Courses: In each term students normally will take two courses offered by the department.

Senior Independent Work:

Every senior will prepare a 70-90 page thesis under the supervision of a faculty adviser. The departmental representative in consultation with the chair of the department will assign advisors.

At the end of the year, students will take an oral examination concerning their senior independent work, focus of study, and work in the department generally.

Those students considering graduate work in religion are strongly advised to develop a reading knowledge of languages most appropriate to their focus of study, for example, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, German, and French.

Focus of Study:

When registering for the first semester of senior year, each student will decide upon a focus of study in consultation with the departmental representative. Possible focuses of study include: Japanese religions; Chinese religions; Buddhism; Islam; philosophy of religion; modern Jewish thought; religious and philosophical ethics; social criticism; African-American religious movements; Biblical studies; ancient Judaism and Christianity; Rabbinic Judaism; Gnosticism.

Senior independent work will be in the student’s focus of study, and two courses must be completed in the focus of study by the end of the first term of the senior year. The departmental representative must approve all changes to the focus of study.