CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA

Religion 382-1, First Semester 2000

(4 Credits)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

What is this course? The course will focus on the historical development Christianity in that portion of North America which became the United States. While the focus is on Christianity, the larger religious context will be kept in view throughout the course. Themes considered historically will include religious experience, religion and place, religious identity and community (race/ethnicity, class, gender), Christendom, voluntarism, denominations, revivalism, theology, religion and social reform, popular religion, cross-cultural religious encounters, and religion and (post-)modernity.

What will class meetings be like? The course will meet twice a week. There will be lectures, but other major components of the course's format will include general discussions, student oral reports, and the viewing and discussion of visual materials (slides, documentaries, a feature film, etc.).

What will be expected in general of each student? The workload of the course reflects its upper division level. Attendance at all class meetings is, of course, expected. Some 2600 pp. of reading, including that for research, will be required. Each student will be expected to write a major research paper and several other shorter pieces. Two take-home exams will be required. Discussion and oral reports will also be regularly expected in the course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES (what difference this course should make):

1. To become familiar with the complex development of Christianity in what became the United States, since a) Christianity has a special importance in the identity of the Northwestern College community and also since b) Christianity, for better and for worse, has been such an integral part of a nation which has become so dominant in global life and thought.
2. To develop skills in critical thinking, analytical reading and writing, research, and oral discussion and presentation, since such are key tools for learning how, with the Apostle Paul, to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
3. To develop practice of historical method beyond the lower division level of coursework through the research and writing of a major historical research paper.
4. To provide tools and opportunity for integrating a basic understanding of issues in the development of American religious thought, structures, habits, and sensibilities with a Christian perspective on history, life, and faith, for "in [Christ] all things hold together" (Col. 1:17).

COURSE OUTLINE:

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Reading:

• Abzug, Robert H. Cosmos Crumbling: American Reform and the Religious Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
• Anderson, Douglas Firth. "Evangelical" and "Lutherans." (In online Course Links.)
• Demos, John. The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.
• Ernst, Eldon G. with Douglas Firth Anderson. Pilgrim Progression: The Protestant Experience in California. Santa Barbara, CA: Fithian Press, 1993.
• Gaustad, Edwin S., ed. Memoirs of the Spirit. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999.
• Hackett, David G., ed. Religion and American Culture: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 1995.
• Hart, D.G., ed. Reckoning with the Past: Historical Essays on American Evangelicalism from the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995.
• Lane, Belden C. "Baroque Spirituality in New Spain and New France," from Landscapes of the Sacred: Geography of the Sacred. New York: Paulist Press, 1988.
• Orsi, Robert Anthony. The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985.

2. Recommended Resources:

• Bowden, Henry Warner. Dictionary of American Religious Biography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977. Ref. BL72 .B68
• Burgess, Stanley M., Gary B. McGee, and Patrick H. Alexander, eds. Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1988. On NW Library Reserve.
• Course Links
• Gaustad, Edwin Scott. Historical Atlas of Religion in America. Rev. ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1976. Ref. G1201 .E4 G3 1976
• Lippy, Charles H. and Peter W. Williams, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience: Studies of Traditions and Movements. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. Ref. BL2525 .E53 1988
• Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1992. On NW Library Reserve.
• Noll, Mark et al., eds. Eerdmans' Handbook to Christianity in America. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1983. Ref. BR515 .E37 1983
• Reid, Daniel G., ed. Dictionary of Christianity in America. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990. Ref. BR515 .D53 1990

3. Assignments:

A. A total of 40% of the course grade will consist of a HISTORICAL RESEARCH PAPER.

1. TOPIC: The paper topic is up to the student, provided that 1) it is clearly within the course's subject area; 2) a major primary source or set of primary sources is essential to the focus of the finished paper; and 3) the topic is cleared with the instructor. Possible directions the paper could pursue: study of a major piece of American Christian literature (theology, piety, sermonic, fiction); study of a major person in American religious history; study of a particular event illustrative of a significant aspect or development in American religion; study of a particular institution or movement; etc.
2. TASK: The final product should be a piece that 1) reflects significant research in primary as well as secondary sources and that 2) analyzes and elucidates the significance of the chosen topic (in which one or more primary documents are central) in relation to the larger history of American Christianity covered in the course.
3. PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE PAPER:

1. Before Oct. 10, each student will have arranged to meet with the instructor to discuss possibilities for a research topic.
2. In class on Oct. 10, each student will hand in a) a paragraph description of their proposed topic and focus and b) a working bibliography of at least 5 items, including at least one major primary source and one major book-length secondary source (the proposal and bibliography may be handwritten or typed).
3. In class on Dec. 7, 12, or 14, each student will make an oral report of their research. Each report should

• be 5-8 minutes long;
• cover the following (not necessarily in this order): a) what is the topic, b) what led you to/interests you about the topic, c) identify and explain what is you most important primary document(s), d) what thesis or claim would you make about your topic in relation to the history of Christianity in America, e) any major points you plan to make, or questions you have still to resolve.

4. At the conclusion of each report, 2-3 minutes will be allowed for the audience--instructor and students--to jot down questions, commendations, and/or observations about the research project. These written comments (with the writer's name) will be given to the presenter for their consideration as they complete their project. The oral report will not be graded, but it is an occasion for each student to clarify for themself and for the class what the focus and claim(s) of their paper will be, especially in relation to course materials and themes, and to receive feedback before the paper is completed.

