Religious Studies
REL – Religion course descriptions
Faculty
Lori Witt (chair), Terence Kleven, Elena Vishnevskaya
Statement of philosophy
The Religious Studies program fosters the academic study of theology and religion as one of the essential Humanities (Arts) disciplines in a Liberal Arts college. Our program seeks to encourage students to understand more deeply the nature of faith (either their own or that of others) and to prepare them for the enjoyable challenges of graduate studies and professional careers in Theology, Ministry, International Studies, the Foreign Service, Law, and Political Philosophy. Although the academic discipline of Religious Studies incorporates research done in all the sciences, its unique body of knowledge undertakes inquiry into essential questions regarding the nature of happiness, of the soul, and of ultimate reality. As a Humanities discipline, Religious Studies is devoted to the recognition of the centrality of language and of the necessity of coherent expression and reasoned argument to every aspect of our humanity. We study the importance of formative texts, both the literature and poetry of Scripture, as well as the essential treatises in the history of Philosophic Science.
As part of our commitment to the academic study of religion, the Religious Studies program gives direction to Central College’s use of the phrase in our Mission Statement that we “are a liberal arts college in an ecumenical Christian tradition.” The Religious Studies program has an essential role in educating students, who come from a variety of backgrounds, both those students from an identifiable religious heritage and those without such formations, to the intellectual study of Christianity and to the concomitant respect for faith, devotion, and Christian community.
Our curriculum in the Religious Studies program also emphasizes the importance of the academic study of the plurality of religious traditions around the world. We encourage the study of our own heritages as well as the study of the heritages of others, and each of these in local, national, and international contexts. The program recognizes the centrality of the Judaeo-Christian heritage to Western Civilization; at the same time, we foster the study of various traditions of Eastern Civilizations, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, as well as indigenous traditions belonging to various continents, including in the Americas.
Major Communication Skills
A major in religion can verbally communicate at the level appropriate for the recipient of a Bachelor of Arts degree in core areas of a liberal-arts curriculum.
To ensure achievement at the required level, the communication skills of religion majors will be monitored from the time of major declaration. An evaluation of the student’s abilities will be made in the earliest class possible and assessments and recommendations deriving from this evaluation will be discussed with the student and the student’s advisor. Where appropriate, evaluation and recommendation will continue through the course work in the major until such time the student is consistently performing at the desired level.
Explanation of the Major
The Major requires thirty-three semester hours for completion. While majors usually begin with 100-level introductions, students are generally free to take courses in various sequences, in consultation with their academic advisor. As the capstone of a student’s study in the Major, he or she will write a Senior Independent Study (3 SHs minimum) in which a student focuses on a research project with a faculty member.
There are three Tracks in the Major. These Tracks provide a student the opportunity to take a majority of courses in the student’s intellectual interest or area of professional preparation. Students will also need to take courses outside a specific Track to complete their Majors or Minors. Students will work closely under the guidance of his or her faculty adviser in our program. Internships in ministry, in service organizations, in International Studies, and in political institutions are available in both Eastern and Western theological-political traditions.
Religious Studies Major Requirements (33 credits)
Choose one Track- Christian Studies, Biblical Studies or World Religions
Note: The completed Religious Studies major must include a minimum 11 hours at the 300-400 level.
Christian Studies
1. Complete five courses from the following (15-18 credits):
REL 110 Old Testament History and Religion (3)
REL 111 Introduction to the New Testament (3)
REL 150 The Christian Heritage (3)
REL 220 Christian Worship (3)
REL 252 The Reformation (3)
REL 254 The Early Church (4)
REL 274 World Christianity (4)
REL 285 The Pre-Ministerial Seminar (2)
REL 325 History of Spirituality in the Christian Tradition (4)
2. Complete one elective in World Religion (3-4 credits)
HIST 220 Middle Eastern Civilization (3) (may only count in one category)
REL 135 Islam (3)
REL 233 Judaism (3)
REL 236 Islamic Law, Theology, and Philosophy (3) or
REL 336 Readings in Islamic Law, Theology, and Philosophy (4)
REL 238 Taoism and Confucianism (4)
3. Complete an additional 8-12 credits of religious studies electives (courses that carry REL prefix) to achieve minimum 33 credits to complete the major.
Can also include the following (courses may not count in more than one category)
HIST 220 Middle Eastern Civilization (3)
LAS 410 course taught by a Religion faculty
REL 497 Internship in Religion (1-3)
(no more than 3 credits of internship can be counted or 3 credits of x99 may be counted, excluding the required REL-399)
*No more than 2 of the following courses may count as religious studies electives.
