Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

The B.A. Option in Italian is a program consisting of eight, three-credit courses in which students pursue studies in Italian beyond the beginning and intermediate levels. In consultation with departmental advisors, students combine their work with other academic disciplines and develop particular strengths and interests in Italian literature, language, and culture. Students pursuing the B.A. Option in Italian are strongly encouraged to study abroad.

Honors in Italian
Students may graduate with honors in Italian by completing 3 hours of ITAL 499 and one approved 3-hour course in a relevant field in addition to the 24-hour requirement for the option. Consult the department early in the junior year. To begin honors work and to graduate with honors, students must have minimum grade-point averages of 3.25 in all courses and 3.5 in Italian.

The B.A. in Humanities is an interdisciplinary major that allows students to examine key issues relating to human experiences and the human condition from a variety of perspectives, including philosophy, history, religion, literature, art and language.  Comprised of two tracks – Civilization in a Global Context and Peace and Conflict Studies – the Humanities Major provides a foundation in the liberal arts that prepares students to take part in the world around them and is basic for success in many fields, including business, medicine, law, marketing, sales, and social services.

The Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas, established in 1971, is one of the oldest environmental studies programs in the country. It is an interdisciplinary program, with faculty from professional schools, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

The program provides students with the tools they need to investigate environmental phenomena, including soil sampling and freshwater ecology to policy-making and social science. Environmental Studies students learn how to put together what other disciplines take apart.

Chinese
In a few short weeks, CHIN 104: Elementary Chinese language students know their four tones and can speak beautifully about basic topics of daily life. Learning characters, the challenging but fun aspect of Chinese, starts slowly the first year, then accelerates the second and third years of study. Advanced-level students from KU can read newspapers and contemporary fiction by the time they graduate; graduating majors are fluent in Chinese.

Japanese
Often considered the "Gateway to the East," Japan is a center for commerce, trade, education, and culture in East Asia. KU alums with Japanese language skills have followed career paths such as acting for Japanese television, banking in Tokyo, and working as a legal expert for Microsoft, as well as many who pursued graduate work in Japanese culture and history. Beyond the practical advantages, studying Japanese possesses its own intrinsic rewards: learning one of the world's most complex languages exercises the mind in unique ways. Japanese language students are never bored!

Korean
Although Korean has been a spoken language for several thousand years, the development of its phonetic alphabet in 1446, hangul, made it the easiest East Asian language to master. Today Korean is the 11th most spoken language in the world. More than half of Korean's vocabulary can be traced to Chinese, and the structure and grammar are similar to Japanese. KU is the only institution in Kansas that teaches intermediate and advanced Korean language courses.

The B.F.A. in dance focuses on technical training and preparation for a career in professional performance.

The Department requires an audition for entry into the Dance B.F.A. program and to qualify for departmental scholarships. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the live auditions.

In philosophy we ask big, important questions. While asking such questions is easy, answering them is difficult. Because these questions are often abstract and vague, it is necessary to use precise reasoning and analysis to clarify what exactly it is we are asking. Only then can we attempt to develop answers. For example:

• What is the morally right thing to do?
• What is the nature of the mind?
• When can we know something, rather than merely believing it?
• Do the sciences exhaust what can be known about the natural world?
• What is justice?
• What assumptions do we make when we try to answer questions like these?
• Plus many, many others...

In studying philosophy, you will learn what others have thought about life's big questions. You will also learn to challenge those views, and to develop your own thoughts in a precise, logical manner. Philosophy will help you develop critical thinking skills, enabling you to analyze the underlying logic and assumptions in arguments about a variety of topics. This is a skill that generalizes to virtually every area of life.

The B.A. Biology degree at KU is the broadest major available in biology.  This major provides students with much flexibility in their major course choices.  Several core course options include ecology, microbiology, organismal physiology, and biochemistry.

In philosophy we ask big, important questions. While asking such questions is easy, answering them is difficult. Because these questions are often abstract and vague, it is necessary to use precise reasoning and analysis to clarify what exactly it is we are asking. Only then can we attempt to develop answers. For example:

• What is the morally right thing to do?
• What is the nature of the mind?
• When can we know something, rather than merely believing it?
• Do the sciences exhaust what can be known about the natural world?
• What is justice?
• What assumptions do we make when we try to answer questions like these?
• Plus many, many others...

In studying philosophy, you will learn what others have thought about life's big questions. You will also learn to challenge those views, and to develop your own thoughts in a precise, logical manner. Philosophy will help you develop critical thinking skills, enabling you to analyze the underlying logic and assumptions in arguments about a variety of topics. This is a skill that generalizes to virtually every area of life.

This degree offers students a broad liberal arts education touching on all aspects of Geography. As part of this degree students need to meet the KU Core Requirements and/or requirements set by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. College requirements are the same as those for the Bachelor of General Studies degree, and require a minimum of 33 credit hours in Geography. Course work includes 18 hours of fundamentals courses and 15 additional hours selected from four topical groups: physical, human, techniques and regional.

Computer engineers combine expertise in software design and implementation with fundamental engineering skills - a highly valuable skill set. They design and maintain websites, networks, massive databases, and other applications, in the process developing and integrating new software and hardware. Computer engineers specialize in the development of computer systems designed to carry out specific functions in real-time, known as embedded systems, which operate airplanes, cell phones, vending machines, medical equipment, etc. Their vast computing knowledge and problem solving skills make computer engineers an invaluable asset to industry. As individuals and corporations become more dependent on computers, there is an abundant need for well-trained computer engineers.