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Students must have completed at least one religious studies (RELST) course in order to apply for the major.
Undergraduate students in the College of Arts & Sciences must declare a primary major by the end of their sophomore year. Additional majors can be added in your junior or even senior year. Students should apply to the major as soon as the pre-requisite course is completed to allow enough time to complete all major requirements.
A minimum of 32 credit hours are required for the major.
The sequence and combination of courses to fulfill the major is selected in close consultation with the student's advisor. All courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade and students must receive a grade of "B-" or higher in order for it to count toward the major. No course may be used to satisfy two requirements.
Students must complete nine RELST courses in three areas. Three of these nine courses must be taken at the 4000 level or above; one must be RELST 4449 (required course); one must be in the Depth of Focus area, the last can be in either the Breadth of Religious Traditions or Depth of Focus areas.
Approaches, Methods and Theory of the Academic Study of Religion (two courses):
Breadth of Religious Traditions (three courses):
Students are required to take at least three courses that treat different religious traditions. The goal here is to obtain breadth across diverse religions, time periods, and regions. Selection of these courses should be made with a student's academic advisor.
Depth of Focus (four courses):
Students are required to take at least four courses with a focus of a given religious tradition, geographical area, thematic concentration, or methodological approach. At least one of these courses must be at the 4000 level or above.
While it is not required, we strongly encourage all majors to work on a relevant language during their studies to enhance and deepen this focused work. Students planning to attend graduate school in religious studies or related disciplines (Anthropology, History, area studies, comparative literature, etc.) are strongly encouraged to make language work an ancillary part of their undergraduate major in religious studies. One course in advanced language study can be counted toward the religious studies major, and this by petition only, indicating that the material covered was directly related to the academic study of religion.
Upon entering the major in religious studies, a student is assigned a faculty advisor whose area of expertise closely matches the proposed interest of the student.
Majors interested in completing a senior thesis in religious studies should apply for the honors program in the second semester of their junior year.
Deadline: Students can apply to the minor no later than the end of week 3 of their final semester at Cornell (usually in early February).
Undergraduates interested in the academic study of religion are invited to apply for a minor in religious studies by taking five RELST courses (minimum of 15 credits) subject to the following conditions:
First-third year students may submit an intent to major/minor form at anytime. This does not constitute admission into the major or minor. Students who submit an intent to major/minor form will be added to the program mailing list and will receive announcements about the program and upcoming events.