ANTH 120 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
PHIL 221 Classical Thought (4)
PHIL 222 Modern Thought (4)
4. Complete REL 499 Senior Independent Study (3 credits)
Biblical Studies
- Complete five course from the following (15-19 credits):
REL 110 Old Testament History and Religion (3)
REL 111 Introduction to the New Testament (3)
REL 210 The Prophets (3) or
REL 310 Readings in The Prophets (4)
REL 211 The Writings (3) or
REL 311 Readings in the Writings (4)
REL 216 Jesus and the Gospels (3) or
REL 316 Readings in Jesus and the Gospels (4)
REL 218 Pauline Epistles (3) - Complete one elective in World Religion (3-4 credits)
HIST 220 Middle Eastern Civilizations (3)
REL 135 Islam (3)
REL 233 Judaism (3)
REL 236 Islamic Law, Theology, and Philosophy (3) or
REL 336 Readings in Islamic Law, Theology, and Philosophy (4)
REL 238 Taoism and Confucianism (4)
- Complete an additional 7-12 credits of religious studies electives (courses that carry REL prefix) to achieve minimum 33 credits to complete the major.
HIST 220 Middle Eastern Civilization (3)
LAS 410 course taught by a Religion faculty
REL 497 Internship in Religion (1-3)
(no more than 3 credits of internship can be counted or 3 credits of X99 may be counted, excluding the required REL-399)
*No more than 2 of the following courses may count as religious studies electives.
ANTH 120 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
PHIL 221 Classical Thought (4)
PHIL 222 Modern Thought (4)
- Complete REL 499 Senior Independent Study (3 credits)
World Religions
- Complete the following (16-17 credits):
HIST 220 Middle Eastern Civilization (3)
REL 135 Islam (3)
REL 233 Judaism (3)
REL 236 Islamic Law, Theology, and Philosophy (3) or
REL 336 Readings in Islamic Law, Theology, and Philosophy (4)
REL 238 Taoism and Confucianism (4)
- Complete one elective in Biblical or Christian Studies (3-4 credits)
REL 110 Old Testament History and Religion (3)
REL 111 Introduction to the New Testament (3)
REL 150 The Christian Heritage (3)
REL 210 The Prophets (3) or
REL 310 Readings in The Prophets (4)
REL 211 The Writings (3) or
REL 311 Readings in the Writings (4)
REL 216 Jesus and the Gospels (3) or
REL 316 Readings in Jesus and the Gospels (4)
REL 218 Pauline Epistles (3) or
REL 220 Christian Worship (3)
REL 252 The Reformation (3)
REL 254 The Early Church (4)
REL 274 World Christianity (4)
REL 325 History of Spirituality in the Christian Tradition (4)
- Complete an additional 10-11 credits of religious studies electives (courses that carry REL prefix) to achieveminimum 33 credits to complete the major.
Can also include the following (courses may not count in more than one category)
LAS 410 course taught by a Religion faculty
REL 497 Internship in Religion (1-3)
(no more than 3 credits of internship can be counted or 3 credits of X99 may be counted, excluding the required REL-399)
*No more than 2 of the following courses may count as religious studies electives.
ANTH 120 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
PHIL 221 Classical Thought (4)
PHIL 222 Modern Thought (4)
- Complete REL 499 Senior Independent Study (3 credits)
Christian Ministries Emphasis (8-10 credits)
Students may choose to earn a Christian ministries emphasis within the Religious Studies major. To earn this emphasis, students must complete all of the following courses in the process of completing the requirements of the Religious Studies major:
REL 220 Christian Worship (3)
REL 254 The Early Church (4)
REL 397 The Ministry Internship (1-3)
Religious Studies Minor Requirements (18 credits)
1. Complete 18 credits of religious studies courses in consultation with a Religious Studies Faculty member. May also include HIST 220 Middle Eastern Civilization (3).
Pre-Ministry Program
Central College continues the emphasis of the ecumenical Christian tradition in general, and the Reformed tradition in particular, to prepare students for a life of service to God and community, as well as to prepare some students for a professional vocation in the ministry.
The chaplaincy and the religion faculty work together to provide a period of reflection and discernment for students who are considering ministry, whether this be lay ministry (such as missions, church-related teaching, or para-church service) or ordained ministry that requires further graduate or seminary study. Pastoral and vocational counseling is offered by the chaplain, the director of the Christian ministries emphasis of the religion major, and other faculty members. In addition, pre-ministerial students usually complete either a major or a minor in religion in order to give them adequate grounding in scriptural studies, in church history, theology, and ethics, and in at least one world religion other than Christianity. The students also have an opportunity to complete ministry internships in churches and church-related organizations either locally or through Central’s off-campus programs. Students may also choose to receive spiritual formation from a designated mentor.
The variety of denominations represented by the faculty, students, and staff at Central College provides student with a rich exposure to various formulations of Christian teachings and practices. Although our aim is to provide students with an opportunity to study various church teachings besides their own, we also focus a particular student’s study on the Church teaching to which he or she is most accustomed. As parts of an educational institution, the chaplaincy, the Christian ministries emphasis, and the religion major encourage students to develop a strong sense of the centrality of education to ministry. We foster an integration of faith with training of intellectual qualities of mind in order to establish a student’s vocation on the best that is thought and known in Christian teaching and ministry.