SYLLABUS:

HIUS 3559-001, Section 5: “Religion in America, 1607 to Present”

 

 

Instructor: Dr. William B. Kurtz (wkurtz@virginia.edu)

Office Hours: Nau Hall 153, Weds. and Fri. 11:00 AM- 12:00 PM

Class: Nau Hall 141, Mon., Weds., Fri. 10:00 AM -10:50 AM

Grades	Important Course Deadlines:
Participation in Discussion: 20%	October 2: Book Review Due
Book Review: 10%	October 16: Midterm
Midterm: 20%	December 4: Final Paper Due
Final Paper: 30%	December 9-December 17: Final Exam
Final Exam: 20%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Description:

This three-credit course will examine the important role of religion in the history of the United States, from the founding of Virginia in 1607 through the early 21^st century. It will focus in particular on the late 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries. While examining a wide variety of religious movements, developments, and groups, it will have a heavy focus on the three most important religious groups in American history: evangelical Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Judaism. By comparing and contrasting the development of these three (and other) religious groups, the course will argue that they have all played important roles in shaping the present-day United States. Students will learn about religion’s important role in the nation’s founding, reform movements, political parties, immigration, civil rights, and many other topics. Finally, the course will examine whether or not there has been a “decline” of religion and its influence in 21^st-century America.

 

While presenting an overview of religion’s role in American history, the course gives students the opportunity to do their own reading and research in a topic of interest to them. Assignments will include a short book review on a scholarly work of American religious history as well as a ten-page research paper, both on topics of the student’s choosing. The instructor will lecture on Mondays and Wednesdays and lead a discussion section on Friday.

 

Readings and Required Books:

Any articles/chapters that are assigned in addition to the main readings from our books are available for download from the course’s Collab page (under resources).

 

Allitt, Patrick. Major Problems in American Religious History. 2nd ed. (Cengage: 2012).

 

Gaustad, Edwin S. and Leigh Schmidt. The Religious History of America: The Heart of the

American Story from Colonial Times to Today. Revised ed. (HarperOne: 2004).

 

 

Discussion:

Purpose for Discussion Sections:

We will hold discussion sections on most Fridays during the semester. Discussions will be based on readings from out textbook, our reader (Major Problems in American History), Collab readings, and lecture. Doing your reading ahead of time as well as bringing reading materials to class is essential to doing well in discussion. Discussion is 20% of your overall grade. Active participation is expected of everyone, and experience shows that the quality of student’s contributions are closely related to how well they do in the course overall and their final grade. When appropriate, we will also use this time to discuss assignment and work on our final paper draft with our peers.

 

Writing Assignments:

General Guidelines:  There will be two written assignments for this course. The first, a three-five page book review on a study of any topic in American religious history of the student’s choosing. Ideally you will choose a book about a topic that you would like to write your second paper on, a ten-page research paper, due the last week of class. This research paper will examine a topic of the student’s choice in American religious history. It must have a clear and precise thesis that is supported by either secondary or primary sources.

 

Grading Criteria:  You will be graded on these general criteria:

Is the thesis strongly supported by accompanying evidence?

Is the paper written clearly and precisely?

Did the paper follow formatting, length, and style guidelines?

(For Research Paper Only) Did the paper demonstrate a significant use of primary and secondary source material?

 

Format and Style: If you have any grammar or general style questions, please consult me or the Chicago Manual of Style at the Library.  Please use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman font.  Do not forget page numbers! Please follow the citation guidelines on this website: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

 

 

Contact and Office Hours:

Please feel free to contact me at wkurtz@virginia.edu, with any questions or concerns you have about our discussion sections.  Please stop by my office hours if you would like to speak with me in person. If you cannot attend my schedule hours, please feel free to ask me about arranging another time for us to meet.

