Interreligious Studies

The increasing religious diversity of today’s societies calls for better interaction among persons of different religions. You will interact with employers, colleagues, clients, employees or peers from different religious backgrounds regardless of industry or field. A minor in Interreligious Studies will enhance your ability to use your skills and knowledge in your professional and personal life.

Enhance your degree with a minor in Interreligious Studies to:

  • Recognize differences as well as similarities with profound respect for religious diversity.
  • Learn how to encourage healthy, peaceful, and mutually enriching interreligious relationships with a commitment to the common good.
  • Understand the importance of religious pluralism, especially the kind of pluralism that emphasizes the civic good.

Program Information

Enhance your degree with a minor in Interreligious Studies to learn more about creating mutually enriching interreligious relationships, and the importance of religious pluralism to emphasize the common good.

Program Type

Minor

Academic Department

Theology

Required Credit Hours

15

Minor Requirements

Six of the credits should be earned in two of the following courses:
  • IRST/THEO 203 Hinduism & Buddhism
  • IRST/THEO 264 Religion & Global Conflict
  • IRST/THEO/JWST 283 Judaism, Christianity & Islam
  • IRST/THEO 325 Religious Diversity & Dialogue
You will have the following course options besides. We encourage you to consult with one of the program’s directors or advisors about which courses and internships best complement your major and further your goals.

African Studies

  • AFST 204 Approaches to Black and African Theologies
  • IRST/AFST 281 African Religions

Communication & Rhetorical Studies
  • IRST/COMM 220 Approaches to Rhetoric, Religion, and Society
  • COMM 414 Rhetoric, Religion, & Society
  • COMM 467 Rhetoric of Religion and Nonviolence

History
  • IRST/HIST 171 History of Christianity

International Relations
  • IR 303 The Politics of Immigration

Jewish Studies
  • JWST 271 Anti-Semitism
  • JWST 275 The Jewish Experience in America

Nursing
  • UPNS 290 Contemporary Public Health Issues in Africa
  • UPNS 324 Cultural Applications in Clinical Practice
  • UPNS 357 Population Health

Public Health
  • PHBA 311 Public Health and Epidemiology
  • PHBA 423 Perspectives in Global Health
  • PHBA 428 International Pharmacy Services

Philosophy
  • PHIL 203 Philosophy of Religion
  • IRST/PHIL 219 Christian Philosophy
  • PHIL 228 Buddhist Philosophy
  • IRST/PHIL 253 Native American Philosophy
  • IRST/PHIL 301 Medieval Philosophy
  • IRST/PHIL 315W Thomas Aquinas
  • IRST/PHIL 331 Zen Philosophy
  • PHIL 402W Confucianism and Zen
  • PHIL 408W Confucianism: Philosophy of Change
  • IRST/PHIL 450W Islamic Philosophy

Political Science
  • POSC 101 Catholic Thought, the State and Security in the Modern World
  • POSC 314 The Theological-Political Problem
  • IRST/POSC 407 Terrorism

Psychology
  • IRST/PSYC 260 Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality
  • PSYC 280 The Art of Happiness: Wellbeing in Theory and Practice
  • PSYC 356 Psychology of Peace and Conflict

Sociology
  • SOCI 233 Sociology of Catholicism
  • SOCI 275 The Jewish Experience in America
  • SOCI 304E Islamic Culture in Spain
  • IRST/SOCI 333 Sociology of Religion

Theology
  • IRST/THEO 202 Christianity, Embodiment, and Violence
  • THEO 204 Approaches to Black and African Theology
  • IRST/THEO 210 Buddhist–Christian Dialogue
  • IRST/THEO 216 Religion, Media, and Pop Culture
  • THEO 230 Global Diversity: Churches and their Cultural Contexts
  • IRST/THEO 232 Faith and Atheism
  • THEO 245 God, Money, and Power
  • IRST/THEO 246 Contemporary Perspectives on the Common Good
  • THEO 270 Eastern Christianity
  • IRST/THEO 271 Anti-Semitism
  • IRST/THEO 281 African Religions