COURSE INFORMATION

History 43.11 WZ9 / American Studies 62 WZ9
Wednesday, 9:25-12:00

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA
Fall, 2005: Emeritus Professor Donald Gerardi
Office Hours: 503A, Wednesday, 9:00-9:25 & by appointment

DESCRIPTION: The course examines the development of religious pluralism and its effects on American life and culture. Major topics include Native American religion, the transplanting of traditions from Europe, Asia and Africa, the development of new forms of religious experience, the connections between dominant American values and religion, and the religious forms of dissent from the American mainstream. Throughout the semester we shall discuss contemporary issues of religion and public life in historical context.

MAJOR OBJECTIVES:

	To learn the major events, figures, and ideas in American religious history
	To relate religious history to the broader developments in US history
	To read critically primary and secondary sources on religious history
	To understand the development and implications of religious pluralism
	To put into historical perspective contemporary issues of religion in American life.

The syllabus provides details on topics and assignments.

REQUIREMENTS:

PLEASE NOTE: Some course materials will be available online and there is an online discussion forum. Please tell me if you need instruction in this technology. Assignments will be posted on the web site as well as announced in class. Although having your own computer and Internet access at home is an advantage, there are many campus computers for your use. The Library's excellent Computer Café is in Whitehead, open seven days a week.

THE TERM'S GRADE WILL BE EVALUATED AS FOLLOWS:

Participation (including attendance and discussion) ------------------ 15%
Two short papers (2 pages each) on assigned reading ------------ 50%
Final Exam ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35%

REQUIRED READING: You should read, or at least skim, the reading BEFORE the scheduled class. Be prepared for discussion in class and in the on-line Forum.

BOOKS [Available in the College Bookstore; you may find discounted prices online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble]:

Martin Marty, Pilgrims in Their Own Land: 500 Years of Religion in America (Viking Penguin) [narrative history for background]

Amanda Porterfield, ed., American Religious History (Blackwell, 2002) [essays and primary documents]

R. Laurence Moore, Touchdown Jesus: The Mixing of Sacred and Secular in American History (Westminster John Knox Press, 2003)

Diana L. Eck, A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation (Harper Collins, 2002)

LOOK FOR RELIGIOUS ISSUES IN THE NEWS. Keep a journal on such items in your notebook for class and on-line discussion. Click here for a free online subscription to the New York Times

PLEASE NOTE: This course is also part of two other college inter-departmental programs - AMERICAN STUDIES and STUDIES IN RELIGION.

Description

Requirements

Reading

PLEASE NOTE: This course is also part of two other college inter-departmental programs - AMERICAN STUDIES and STUDIES IN RELIGION.