RELIGION IN MODERN AMERICA   [Archived Catalog]
2017-2018 Titusville Campus Catalog
   

RELGST 0415 - RELIGION IN MODERN AMERICA


Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
The course examines the impact of religion as a moral, intellectual, and institutional force in America from 1865 to the present. Despite claims that the nation was becoming less religious, at least seven new religions were founded in the U.S. After the civil war, while millions of migrants from southern and eastern Europe brought large numbers of Catholics and Jews to challenge the dominance of protestants. We seek to understand how religions have both shaped and reflected economic, social, and cultural conditions in the united states. The course combines lecture with student discussion of religious conflicts and critical moments of cultural change, using primary sources and secondary interpreters. We also engage documentary films, slides, and local museums and historical sites. Major emphases include religious responses to intellectual, scientific, and economic change, including biblical criticism, evolutionary theory, immigration, urbanization, industrialization, Marxism, fascism, racism, and feminism. We conclude with questions about the present day: is the united states an exception for its high levels of religious behavior or is secularism on the rise?
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis


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