The History of Religion and Community in American Society 4219-RS293

Knowledge
By the end of the course, students will
1. become familiar with various ways of studying religion.
2. gain a general understanding of the role of religion in nine communities over the course of American history.

Skills
By the end of this course, students
1. will develop skills in conducting independent historical research, analyzing primary sources, and evaluating the work of other scholars.
2. will improve their ability to synthesize the information gained from their research.
3. will become adept in communicating the results of their investigation in clear, concise English prose.

Competences
By the end of the course, students will
1. appreciate how religion shapes the experiences of Americans in different eras.
2. gain insight into how religion unites and divides American society

Students are expected to attend class and come prepared to discuss the assigned material. Students will be graded on their participation in class discussions based on their role as a discussion leader (20% of your grade). You will be expected to write a research paper for 70%. You will be evaluated on your research and your ability to develop an argument and present your evidence in a well-structured essay. The final 10% will come from an oral presentation of your research.

Discussion leader 20 (two classes, 10 points each)
Presentation 10
Final essay 70

90 = 5
85 = 4+
80 = 4
72,5 = 3+
60 = 3
Total 100 points

Stein, “American Religious History”
Moore, Religious Outsiders, Preface and Introduction
Recommended film: Black Robe (1991, d. Bruce Beresford)
Ronda, “We are Well as We Are…’
Martin, "The European Impact...
Recommended film: The Witch (2015, d. Robert Eggers)
Winthrop, Arabella sermon
Miller, "Errand in the Wilderness"
Winiarski, “Native American Popular Religion”
Ulrich, "'Vertuous Women Found'
Koehler, “The Case of American Jezebels”
Recommended series: Under the Banner of Heaven (2022, creator Dustin Lance Black)
Olin, “The Oneida Community”
Iversen, “Feminist Implications of Mormon Polygyny”
Recommended film: The Apostle (1997, d. Robert Duvall)
Maddex, “Proslavery Millennialism”
Goen, “Broken Churches, Broken Nation”
Ted Ownby, “Mass Culture, Upper-Class Culture, and the Decline of Church Discipline”
Wilson, “The Religion of the Lost Cause”
Recommended film: Daughters of the Dust (1991, d. Julie Dash)
Raboteau, “Down at the Cross”
Suttles, “African Religious Survivals”
Israel, “From Biracial to Segregated Churches”
Recommended documentary: Briars in the Cotton Patch (2003, d. Faith Fuller)
Jordan, Sermon
Selections from the Cotton Patch Gospels
Chapman, “Koinonia, 1976”
Recommended novel: Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska
Recommended documentary: American Muslim (2019, d. Adam Zucker)
Dolan, "Immigrants and Their Gods"
Pagliarini, “The Pure American Woman and the Wicked Catholic Priest”
Schmier, “No Jew Can Murder”
Narayanan, “Sacred Land, Sacred Service”
Peek, “Becoming Muslim”
Recommended film: Jesus Camp (2006, d. Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing)
Glass, “American Protestant Fundamentalism”
Carpenter, “Fundamentalist Institutions”
Balmer, “The Real Origins of the Religious Right”

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

• Description of 4219-RS293 in USOSweb