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Religion

College of Arts and Humanities
Sakamaki A-311
2530 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8299
Fax: (808) 956-9894
Web: www.hawaii.edu/religion

Faculty

* Graduate Faculty

• *G. Tanabe, PhD (Chair)--Buddhism, Japanese religions
• *H. J. Baroni, PhD--Japanese and East Asian religions
• *J. P. Charlot, DTh--Polynesian/Hawaiian religions
• *S. C. Crawford, ThD--Asian and Christian ethics, Indian religion
• *R. Lamb, PhD--methodology, South Asian religions
• *L. A. Siegel, PhD--Indian religions

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

• G. D. Panisnick, PhD--Western religions

Degrees and Certificate Offered: BA in religion, MA in religion, Graduate Certificate in Religion

The Academic Program

In keeping with the goals of the University of Hawai'i, the Department of Religion takes advantage of the state's strong social and cultural ties with Asia and the Pacific and seeks to enhance those ties. Within this extraordinary multicultural milieu, the Department of Religion serves as a link between the academic community and the many Asian and Pacific religious communities that flourish in Hawai'i. Most of the major religious traditions--Theravada Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Hinduism as well as Hawaiian and Polynesian religions--make Hawai'ian ideal site and context for a study of Asian and Pacific religious communities and activities.

The Department of Religion is dedicated to the cultivation of a humanistic understanding of a wide range of religious traditions, ritual practices, philosophical speculations, ethical imperatives, and institutional histories. Its investigative approach is interdisciplinary and intercultural.

Undergraduate Study

Bachelor's Degree

Undergraduate education in religion includes survey courses in Western, Asian, and Pacific religions. There are also thematic courses dealing with such issues as sexuality and death, politics and ethics, and the relationship between religion and other disciplines, such as anthropology, political science, and sociology.

Requirements
Students must complete 27 credit hours at the 200 level and above, including at least 9 credit hours in 300- and 400-level courses. Required course: REL 300.

Minor

Requirements
Students must complete 15 credit hours at the 300 level and above. Required course: REL 300.

Graduate Study

Master's Degree

The department has developed two graduate program plans leading to the MA degree: a thesis-based MA program (Plan A) and a non-thesis track (Plan B). Both Plans A and B are two-year programs. A one-year graduate certificate program is also available for those who wish to pursue graduate religious studies but do not wish to complete a degree program.

Admission Requirements
Applicants to the MA program in religion must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college, university, or its equivalent from a recognized foreign institution of higher learning. Applicants should include in the Statement of Objectives an explanation of how their academic background has prepared them for study in the religion MA program.

Plan A
The thesis program provides students with an opportunity for graduate study in Asian or Polynesian religions. 30 credits are required.

Master's Plan A Student Progress Forms.

PF I--Preliminary Conference: A report based on a preliminary conference with the graduate chair during the first semester, listing an adviser, proposed courses to fulfill the requirements, and the foreign language for the degree.

PF II--Admission to Candidacy: Candidacy may be granted after the first semester upon completing 6 graduate credits, plus REL 600, with a GPA of 3.0 or better (total 9 credits).

PF III--Master's Plan A Committee: The thesis committee should consist of the committee chair and two other members, one of whom must be from another department.

PF IV--Approval of Thesis Topic: The thesis committee approves thesis topic prior to student registering for REL 700 for the next academic semester.

Instructions for thesis preparation are mailed to students by the Graduate Division and are also available at the Graduate Records Office.

PF VI--Final Examination: The thesis committee confirms the satisfactory completion of the oral examination.

PF VII--Judgment of Thesis: After all revisions have been incorporated and the thesis is in final form, the majority of the thesis committee, including the graduate chair, passes the student for the Master's Degree.

Progress Forms I to IV must be completed and submitted to Graduate Division before students can register for REL 700.

Required courses (12 credits).

• REL 600 History and Theory of the Study of Religion (3)
• REL 650 Seminar on World Religions (3)
• REL 700 Thesis Research (3, 3)

Area requirements (9 credits minimum). Students must take at least three 600-level courses in their area of specialization (Asian or Polynesian).

Electives. Electives consist of any Religion course (400 level and above), other than those that fulfill program and area requirements. Two complementary graduate courses (3 credits each) from other disciplines may be accepted at the discretion of the thesis adviser and graduate chair. No more than two 400-level courses may be used to satisfy this requirement.

