Many of the most important movements for social change in American history—from the abolition of slavery to civil rights to women’s rights—have been fueled in part by progressive religion. In this course, we will examine religion from a social scientific perspective. Using sociological research, we will address questions like: What do we mean we talk about “religion”? What counts as “progressive religion” and who decides? How does “progressive religion” differ from “conservative religion”? Does being part of a marginalized religious tradition make it more likely that you will fight for progressive causes? How do race, class, and gender shape people’s approaches to progressive religion? How does progressive religion shape politics, gender & sexuality, and other parts of society? We will explore these questions by focusing on a wide array of religious traditions and contemporary topics.
This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.
Grace YukichAuthor
Quinnipiac UniversityInstitution
Private College or University Institution Type
Syllabus Resource Type
Undergraduate Course Class Type
2016 Date Published
Religious Studies, Sociology Discipline
General Comparative Traditions Religous Tradition
Class/Power, Gender/Women/ Sexuality, Race/Ethnicity Topics