Theology Religious Studies Major
The theology religious studies major introduces students to the study of religious textual traditions, the historical and cultural study of religions, foundations of Christian systematic theology and theological and social ethics, and training in theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion and theology.
CIP Code
38.0201 - Religion/Religious Studies.
You can use the CIP code to learn more about career paths associated with this field of study and, for international students, possible post-graduation visa extensions. Learn more about CIP codes and other information resources.
All Fordham undergraduates are required to take Faith and Critical Reason (THEO 1000) as well as one Sacred Texts and Traditions course (courses with the STXT attribute code). Although they are part of the Core Curriculum, they also provide a fundamental introduction to the coursework required of the major.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| THEO 1000 | Faith and Critical Reason 1 | 3 |
| Textual Traditions: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament or New Testament Course | 3 or 4 | |
| Textual Traditions other than Christianity Course | 3 or 4 | |
| History, Culture, and Society (3000 or 4000-level) Course | 3 or 4 | |
| THEO 4300-level: History, Culture, and Society Advanced Seminar | 4 | |
| THEO 4400 | Foundations of Contemporary Theology | 4 |
| THEO 4500 | Religion in NYC: Theory & Practice | 4 |
| Three general Theology electives 2 | 9 to 12 | |
| One course counting towards the major must focus on a historical period before 1500 (ancient/medieval). Textual Traditions courses do not fulfill this requirement. | ||
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Additionally:
- Theology courses taken in the Manresa Scholars Program (THEO 1006 Sin and Salvation in Medieval Theology, THEO 1007 Sinners, Saints, and Stories, THEO 1008 Mystics Monks and Mindfulness: Contemplation-In-Action Today, and THEO 1010 Restless Heart: Quest) may fulfill this requirement.
- The following Theology courses taken in the Fordham College at Rose Hill or Fordham College at Lincoln Center Honors programs may fulfill this requirement: HPRH 1102 Foundational Texts: Theology/Classics, HPRH 3001 Religion in the Modern World, and HPLC 1401 Honors: Theology.
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A Theology elective is any course with the THEO attribute or any THEO course 3000:4999, as well as THEO 1050 Syriac Language and Literature I, THEO 1051 Syriac Language and Literature II, or THEO 1060 Elementary Coptic I.
Textual Traditions: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament or New Testament Courses
Courses in this group have the STCJ attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| THEO 3100 | Introduction to Old Testament / Tanakh | 3 |
| THEO 3102 | Book of Genesis | 3 |
| THEO 3105 | The Torah | 3 |
| THEO 3120 | The Prophets | 3 |
| THEO 3130 | Bible as Migration Literature: Then and Now | 4 |
| THEO 3200 | Introduction to New Testament | 3 |
| THEO 3207 | The First Three Gospels | 3 |
| THEO 3212 | Gospel of John | 3 |
| THEO 3300 | Who Cares About the Bible? | 3 |
| THEO 3345 | The Book of Revelation | 3 |
| THEO 3826 | Women in the Bible | 4 |
Textual Traditions other Than Christianity Courses
Courses in this group have the STSN attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| THEO 3711 | Sacred Texts of the Middle East | 3 |
| THEO 3713 | Classic Jewish Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3715 | Classic Islamic Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3720 | Hindu Literature and Ethics | 3 |
| THEO 3723 | Tibetan Religion: Visionary Experience | 3 |
| THEO 3724 | Classic Buddhist Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3725 | Buddhism in America: A Multimedia Investigation | 3 |
| THEO 3728 | Buddhist Meditation | 3 |
| THEO 3731 | Japanese Religions: Texts and Arts | 3 |
| THEO 3733 | Chinese Religions | 3 |
| THEO 3876 | Muslims in America | 4 |
| THEO 3883 | Medicine and Healing in Islam | 4 |
| THEO 3884 | Sufism: Islam's Mystical Tradition | 3 |
| THEO 3885 | Women, Gender, and Islam | 3 |
History, Culture, and Society Courses
