Religion and Culture

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Culture (RLCL) combines the strengths of the Department of Religion and Culture in the humanities and the study of religion in order to provide students with opportunities to examine several of the twenty-first century's most important global phenomena. Students completing this cutting-edge degree will explore the impact of religion and religious practices on politics, economics, the arts, and everyday life, as well as the impact of cultural shifts in moral and ethical practices, the arts, the dissemination of information and entertainment, and the influence of traditional values and attitudes within our emerging postmodern environment. Graduates will be prepared to contribute as employees and citizens to the state of Virginia, the United States, and indeed the world as all levels of society seek better ways to live and work together in the increasingly diverse contexts of the twenty-first century in which religion and culture will continue to interact in dramatic and changing ways.

Most students who choose this major are more interested in developing complex problem solving skills, critical thinking, and acquiring a broad education, than in gaining specialized skills for a single occupation. The global focus of the major affords career opportunities in education, business, government, industry, and the service and non-profit sectors. The major has a strong academic and career-advising component.

• 1004: INVESTIGATIONS IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
• 1024: JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM
• 1024H: JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM
• 1034: RELIGION AND THE MODERN WORLD
• 1034H: RELIGION AND THE MODERN WORLD
• 1044: RELIGIOUS ETHICS
• 1134 (CLA 1134): INTRODUCTORY HUMANITIES: THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN WORLD
• 1214: INTRODUCTORY HUMANITIES: THE MEDIEVAL WORLD
• 1214H: MEDIEVAL
• 1904: RELIGION AND CULTURE IN ASIA
• 2004: CASE STUDIES IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
• 2054 (SOC 2054): ETHNOGRAPHY: STUDYING CULTURE
• 2104 (GR 2104): GREEK NEW TESTAMENT
• 2124: RELIGION IN AMERICAN LIFE
• 2134 (JUD 2134): JUDAISM: A SURVEY OF HISTORY, CULTURE, AND HERITAGE
• 2144 (AFST 2144): AFRICAN RELIGIONS
• 2204 (AFST 2204) (WGS 2204): RACE AND GENDER IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
• 2324: ISLAM
• 2414 (JUD 2414): HEBREW BIBLE/OLD TESTAMENT
• 2424: NEW TESTAMENT
• 2424H: NEW TESTAMENT
• 2444 (CLA 2444) (ENGL 2444): GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY
• 2464 (STS 2464): RELIGION AND SCIENCE
• 2474 (IS 2474): RELIGION AND VIOLENCE
• 2504 (HUM 2504): INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN STUDIES
• 2514 (SOC 2514): ASIAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
• 2964: FIELD STUDY
• 2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
• 2974H: INDEPENDENT STUDY
• 2984: SPECIAL STUDY
• 3014 (WGS 3014): WOMEN AND GENDER IN ISLAM
• 3024 (ENGL 3024): RELIGION AND LITERATURE
• 3034 (COMM 3034) (HUM 3034): THEORIES OF POP CULTURE
• 3144 (ENGL 3144) (SOC 3144): LANGUAGE AND ETHNICITY IN THE UNITED STATES
• 3204 (COMM 3204) (HUM 3204): MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION
• 3214: RELIGION AND CULTURE IN INDIA
• 3224: RELIGIONS OF CHINA AND JAPAN
• 3404 (JUD 3404): TORAH AND TRADITION
• 3414: JESUS AND THE GOSPELS
• 3424: PAUL AND HIS INTERPRETERS
• 3494 (HIST 3494) (JUD 3494): THE HOLOCAUST
• 3504 (HIST 3504): THE AGE OF THE CRUSADES
• 3544 (JUD 3544) (PSCI 3544): THE STATE OF ISRAEL: A POLITICAL HISTORY
• 3604: ISLAM AND THE MODERN WORLD
• 3704 (JUD 3704): CHRISTIANS, JEWS, AND THE IDEA OF JUDEO-CHRISTIANITY
• 3954: STUDY ABROAD
• 4024 (SOC 4024): SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
• 4034 (COMM 4034) (HUM 4034): FUNCTIONS OF POPULAR CULTURE
• 4124 (SOC 4124) (WGS 4124): TOPICS IN CULTURE
• 4324: TOPICS IN RELIGION AND CULTURE
• 4964: FIELD STUDY
• 4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
• 4974H: INDEPENDENT STUDY
• 4984: SPECIAL STUDY
• 4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
• 4994H: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

1. Application Fee: A non-refundable fee of $70 for all international students applying for admission must be submitted. The check must be written on a U.S. bank, a foreign bank with a U.S. correspondent, or a U.S. money order. Your application will not be processed without this fee. Students who apply online are required to pay the application fee electronically with either a debit or credit card (MasterCard or VISA), or an electronic check.
2. SAT Reasoning Test or ACT Scores (Optional for international applicants): Virginia Tech’s CEEB code is 5859; the ACT code is 4420. 
3. InitialView Interview (Optional for international applicants): You may learn more about InitialView at www.initialview.com. Please arrange to have your interview completed as early as possible. The deadline for completing the interview is February 15, 2017. For additional details, see the requirements page.
4. TOEFL/IELTS/PTE: Applicants whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test for English (PTE). Scores should be received on or before March 1. To have your TOEFL score automatically sent to Virginia Tech, please specify Virginia Tech’s CEEB code (5859) on the test form. 
5. Educational Documents: All documents in a language other than English must be accompanied by certified English translations. Notarized translations alone will not be accepted. Translations supplement, but do not replace original documents. Remember to send both.
   • Diplomas/Certificates: Students who have completed secondary school or high school must submit copies of their diplomas or school leaving certificates. Report of scores on school leaving examinations must also be submitted.
   • Transcript/Statement of Marks: This contains the record of courses studied, marks (grades) awarded, length of class periods, and grading scale with minimum passing mark. These must be submitted for upper secondary or high school years and must be complete for applicants who have graduated from school. For those applicants who are still enrolled in school, the transcript, or statement of marks, must show the most current term of grades to date. The transcript must be an original copy, certified by the sending institution.