Religion in the United States

Catalog description

This course will examine the formation and development of the US national identity-- the religious and secular roots that have nourished it, the myths that have informed its sense of self, especially concepts of being a chosen people, of progress and unlimited freedom. Areas of focus will include dominant expressions of Protestantism, along with conventional "outsiders," such as Islam, Catholicism, Judaism, Native traditions, the Black Church, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Underlying this approach is a tension between narratives of the United States as a messianic "Christian" nation, while also being a haven for pluralism and Church-State separation.