Courses in this group have the THHC attribute. Students must take at least one THEO subject course with the THHC attribute numbered 4300-4399.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFAM 4148 | Race, Religion, and Politics: Catholic and Civil Rights | 4 |
| AFAM 4192 | Race and Religion in the Transatlantic World | 4 |
| AMCS 4950 | Christianity and Gender/Sexual Diversity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 4 |
| CLAS 4051 | Ancient Greece: Classical Study Tour | 4 |
| HIST 3817 | Technology and the Changing Papacy | 4 |
| HIST 5460 | Jesuits and Globalization | 4 |
| MEST 3620 | Islam in America | 4 |
| MVST 4301 | Jews and Christians in Antiquity | 4 |
| THEO 3310 | Early Christian Writings | 3 |
| THEO 3314 | St. Augustine of Hippo | 3 |
| THEO 3316 | Byzantine Christianity | 3 |
| THEO 3317 | Women of the Christian East | 3 |
| THEO 3320 | Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther | 3 |
| THEO 3330 | Medieval Theology Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3332 | Christians, Muslims, Jews in the Medieval Period | 3 |
| THEO 3340 | Christian Mystical Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3350 | Apocalyptic Literature: Ancient & Modern | 3 |
| THEO 3360 | Reformation Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3361 | Protestant Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3371 | The American Transcendentalists: Spirituality Without Religion | 3 |
| THEO 3375 | American Religious Texts and Traditions | 3 |
| THEO 3376 | Spirituals, the Blues, and African-American Christianity | 3 |
| THEO 3380 | US Latinx Spiritualities | 3 |
| THEO 3383 | Latin American Liberation Theologies | 3 |
| THEO 3390 | Church in Controversy | 3 |
| THEO 3542 | Catholic Social Teaching | 3 |
| THEO 3546 | The Bible and Social Justice | 3 |
| THEO 3610 | Christ in World Cultures | 3 |
| THEO 3611 | Scripture and the Struggle for Racial Justice | 3 |
| THEO 3620 | Great Christian Hymns | 3 |
| THEO 3655 | The Journey of Faith: Autobiography as Sacred Text | 3 |
| THEO 3670 | Theology and Contemporary Science | 4 |
| THEO 3711 | Sacred Texts of the Middle East | 3 |
| THEO 3713 | Classic Jewish Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3715 | Classic Islamic Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3720 | Hindu Literature and Ethics | 3 |
| THEO 3723 | Tibetan Religion: Visionary Experience | 3 |
| THEO 3724 | Classic Buddhist Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3725 | Buddhism in America: A Multimedia Investigation | 3 |
| THEO 3728 | Buddhist Meditation | 3 |
| THEO 3731 | Japanese Religions: Texts and Arts | 3 |
| THEO 3733 | Chinese Religions | 3 |
| THEO 3785 | Spiritual Exercises and Culture | 3 |
| THEO 3822 | The Bible in Cultural Conflict | 4 |
| THEO 3827 | Bible and Human Sexuality | 4 |
| THEO 3832 | Christian Thought and Practice I | 4 |
| THEO 3833 | Christian Thought and Practice II | 4 |
| THEO 3839 | Theologies of America | 4 |
| THEO 3852 | LGBTQ Arts and Spirituality | 4 |
| THEO 3854 | Ignatian Spirituality | 3 |
| THEO 3874 | Religion in America | 4 |
| THEO 3876 | Muslims in America | 4 |
| THEO 3882 | Comparative Mysticism | 3 |
| THEO 3883 | Medicine and Healing in Islam | 4 |
| THEO 3884 | Sufism: Islam's Mystical Tradition | 3 |
| THEO 3885 | Women, Gender, and Islam | 3 |
| THEO 3960 | Religion and Race in America | 4 |
| THEO 3961 | Religion, Sex, and Culture in America Since 1700 | 4 |
| THEO 3970 | Catholics in America | 4 |
| THEO 3993 | Wartime Religion in U.S. History | 4 |
| THEO 4008 | Religion and Ecology | 4 |
| THEO 4009 | Medieval Jerusalem | 4 |
| THEO 4010 | Death and Dying | 4 |
| THEO 4027 | The Ethics of Life | 4 |
| THEO 4028 | Religion & Bioethics | 4 |
| THEO 4036 | Human Nature After Darwin | 4 |
| THEO 4037 | Nature in Historical and Ethical Perspective | 4 |
| THEO 4040 | Home, Away, and In-Between | 4 |
| THEO 4050 | On Time and Its Value | 4 |
| THEO 4105 | Religion, Gender, and Sexuality | 4 |
| THEO 4110 | Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Feminist Theologies: Discourses of Difference | 4 |
| THEO 4301 | Jews and Christians in Antiquity | 4 |
| THEO 4334 | Envisioning Enlightenment: Buddhist Theories of Liberation | 4 |
| THEO 4351 | Modern Christian Thought & Practice | 4 |
