RELIGION & POLITICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

TUFTS UNIVERSITY, FALL 2017

RELIGION 42/ HISTORY 126/AMER 15-01
MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS 10:30-11:45, EATON 202

Professor Heather Curtis Course Assistant: Chris

Payson
Email: Heather.Curtis@tufts.edu Email:
Christine.Payson@tufts.edu Office Hours: Wednesday 2:00-3:30 or by appt.
Office Hours: Wed 9-12 or by appt. Office: 316A Eaton Hall
Office: Tower Cafe
Phone: 617-627-2237

Course Description

In God we Trust, One Nation Under God, God Bless America,: phrases
like these alert us to the on-going influence of religion in American public life.
This course explores the role of religion in shaping American civic
engagement and political activity from the 17th century to the present, aiming
to put contemporary events into broader historical context. Key topics and
themes include: the relationship between church and state in the colonial
period; faith and the founders; religion and social activism in the antebellum
era; religion, race and civil rights; religious outsiders and American politics;
spirituality and social protest in the 20th century; the rise of the religious right;
religion and American politics post-9/11; and the recent presidential election.

Course Objectives

Students will analyze the diversity among and within religious traditions in
the American context.

Students will learn to assess rigorously but empathetically complex systems

of religious belief and practice, and to analyze the relationship between
these systems and American politics.

Students will gain an understanding of how histories of power, privilege,

migration, race, sex, class, and gender shape the religions, cultures, lived
experiences, and politics of people of the U.S.

Students will explore how the intersecting dynamics of race, ethnicity,

class, gender, and religion produce dissimilar American experiences for
individuals and groups.

Students will acquire an understanding of the tools of interpretation and

methods of research employed by scholars of American religion and gain an
ability to use these approaches in writing analytical papers or conducting a
semester-long research project.
 Students will develop their abilities to communicate effectively and argue
persuasively through extensive in-class discussions of required readings.

Course Resources

Website: The course website is accessible at https://trunk.tufts.edu (Fa17-

REL-0042-01-Rel & Pol In Amer Hist)You must be registered for the course in
order to access many of the resources available on the website, which I will
use to distribute important information such as assignments, syllabus updates,
and announcements. If you have questions about class, the website is the first
place to look.

If you have technical questions about using Trunk, please visit the Trunk
support site at http://sites.tufts.edu/trunksupport/common-tasks-getting-
started/for-students/

Please note: Trunk automatically enters your Tufts e-mail address from the
directory as the destination for mail sent to you through the course website.
Important course-related messages will go to your Tufts email, and I will
contact you by email via your Tufts email account. Therefore, if you do not
regularly use your Tufts email account, please have your Tufts email
forwarded to an address that you regularly check. You can do so here:
https://tuftstools.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/forward. Please set your preferences to
delete forwarded messages, otherwise your mailbox will fill up and bounce
messages back to the sender.

Required Texts: (available at the Tufts University Bookstore and on reserve

at Tisch Library)
Conrad Cherry, ed. Gods New Israel: Interpretations of American Destiny
(listed as GNI on syllabus)
Edwin Gaustad, Faith of the Founders: Religion and the New Nation 1776-
1826, 2nd ed (FoF below)

Electronic-Reserve Readings: Many of our readings are available on

electronic reserve on the website and listed as (ER) on the syllabus. Click on
the Course Sessions folder (under resources) to access particular readings for
each session. ER readings are also available on reserve at Tisch library.

Course Policies

Academic Integrity: Tufts holds its students strictly accountable for

adherence to academic integrity. The consequences for violations can be
severe. It is critical that you understand the requirements of ethical behavior
and academic work as described in Tufts Academic Integrity handbook:

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http://students.tufts.edu/student-affairs/student-life-policies/academic-
integrity-policy.

If you ever have a question about the expectations concerning a particular

assignment or project in this course, please ask for clarification. The Faculty
of the School of Arts and Sciences are required to report suspected cases of
academic integrity violations to the Dean of Student Affairs Office. If I suspect
that you have cheated or plagiarized in this class, I must report the situation
to the dean. Plagiarism or cheating on any assignment will result in a failing
grade for this course and disciplinary action by the University.

