Coordinator, Alexander Massad
The Certificate in Religions of the World is an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to help students investigate the histories, beliefs, practices, and socio-political contexts of the non-Christian religions of the world in global cultures. The interdisciplinary focus of the program prepares students to understand the diverse human experiences encountered in these religions. By exploring a wide variety of non-Christian religious expressions nationally and internationally, students will become more informed and better equipped Christian citizens as they engage our diverse world in life, vocation, and mission.
Students from any major are eligible for the 24-hour Religions of the World certificate. Students will complete an eight-hour core of courses that investigate philosophical, sociological, and theological approaches to world religions. In addition, students will select 16 hours of courses from a variety of offerings from different academic departments. No more than 4 hours may be selected from the Global Christianity category.
Requirements for a Certificate in Religions of the World are 24-credit hours including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | 8 | |
| Major World Religions | ||
| Theological Approaches to Religious Diversity | ||
| Core Religions | 4-12 | |
| Choose at least one course | ||
| The Jewish Tradition | ||
| The Muslim Tradition | ||
| Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh Traditions | ||
| Comparative Mysticism: Christianity and Islam | ||
| Electives | 4-12 | |
| Students need to take at least four credits of electives. Some courses that may be considered are listed below. Additional courses may be counted on a case by case basis. The syllabus must be presented to the certificate administrator prior to taking the course for approval. | ||
| Religions of Israel and the Near East | ||
| Old Testament Literature in Three Traditions | ||
| Jewish Biblical Interpretation | ||
| Qur'an and Bible | ||
| AIS: Making the Modern Middle East 1 | ||
| AIS: Faith, Reason, and Politics in Islam 1 | ||
| AIS: The Holocaust and Contemporary Jewish Experience 1 | ||
| AIS: Remembering Africa's Oral Past 1 | ||
| AIS: Global Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 1 | ||
| AIS: Israel/Palestine: Historical & Theological Perspectives 1 | ||
| Introduction to Asian Studies | ||
| African History | ||
| Modern Middle East | ||
| Asian Philosophy | ||
| Asian Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Sociology Of Religion | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
Optional elective. Per college-wide policy, students may only take one AIS course total while at Wheaton.