COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
(www.clas.uncc.edu)

RELIGIOUS STUDIES
(www.religiousstudies.uncc.edu)

Religious studies is the academic inquiry into the fundamental stories, myths, symbols, and practices by which we as human beings have attempted to make sense of ourselves and the worlds in which we live. In addition to courses in Western, Asian, African, and Native American religious traditions, the department offers courses in the interaction of religion and modern culture in such areas as art, literature, language, film, science, and issues of race and gender. The department is explicitly committed to the liberal arts tradition with an international and pluralistic perspective.

Most students major or minor in Religious Studies to gain a broad liberal arts education. With the flexibility of the program and its relationship to other areas of the University, students can meet the specific objectives of Religious Studies while taking a wide range of courses in other departments. Some students relate religious studies to definite vocational plans, often requiring further education in professional and graduate schools.\

BACHELOR OF ARTS

A major in religious studies requires 30 semester hours in religious studies courses as follows:

I. Foundational Courses (9 hours). Three required courses: RELS 2101 Introduction to Western Religions, RELS 2102 Introduction to Asian Religions, and RELS 2600 Approaches to the Study of Religion.

II. Courses in two different religious traditions (6 hours). One course in a Western tradition selected from: RELS 2110 Judaism, RELS 2120 Christianity, or RELS 2131 Islam. One course in an Asian tradition selected from: RELS 2154 Hinduism, RELS 2157 Buddhism, RELS 2166 Taoism, or RELS 3169 Zen Buddhism.

III. Religion and modern culture (6 hours). Two courses selected from the following: RELS 2137, 3050, 3209, 3212, 3242, 4010, 4050, 4101, 4201. The specific topics for RELS 3050 and 4050 are announced each semester.

IV. Two religious studies electives (6 hours). Any two additional courses in religious studies.

V. Senior seminar (3 hours). In their senior year, all religious studies majors must complete RELS 4600. This seminar includes completion of a senior essay and an oral presentation to students and faculty.

MINOR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES

A minor in Religious Studies consists of a minimum of 15 hours, with at least two courses at the 3000 level or above.

Minors in Islamic Studies and Judaic Studies are also available.  For information on either of these, please see their individual sections in this Catalog.

ROTC: AEROSPACE STUDIES
(www.afrotc.uncc.edu)

Aerospace Studies prepares students for leadership positions with the United States Air Force through the Pre-professional Program and offers courses to all students through the Academic Program. The curriculum examines multi-disciplinary issues as they relate to leadership participation in the military environment.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM

The academic program (without affiliation with the formal Air Force ROTC program) is designed for students interested in gaining a perspective on military leadership, management, ethics, and discipline. Students who pursue this concentration should take the upper-level (AERO 3100 and 3200) courses, and they may attend the lower-level courses. Participation in Leadership Laboratory courses is available by special permission from the Department.

Pre-professional Program/Air Force ROTC Program. The pre-professional track of the Aerospace Studies program is implemented as the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. It provides three programs for students to qualify for a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. To be eligible for the Air Force ROTC pre-professional program, a student must be a citizen of the United States, physically qualified for commission in the Air Force, not under 14 years of age and, upon graduation, no more than 34 years of age (may be waived to age 35). If designated for flight training, the student must be able to complete all commissioning requirements prior to age 29.

Cadets must pursue work leading to at least a bachelor's degree and be willing to sign a formal agreement at the beginning of the advanced course or upon initiation of a college scholarship. The agreement, an enlistment into the Air Force Reserve, obligates the student to remain in the ROTC program, accept a commission and serve the required period in the Air Force upon graduation. Cadets must also take an Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and achieve certain minimum and quantitative scores prior to commissioning.

Four-Year Program. This program begins with the General Military Course (GMC) and offers coursework within the lower-division. GMC students not on Air Force ROTC scholarship incur no military obligation. Each candidate for commissioning must pass each GMC course with a grade of C or better and pass the corequisite lab. Students must score appropriately on an Air Force aptitude test, pass a physical fitness test, pass a medical examination, and be selected by a board of Air Force officers. If selected, the student then enrolls in the Professional Officer Course (POC), the last two years of the Air Force ROTC curriculum. Students attend a four week field training course at an Air Force base normally between the sophomore and junior years. All students in the POC receive a tax free stipend of at least $350 per month. Upon successful completion of the POC and the requirements for a degree, the student is commissioned in the Air Force as a second lieutenant.

