233. HISTORY OF RELIGIONS

IN AMERICA

Ashland University

Fall 2006

Tuesday & Thursday

12:15 1:30, Miller 33

Dr. Peter Slade

Miller 31

(419) 289-5237

pslade@ashland.edu

http://personal.ashland.edu/~pslade/

ship

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 10-10:50 and by appointment.

Course Description

This course investigates the historical development of religions in North America from the first colonization to the present. It considers the historical and social forces that influenced the development of religions in the United States and, in turn, the role these religions had in shaping America .

Course Goals and Objectives

The principle goal of this course is to learn and practice the skills used in the discipline of history particularly those of an historian of American religious history. These are the practical and intellectual tools used to identify, make sense of, and interpret changes in human thought and behavior over time.

This objective can be broken down into constituent elements:

Learning the basic developments, personalities and movements in the history of religions in America .
Interpreting primary source documents in their historical contexts.
Developing basic research skills including use of primary and secondary sources, interviewing and field research.
Presenting findings of research including a reasoned thesis a) verbally in class discussion and b) in written form.

Course Requirements:

Class participation (15%)

Lively and thoughtful participation of every student in each dimension of this course is critical to its success. This includes:

• Come to class having read the primary documents.

• Chair one discussion section read the documents and supporting readings even more closely than normal and come to class with half a dozen questions designed to lead us through the important themes and issues raised by the documents.

• Actively participate in classroom discussions

• Present your project research to classmates

Attendance

You are required to attend every class unwarranted absences demonstrate disregard for the course and disrespect for the professor and fellow students who have prepared for the class.

If you have to miss class, please contact me at the earliest opportunity with the reason and primary evidence (doctor's note, sports schedule, copy of funeral service, police report, etc.).

Up to two unexcused absences will adversely affect your participation grade. Each additional unexcused absence will reduce your final grade by a whole letter (i.e from an A- to a B-).

N.B. I reserve the right to lower your grade -- even to the point of course failure -- for excessive/extended absences whatever the cause. I will consider this option if you miss more than 4 classes (2 weeks).

Mid-term (50 mins) and final (90 mins) examinations (40%)

Students will take mid-term and final examinations on the dates listed on the course schedule below. The examinations are worth 15% and 25% of the final grade respectively. The examinations will consist of two parts:

Part One - brief quotations from primary source documents, the name of a significant figure event or document. You will briefly identify and explain the quote/person/event/document's historical context (including dates) and significance.

Part Two - longer essay questions that target interpretive questions concerning the history of religions in America .

DON'T PANIC !

• In each class I will identify the key figures/dates/concepts that you need to know for your personal edification and the first part of each exam.

N.B. this is study-guide-as-you-go approach

The exams are designed more to tests your skills of reasoning than of memorization THEREFORE:

• One week before the exams, you will receive a very short list of essay titles from which the exam questions WILL be chosen. The questions should not require any new work from you; instead, the week's preparation time should be spent developing clear supported answers to the questions.

The Research Project (45%)

This is where the FUN starts.

This semester you will choose a church, synagogue, temple or mosque etc. belonging to any denomination or any religious group in the U.S. to study in depth. There are only three restrictions:

• you have to be able to attend at least two worship services or meetings of this group.

• You must pick a religious tradition that is unfamiliar to you i.e. mainline protestants must not study another mainline protestant denomination (the more unfamiliar it is the easier it will be to produce good work).

• You may not study the same congregation as another member of the class.

Project Writing assignments

• A 1,600 word (5 page) history of the denomination/religion/group in the US . Shape the paper around the challenges your chosen group experienced in coming to the US and the question of how the group adapted or changed OR what forces were at play in the New World that caused this group to form or split away from an existing church. This paper will a) give a brief outline of the history highlighting key moments and figures. b) Identify distinctive beliefs and/or practices.