| THEO 4355 | Histories and Cultures of American Evangelicalism | 4 |
| THEO 4371 | Islam in Modern Egypt | 4 |
| THEO 4420 | Early Christian Art in Context | 4 |
| THEO 4430 | Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Early Christianity | 4 |
| THEO 4520 | Animals, Angels, and Aliens: Beyond the Human in Christian Thought | 3 |
| THEO 4545 | Bath Cultures and Bathing Rituals From Antiquity to Brooklyn | 4 |
| THEO 4610 | Malcolm, Martin, Baldwin, and the Church | 4 |
| THEO 4620 | Oscar Romero: Faith and Politics in El Salvador | 4 |
| THEO 4950 | Christianity and Gender/Sexual Diversity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 4 |
Ancient/Medieval Historical Period Courses
Courses in this group have the THAM attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLAS 4051 | Ancient Greece: Classical Study Tour | 4 |
| MVST 4301 | Jews and Christians in Antiquity | 4 |
| THEO 3250 | Jesus in History and Faith | 3 |
| THEO 3310 | Early Christian Writings | 3 |
| THEO 3314 | St. Augustine of Hippo | 3 |
| THEO 3316 | Byzantine Christianity | 3 |
| THEO 3317 | Women of the Christian East | 3 |
| THEO 3320 | Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther | 3 |
| THEO 3330 | Medieval Theology Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3332 | Christians, Muslims, Jews in the Medieval Period | 3 |
| THEO 3340 | Christian Mystical Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3350 | Apocalyptic Literature: Ancient & Modern | 3 |
| THEO 3546 | The Bible and Social Justice | 3 |
| THEO 3827 | Bible and Human Sexuality | 4 |
| THEO 3849 | Eschatology | 4 |
| THEO 3882 | Comparative Mysticism | 3 |
| THEO 4009 | Medieval Jerusalem | 4 |
| THEO 4011 | The New Testament and Moral Choices | 4 |
| THEO 4037 | Nature in Historical and Ethical Perspective | 4 |
| THEO 4050 | On Time and Its Value | 4 |
| THEO 4301 | Jews and Christians in Antiquity | 4 |
| THEO 4420 | Early Christian Art in Context | 4 |
| THEO 4430 | Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Early Christianity | 4 |
| THEO 4545 | Bath Cultures and Bathing Rituals From Antiquity to Brooklyn | 4 |
Courses in Other Areas
The following courses offered outside the department have the THEO attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFAM 3115 | Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X | 4 |
| AFAM 3120 | Black Religion and Black Politics | 4 |
| AFAM 4148 | Race, Religion, and Politics: Catholic and Civil Rights | 4 |
| AFAM 4192 | Race and Religion in the Transatlantic World | 4 |
| AMCS 3160 | American Music and Catholic Imagination | 4 |
| AMCS 4850 | Global Synod: Catholic Vision & Jesuit Mission | 3 |
| ANTH 3110 | Ancient Cultures of the Bible | 4 |
| CEED 3856 | Introduction to Bioethics | 4 |
| CLAS 4051 | Ancient Greece: Classical Study Tour | 4 |
| COMC 4348 | Religion, Theology, and New Media | 4 |
| ENGL 3002 | Queer Iconoclasts: Sexuality, Religion, Race | 4 |
| GREK 1501 | Intermediate Greek I | 3 |
| HIST 4019 | Luther and Loyola | 4 |
| HIST 5952 | Research Seminar: African American Urban History | 4 |
| HPLC 2811 | Honors Sacred Texts | 3 |
| LACU 3047 | Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism: Chinese Thought and Literature | 4 |
| LACU 3085 | The Russian Icon in Literature, Theology, Avant Garde Art, Film, Music, Museums and Politics | 4 |
| MEST 3620 | Islam in America | 4 |
| MVST 4010 | Medieval Franciscans and the Dream of a Just Economy | 4 |
| PHIL 3425 | Philosophy and the Jesuit Tradition | 4 |
| PHIL 3664 | Contemporary Thomism | 4 |
| SOCI 4052 | An Ethics of Modern Selfhood: The Pursuit of Authenticity | 4 |
Availability
The major in theology religious studies is available at Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and Fordham's School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Lincoln Center and Rose Hill.
Fordham College at Rose Hill students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the Core Curriculum.
Fordham College at Lincoln Center students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the Core Curriculum.
Professional and Continuing Studies students: The requirements above are in addition to those of the PCS Core Curriculum and any additional electives that may be required to earn a minimum of 124 credits.