Please note that you are required to submit all written work through the
course website, which interfaces with TurnItIn.com an originality checking
and plagiarism prevention program. TurnItIn is an automated system which
instructors can use to quickly and easily compare each students assignment
with billions of websites, as well as an enormous database of student papers
that grows with each submission. When papers are submitted to TurnItIn, the
service will retain a copy of the submitted work in the TurnItIn database for
the sole purpose of detecting plagiarism in future submitted works. Students
retain copyright on their original course work.

Electronics: The use of cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices is
prohibited during class. You may use a computer only to access electronic
readings when we are discussing them. At all other times, your laptop must
remain closed. Please also refrain from engaging in private conversations or
texting during class. These activities are distracting to others and
unprofessional. Inappropriate behaviors reflect poorly on you, and will have a
negative effect on your grade.

Student Access Services: Tufts University values the diversity of our

students, staff, and faculty, recognizing the important contribution each
student makes to our unique community. Tufts is committed to providing equal
access and support to all qualified students through the provision of
reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in the
Tufts experience. If you have a disability that requires reasonable
accommodations, please contact the Student Accessibility Services office
at Accessibility@tufts.edu or 617-627-4539 to make an appointment with an
SAS representative to determine appropriate accommodations. Please be
aware that accommodations cannot be enacted retroactively, making
timeliness a critical aspect for their provision.

Extensions: Extensions for any assignments must be arranged in consultation

with your dean or health services well in advance to avoid late penalties of 1
grade-step per day (i.e. an assignment turned in 1 day late will be downgraded
from A to A-, etc.). Please do not ask me for an extension, especially at the last

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minute. Late work will not be accepted after 3 days. No exceptions
without a note from your academic dean or physician.

Communications Policies

Office Hours: Please visit me during office hours. I welcome the opportunity
to get to know you outside of class and to discuss matters related to course
assignments, the study of religion, or other academic concerns. If you intend
to come to office hours, please sign up for a time slot on the course website or
email me in advance. Planning ahead helps to minimize long wait times.

Email: Please feel free to email me (from your Tufts email address only) with
concerns related to class. If you have a question, please read the syllabus
carefully before contacting me to see if your answer can be found there. If
the answer to your question is in the syllabus, I will not reply to your e-mail. I
will do my best to respond to legitimate queries within two working days
(Monday Friday) during regular business hours (8 a.m.- 5 p.m.). I am
generally unable to respond to email during weekends (after 5 p.m. on
Friday). If you have not heard back regarding your message within two
working days (Monday Friday), please resend your request.

Course Requirements

Attendance & Participation (including 12 weekly online primary source

analyses) 20%
Two short essays (6-8 pages each)
50%
Take-Home Final Examination
30%

Attendance & Participation (20%):

Attendance Policy: You are allowed 3 absences per semester. You do not
need to notify me of excuses for these absences. Missing more than 3 class
sessions will reduce your final course grade by 2% per additional
absence.

o If you have extenuating circumstances that require you to miss more

than 3 classes (extended illness, family emergency), you must contact
your academic dean and have her/him notify me.

o You are responsible for all materials covered in classes you miss. Please
obtain notes, handouts, or additional assignments from a fellow student,
and see me with any questions.

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 The most effective way to learn is to participate fully in the process. You
will be expected to contribute to the success of this course by attending
every class, arriving on time, and staying until class had ended; reading the
assigned materials and thinking about them; participating actively in
discussions, and treating every perspective and the person expressing it
(whether that is an author, a lecturer, or a classmate) with respect. A
significant portion of your final grade will be determined by your careful,
thorough preparation for our meetings and your active, informed, and
respectful engagement in our conversations.

Please complete all assigned readings prior to class and remember to

bring copies of the texts with you (including print-outs of reserve or online
sources, or your laptop) as we will often base our conversations on specific
passages.

