Topics in Religion and American Culture

Catalog description

Contrary to notions about the secularization of American society, a large number of Americans continue to report that religion plays an important role in their everyday lives. At the same time, changing demographic, political, and cultural environments in the United States have contributed to a massive reorganization of the American religious landscape since 1970. Thus religion, it seems, is a timely issue in the study of American culture, one which will doubtless open up new avenues of American Studies research in the future. This seminar is a detailed study of aspects of religious history and culture in the United States. It will offer students an overview of the current engagement of American Studies with the study of religion and ask students to consider new pathways in this research for the future.