 261 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 262 | Survey of African History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 271 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 272 | Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 281 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 282 | Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 326 | Stalinism | 3 |
| HIST 327 | The Soviet Union and Russia Since World War II | 3 |
| HIST 328 | Rise of Russia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 329 | Modern Russia and the Soviet Union (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 353 | History of Traditional China | 3 |
| HIST 354 | Modern China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 356 | Modern Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 357 | Postwar Japan (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 358 | Post-1949 China (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 360 | History of South Africa (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Revolution in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 365 | Conquest and Colonization in Latin America (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 366 | Comparative Slavery | 3 |
| HIST 377 | The Vietnam War (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 384 | Global History of Christianity (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 387 | Topics in Global History (Mason Core) | 3-6 |
| HIST 461 | Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3 |
| HIST 462 | Women in Islamic Society (Mason Core) | 3 |
| HIST 465 | The Middle East in the 20th Century | 3 |
| JAPA 310 | Japanese Culture in a Global World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| JAPA 340 | Topics in Japanese Literature (Mason Core) | 3 |
| JAPA 380 | Japan in Motion | 3 |
| KORE 300 | Korean Culture and Society | 3 |
| KORE 320 | Korean Popular Culture in a Global World | 3 |
| KORE 385 | Introduction to Korean Linguistics | 3 |
| MUSI 103 | Musics of the World (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 211 | Introduction to Religions of the "West" (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 212 | Introduction to Religions of Asia (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 312 | Islam (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 313 | Hinduism (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 314 | Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions | 3 |
| RELI 315 | Buddhism (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 317 | Daoism | 3 |
| RELI 318 | Korean Philosophy and Religions | 3 |
| RELI 338 | Qur'an and Hadith | 3 |
| RELI 342 | Comparative Study of Mysticism | 3 |
| RELI 344 | Muhammad: Life and Legacy | 3 |
| RELI 358 | Islamic Thought (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 367 | Islamic Law, Society, and Ethics | 3 |
| RELI 368 | Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 384 | Global History of Christianity (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RELI 490 | Comparative Study of Religions (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RUSS 353 | Russian Civilization (Mason Core) | 3 |
| RUSS 354 | Contemporary Post-Soviet Life (Mason Core) | 3 |
| WMST 407 | Transnational Sexualities | 3 |
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A course used to fulfill the Mason Core global understanding requirement may not be simultaneously used to satisfy this college-level requirement. A course used to fulfill this requirement may be used simultaneously to fulfill any other requirements (Mason Core requirements, college-level requirements, or requirements for the major). Additional information on waivers can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Mason Core
Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.
Students who have completed the following credentials are eligible for a waiver of the Foundation and Exploration (lower level) requirement categories. The Integration category (upper level) is not waived under this policy. See Admissions for more information.
- VCCS Uniform Certificate of General Studies
- VCCS or Richard Bland Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Arts and Sciences (A.A.&S.), or Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Requirements | ||
| Written Communication (lower-level) | 3 | |
| Oral Communication | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Information Technology and Computing | 3 | |
| Exploration Requirements | ||
| Arts | 3 | |
| Global Contexts | 3 | |
| Global History | 3 | |
| Literature | 3 | |
| Natural Science | 7 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Just Societies (optional) 1 | ||
| Integration Requirements | ||
| Written Communication (upper-level) | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive 2 | 3 | |
| Mason Apex 3 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
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In addition to covering content related to the designated category, Exploration level courses marked with a Just Societies "flag" are specifically designed to help students learn how to interact effectively with others from all walks of life, including those with backgrounds and beliefs that differ from their own. Courses marked with the Just Societies flag are available for students starting in Fall 2024. Students admitted prior to the Fall of 2025 are not required to take courses with a Just Societies flag but may wish to do so to increase their knowledge and skills in this important area. Students interested in this approach to completing their Mason Core Exploration Requirements should work closely wiht their advisor to identify the appropriate Just Societies-flagged courses.
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Most programs include the writing-intensive course designated for the major as part of the major requirements; this course is therefore not counted towards the total required for Mason Core.
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Minimum 3 credits required.
Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies Sample Plan of Study
A sample four year graduation plan and degree planning worksheet can be found at https://academicaffairs.chss.gmu.edu/undergraduate-students/advising/advising-sheets. The plan is a recommended sequencing of courses based on prerequisites and scheduling. This may not fit every student's needs and is a guideline, not a requirement. Students should confirm major requirements with their academic advisor each semester and with their PatriotWeb Degree Evaluation to ensure they enroll in the proper courses and are on track to graduate.
Program Outcomes
- Inter-religious Literacy: Students will demonstrate nuanced knowledge of the various defining dimensions of religion both within specific religious traditions and comparatively across different religious communities.
- Knowledge of Key Concepts and Questions: Students will be conversant in the history, formation, and significance of foundational ideas, terms, and questions within the interdisciplinary field of Religious Studies.
- Critical and Comparative Thinking: Students will be able to critically and comparatively analyze particular religious phenomena via different theoretical approaches and methods in the academic study of religion, including historical, textual, and social scientific analysis.
- Research Methods and Assessment: Students will be able find appropriate scholarly sources in the field of Religious Studies, learn to critically evaluate secondary sources, and consider how to respectfully engage with primary source materials.
- Argument-oriented Writing: Students will be able to read for, evaluate, and professionally write an argument with support of scholarly evidence and reasoning within the field of Religious Studies.
Many accelerated master's programs are available for any bachelor's degree at Mason. See the full list of degrees with accelerated programs at George Mason.