REL 241 - Religion in America

3 Credits

This survey course examines the role of religion in the history of the United States. We will study the dynamic interaction of religion with other social, political and cultural forces that helped shape and still influence the American experience today. We will explore such questions as: What role have religions played in shaping a diverse American culture? What does it mean to be religious in America, and how have various faiths contributed to personal and communal identity? How have dominant forms of Christianity participated in imperial impulses throughout American history? We will also investigate religious movements that uniquely evolved out of American culture, and the contemporary challenge of evangelical and fundamentalist forms of religion.