Major in Asian Religions and Cultures
Please see the Four-Year Plan in Asian Religions and Cultures for a quick guide for how and when to register for courses to graduate with an Asian Religions and Cultures major.
The continent of Asia is home to some of the most ancient and formative civilizations in history. The world's largest religious traditions have their origins on the continent, and Asian peoples have shaped and reshaped how humanity understands itself and the world for centuries. The Asian Religions and Cultures (ARC) major facilitates understanding of the continent and its peoples, allowing students to understand not only the Asian past but to put current issues and problems into a broader historical, religious, and cultural context.
Requirements
The major in Asian Religions & Cultures (reference number 615) requires a minimum of 31 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students must take courses from at least four different programs, and at least 17 hours must be in courses numbered 300 or above. A minor or second major is required.
The courses required are distributed as follows:
| I. Religion courses (9 hrs) |
| RELS 102: World Religions |
| RELS 302: Buddhism |
| RELS 303: Hinduism |
| RELS 306: Islam |
| RELS 317: Confucianism |
| RELS 318: Daoism |
| RELS 319: Religions of Asia |
| RELS 322: Pilgrimage, Islam and Modernity |
| RELS 335: Islam, Sexuality, and Gender |
| II. Language (one sequence of 6 hrs) |
| ARBC 101 & 102: Elementary Arabic |
| ARBC 201 & 202: Intermediate Arabic |
| ARBC 301 & 302: Advanced Arabic |
| CHIN 101 & 102: Elementary Chinese |
| CHIN 201 & 202: Intermediate Chinese |
| CHIN 301 & 302: Advanced Intermediate Chinese |
| CHNF 101 & 102: Intensive Elementary Chinese |
| CHNF 201 & 202: Intensive Intermediate Chinese |
| CHNF 301 & 302: Intensive Advanced Chinese |
| JAPN 101 & 102: Elementary Japanese |
| III. History & Politics (6 hrs) |
| HIST 110: Introduction to Asian Civilization |
| HIST 370: Modern South Asia: from Empires to Nations |
| HIST 378: History of Yoga: Tradition, Literature, Practice |
| HIST 379: Gandhi: The Creation of a Global Legacy |
| HIST 460: Traditional East Asia |
| HIST 461: Modern East Asia |
| HIST 462: History of the Middle East |
| HIST 466: The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Local and Global Influences |
| HIST 471: Modern China |
| HIST 472: Modern Japan |
| PS 352: International Relations of the Middle East |
| PS 359: Politics of North Korea |
| PS 364: Chinese Politics |
| PS 365: Government & Politics of the Middle East |
| PS 366: Government & Politics in East Asia |
| IV. Senior Seminar (1 hr) |
| ARC 499: Senior Seminar |
| V. Electives (9 hrs) |
| Select three courses from list below or from Categories I-III above, not already counted toward the major, from at least two different areas of study. |
| ANTH 333: The Archaeology of Ancient China |
| ARC 401: Topics in Asian Religions & Cultures |
| ARC 498: Indep. Study in Asian Religions and Cultures |
| ART 407: Islamic Art and Architecture |
| CHNF 420: Media Chinese |
| CHNF 430: Chinese Culture |
| CHNF 440: Chinese Tradition |
| CHNF 450: Classical Chinese |
| GEOG 465: Geography of East Asia |
| JAPN 201: Intermediate Japanese I |
| JAPN 202: Intermediate Japanese II |
| RELS 100: New Testament |
| RELS 101: Old Testament / Hebrew Scriptures |
Advisor: David Serafini (david.serafini@wku.edu)
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