4. SPECIFICATIONS: two (2) copies; typed, double-spaced, 12-16 pp. + notes (end- or foot-) and annotated bibliography. The notes and bibliography of the paper should adhere to the Chicago/Turabian form as discussed in the appropriate links in Course Links.
5. DUE: No later than 1:35 p.m., Dec. 21, the end of the course's scheduled final period.
6. EVALUATION OF THE PAPER: Evaluation of the historical research paper will take into account at least the following: a) the consistency and quality with which the above formal specifications are fulfilled, b) the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of the historical research, c) the accuracy of the historical narration of relevant material, d) the clarity and coherence of organization, argument, and claims made in the paper, and e) the depth of historical analysis and interpretation, including the relation of your topic to larger issues or themes in the history of Christianity in America.

B. TWO TAKE-HOME ESSAYS will constitute 35% of the course grade.

1. ESSAY #1 will constitute 17.5% of the course grade: A midcourse essay question asking for analysis, synthesis, and integration of course readings and discussions will be distributed in class Oct. 10 and will due in the instructor's office during class time, Oct. 17.
2. ESSAY #2 will constitute 17.5% of the course grade: A second half essay question asking for analysis, synthesis, and integration of course readings and discussions will be distributed in class Nov. 28 and will be due in the instructor's office during class time, Dec. 5.
3. FURTHER SPECIFICATIONS: typed, double-spaced, 4-5 pp., references to be done at the end of sentences /or paragraphs in shortened form: (Carnes, in Hackett, p. 319; Anderson, "Prologue").
4. EVALUATION OF EACH ESSAY: Evaluation will include at least the following factors: a) is the entire question addressed? b) how thoroughly informed by relevant course materials is the analysis? c) how lucid and cogent is the presentation? and d) how thoughtful and insightful is the discussion?

C. A BOOK ANALYSIS will constitute 10% of the course grade.

1. CHOOSE FROM AMONG 3 BOOKS: The required book analysis may be done on either the Demos, the Abzug, or the Orsi book. The choice is up to the student.
2. TASK: The goal of the written assignment is to analyze and evaluate the chosen book's contribution to understanding Christianity in America. In other words, what, exactly, does the book help us (readers) to understand about American Christianity, how well is this done (are there major critiques that need to be heard?), and so what (why does it matter?)?
3. BOOK REVIEWS: Each of the books has been reviewed in historical and/or religious journals. Reviews can help in assessing a book, in that they provide the perspective of another--usually with some relevant expertise--on the strengths and/or weaknesses of a work. For the book selected, the student must find a minimum of two (2) book reviews, at least one of which must be in a standard professional historical or religious journal, and submit with the written analysis copies of the reviews found.
4. FURTHER SPECIFICATIONS: typed, double-spaced, 4-5 pp., references to be done at the end of sentences and/or paragraphs in shortened form: (p.19; review by X.C. Zbskvs in Church History 53 [1990]: 354.).
5. DUE: if Demos is chosen, the analysis is due in class Sept. 21; if Abzug, Oct. 12; if Orsi, Nov. 9. Those who complete analyses for a given book will thus be able to be called upon to share some of their analysis with the class as part of discussing the book as assigned reading.
6. EVALUATION: Evaluation of the book analysis will take into account at least the following: a) the consistency and quality with which the above formal specifications are fulfilled, b) the thoroughness and thoughtfulness with which the chosen book has been read, c) the clarity and coherence of organization, argument, and claims made in the analysis, and d) the depth and insight of the analysis, including the relevant use of or interaction with the book reviews found.

D. A FILM RESPONSE will constitute 5% of the course grade.

1. VIEWING OF "THE APOSTLE": The feature film "The Apostle" will be viewed in class Nov. 28 and 30.
2. WRITTEN RESPONSE: a typed, double-spaced, 600-800 word response to "The Apostle" in light of course material and themes is due in class Nov. 21. The written responses will form the basis for general discussion of the film in class.
3. EVALUATION OF RESPONSE: Evaluation will include at least the following factors: a) how attentively and thoughtfully has the film been viewed in so far as is relevant for the the argument/claim(s) made in the response? b) how lucid and cogent is the response? and c) how insightful are the connection(s) made in the response between the film and relevant course material and/or issues?

E. CLASS PARTICIPATION will constitute 10% of the course grade.

1. IN-CLASS WRITING: The instructor may ask for a paragraph or up to a page response to a topic from or related to the assigned reading or other in-class material. The intent of such is to focus and generate discussion, and also to provide a way in addition to oral discussion for evaluating student preparation for classes. Such writing assignments will be collected at the end of class (so students should be sure their name is on their sheet). The instructor will review the assignments, giving a "-" for inadequate items (e.g., evidence that the student has not read, or read attentively, the assignment, or is otherwise unprepared for that day's class), a "/" for adequate, and a "+" for more than adequate. In-class writing cannot be made up; absences (unless excused) will count as "-" for a given assignment.
2. PARTICIPATION: This assumes a) that the student is in class and b) that the student has done the assigned reading. Participation includes contributing to the general thrust of the discussion, suggesting an alternative perspective or another important consideration, offering constructive criticism of one's own or another's ideas, deferring to other students who participate less, evidencing a grasp of the material in the assigned reading, and so on.
3. EVALUATION: A "C" should be very easy to get for this portion of the grade (do the reading, show up, turn in the in-class assignments). Better than a "C" should not be that difficult if there is consistent evidence of more than adequate engagement with the course material (NOT measured, by the way, by talkativeness per se; the instructor is an introvert, and is thus especially sensitive to quality of preparation of quieter folks).