Dec 05, 2025

2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

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2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Religious Studies Major, BA - Religion, Race, and Ethnicity Concentration

The Religion, Race, and Ethnicity concentration consists of 30 hours. It focuses on the intersections of religion, race, and ethnicity in North America.

Campus: Knoxville

College Requirements

Arts and Sciences

I. Complete (9 hours):

REST 300* - Method and Theory in Religious Studies 3 Credit Hours
REST 353* - Religion, Race, and Ethnicity in North America 3 Credit Hours
REST 499* - Advanced Seminar in the Study of Religion 3 Credit Hours

II. Select one course from each of the following areas (12 hours):

A. Mediterranean and the Middle East

REST 311* - Hebrew Bible/Old Testament 3 Credit Hours
REST 312* - Early Judaism 3 Credit Hours
REST 321* - New Testament and Christian Origins 3 Credit Hours
REST 322* - Martyrs and Monks: Christian History, 100-800 CE 3 Credit Hours
REST 323 - Christianity: An Introduction 3 Credit Hours
REST 332* - Introduction to Islam 3 Credit Hours
REST 335* - Islam and the Body 3 Credit Hours
REST 339* - Islam in the Modern World 3 Credit Hours
REST 381* - Judaism 3 Credit Hours
REST 385 - Contemporary Jewish Thinkers 3 Credit Hours
REST 386* - Voices of the Holocaust 3 Credit Hours

B. North America and Africa

REST 306* - Contemporary Christian Thought 3 Credit Hours
REST 344* - Religions in Appalachia 3 Credit Hours
REST 350 - Black Power to Black Lives Matter in African American Religious Thought 3 Credit Hours
REST 352 - African American Religion in the United States 3 Credit Hours
REST 354* - Popular Religion in the United States 3 Credit Hours
REST 355 - Topics in North American Religion 3 Credit Hours
REST 356* - Vodou Gods and Atlantic Perils: African Religions in the New World 3 Credit Hours
REST 359* - American Religious History 3 Credit Hours
REST 360 - Witchcraft, Magic and Religion 3 Credit Hours
REST 361* - The American Jewish Experience 3 Credit Hours
REST 373 - African Religions 3 Credit Hours
REST 380* - American Buddhism 3 Credit Hours

C. South, Southeast, and East Asia

REST 319 - Gender, Sexuality, and Religion in Asia 3 Credit Hours
REST 372* - Contemporary Buddhism 3 Credit Hours
REST 374 - Hindu Traditions 3 Credit Hours
REST 375* - Theravada Buddhism 3 Credit Hours
REST 376* - Buddhism 3 Credit Hours
REST 379* - Chinese Religions 3 Credit Hours
REST 383 - Japanese Religions 3 Credit Hours
REST 390* - Mindfulness 3 Credit Hours

D. Methods and Issues in Religious Studies

REST 301* - Religion and Nonprofit Leadership 3 Credit Hours
REST 302 - Anthropology of Religion 3 Credit Hours
REST 303 - Sociology of Religion 3 Credit Hours
REST 305 - Contemporary Religious Thought and Practice 3 Credit Hours
REST 309* - Religion and the Workplace 3 Credit Hours
REST 316* - Topics in Religion and Film 3 Credit Hours
REST 320* - Gender, Sexuality, and Religion 3 Credit Hours
REST 343* - Religion, Nature, and Ethics 3 Credit Hours

III. Select two courses from the following list (6 hours):

REST 339* - Islam in the Modern World 3 Credit Hours
REST 350 - Black Power to Black Lives Matter in African American Religious Thought 3 Credit Hours
REST 352 - African American Religion in the United States 3 Credit Hours
REST 356* - Vodou Gods and Atlantic Perils: African Religions in the New World 3 Credit Hours
REST 361* - The American Jewish Experience 3 Credit Hours
REST 380* - American Buddhism 3 Credit Hours

IV. Select 3 hours (may include another course in section III)

any remaining Religious Studies course at the 200-level or above

* Volunteer Core Requirements .