The undergraduate minor in religious studies requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in religious studies courses, including 12 s.h. in courses taken at the University of Iowa. Students may count up to 3 s.h. of transfer credit toward the minor with approval of the department’s undergraduate committee. All students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all departmental and UI courses for the minor. Coursework for the minor cannot be taken pass/nonpass.
A number of courses for the minor count toward the GE CLAS Core. Students can identify courses approved for the GE CLAS Core by viewing the course descriptions.
The minor in religious studies requires the following coursework.
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| 9 |
| 6 |
| Total Hours | 15 |
Core Area Courses
Students select one course from at least three different core areas for a total of 9 s.h.
Social Justice, Equity, Inclusion, and Religion
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| RELS:1015 | Global Religious Conflict and Diversity | 3 |
| RELS:1041 | African American Religion and Popular Culture | 3 |
| RELS:1350 | Introduction to African American Religions | 3 |
| RELS:1765 | U.S. Latina/o/x Religions | 3 |
| RELS:1810 | Happiness in a Difficult World | 3 |
| RELS:2000 | Engaging Religious Diversity for Leadership and Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| RELS:2330 | Wealth, Inequality, and Islam | 3 |
| RELS:3745 | Twentieth- and Twenty-first-Century African American Religion: Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter | 3 |
Religion in History
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| RELS:1001 | Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | 3 |
| RELS:1225 | Medieval Religion and Culture | 3 |
| RELS:1250 | Modern Religion and Culture | 3 |
| RELS:1430 | The Bible Matters: Biblical Studies for Our Modern World | 3 |
| RELS:2775 | The Bible and the Holocaust | 3 |
| RELS:2930 | Digital Media and Religion | 3 |
| RELS:3190 | Medieval to Modern: The Birth of Protestantism | 3 |
| RELS:3385 | Early Modern Catholicism | 3 |
| RELS:3520 | Religious Violence and Nationalism | 3 |
| RELS:4155 | Religious Conflict: Early Modern Period | 3 |
Religion in Global Context
Religion, Values, and Culture
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| RELS:1070 | Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament | 3 |
| RELS:1080 | Introduction to the New Testament | 3 |
| RELS:1702 | Religion in America Today | 3 |
| RELS:1903 | Quest for Human Destiny | 3 |
| RELS:2260 | Hard Cases in Healthcare at the Beginning of Life | 3 |
| RELS:2265 | Hard Cases in Healthcare at the End of Life | 3 |
| RELS:2272 | Gods and Superheroes: Mythologies for a Modern World | 3 |
| RELS:2353 | Love: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, and Art | 3 |
| RELS:2877 | Sport and Religion in America | 3 |
| RELS:2947 | Quest II: Sex, Love, and Death | 3 |
| RELS:3431 | Gender and Sexuality in East Asia | 3 |
Special Topics and Current Events
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| RELS:1050 | Big Ideas: Introduction to Information, Society, and Culture | 3 |
| RELS:1997 | Harry Potter and the Religion of Fandom | 3 |
| RELS:2122 | The Place of Animals in the Hebrew Bible | 3 |
| RELS:2674 | Food, Body, and Belief: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| RELS:2980 | Religion and Contemporary Popular Culture | 3 |
| RELS:3055 | Death, Dying, and Beyond in Asian Religions | 3 |
| RELS:3267 | Dissent and Rebellion in Islamic Societies: Was There an Arab Spring? | 3 |
| RELS:4893 | Classical Arabic: Vocabulary, Syntax, and Grammar | 1-3 |
| RELS:4930 | Internship in Research on Rights and Remedial Justice | 1-3 |
| RELS:4960 | Individual Study: Undergraduates | arr. |
Additional Coursework
Students select an additional 6 s.h. from any core area listed above or any other religious studies course to reach the required minimum of 15 s.h.