In writing this paper, you must cite at least one (1) primary source, and two (2) secondary sources. [I will give a detailed explanation of what constitutes acceptable primary and secondary sources]

Deadline: 12:15, 10 October 2006 (20%)

• a) A 1,000 word (3½ page) history of the particular congregation/group you attend. This will include you locating it in the context of the wider organization/denomination and the local community. (i.e. this is a new church plant of the church of XYZ serving newly arrived immigrants from N). You will conclude this piece with an account of what this group believes are the challenges they face today. Your research will include an analysis of your observations from your site visits (what do we learn from the location of the building, architecture, age, ethnicity, gender, and number of those attending the service etc. etc.). This task requires that you conduct ONE INTERVIEW with a current member of this particular congregation/group.

b) A 1,000+ word (3½ page) selfreflexive report on the services you attended. You will analyze (not merely report) what you have seen/heard/experienced/felt at the service in relation to the material we have studied through the semester and the research you have conducted.

Deadline: 12:15, 5 December 2006 (25%)

TimeLine & Deadlines

• Tuesday, 12 September confirm with me the name and address of your proposed religious organization.

• Before October (3 weekends later) make your first visit to a service/meeting/ceremony

Note: In some cases, it would be wise to obtain permission ahead of time for attendance at the services. If

you are uncertain about the reception of visitors at the service, please check with me and call ahead of the time to the responsible people. In most cases, there will be no problem.

• At the time of your first visit (if you have not already done so), introduce yourself to the minister or some person in authority explain why you are there and that you would be interested in talking to someone who knows the history of this particular congregation.

• 10 October first paper due come to class prepared to share your experiences so far.

• 16 November have completed an interview and your second site visit.

• 5 December - deadline for second writing assignments.

NOTE ON DEADLINES

For your own benefit, deadlines are fixed. I will not grade work submitted after the deadline .

Required Textbooks

John Corrigan and Winthrop Hudson , Religion in America Seventh Edition (Prentice Hall, 2004) (C&H)
Abraham Cahan, The Rise of David Levinsky, (Penguin Classics 1993)
Rel. 233 Classpack (CP)

Less than a c gaps and confusion abound.

Documented Learning Disabilities

Students with documented disabilities who require academic adjustment for this class are requested to contact me to discuss reasonable accommodations. While not require, it is in the best interest of the student have this conversation early in the semester. In order to receive academic adjustments, paperwork from Disability Services must be provided to document this need. Disability Services is located in 105 Amstutz, X 5953.

The Academic Integrity Code of Ashland University applies to all aspects of every student's work in this course. In particular, students should familiarize themselves with the Honor Code's policies regarding plagiarism.