Online Primary Source Analyses: In order to foster timely reading and

informed participation, you are required to post a substantive analysis of
the assigned primary source text(s) to the on-line discussion forum on
the course website once per week (12 posts/ semester). You will receive
1.5% points for every analysis that meets the standards below (for a total of
18% points). The additional 2% will take into account the overall quality of
your analyses and in-class participation during discussions over the course
of the semester. Requirements for analyses are as follows:

o Analyses should be 250-500 words (equivalent to 1-2 typed double-

spaced pages).

o Analyses must be posted to the appropriate Forum no later than 9

p.m. on the evening prior to class in order to receive credit (earlier
postings greatly appreciated!).

o Please type your analysis directly into the Forum field. Do not attach a
separate document. If you wish to cut and paste your analysis from a
Word document into the forum field, you must use the Paste from Word
function in order to preserve the legibility of your text.

o Analyses are intended to ensure that you keep up with course readings,
understand the main arguments of the texts, and come to class prepared
to discuss your insights and questions. I will regularly call on individuals
to give summaries of the readings, or to share the contents of their
analyses. For this reason, I urge you to print out your analysis and bring
a copy to class.

o Comments and questions must be based on at least one of the sessions

assigned primary source readings. If more than one primary source is
assigned, you may choose to reflect on just one source or you may
comment on a key theme, issue, or problem in multiple sources. You may

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 also draw from assigned secondary sources in your analysis of the
primary source materials. If only secondary sources are assigned,
please focus your analysis on these materials.

o Each analysis must accomplish at least one of the following goals:

identify and analyze the texts main thesis or problematic

(Why is the author writing this text? What is at stake? What are the
central themes and arguments?)

identify and analyze a key word in the text (Why does the
author use this word? What does it mean and why is it important for
understanding the document?)

identify the most telling passage (of no more than 3

consecutive sentences) in the assigned reading and offer an
explication of it. Explain why you believe this passage is crucial to
understanding the authors argument.

describe how the text resonates with larger themes in the

course

analyze the historical factors that might explain the authors

point of view (had you been living at the time, why might you have
written such a text?)

discuss an aspect of the text that you find interesting,

compelling, or confusing

raise a question that we could discuss in class (i.e. not a

factual question that you could answer through basic research, but
one that requires analysis and might provoke debate)

Two Essays (50%):

Essays provide opportunities for you to engage with major topics and
debates in the history of religion and American politics through a critical
analysis of primary sources. Outside research is not required. Topics and
instructions for writing a quality essay are posted on the course website,
under the Assignments tab. Each essay is worth 25% of your final grade.

For each assignment, you will write a 6-8 page essay (double-space type,
12-pt font, 1 inch margins). Please submit an electronic version of your
essay in MS Word format (.doc or .docx) using your last name as the file
title (for example: Curtis.Rel40.EssayA.docx) to Trunk by the deadline.

This class offers the extraordinary benefit of working with Writing Fellows.
The Writing Fellows program is committed to the belief that good writing
requires reflection and revision. More information about the Writing

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 Fellows program, including contact information for Writing Fellows, is
available in the Resources section of the website (Course Information
folder).

o You are required to meet with your assigned Writing Fellow at least
twice during the semester to discuss drafts of your essays. More
frequent interaction is encouraged: you may discuss the essay
assignment, brainstorm, refine your paper outline, and/or share writing
concerns at any stage of the writing process.

o Your Writing Fellow will read your essay and contact you to schedule a
consultation. During your consultation, your Fellow will offer
suggestions for revision. After meeting with your Fellow and
incorporating the feedback, you will submit a final, revised version.

o Grading will be based on the quality of the original and revised versions
of the assignment. I will not comment on your original version, but will
levy a penalty on papers that are incomplete or do not demonstrate
seriousness of purpose. Failure to submit an initial version of your essay,
or failure to meet with your Fellow to discuss strategies for revision, will
result in a failing grade on the assignment.

o Please remember that Writing Fellows are busy students like you, and
they work hard to find time to meet with you. If you must be late or miss
a meeting, it is your responsibility to let your Fellow know as soon as
possible and to re-schedule your meeting at their convenience, keeping
in mind that it may simply not be possible to find a new time given the
Fellows schedule.

o Writing Fellows are trained to help you express your ideas clearly and
cogently, they are not responsible for addressing the specific course-
related content of your assignments. Please consult me with any
substantive questions on the assignment or material.

