Professor Jennifer Burns
Fall 2005
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Drawing upon a mixture of primary and secondary sources, this seminar will consider the place of religion in 20th century American life. The seminar will move chronologically, but will center thematically on the problem of secularization, particularly among intellectuals; increased religious diversity twinned with the continued assertion of America’s identity as a Christian nation; and the rise of the religious right.
REQUIREMENTS
Full and active participation is the most important requirement (appx. 60% of overall grade). Attendance is essential. More than 2 unexplained absences will result in a failing grade. All assigned reading must be completed by the start of class. Always bring your copy of the reading to class, and if the reading from the week before seems applicable, bring that too.
There will be weekly written assignments on the reading (usually about a page in length). The prompts for these will be distributed at the prior week’s class meeting, or over email, and they will be graded on a check, check plus, check minus system. Each student will also be expected to locate and distribute a primary source for one class meeting of their choosing, and to serve as a resident expert for that week’s discussion. This class session, as well as the weekly response papers, will be factored into the overall participation grade.
Three papers will be assigned over the course of the semester. Two short ones (5-7pp.) will be worth about 10% of the course grade each, and a final 10-15 page research paper will count about 20%. This course is being offered as an optional research seminar (103R). Students who take it as a 103R will complete a series of library assignments in place of the short papers. Late work will not be accepted, except in the case of exceptional personal calamity (e.g. death of family member, spouse, or partner). However, extensions requested in a timely fashion will be given.
BOOKS
See below for the assigned books. All of them are on reserve in Moffit, but I recommend securing your own copy of each. Please obtain a copy of the Bible for reference throughout the semester. The Revised Standard Edition is a good pick. You may also wish to purchase Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. This book is to be consulted for all matters of citation form. You may substitute any other guide from University of Chicago Press, although this is the most concise publication they offer. For those interested in a general guide to the subject at hand, I recommend purchasing Sydney Ahlstrom, A Religious History of the American People (Yale, 1974). This book is out of print but can be found in used bookstores or on-line. Another helpful general resource is Patrick Allitt, Ed., Major Problems in American Religious History.
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CLASS SCHEDULE
Week One, September 2: Intro
Week Two, September 9: Problems in religious history and 19th c. inheritance
Roger Finke and Rodney Stark, The Churching of America
Week Three, September 16: No Class Meeting
Week Four, September 23: Something New Under the Sun – Pentecostalism
Iain MacRobert, The Black Roots and White Racism of Early Pentecostalism in the USA
(out of print; distributed in class by instructor)
Review of MacRobert, distributed in class
New Testament, Acts 2:38, 4:31
Week Five, September 30: Fundamentalist/ Modernist Controversy
Edward Larson, Summer for the Gods
Old Testament: Genesis 1-3
Supplemental reading: “A Debate Over Darwin,” 3-article series, New York Times, August 2005
Week Six, October 7: Neo-Orthodoxy
Reinhold Niebuhr, The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness
Heather Warren, Theologians of the New World Order (selected Chapters)
Week Seven, October 14: Jews, Intellectuals, and the Secularization Question
David Hollinger, “Jewish Intellectuals and the De-Christianization of American Public Culture in the Twentieth Century,” article distributed in class.
Mark Silk, “Notes on the Judeo-Christian Tradition,” Available on JSTOR
Monday, October 17: SHORT PAPER OR FIRST THREE RESEARCH ASSIGMENTS DUE
Week Eight, October 21:Jews at Mid-Century
Peter Novick, The Holocaust in American Life
Week Nine, October 28: Christianity and the Cold War
Paul S. Boyer, When Time Shall be No More, Preface, pp. 1-18, 115-254.
Old Testament: Ezekial 37-39, Daniel 2,7,11,12
New Testament: Revelation
Monday, October 31: LAST DAY TO HAVE RESEARCH TOPIC APPROVED
Week Ten, November 4: Catholic Cold Warriors
Patrick Allitt, Catholic Intellectuals and Conservative Politics (selected chapters)
William F. Buckley, Jr., God and Man at Yale
Week Eleven, November 11: No Class Meeting (Veteran’s Day Holiday)
Monday, November 14: SECOND SHORT PAPER DUE
Week Twelve, November 18: Civil Rights
Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters (selected Chapters)
Doug Rossinow, “The Break-Through to New Life: Christianity and the Emergence of the New Left in Austin, Texas, 1956-1964,” available on JSTOR
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week Fourteen, December 2: Religion and the New Right
Linda Kintz, Between Jesus and the Market
Johnathan Mahler, “With Jesus as Our Connector,” The New York Times Magazine, March 27, 2005.
Week Fifteen, December 9: New Religions/ 1960s
Camille Paglia, “Cults and Cosmic Consciousness: Religious Vision in the American 1960s,” Arion (Winter 2003). Download at: http://www.bu.edu/arion/paglia_cults00.htm
FINAL PAPER DUE DECEMBER 12
