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Undergraduate Certificate Program in Religion and Conflict

Documents
Certificate Information Sheet
Student Enrollment Form
Student Worksheet (see "Certificate Enrollment & Information" below for details)
UPDATE: List of Winter 2009 Certificate Course Offerings added
UPDATE: List of Spring 2010 Certificate Course Offerings added

Overview
Religion has played a crucial role in various forms of human conflict — historically and in our own times. The nature of that role, however, varies significantly, as religion provides contexts for division and war as well as for unity and peace. ASU’s new Undergraduate Certificate in Religion and Conflict provides students a broad, interdisciplinary understanding of the dynamics of religion, conflict, and peace by exploring questions such as these: What are the religious and non-religious causes of conflict or factors that contribute to it? What do we mean by the term “religious violence”? What secular and religious resources exist for resolving different kinds of conflict?

The certificate is open to students in any major, and may be of particular interest for students pursuing careers in journalism, law, policy work, diplomacy, the military, public advocacy, publishing, education, ministry, or other fields in which an enhanced understanding of religion and conflict is increasingly vital.

Eligibility
Any ASU undergraduate may pursue the Religion and Conflict Certificate. A minimum grade of “C” is required for a course to fulfill a certificate requirement.

Certificate Enrollment & Information
Steps for Certificate Completion:

1) Complete the Student Enrollment Form and email it to Professor Carlson (john.carlson@asu.edu). Please note: this is an in-house form strictly for Center use. You must also complete the Request to Add an Undergraduate Certificate Form and file it with the Registrar’s office in order for the certificate to appear on your Degree Audit Report (DAR) and transcripts.

2) Pick up a Request to Add an Undergraduate Certificate Form from Pat Power (Academic Advisor) in the Religious Studies Advising Office, ECA 365. Email: patricia.power@asu.edu.

3) Before turning in the Request to Add an Undergraduate Certificate Form, meet with your academic advisor (in your major) to let them know that you intend to add the certificate.

4) Return the completed Request to Add an Undergraduate Certificate Form to the Fulton Center, 300 E. University, Suite 110.

5) Use the Student Worksheet to track your progress. Once you have completed all certificate requirements, email it to Professor Carlson for his signature. He will send it to Pat Power, who will ensure that all approved and completed coursework is credited toward the certificate.

6) Check your Degree Audit Report (DAR) regularly to confirm that your courses are being properly applied. This is your responsibility, but academic advisors are available to help.

Questions concerning whether a specific course that has not been previously approved may be counted toward the certificate should be directed to Professor Carlson: john.carlson@asu.edu.

General questions about requirements can be directed to the academic advisor for Religious Studies, Pat Power: patricia.power@asu.edu.

Questions concerning how the certificate fits into your overall program of study are best answered by your academic advisor.

Certificate Requirements
Students must complete 18 credit hours of qualifying course work (at least 12 hours from ASU), consisting of regional, political, and cultural components.

To ensure that students are exposed to a wide variety of approaches to the study of religion and conflict, and interdisciplinary component requires that at least 6 of the 18 hours be filled with courses from the Humanities and at least 3 hours from the Social Sciences.

In many cases, the same course can be used to fulfill several component requirements simultaneously.

1. Regional component (6 hours)
Courses in this category provide students specific regional knowledge of how religion has been implicated in human conflict. Required coursework in at least 2 different regions fosters a comparative understanding of the dynamics of religion and conflict in historical and global contexts.

2. Political component (3 hours)
Courses in this category explore how religion influences—or is influenced by—matters of state, law, government, or other dimensions of political life.

3. Cultural component (3 hours)
Courses in this category provide students with an understanding of how religion operates as a powerful force that impacts and intersects with expressions of human identity, thought, and culture.

4. Electives (6 hours)
Any approved/qualifying course may be used as an elective to fulfill remaining requirements toward the total number of credit hours and to meet the interdisciplinary requirement.