Revised essays must be 6-8 pages (double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1 inch

margins) and submitted in MS Word format (.doc or .docx extension) using
your last name as the file title (for example: Curtis.Rel40.EssayA.docx) to
Trunk by 5 p.m. on the due date.

You must complete two of the four essay assignments. All students must
complete Essay A on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, & Religious
Establishment. For your second assignment, you may choose Essay B on
African American Religion & Politics, Essay C on Gender, Religion, &
American Politics, or Essay D on Religious Outsiders and American
Politics. No exceptions to this policy will be granted. Please consult the
essay topics (on the website) to determine which assignment best fits your
interest.

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 Calendar of Essay Due Dates
Essay A:
Fri Sept 29: Essay A on Jefferson, Madison, & Establishment due to
Trunk by 5 pm
Sep30-Oct 10: Consultations with Writing Fellows
Fri Oct 13: Revised Essay A on Jefferson, Madison & Establishment due to
Trunk by 5 pm

Essay B, C, or D:
Fri Nov 10th: Essay B, C, or D on Race, Gender, or Religious Outsiders due
to Trunk by 5 pm
Nov 11-Nov 17: Consultations with Writing Fellows
Wed Nov 22: Revised Essay B, C, or D due to Trunk by 5 pm

Take-Home Final Examination (30%):

A comprehensive, open-book examination comprised of short-answer term

identifications and essays, drawing from all course readings, lectures, and
discussions.

You will have approximately one week to complete the examination, which
must be submitted to Trunk by 5 p.m. on Monday December 18th.
Examinations submitted after the 5 p.m. deadline will be penalized by 1
grade-step per hour (i.e. an examination turned in between 5 and 6 p.m.
will be downgraded from A to A-, between 6 and 7 pm. from A- to B+, etc).
No exceptions without a written request from your academic dean or
physician.

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 Course Grading Standards
A 95-100% B 83-86% C 73-76% D 63-66%
A- 90-94% B- 80-82% C- 70-72% D- 60-62%
B+ 87-89% C+ 77-79% D+ 67-69% F 00-59%

The overall course grade of A+ will be reserved for truly exceptional

performance.

A Range Grades (90-100%): Work of exceptional quality that is distinctly

superior to that normally expected of students student goes beyond the basic
requirements of course assignments. Written work reflects outstanding depth
of critical analysis; multi-faceted and thoughtful reflection; sophisticated and
creative use of primary and secondary sources; thorough command of
grammar, syntax, and spelling with few or no typographical errors. Student
participates in class frequently and appropriately, demonstrating thorough
and thoughtful engagement with course materials, an ability to express ideas
clearly, and willingness to engage alternative points of view fairly and
respectfully.

B Range Grades (80-89%): Work of good to very good quality student

meets basic requirements of course assignments competently. Written work
includes solid analysis, reflection, and use of sources but perhaps reflects
some lack of clarity in argumentation, focus, organization, or proof reading
(essays with more than a minimum of grammatical or typographical errors are
ineligible for a grade higher than 89%). Student participates in class
regularly, demonstrating consistent and thoughtful engagement with course
materials, an ability to express ideas clearly, and willingness to engage
alternative points of view fairly and respectfully.

C Range Grades (70-79%): Work of satisfactory quality student meets

basic requirements of course assignments adequately but exhibits one or more
serious deficiencies. Written work offers more summary than analysis; or
includes argumentation that is incomplete, incoherent, or unsupported by
evidence; or contains several errors of grammar, style, or organization that
make the argument difficult to understand. Student participates in class
occasionally, perhaps demonstrating only superficial engagement with course
materials, an inability to express ideas clearly, and/or unwillingness to engage
alternate positions fairly or respectfully.

