300-400 level courses are on special topics and are more advanced. They often presuppose some basic knowledge in the field and should be more difficult courses than courses at the 1-199 levels. The department is trying to insure that some 400 level courses, although substantially more difficult, are also small in size; they thus may be suitable for graduate students.
HIST 325 Religion in American History, 1877 - 2008
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
This course will explore major themes and moments in religious history that have shaped the development of the nation since the Civil War era. The approach will be chronological, but also topical. The course will move through time from the mid-nineteenth to the early twenty-first century, from Native American religions to Evangelicalism, African-American religions, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, Scientology and more. It will also connect past events to issues and problems that continue to affect religious beliefs and practices in our own culture, including the revival that has characterized American religious life for the past three decades. Rather than debating religious truth, the course explores and analyzes the many religious perspectives that have shaped American history. This exploration includes looking at things that many students would not consider "religious" at first glance, and thus thinking deeply about how we have defined religion. At times, the course will use a "case study" approach to explore specific events and ideas that have a wider applicability, rather than trying to cover every significant religious development and every religious group.
Course Syllabus (PDF)
