Graduate Studies

Religious Studies
2023-2024

Some academic departments, colleges, and other areas do not provide a major at the graduate level. However, these areas do offer courses for graduate credit. Permission to use these courses in a degree program must be obtained from the appropriate Departmental Graduate Committee.

Office:  Morgan Hall 232
Telephone: (309) 298-2214
Website: wiu.edu/religiousstudies

Course Descriptions

Religious Studies (REL)

405G (cross-listed with PHIL 405G) Philosophy of Religion. (3) A critical examination of the philosophical issues arising from religious beliefs, utilizing historical and contemporary writings. Topics may include the existence of God, evil, faith, religious pluralism, and the relation between religious beliefs and ethics. Not open to students with credit in PHIL 405G. Prerequisites: One 100- or 200-level Philosophy course or permission of the instructor.

452G Theology. (3) Introduction to theological thought and a selection of thinkers who have shaped Christian, Jewish, and/or Muslim religious imagination. Such figures might include Paul, Augustine, Maimonides, Luther, Teresa of Avila, Abraham Heschel, Simone Weil, al-Ghazali, or Rabia (among others). Prerequisite: One 100- or 200-level religious studies course or permission of the instructor.  

454G Contemporary Spiritual Movements. (3) An exploration of contemporary spiritual movements with special emphasis on the relationship between cultural change and the emergence of new religious movements. Prerequisites: 100- or 200-level Religious Studies course or permission of the instructor.

456G Religion and War. (3) An examination of religious perspectives on the legitimacy of war, the conduct of war, and participation in or support for the military. Prerequisite: One 100- or 200-level religious studies course or permission of the instructor.

460G The Bible and Current Issues. (3) Examines how Christians and Jews interpret the Bible in their reflections and debates about current issues. Possible topics may include (among others) gender norms, same-sex relationships, interreligious understanding, evolution, ecological concerns, apocalyptic thinking, and the nature of scriptural authority. Prerequisite: One 100- or 200-level religious studies course or permission of the instructor.

492G (cross-listed with ENG 492G) Religion, Literature, and Film. (3) Study of multicultural literary and cinematic texts engaging a wide range of religious and philosophical traditions. Examination of the religious and the secular via narrative; consideration of literary and filmic interpretation via religious and philosophical questions. Not open to students with credit in ENG 492G. Prerequisite: One 100- or 200-level religious studies course or permission of the instructor.

494G (cross-listed with AAS 494G) Religion in African American Culture. (3) This course acquaints students with religiosity and spirituality among African Americans and provides understanding of a worldview, via concepts of nature, God, and human interaction, that reflects African cultural retentions in the U.S. Prerequisites: AAS 100.

499G Directed Readings. (1–3) Individual study of particular religious texts or problems. May be repeated, provided topics vary. Prerequisites: Two courses in religious studies and permission of the instructor.