D Range Grades (60-69%): Work of unsatisfactory quality student barely

meets basic requirements of course assignments. Written work offers minimal
analysis; fails to address key issues or questions in a meaningful, well-
reasoned, or professional manner; reflects a lack of effort; is incomplete; or
contains many errors of grammar, style, or organization that make the
argument difficult to understand. Student participates in class rarely;
demonstrating little to no engagement with course materials; an inability to
express ideas clearly, and/or unwillingness to engage alternate positions fairly

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or respectfully.

F Range Grades (59% and below): Work that is unacceptable for credit
student fails to meet basic requirements of course assignments.

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 Class and Assignment Schedule (subject to revision as
necessary)

UNIT 1: RELIGION & POLITICS, CHURCH & STATE IN AMERICAN

HISTORY

Wed Sept 6: Religion and Politics in American History: An

introduction to the Course

Reading:
Syllabus
Recommended: Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, The State (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Faith and Contemporary Politics

Mon Sept 11: Establishing Church and State in the Colonial Era

Reading:
John Winthrop, Modell of Christian Charity (GNI, 37-41)
Alexander Whitaker, Good Newes from Virginia (GNI, 30-36)
FoF: Ch1 Introduction, Ch2 Colonies & their Churches,

Wed Sept 13: Diversity and Religious Freedom in Early America

Reading:
Roger Williams, The Charter of Rhode Island and Providence
Plantations (ER)
Marylands Act of Toleration (ER)
William Penn, Preface to the First Frame of Government (ER)
FoF: Ch2 Colonies & the Churches

Mon Sept 18: Religion, Revolution, and the U.S. Constitution

Reading:
Thomas Jefferson, Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom (in FoF,
Appendix A)
James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious
Assessments (in FoF, Appendix A)
John Leland, The Rights of Conscience Inalienable (ER)
The Petition of the Philadelphia Synagogue to Council of Censors
(ER)
FoF, Ch3 The Libertarians, Jefferson & Madison

Wed Sept 20: Religion, Politics, and the New Nation

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 Reading:
Ezra Stiles, The United States Elevated to Glory and Honour (GNI,
82-92)
Lyman Beecher, A Plea for the West (GNI, 122-130)
Alexis de Tocqueville, from Democracy in America (ER) and or Philip
Schaff, America (ER)
FoF, Ch6 The Churches & the People, Ch7 Epilogue

UNIT 2: RACE, RELIGION, AND AMERICAN POLITICS

Mon Sept 25: The Bible, Slavery, and Anti-Slavery

Reading:
Frederick Douglas, Narrative of the Life of An American Slave (ER)
Angelina Grimke, Appeal to the Christian Women of the South (ER)
George Armstrong, The Christian Doctrine of Slavery (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Barack Obama, A More Perfect Union

(March, 2008)

Wed Sept 27: The Civil War and the Meaning of America

Reading:
Henry Ward Beecher, The Battle Set in Array (GNI, 169-183)
Benjamin Palmer, National Responsibility Before God (GNI, 184-
200)
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address (GNI, 201-2)
Conrad Cherry, Civil War and National Destiny (GNI, 163-8)
Albert J. Raboteau, African Americans, Exodus, and the American
Israel (ER)

Friday Sept 29: Essay A on Jefferson, Madison & Establishment due to

Trunk by 5 p.m.

Mon Oct 2: African American Religion and Politics in the Post-

bellum Period

Reading:
Henry McNeal Turner, Emigration to Africa (ER)
Reverdy Ransom, The Race Problem in a Christian State (ER)
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, The Black Church: A Gender
Perspective (ER)

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 Timothy E. Fulop, The Future Golden Day of the Race: Millennialism
and Black Americans in the Nadir (ER)

Wed Oct 4: African American Religion and the Struggle for Civil
Rights

Reading:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail (GNI, 343-55)
Malcolm X, The Ballot or the Bullet (GNI, 356-371)
James H. Cone, Malcolm and Martin: Integrationism and
Nationalism in African American Religious History (ER)