 

Schedule:

 

Week 1: Introduction & Native American Religion

Wednesday, Aug 28—First Day of Class: Hand out Syllabus, Course Introduction

Friday, Aug 30

 

Week 2: Native American Religion and European Colonization

Reading: Gaustad, Chapters 1 & 2; Allitt, Ch. 2—Documents 1-4, Essays by Daniel Richter and Denise and John Carmody

M, Sept 2

W, Sept 4

F, Sept 6

 

Week 3: The Puritans and Religion in New England

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 3; Allitt, Ch 3—Documents 1-3, Essay by Perry Miller

M, Sept 9

W, Sept 11

F, Sept 13

 

Week 4: Religion in the Middle and Southern Colonies and the First Great Awakening

Reading: Gaustad, Chapters 4 & 5; Allitt, Ch 3—Documents 4-7, Essays by Laign and Heyrman

M, Sept 16

W, Sept 18

F, Sept 20

 

Week 5: Religion during the Revolution and Early Republic

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 6; Allitt, Ch 4—Documents 1, 2, 5, 6, Essays by Marsden, Kidd, and Marini

M, Sept 23

W, Sept 25

F, Sept 27

 

Week 6: The Second Great Awakening and Reform Movements

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 7; Allitt, Ch 5—Documents 2-4, 7, Essays by Butler and Raboteau

M, Sept 30

W, Oct 2—Book Review Due

F, Oct 4

 

Week 7: Religion in the West, Immigration, and Abolition

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 8 & 9; Allitt, Ch 6—Documents 1, 3, 5-7, Essay by Genovese

M, Oct 7

W, Oct 9

F, Oct 11

 

 

 

Week 8: Religion during the Civil War

Reading: Allitt, Ch 7—Essay by Woodworth

M, Oct 14—Reading Day—Class Cancelled

W, Oct 16—Midterm

F, Oct 18

 

Week 9: Religion in Reconstruction and the Gilded Age

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter10; COLLAB—Readings by McAfee, Stowell, and Ayers (Ch 7 only, pgs. 160-186)

M, Oct 21

W, Oct 23

F, Oct 25

 

Week 10: Religion and the American Empire, Temperance, and Early 20th-century Immigration

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 11& 12; Allitt, Ch 8—Documents 1-5, Essays by Orsi and Sarna; COLLAB—Readings by Strong, McCartney

M, Oct 28

W, Oct 30

F, Nov 1

 

Week 11: Religious “Conflicts” with Science

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 13& 14; Allitt, Ch 9—Documents 1-5, Essays by Roberts and Gutjahr

M, Nov 4

W, Nov 6

F, Nov 8

 

Week 12: Religion in the Great Depression, World War Two, and 1950s

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 15; Allitt, Ch 10—Documents 5-7, Essays by Massa and Joselit; COLLAB—Reading by Bruscino (Ch 5, pgs. 127-150; Ch 6, pgs. 171-175)

M, Nov 11—Class Cancelled

W, Nov 13

F, Nov 15

 

Week14: Counterculture and Civil Rights Movements

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 17; Allitt, Ch 11—Documents 1, 3-6, Essays by Garrow and McGreevy and Ch 12—Essay by Allitt

M, Nov 18

W, Nov 20

F, Nov 22

 

Week 13: Religion in the Cold War and Politics

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 16; Allitt, Ch 14—Essay By Reichley

M, Nov 25

W, Nov 27—Thanksgiving Holiday

F, Nov 29—Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Week 15: Religion in the late 20th Century and Today

Reading: Gaustad, Chapter 18; Allitt, Ch 15—Documents 3-7, Essays by Smith and Frawley-O’Dea

M, Dec 2

W, Dec 4—Final Paper Due

F, Dec 6—Last Day of Class

 

Final Exams

December 9-December 17

This three-credit course will examine the important role of religion in the history of the United States, from the founding of Virginia in 1607 through the early 21^st century. While examining a wide variety of religious movements, developments, and groups, it will have a heavy focus on the three most important religious groups in American history: evangelical Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Judaism. By comparing and contrasting the development of these three (and other) religious groups, the course will argue that they have all played important roles in shaping the present-day United States. Students will learn about religion’s important role in the nation’s founding, reform movements, political parties, immigration, civil rights, and many other topics. Finally, the course will examine whether or not there has been a “decline” of religion and its influence in 21^st-century America.

Required texts for the course include Patrick Allitt’s Major Problems in American Religious History. 2nd ed. (2004), and Edwin Gaustad and Leigh Schmidt’s The Religious History of America. Revised ed. (2004). Additional short readings will be made available on Collab.

While presenting an overview of religion’s role in American history, the course gives students the opportunity to do their own reading and research in a topic of interest to them. Assignments will include a short book review on a scholarly work of American religious history as well as a ten-page research paper, both on topics of the student’s choosing. The instructor will lecture on Mondays and Wednesdays and lead a discussion section on Friday.