Three-Year Program. The basic requirement for entry into the three year program is that the student has three academic years of college work remaining, either at the undergraduate or graduate level, or a combination of both. Applicants seeking enrollment in the three year program must take both the freshman-level and sophomore-level aerospace studies classes in the Fall and Spring semesters of their sophomore year. They must also pass Air Force aptitude, physical fitness, and medical examinations and be selected by a board of Air Force officers. Students attend a four-week field training course at an Air Force base normally between the junior and senior years. All students in the POC receive a tax free stipend of at least $350 per month. Upon successful completion of the POC and the requirements for a degree, the student is commissioned in the Air Force as a second lieutenant.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS

Air Force ROTC awards scholarships at the freshman through graduate school levels for students in the pre-professional track leading to a commission in the Air Force. They are available to qualified cadets in the three year program and four year programs. Scholarships are given and retained on a semester basis.

Full-time enrollment in the University or a consortium institution and the Aerospace Studies program is a requirement for scholarship eligibility. Scholarships cover tuition, fees, and a book allowance. Scholarship cadets also receive a tax free stipend of at least $250 a month.

Four-year scholarships also are available to high school students. High school students interested should apply online at www.afrotc.com. Initial four-year scholarship packages must be postmarked by December 1 of the year prior to enrollment.

ADJUNCT PROGRAMS

Field Training. Four-week Field Training courses are normally completed during the summer between the sophomore and junior years for the four-year program (junior and senior years for the three-year program). Transportation, lodging, meals, and approximately $200 per week are provided by the Air Force during Field Training.

Leadership Laboratory. Those students pursuing the pre-professional track will participate a minimum of three hours per week during every semester of enrollment. The objective is to provide a laboratory environment where each student receives an opportunity to learn and develop leadership and management abilities. Cadets plan, organize and carry out the entire leadership laboratory program with only minimal guidance from the staff advisors. Physical fitness training is also a part of the leadership laboratory program.

Professional Development Program. Students enrolled in the freshman or junior year of Air Force ROTC may volunteer to attend a two or three week orientation program at an Air Force base. This is an opportunity to observe and experience the working environment of an active Air Force facility and to obtain specific career information. Other programs available to students include glider flight orientation, military airborne jump training, foreign language immersion, combat survival training, and summer engineering projects. Transportation, lodging, meals, and approximately $200 per week are provided by the Air Force during participation in this voluntary program.

Flight Training. All cadets who currently do not possess a private pilot's license may participate in an eight-hour flight orientation program any time during enrollment in AFROTC.

ROTC: MILITARY STUDIES
(www.arotc.uncc.edu)

Participation in Army ROTC enhances the education of both men and women by providing unique leadership and management training, along with practical experience in these areas. It helps students develop many of the qualities basic to success in the Army, or in civilian careers. Students earn a college degree and an officer's commission at the same time. The program is designed to complement the student's major area of study; participation in Army ROTC is compatible with all major areas of study. The Basic Course and the Advanced Course comprise the Military Science curriculum.

BASIC COURSE

The Basic Course is usually taken during the freshman and sophomore years. It is open to all students and incurs no military obligation. Topics include management principles, leadership development, national defense organization, land navigation, small unit tactics, survival techniques, military courtesy, and physical training. Uniforms and textbooks are provided at no cost to students. Students unable to attend the Basic Course, may still qualify for the Advanced Course by attending a paid four week summer Leader’s Training Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky, following their sophomore year. Placement credit is also available for veterans, members of the reserve components, and Junior ROTC participants.

ADVANCED COURSE

The Advanced Course provides instruction in military history, advanced tactics, techniques of effective leadership, and military ethics and professionalism. It is normally taken during the junior and senior years. Students successfully completing the Basic Course, who have demonstrated the potential to become officers and meet Army physical and academic standards, are eligible to enroll in the Advanced Course. Students receive a monthly tax free stipend of $350 per academic year as junior and $400 per month during their senior year. Students are required to attend a paid four week summer Leader Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Washington, between their junior and senior years. In addition to Military Science courses, students must complete HIST 2120 American Military History. Nursing students may enter the Advanced Course without Basic Course credit.