233 HISTORY OF RELIGIONS IN AMERICA ~ Schedule
8/28	*1. Intro to Course*
8/31	*2. The New World: Spanish & French Missions to the American Indians* C&H 11-40 Jean de Brébeuf, Instructions for the Fathers of Our Society who shall be sent among the Hurons- 1637 (pdf) Brébeuf, Relation of what occurred among the Hurons in the year 1635. (pdf) (Dip into this document read with the questions: How did the Jesuits view the Huron? How did they understand their religion? What were there aims?)
9/5	*3. Virginia and the Episcopalians: Plymouth Rock and the Puritans* C&H 56-72 Winthrop, A Modell of Christian Charity, 1630 ( pdf) R.G., Virginia's Cure edited. 1661 (pdf)
9/7	*4. Colonies, Catholics and Quakers* C&H 72-83 William Penn, A Brief Account of the Province of Pennsylvania , 1681. (pdf)
9/12	*5. The Great Awakening* C&H 84-104 Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God 1741 (pdf) The testimony of Harvard college against George Whitefield 1744 (CP)
9/14	*6. Civil Religion I: Religion, Revolution and the fight against Tyranny* C&H 105-118, 131-136 John Allen's Upon The Beauties Of Liberty, 1772 (pdf) Charles Inglis, Letter to the Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1776 (pdf) Samuel Sherwood, The Church's Flight into the Wilderness, 1776 (pdf)
9/19	*7. Deists, Jefferson , Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State* C&H 118-124, 136-146 Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, 1779 (Draft) (pdf) Jefferson 's Correspondence with the Danbury Baptists, 1801 (pdf) Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments 1785 ( pdf)
9/21	*8. Second Great Awakening and the Camp Meetings* C&H 147-159 Cane Ridge Accounts, 1801-2. (pdf.) Finney, What A Revival Of Religion Is. 1835. (pdf)
9/26	*9. Slaves, Missions and the birth of African American Protestantism* Instructions given by the Bishop and Missionary Committee of the Mississippi conference to those engaged as missionaries to the people of color. Undated. (pdf) Richard Allen, Life Experiences and Gospel Labors (CP)
9/28	*10. New Religious Movements* C&H 200-216 Joseph Smith, The Testimony of the Prophet. (pdf)
10/3	*11. Missionary Boards, Religious Societies, Abolitionists* C&H 159-168, 216-220 Thornwell, A Southern Presbyterian's View of Slavery, 1861 (pdf) Frederick Douglass, The Pro-Slavery Mob and the Pro-Slavery Ministry. 1861 (CP)
10/5	*12. Civil Religion II: Civil War* C&H 233 -238 Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (pdf) Howe, Battle Hymn of the Republic, 1862 (pdf) Blackmar, The Southrons' Chaunt of Defiance, 1864 (pdf)
10/10	First Paper Due & Project Progress Reports
10/12	MIDTERM EXAM
10/17	*13. Immigration and Religious Life: Jews* C&H 339-349 Abraham Cahan, The Rise of David Levinsky, Book 1 Book III (Home and School, Enter Satan, I Lose My Mother), Book V (I Discover America )
10/19	*14. Immigration and Religious Life: Roman Catholicism* C&H 255-274 Walter Elliott, The Life Of Father Hecker, 1891 (pdf) TESTEM BENEVOLENTIAE NOSTRAE, 1899 (pdf)
10/24	*15. Social Gospel & Liberal Christianity* C&H 278-288, 312-331 Walter Rauschenbusch, The Social Principles of Jesus, 1919. Chap I, The Value of Life, Chap IV The Kingdom of God: Its Values pdf.
10/26	*16. Missions and Millennialism* C&H 331-335 Strong, Josiah, Our Country: its possible future and its present crisis 1885 (pdf) John R Mott, The Evangelization of the World in This Generation, 1904. (CP)
10/31	*17. African American Religion: Emancipation, Reconstruction and the Great Migration* C&H 241-246 Letters on the Second Exodus, Social Work at Olivet Baptist Church . Thomas (CP) Dorsey, Take My Hand Precious Lord, (audio)
11/2	*18. Pentecostalism: Parham, Seymour & Mason* C&H 355-359 The Apostolic Faith 1906 (pdf)
11/7	*19. Fundamentalism and the Evangelical Movement* C&H 288 290, 374-379 J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism, 1923 (CP) Fosdick, Shall the Fundamentalists Win? 1922 (pdf) Carl F.H. Henry, Neo-Fundamentalism: Evangelical Responsibility, (CP)
11/9	*20. Christian Realism, Labor, Isolationism, Pacifism and WWII* Edmond B Chaffee, Why I stay in the FOR Reinhold Niebuhr, Why I leave the FOR 1934 (pdf) Christianity & Crisis, vol 1, no 1, 1941 (pdf)
11/14	*21. Civil Religion III: The Cold War and Godless Communism* Communism and the Churches, (CP) Christianity Today : Christians and Fallout Shelters 1961, (pdf) Our Answer to Krushchev . . . 1962. (pdf)
11/16	Project Reports on Site Visits
11/21	Dr. Slade out of town for AAR get writing!
11/23	No Class - Thanksgiving Break
11/28	*22. Civil Rights Movement* Martin Luther King, Letter from Birmingham City Jail (CP) L. Nelson Bell, Civil Disobedience, Christianity Today, April 26, 1968, 20-21. (pdf.) Black Manifesto, 1969 (CP)
11/30	*23. Islam in America* C&H 434-444 Other readings TBA
12/5	*25. The Culture War: New social movements and the rise of the Moral Majority* Mary Daly, The Church and the Second Sex , 1968 (CP) Jerry Falwell, Listen , America ! 1980. (CP)
12/7	*26. Pluralism, 9/11 and America 's Mission '* Bellah - Righteous Empire. (pdf)

12/14	Final Exam - 10:30-12:30