Cultures of American Religion

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to religion as a topic and category of analysis in the interdisciplinary study of modern U.S. history and culture. We will begin by exploring definitional and theoretical questions: what is this thing we call "religion"? What are the kinds of things we might be able to say about it? We will also analyze some of the major grand narratives scholars have produced about American religious history. What is the shape of the story they tell about religion in the United States? What are the major question, themes, and turning points? What is included, what gets left out, and how has this changed over time? And, finally, we will explore some of the most exciting recent scholarship on religion and American culture, focusing in particular on the themes of race, gender, sexuality, material culture, religious pluralism, medicine, capitalism, the law, and the state.