Language. To achieve a mastery of language at the second-year level, students are required to complete two years of a language appropriate to their field of specialization (e.g., Sanskrit, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, or another Asian or Polynesian language approved by the area adviser) with a minimum B grade in the fourth semester of class. 

This language requirement will be waived for students demonstrating language proficiency by an equivalency exam. These exams will be set by the student's thesis adviser and assessed by two faculty readers (one from the Religion Department and one from the department in which the language is taught). 

Language courses will not count towards the 30 credits required for a MA in religion.

Thesis (REL 700). A maximum of 3 credits per semester for a total of 6 credits of REL 700 over two semesters is required. Students must be admitted to candidacy (see PF II) and must complete 9 credits before they can register for REL 700.

Completion of an original thesis, demonstrating a mastery of advanced research, analytic, and discursive skills, is required of all students in Plan A.

Each candidate must form a committee of three members of the Graduate Faculty, one of whom is from outside the department. Faculty reserve the right not to serve on a thesis committee.

After submission of a completed thesis to the committee for its consideration, the candidate must be present for the final oral examination on the subject of the thesis. A candidate who fails may be re-examined once, provided it is done within one calendar year of the initial examination.

After a candidate has taken 6 credits of 700, the candidate must register for 1 credit of 700 in subsequent semesters and in the semester of graduation.

One bound copy of the approved thesis, including the signature page, shall go on file in the department office and must be submitted to the department office at the same time that the final thesis is deposited with the Graduate Division office.

Plan B
Non-thesis degree program provides students with an opportunity for graduate study in Asian or Polynesian religions. 30 credits are required.

1. Preliminary Conference with the graduate chair for the purpose of determining an adviser, proposed courses to fulfill the requirements, and the foreign language for the degree.
2. Candidacy for Plan B students requires a memo from the graduate chair indicating that all deficiencies have been removed and that 12 credits have been taken with a 3.0 GPA or better.
3. A portfolio with three research papers with a minimum of B grades from Religion 600-level courses is to be submitted to the graduate chair. One of these papers will be presented at a public forum during the student's final semester. The portfolio must be submitted to the graduate chair prior to the deadline for the Plan B final exam date.

Required courses (6 credits).

• REL 600 History and Theory of the Study of Religion (3)
• REL 650 Seminar on World Religions (3)

Area requirements (9 credits). Students must take at least three 600-level courses in Asian or Polynesian religions.

Electives (15 credits). Nine credits must be earned in 600-level courses. The remaining credits may iclude religion 400-level and above courses. Two complementary graduate courses from other disciplines may be accepted at the discretion of the graduate chair and the student's adviser.

Language. To achieve mastery of a language at the second-year level, students are required to complete two years of a language appropriate to their area of specialization (e.g., Sanskrit, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, or another Asian or Polynesian language approved by the area adviser) with a minimum B grade in the fourth semester of class.

This language requirement will be waived for students demonstrating language proficiency by an equivalency exam. These exams will be set by the student's thesis adviser and assessed by two faculty readers (one from the religion department and one from the department in which the language is taught).

Language courses will not count toward the 30 credits required for an MA in religion.

Certificate of Study

Application requirements are the same as those for the MA degree program. This is a two-semester non-degree certificate program for students who want to pursue graduate study in religion but do not need or want a master's degree. Certificate students are ineligible for admission to the master's program. 15 graduate credits are required of which 6 credits may be in 400-level courses.

Certificate in Religion

Application requirements are the same as those for the MA degree program. This is a two-semester non-degree certificate program for students who want to pursue graduate study in religion but do not need or want a master's degree. Students who have completed the certificate are ineligible for admission to the master's program. 

Fifteen (15) graduate credits are required of which a maximum of 6 credits may be in the 400-level courses.

Requirements (6 credits):

• REL 600 History and Theory of the Study of Religion (3)
• REL 650 Seminar on World Religions (3)

Electives (9 credits per option):

• Option 1: World Religions--one graduate-level course in each area:
  • East Asia: 661B, 661C, 661D
  • South Asia: 662B, 662D
  • Polynesia: 663B, 663C
• Option 2: Area--three graduate level courses in one area:
  • Asia: 661B, 661C, 661D, 662B, 662D
  • Polynesia (repeatable courses): 663B, 663C

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