Mon Oct 9: Indigenous Peoples Day No Class

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UNIT 3: GENDER, SEXUALITY, RELIGION, AND AMERICAN POLITICS

Wed Oct 11: Religion, the True Woman, and Reform in the New
Nation

Reading:
Catharine Beecher, excerpts from Essay on Slavery and Abolitionism
(ER)
Angelina Grimke, Letters to Catherine Beecher, letters XI-XIII, and
Sarah Grimke, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, and the
Condition of Woman, letters I-III (ER)
Carolyn De Swarte Gifford, Women in Social Reform Movements
(ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Hilary Clinton on her faith & politics

Fri Oct 13: Revised Essay A on Jefferson, Madison & Establishment due
to Trunk by 5 p.m.

Mon Oct 16: Religion and the Struggle for Womens Rights

Reading:
Francis Willard, The Dawn of Womans Day (ER)
Debate at Womens Rights Convention (1854) (ER)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton on The Womans Bible (ER)
Kathi Kern, Rereading Eve: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the
Womans Bible, 1885-1896 in Womens Studies 19 (1991): 371-383
(ER)
Recommended: David Hempton, Sarah Grimke, Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, and Francis Willard Bible Stories: Evangelicalism and
Feminism (ER)

Special Event: American Studies Artist-in-Residence Wen-ti Tsen,

public lecture and reception on Art and Immigration, 4:30-7:00 pm,
Alumnae Lounge.

Wed Oct 18: Religion and Second Wave Feminism

Reading:
Jerry Falwell, Selections from Listen, America! (ER)
Hillary R. Clinton, Address to the United Methodist General
Conference, 1996 (ER)
Susan M. Hartmann, Expanding Feminisms Field and Focus:
Activism in the NCC in the 1960s and 1970s (ER)
Laura R. Olson, New Religious Right (ER)

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Mon Oct 23: Religion, Sexuality and Marriage in the 21 st Century
United States

Reading:
Shelly Weiss, How to Build a Movement, Keshet (ER)
Mel White, from Stranger at the Gate and Letter to Jerry Falwell,
(ER)
Heather White, Proclaiming Liberation: The Historical Roots of
LGBT Religious Organizing, 1946-1976, (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Troy Perry on the Metropolitan Community

Church

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 UNIT 4: RELIGIOUS OUTSIDERS AND AMERICAN POLITICS

Wed Oct 25: The Christian Nation and the Challenge of Religious
Pluralism

Reading:
Josiah Strong, Our Country, 377-82 (ER )
Brigham Young, Discourses (GNI, 131-134)
The Great Indignation Meeting (ER)
Conrad Cherry, Westward the Course of Destiny (GNI, pgs. 113-
117)
Jan Shipps, Difference and Otherness: Mormonism and the American
Religious Mainstream (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Mitt Romney, Faith in America(Dec 2007)

Mon Oct 30: Catholics and the Politics of the Religious Melting
Pot

Reading:
Josiah Strong, Our Country, 365-377 (ER)
E. B. Brady, Church and State (ER)
James Cardinal Gibbons, On the Separation of Church and State
(ER)
Alfred E. Smith, Governor Smith Replies (ER)
John C. Bennett, A Roman Catholic for President? (ER)
John Courtney Murray, Declaration on Religious Liberty (ER)
Jay P. Dolan Catholicism and American Culture: Strategies for
Survival (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: John F. Kennedy, Address to Protestant

Ministers (1960)

Wed Nov 1: Civil Religion and U.S. Politics since the Mid-20 th
Century

Reading:
Will Herberg, Protestant-Catholic-Jew (ER)
George Marsden, Religion, Politics, and the Search for an American
Consensus (ER)
Robert Wuthnow, Quid Obscurum: Changing Terrain of Church-State
Relations (ER)

Mon Nov 6: Evangelical Outsiders Move In: the Rise of the

Religious Right

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Reading:
Darren Dochuk, Evangelicalism Becomes Southern, Politics Becomes
Evangelical (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: George W. Bush and the Rise of the

Religious Right. Note: If you are absent, you are required to view the
documentary on your own (on reserve at the media desk in Tisch
library)

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Wed Nov 8: The Politics of Religious Pluralism in the
Contemporary U.S.

