This course is a survey of religion in America from the pre-colonial era to the present. Although this is a large class, our goal will be to explore together certain moments and themes in American religious history that have significantly shaped the development of the nation as a whole. The approach will be chronological, that is, we will move through time from the pre-colonial context to the late twentieth century; but our aim will be to connect past events to issues and problems that continue to affect the expression of religious beliefs and practices in our own culture. At times, we will employ a “case study” approach: rather than trying to cover every significant religious development and each religious group, we will analyze specific events and ideas that have a wider applicability.
This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.
Laurie F. Maffly-KippAuthor
University of North CarolinaInstitution
Public College or University Institution Type
Syllabus Resource Type
Undergraduate Course Class Type
1993 Date Published
Religious Studies, American Studies, History Discipline
General Comparative Traditions Religous Tradition
Race/Ethnicity, Nationalism/War/Civil Religion Topics