Religion, Democracy

Fall 2021

Religion, Democracy, and American Culture

Listed in: American Studies, as AMST-217

Moodle site: Course (Login required)

Faculty

Francis G. Couvares (Section 01)

Description

[Pre-1900] The United States has inscribed the separation of church and state into its constitutional order, and yet Americans have for two centuries been more deeply committed to religious faith and practice than any other people in the Western world. This course endeavors to explore that paradox. Topics addressed include the changing meanings of "the city on a hill"; the varieties of millennial belief and utopian community; the relationship between religion, ethnicity, and gender; religious political activism, including abolition, prohibition, anti-war and anti-abortion movements; and the limits of religious tolerance from movements against Catholics and Mormons to recent warnings of a "clash of civilizations" with Muslim cultures.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professors Couvares.

Expectations

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on discussion, reading, written work, critical analysis, and at least one field trip; and exposure to various American Studies readings, ranging from the colonial era to the present; and the use of various methods, including interpreting historical, sociological and other scholarly work, as well as poems, novels, photographs, and paintings. Students with documented disabilities who will require accommodations in this course should be in consultation with Accessibility Services and reach out to the faculty member as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations can be made in a timely manner.

If Overenrolled: Preference given to majors, then first and second year students

Course times and locations

AMST 217 - L/D

Section 01
Tu 08:30 AM - 09:50 AM CHAP 101
Th 08:30 AM - 09:50 AM CHAP 101

Textbooks

Below are the textbooks used in this course, along with pricing information and availability at local bookstores. The price range shown is based upon queries to multiple online booksellers; click on the the price field to see detailed pricing information.

This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.

ISBN	Title	Publisher	Author(s)	Comment	Book Store	Price
9780300157529	The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950	Yale University Press	Orsi, Robert A.		Amherst Books	From $7.32-$999.00
9780199892495	The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th-Century America	Oxford University Press	Johnson, Paul E. - Wilentz, Sean		Amherst Books	From $12.09-$32.60
9780345806543	Go Tell It on the Mountain (Vintage International)	Vintage	Baldwin, James		Amherst Books	From $5.87-$78.61
9780465075102	Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion	Basic Books	Larson, Edward J		Amherst Books	From $4.59-$13.94
9780691134116	America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity	Princeton University Press	Wuthnow, Robert		Amherst Books	From $4.39-$53.37
9781594201462	Head and Heart: American Christianities	Penguin Press	Wills, Garry		Amherst Books	From $4.98-$14.49

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2022-23: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2021