Reading:
Franklin Graham, from The Name (ER)
Letter to Franklin Graham from the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (ER)
Steven Prothero, Introduction to A Nation of Religions (ER)
Insan Bagby, Isolate, Insulate, Assimilate: Attitudes of Mosque
Leaders toward America (ER)
Prema A. Kurien, Mr. President, Why Do You Exclude Us from Your
Prayers? Hindus Challenge American Pluralism (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Donald Trump on Muslims in America

Fri Nov 10: Essay B, C, or D on Race, Gender, or Religious Outsiders

due to Trunk by 5 p.m.

UNIT 5: RELIGION & AMERICAN ECONOMIC &ENVIRONMENTAL

POLICY

Mon Nov 13: Christian Socialism & Utopian Movements

Reading:
John Humphrey Noyes, from History of American Socialisms (ER)
Ronald C. Walters, Heaven on Earth in American Reformers: 1815-
1860 (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Bernie Sanders at Liberty University

Wed Nov 15: The Gospel of Wealth and the Social Gospel

Reading:
William Lawrence, The Relation of Wealth to Morals (GNI, 249-259)
Washington Gladden, Social Salvation (ER)
Walter Rauschenbusch, Theology for the Social Gospel (ER)
Conrad Cherry, National Progress and Wealth (GNI, 217-223)

Mon Nov 20: Religion and Environmental Policy in the 21st Century
United States

Reading:
Selections from Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si (ER)
Kyle Powys Whyte, Indigenous Women, Climate Change Impacts &
Collective Action (ER)

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 Brian McCammack, Hot Damned America: Evangelicalism and the
Climate Change Policy Debate (ER)
Selections from This Week from Indian Country (ER)

Wed Nov 22: Revised Essay B, C, or D due to Trunk by 5 pm

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Mon Nov 27: Religion and the Struggle for Economic Justice in the
20th-Century U.S.

Reading:
US Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Economic Justice for All: Catholic
Social Teaching and the US Economy" (ER)
Jim Wallis, Poor People are Trapped in the Debate About Poverty, in
Gods Politics (ER)
Chicago Declaration of Evangelical Social Concern (ER)

In-Class Video Screening: Religious leaders on the economic crisis

(Sept 2008)

UNIT 6: RELIGION AND AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

Wed Nov 29: Manifest Destiny and American Imperialism in the 19 th

century

Reading:
Albert J. Beverage, The Star of Empire (GNI, 146-162)
John Lancaster Spalding, Empire or Republic (ER)
Mary Woodbridge, Peace and Arbitration in International Affairs
(ER)
Conrad Cherry, Westward the Course of Destiny (GNI, 119-121)

In-Class Video Screening: George Bush, Second Inaugural Address

(Jan 2005)

Mon Dec 4: American Destiny and War in the 20th Century

Reading:
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Annual Message to Congress (GNI, 289-95)
Reinhold Niebuhr, Anglo-Saxon Destiny and Responsibility (GNI, 296-
302)
J. William Fulbright, The Arrogance of Power (GNI, 328-343)
Conrad Cherry, American Destiny and World War (GNI, 267-72) and
Challenges Since Mid-Century (GNI, 303-08)

Wed Dec 6: Religion and Contemporary U.S. Foreign Policy

Reading:
Walter Russell Mead, Gods Country? Foreign Affairs 85:5 (Sept/Oct
2006) (ER)
Mark Galli, Evangelical DNA and International Affairs, Review of
Faith & International Affairs 4:3 (Winter 2006): 53-55 (ER)

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Mon Dec 11: Religion in the Public Square: Prospects for the
Present and Future

Readings:
Ralph Reed, Separation of Church and State: Christian Nation and
Other Heresies (GNI 372-9)
Richard John Neuhaus, Civil Religion or Public Philosophy (ER)
Jeffrey Stout, from Democracy and Tradition (ER)

Mon Dec 18: Take-home Final Examination due to Trunk by 5 p.m.

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