Religion Minors

• Students taking the religion minor must enroll in REL 301 Introduction to the Study of Religion.
• In addition, they must complete four additional religion courses, at least three of which must be upper-division courses chosen from the Course Listings.

The total unit requirement for the minor is 20 units; 16 of those units must be upper-division.

This interdisciplinary minor offers students a framework for developing a fundamental understanding of the richness and complexity of South Asia, broadly defined as including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Students may select courses that provide and introduction across disciplines, or they may choose courses that address a particular historical period or theme.

Course Requirements:

Introduction to the Minor

4 units each, select one course:

MDA 340 South Asian Studies: Arts, Cultures, History, and Religion
REL 340 Introduction to Indian Philosophy

Lower Division Course

4 units, select at least one course:

AHIS 125 Arts of Asia I: Antiquity to 1300 (4 units)
DANC 187 Bollywood Dance (2 units)
HIST 108 Histories of South Asia (4 units)
LING 125 Hindi I (4 units)
PHED 120a, b Yoga (1 unit each)
PHED 122 Kundalini Yoga and Meditation (1 unit)
REL 134 Introduction to Buddhism (4 units)
REL 136 Sense and Sensuality in Indian Religions and Culture (4 units)

Required Upper Division Courses:

12 units, select three courses (4 units each)

AHIS 381 Visual Cultures of Asia
AMST 449 Asian American Literature
ANTH 330 Culture, Gender and Politics in South Asia
ENGL 333 Literature of Gandhi’s India
HIST 391 Feminist Histories of South Asia
HIST 394 The Great Muslim Empires of the Near East and India
HIST 340 Migration and Displacement in the Indian Ocean World
IR 361 South and Southeast Asia in International Affairs
IR 384 Asian Security Issues
POSC 328 Asian American Politics
REL 330 Introduction to the Religions of India
REL 336 Re-Viewing Religion in Asian America
REL 417 Seminar in South Asian Religions

• Students taking the Jewish studies minor must enroll in either JS 100 or JS 180.
• In addition, they must complete four upper-division courses selected from the Judaism as a Religious Tradition track and the Jewish History and Culture track listed in the Jewish studies major description.

The total unit requirement for the minor is 20 units; 16 of those units must be upper-division.

For more information, see the Jewish Studies website.

The minor in interdisciplinary archaeology is available to students in all schools and departments. Students from a wide range of disciplines will gain perspective on their own intellectual and professional interests through the study of the past.

For more information on course requirements for the Minor, visit the Archaeology page.

The Minor in Contemplative Studies provides students with the opportunity to explore contemplative traditions–such as mindfulness, meditation, and prayer–critically and from multiple perspectives. Courses taken from within the department will enable students to understand contemplative traditions from historical, doctrinal, institutional, and cultural perspectives.  Other units included in the program place contemplative traditions within scientific, sociological, and experiential frameworks and also consider contemporary applications of such practices.

Course Requirements:

* REL 301, Introduction to the Study of Religion
* 12 units from the list below (most courses are 4 units each)
* 4 additional REL or JS units
* Up to 4 units may be taken at the lower-division level.

ANTH 101 Body, Mind and Healing: Introduction to Medical Anthropology
BAEP 472 The Science of Peak Performance
COLT 382gw Zen and Daoism in Asian Literature
HP 440 Happiness, Well-Being, and Health
PHED 120a, b, c Yoga (1 unit each)
REL 312 Biblical Wisdom Literature
REL 329 Themes in the Religions of China
REL 330 Introduction to the Religions of India
REL 331 Religions of East Asia
REL 332 Religions of Japan
REL 338 Mysticism and Religious Desire
REL 340 Introduction to Indian Philosophy
REL 342 Buddhist Modernism
REL 415 Seminar in Buddhism
REL 417 Seminar in South Asian Religions
REL 431 The Taoist Tradition (Enroll in EALC 431)

Total Unit Requirement:  20 units – 16 units must be upper-division