Department Co-Chair: Thomas Bowen, 847.376.7084, tbowen@oakton.edu
Department Co-Chair: Mohamed Mehdi, 847.376.7287, mmehdi@oakton.edu
The Religious Studies pre-major offers a suitable pathway to four year programs in Religious Studies as well as other humanities and social science programs. The sequence of courses includes courses or a selection of courses that are required or core pre-major courses; major electives; and recommended electives. This recommended sequence of courses may be altered based on student interest or need.
Students following a Religious Studies pre-major should consider combining it with an Academic Concentration. The Concentrations in Global Studies, Peace and Social Justice Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Environmental Studies, Great Books, and Jewish Studies will be especially relevant. Speak with an advisor and the coordinator of the concentration to select appropriate courses.
The pre-major is designed for students who have not decided upon a specific four-year college or university. Once a transfer school is selected, students are strongly encouraged to consult the Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success and the transfer institution’s catalog to select courses that will meet both Oakton and transfer institution requirements.
Students may consider taking a modern language course in semesters 3 and 4. Study of language is required by some four-year institutions and students can consult those institutions to find out whether an Oakton language course will meet that requirement. Please be aware that only Intermediate II (202) language courses meet General Education Humanities and Global Studies requirements.
For more information on course selection or program-specific advising, contact the program coordinator. Part time students should also consult the Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success for part-time pre-major recommendations. General Education courses should be selected from the list of IAI General Education Courses.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester One | Hours | |
| EGL 101 | Composition I | 3 |
| PHL 110 | Introduction to the Study of Religion | 3 |
| PHL 205 | World Religions 1 | 3 |
| MAT 125 or MAT 131 | General Education Mathematics or Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology 1 | ||
| World Regional Geography 1 | ||
| Cultural Geography 1 | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology 2 | ||
| Social Problems 3 | ||
| Introduction to Global Studies | ||
| Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| EGL 102 | Composition II | 3 |
| SPE 103 | Effective Speech | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Note: At least one science course with lab is required for degree completion | ||
| Introduction to Life Science (lab) | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science (lab) 1 | ||
| Plants and Society 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World Mythologies 1 | ||
| Religious Diversity in America 2 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Comparative Government 1 | ||
| International Relations 1 | ||
| Human Development | ||
| Social Psychology 2 | ||
| Sociology of Sex and Gender 2 | ||
| Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 2 | ||
| Introduction to Ethnic Studies 2 | ||
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Semester One | ||
| PHL 245 | Foundational Religious Texts | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World Mythologies | ||
| Religious Diversity in America 2 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Western Culture and the Arts: Beginnings through the Middle Ages | ||
| Western Culture and the Arts: Renaissance through the 20th Century | ||
| Contemporary Culture and the Arts | ||
| African-American Culture and the Arts 2 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| History of Contemporary Non-Western Civilizations 1 | ||
| History of South Asia I 1 | ||
| History of South Asia II 1 | ||
| History of Modern China 1 | ||
| History of the Islamic Middle East from the 7th Century to 1918 1 | ||
| History of the Islamic Middle East in Modern Times 1 | ||
| History of Modern Latin America 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Art History: Art of the Non-Western World 1 | ||
| Introduction to Global Literature 1 | ||
| Multicultural Literature in the U.S. 2 | ||
| Introduction to African-American Literature 2 | ||
| Introduction to Native American Literature 3 | ||
| Global Cinema 1 | ||
| Introduction to World Music 1 | ||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Asian Philosophy 1 | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Note: At least one science course with lab is required for degree completion | ||
| Descriptive Astronomy | ||
| Introduction to Earth Science (lab) | ||
| Introduction to Weather and Climate | ||
| Physical Geography | ||
| A Survey of Oceanography | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies 2 | ||
| Introduction to LGBTQ Studies 2 | ||
| Women and Creativity 2 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Ancient and Medieval Philosophy | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Philosophy | ||
| Select one Humanities/Fine Arts course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Total Hours | 61-63 | |
- 1
Course fulfills the Global Studies requirement. At least one Global Studies course is required for degree completion.
- 2
Course fulfills the U.S. Diversity Studies requirement. At least one U.S. Diversity Studies course is required for degree completion.
- 3
Course fulfills both the Global Studies and U.S. Diversity Studies requirements.
Note: Pre-major is a recommended sequence and selection of courses. See Associate in Arts (A.A.) page for degree requirements.