Faculty of Arts

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Religious Studies

The main objectives of the programme are as follows:

a)	To equip students with critical, analytical and interpretative skills with which they may understand diverse religious traditions in the 21st century;
b)	To provide students with substantial information on ideas and practices of major religious traditions, thus building a solid foundation for their understanding and interpretation;
c)	To help students develop capability in correlating religious ideas and values to socio-cultural problems;
d)	To widen students' perspective in the understanding of both the human person and human culture through comparative study of different religious traditions, showing the range of human responses to life problems;
e)	To prepare students for postgraduate studies; and
f)	To assist students in preparing for careers in education, cultural affairs and related fields.

The structure of the curriculum is as follows:

	Major Courses	60 units
	Complementary Studies Courses	36 units
		──────
		96 units

1. Major Courses (60 units)
The programme of BA (Hons) in Religious Studies provides a curriculum of 60 units progressing from introductory to advanced courses over a three-year period. The curriculum culminates in the Honours Project which will enable the student to complete a significant and independent work.

2. Complementary Studies Courses (36 units)
Complementary Studies courses enable students to acquire an understanding of a lively feeling for values, so that they are better able to cope with the challenges of the complex socio-economic, cultural, religious and political aspects of life in the modern world.

Requirements

Major Required Courses				36 units
	REL	1220	Religious Rituals & Practices in Hong Kong	3 units
	REL	1240	Buddhism	3 units
	REL	1260	Approaches to the Study of Religion	3 units
	REL	1270	Problems of Philosophy	3 units
	REL	1280	Introduction to Christianity & Civilizations	3 units
	REL	1290	Quest for Truth & Meaning	3 units
	REL	2240	History of Christian Thought	3 units
	REL	2720	Daoist Religion	3 units
	REL	2760	Major Streams in Chinese Philosophy	3 units
	REL	3210	Philosophy of Religion	3 units
	REL	3591-2	Honours Project	6 units

Major Concentration Courses				12 units
	Christian Studies Concentration
	REL	2410	A Survey of Jewish & Christian Scriptures	3 units
	REL	2420	Biblical Theology & Moral Life	3 units
	REL	2430	Contemporary Theology & the Public World	3 units
	REL	3410	Theology & Sex in Chinese Societies
	Philosophical Studies Concentration
	REL	2320	Meaning & Knowledge	3 units
	REL	2330	Morality & Society	3 units
	REL	2340	Existence & Reality	3 units
	REL	3610	Comparative Philosophy: East & West	3 units

Major Elective Courses				12 units
	Christian Studies Concentration
	Two of the following courses:
	REL	2610	Christian Spirituality	3 units
	REL	2750	Christian Social Thought	3 units
	REL	3230	Christianity & Chinese Culture	3 units
	REL	3260	Chinese Christianity	3 units
	REL	3420	Christianity, Modern Science & the Environment	3 units
	REL	3630	Selected Topics/Readings in Christian Studies	3 units
	Philosophical Studies Concentration
	Two of the following courses:
	REL	2350	Philosophical Issues in Chinese Religion	3 units
	REL	2360	Existentialism & Nihilism	3 units
	REL	3270	Mysticism & Religious Experience	3 units
	REL	3620	Selected Topics/Readings in Philosophy	3 units
	For both concentrations
	Two of the following courses:
	REL	2250	Hermeneutics	3 units
	REL	2310	Islam	3 units
	REL	2730	Contemporary Ethical Problems	3 units
	REL	3220	Comparative Religious Themes	3 units
	REL	3240	Religion & Modern Society	3 units
	REL	3770	Religion & Ideology	3 units
	REL	3780	Religions in Northwestern China Today	3 units
	REL	3990	Selected Topics/Readings in Religious Studies	3 units

Complementary Studies Courses				36 units
	Core Requirements
	I.T.	1180	Information Management Technology	3 units
	LANG	1480	University Chinese	3 units
	LANG	1491-2	English I & II	6 units
	U.L.	1121-2	University Life	0 unit
	Physical Education Courses			0 unit
	Values and the Meaning of Life Course			3 units
	Distribution Requirements
	Any two courses outside Humanities, of which one must be Science course			6 units
	Any two non-major/option courses			6 units
	Free elective courses			9 units
				────
				96 units