Nursing Summer Camp. Nursing students enrolled in the Advanced Course attend a two part summer camp between the junior and senior years. This consists of four weeks of Leader Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Washington, followed by three weeks of practical nursing training. The nurse intern training may be at Fort Lewis, Washington, or any other major Army Medical Center nationwide.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Two-, three-, and four-year scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis, providing full tuition and educational fees, a specified amount for books and supplies, and a tax free tiered stipend of $250, $300, $350 or $400 per academic month. Four-year scholarships are available to students who apply while in high school or prior to enrollment. Students do not have to be enrolled in Army ROTC to apply and incur no obligation by applying. Application timeframe is December to February each year. Special consideration is given to students in nursing, engineering, and physical sciences.

COMMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To obtain a commission in the Army, Army National Guard, or Army Reserve, a student must successfully complete the Advanced Course, be recommended by the Professor of Military Science, and complete work leading to at least a baccalaureate degree.

SOCIOLOGY
(www.sociology.uncc.edu)

The Department of Sociology offers academic majors leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. On the graduate level, the Department offers the M.A. degree in Sociology.

Sociology is the scientific study of human social life. It focuses upon the forces that organize and structure societies and smaller groups, as well as the forces that disorganize and threaten to dissolve them. As a science, sociology applies an objective and systematic method of investigation to identify the patterns and forms of social life and to understand the processes by which they are established and changed.

The study of sociology is attractive to persons seeking a liberal education and immediate employment, as well as to persons preparing for further study and professional careers. As a liberal arts program, it enables students to understand the social contexts in which they find themselves and the social forces that shape personality, actions, and interactions with others. As a preprofessional program it provides an excellent background for persons entering social work, law, teaching, the ministry, journalism, planning, public relations and personnel services. It also provides analytical skills related to market research and program evaluation in human services, sales, management and other business activities.

BACHELOR OF ARTS

A major in Sociology leading to the B.A. degree consists of: (1) a minimum of 32 semester hours of sociology courses; including (2) a core curriculum of SOCY 1101, 3153 or 3154, 4155, and 4156; (3) at least 23 hours at the 3000 level or above (but may include SOCY 2090); (4) at least three hours designated W in the major; and (5) a minimum of 18 semester hours of related work or a minor.

Related work is arranged by the student in consultation with an advisor and may consist of a concentration of courses: (1) within a single discipline; (2) selected from two complementary disciplines; or (3) focused upon a specific topic. Students in the teacher licensure program may use the courses in the professional education sequence as their related work. Students should consult with the Department about internship opportunities in sociology.

MINOR IN SOCIOLOGY

The minor in Sociology requires the completion of 18 hours in sociology including Introduction to Sociology and at least one course at the 3000 or 4000 level. A grade point average of at least 2.0 is required in the 18 hours of sociology.

EARLY ENTRY PROGRAM: Master's in Sociology

Criteria for Acceptance
1.) Students must have completed at least 75 undergraduate hours
2.) Students must have at least a 3.2 GPA overall, and a 3.5 GPA in Sociology courses
3.) The student must take the GRE exam and earn scores that are acceptable for graduate admission

The Program
Students who meet the above requirements will be accepted into the Graduate Program, conditional upon their successful completion of the requirements for their undergraduate degree, 18 hours in social science, and the required core undergraduate classes (Evolution of Social Thought, Research Methods, and Statistics).

Students will be allowed to take only 15 hours of graduate credit before they have completed their baccalaureate degree. They must maintain an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.7 in order to remain in the program. Students' undergraduate GPA must be at least 3.0 when they graduate.

Students may count only six hours for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Neither the Pro-seminar in Applied Social Research nor electives may be counted toward both the B.A. and the M.A.

URBAN STUDIES
(www.geoearth.uncc.edu/programs/undergrad/urbanminor.htm)

MINOR IN URBAN STUDIES

A minor in Urban Studies requires completion of 18 hours taken from the following courses: ANTH 2125 (Urban Anthropology) or SOCY 4125 (Urban Sociology); ARCH 1100 (History of American Architecture); GEOG 2165 (Patterns of World Urbanization); URBS 2200/GEOG 2200 (Introduction to Urban Studies); GEOG 3100 (City and Region); GEOG 4205 (Internal Structure of the City); HIST 3281 (American Cities); HIST 3214 (Urban South); HIST 3280 (Blacks in Urban America); POLS 3121/GEOG 3100 (Urban Politics/Urban Political Geography); or URBS 3050 (Topics in Urban Studies). With prior permission from the Urban Studies Director, students may also select from URBS 3801 (Urban Studies Independent Study) or URBS 4401 (Urban Studies Internship). A student may also count up to 9 hours of other courses that have a significant urban focus with the prior permission of the Director of the Urban Studies minor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences.

WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES
(http://womensstudies.uncc.edu)

The Women’s and Gender Studies Program offers undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to learn about issues relating to gender, women, and feminism. Students may choose to take individual courses, a cluster of related courses, or a full minor in Women's and Gender Studies. The Women’s and Gender Studies Program is committed to fostering personal growth by challenging gender stereotypes of women and men and equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to empower women and improve gender relations in an ever changing society. Most students find Women's and Gender Studies courses personally interesting, as well as helpful preparation for careers in health and human services, education, law, human resources, art, and business.

MINOR IN WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES

The Women’s and Gender Studies minor is open to all students regardless of gender and requires completion of at least 18 hours in approved courses. A maximum of nine hours may be earned from any one department or program outside of Women's and Gender Studies. Students minoring in Women’s Studies must complete the following requirements:

1) WGST 1101 Introduction to Women's Studies (3) OR WGST 3102 Changing Realities of Women's Lives (3)
2) WGST 3220/3221 Feminist Thought (3) OR WGST 3227 Feminist Philosophy (3) OR Another Approved WGST topics course (to be determined by coordinator)
3) Any WGST at the 4000 level
4) Nine hours of electives

Elective courses can be chosen from any department’s or program’s offerings, as long as (a) the course deals substantially with gender, women, feminism, sexuality, or related social movements and (b) the courses are approved by the Director of Women's and Gender Studies. Students minoring in Women's and Gender Studies should check their choices of electives with the Director of Women's and Gender Studies, both when they are planning their minor and when they are reviewing it in preparation for graduation.

Examples of regularly taught courses in other departments that count as Women's and Gender Studies electives include, but are not limited to:

AFRS 2215 Black Families in the U.S.
ANTH 2090 Gender, Culture, and Communication
ANTH 2123 Women in Crosscultural Perspective
ANTH 4131 Culture, Pregnancy and Birth
CJUS 4000 Gender, Race, and Justice
COMM 2110 Women and the Media
COMM 3110 Gender and Communication
ENGL 4002 Women in and Literature
GRNT 4260 Women: Middle Age and Beyond
HIST 2150 U.S. Women’s History to 1877
HIST 2151 U.S. Women’s History Since 1877
HIST 2152 European Women’s History
HIST 3000/AMST 3050 Southern Women’s History
NURS 4191 Women’s Health Issues
PHIL 3227 Feminist Philosophy
PSYC 3126 Psychology of Women
SOCY 2132 Marriage and Family
SOCY 2163 Sociology of Gender
SOCY 3261 Human Sexuality
SOCY 4090 New Theoretical Approaches to Gender
SOCY 4165 Sociology of Women
SPAN 3019 Hispanic Women Writers in English Translation

Courses approved for the minor that are taught infrequently:

AFRS 2201 Introduction to Human Relations
AFRS 4106/ENGL 4156 Gender in African-American Literature
ANTH 2090/AAAS 3050 Gender in a Transforming Africa
ARTS 3001 Women in Art
CJUS 4162 Seminar on Sexual Assault
ENGL 4050 Native American Women
ENGL 4050 Gender and Shakespeare
HIST 3131 History of Sexuality
HIST 3168 Women and Family in Modern East Asia
PHIL 3050 Philosophy of Sex
RELS 3050 Religion and Gender
RELS 3111 Women and Judaism
THEA 4001 Women’s Writings Onscreen
THEA 4001 Violent Film Females

A complete list of courses approved for the minor in Women’s and Gender Studies is available in the Women’s Studies Program Office.

Graduate Courses. The Women's and Gender Studies Program regularly offers advanced graduate-level courses and a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies for students wishing to include the study of women, gender, or feminism in their graduate work. These courses (and the graduate certificate they form the core of), enable graduate students to pursue their own research while they develop a substantial background in the field. Please see the UNC Charlotte Graduate Catalog for details.