RELIGION AND CONFLICT COURSE OFFERINGS
The following regularized courses may be taken to complete certificate requirements. Not all courses are offered each semester. However, each semester some special topics courses (usually designated 394, 494, 498) may be taken to fulfill certificate requirements as approved by the certificate director. [Archive of Certificate Course Offerings by Semester]

REGIONAL COMPONENT (6 hours representing 2 different regions)

Religion and Europe:
HST 350 Later Middle Ages
HST 352 Europe’s Reformation
HST 355 Total War and the Crisis of Modernity
HST 361/REL 374 Witchcraft & Heresy in Europe
HST 432 Eastern Europe/the Balkans in the 20th Century
REL 377 Religion in Russia
REL 471 Reformation & Modern Christianity

Religion and the Middle East:
ARB 331 Arabic & Islamic Culture/Literature
ARB 341/REL 368 Quran Text and Women
GCU 328 Geography: Middle East /North Africa
HST 372 Modern Middle East

Religion and the United States:
HST 315 American Politics
REL 321 Religion in America
REL 327 American Jews in U.S. Politics
REL 386/SOC 394 America & the Holocaust*

Religion in Africa:
GCU 328 Geography: Middle East/North Africa
HST 307 Women and Islam in Africa
POS 359 Faith & Politics in Africa*

Religion in Asia:
HST 391 Modern Southeast Asia
HST 452 Chinese Cultural History
REL 357 Theravada Buddhism in South & SE Asia
REL 377 Religion in Russia

Religion and Latin America:
REL 332 South American Indian Religion

POLITICAL COMPONENT (3 hours)
HST 315 American Politics
HST 432 Eastern Europe/the Balkans in the 20th Century
HST 355 Total War and the Crisis of Modernity
HST 372 Modern Middle East
JUS 467 Terrorism, War, and Justice
POS 359 Faith and Politics in Africa*
POS 364 National Security/International Terrorism*
REL 327 American Jews in U.S. Media & Politics
REL 364 Islam and World Aff airs
REL 379 Religion, Nationalism, and Ethnic Conflict
REL 380 Theology of Terror: Bin Laden & Others
REL 388 Religion, Ethics, and International Politics
SGS 324/REL 480 Religion and Global Politics*

CULTURAL COMPONENT (3 hours)
ARB 331 Arabic & Islamic Culture/Literature
ARB 341/REL 368 Quran Text and Women
FMS 313/REL 313 Anti-Semitism in the Media
HST 352 Europe’s Reformations
HST 359 Jewish History from 1492 to 1948
HST 361/REL 374 Witchcraft and Heresy in Europe
HST 452 Chinese Cultural History
POR 497 Afro-Brazilian Maroon Poetry
REL 201 Religion and the Modern World
REL 321 Religion in America
REL 352 Modern Buddhism
REL 357 Theravada Buddhism in South & S.E. Asia
REL 366 Islam in the Modern World
REL 377 Religion in Russia
REL 381 Religion and Moral Issues
REL 392 Religion in Global Context
REL 461 Different Voices within Contemporary Islamic Discourse
REL 471 Reformation and Modern Christianity
REL 481 Religion and Bioethics
REL 482/JUS 473/POS 473 Religion, Violence, & Conflict Resolution
REL 483 Religion and Science
SOC 394/REL 386 America and the Holocaust*
WST 390/REL 390 Women and World Religions
WST 477 Women and Violence*

ELECTIVES (6 hours)
Remaining credit hours may be filled by taking any of the courses listed above or other courses as approved by the certificate director.

SPECIAL TOPICS
Examples of special topics courses taught in the last few years include:
POS 394/HEB 394 War and Peace in the Middle East*
REL 394 Religion and the American Presidency
SGS 394 Violence, Conflict, and Human Rights*
WST 498 Women, Religion, and Global Violence*

INTERDISCIPLINARY REQUIREMENT
Of the 18 total credits taken to fulfill the certificate, at least 3 credits from the Social Sciences (SOC, POS, SGS or WST, noted with an "*") and 6 credits from the Humanities (ARB, HST, POR or REL). The interdisciplinary requirement can be met through any course listed above, except GCU 328.