Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.

NOTE: This Catalog describes Weinberg College BA requirements that pertain to students who matriculated at Northwestern after spring quarter 2023. Refer to the Archives if you are following BA requirements described in the 2018-2019 through 2022-2023 editions.

Major Requirements (12 units)

• 1 introductory course:  RELIGION 170-0 Introduction to the Study of Religion or RELIGION 172-0 Introduction to Religion, Media, and Culture.
• RELIGION 395-0 Theories of Religion; capstone course designed specially for religious studies majors and minors but also welcoming of those with a strong interest in religious studies. Offered every other year, so check with the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the departmental course schedule webpage, to plan ahead.
• Students complete 10 additional courses, organized under either the Global Study of Religion or one of four concentration options.
  • For the Global Study of Religion (GSR) pathway - students take 10 additional religious studies courses. With prior approval by a department adviser students may substitute up to 2 department courses with religion-related courses from outside the department.
  • Under the other four concentration pathways students complete 8 religious studies courses, with at least 3 from inside the concentration, plus 2 courses from outside the department approved by the major adviser.
    • Media, Technology, Journalism and Religion (MTJR) - the two courses from outside the department typically from Journalism or Radio/Television/Film
    • Religion, Health, and Medicine (RHM) - the two courses outside the department typically from Global Health 
    • Religion, Law, and Politics (RLP) - the two courses outside the department typically from Legal Studies or Political Science
    • Religion, Sexuality, and Gender (RSG) - the two courses from outside the department typically from Gender and Sexuality Studies

Courses from outside the department in other subjects that are commonly approved, depending on the pathway

Note

• First-Year Seminars, College Seminars, and First-Year Writing Seminars do not count toward the major.
• RELIGION 396-1 and RELIGION 396-2 (or substitute honors project courses) do not count towards the major.
• Students doing an additional major or minor can find information about double-counting rules on the Weinberg College Double-Counting FAQ.

Honors in Religious Studies

In the Spring Quarter of their junior year, majors who have demonstrated academic excellence and have a GPA of 3.5 or above in the major may seek approval from a faculty member, in consultation with the department honors coordinator, to work on a thesis or other honors research project in their senior year. Please see Senior Thesis Honors Program for more information on department guidelines and options for the format of the honors project.

In years when there are more than five senior honors candidates, the department offers the two-term senior research and writing seminar (RELIGION 396-1 & RELIGION 396-2) in fall and winter. In years with fewer than five candidates, students instead register for Independent Study (RELIGION 399-0) in fall and winter of their senior year with their faculty advisor, allowing time for research, writing, and regular advising. These enrollments do not count towards the major requirements. Final projects are typically due by the third week of April.

Students whose projects and academic records meet department criteria are recommended to the College for graduation with honors. For more information consult the undergraduate honors coordinator, and see Honors in the Major.