This introductory course examines both the diversity of traditions and the diversity within traditions of numerous religious groups, including Native American, Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim, Mormon, and more. While lectures will cover the historical background of these groups from 1500 CE and on, we will concentrate on the last one hundred years of the American experience. The primary goal of this course is to begin to critically analyze the impact of these traditions upon American culture in general, and, when possible, upon San Antonio. In order to best understand the impact of religion upon the American experience, this course concerns itself more with the practice of religion than the beliefs/theology of a particular religious tradition. In addition, the course is organized both thematically and historically around a series of case studies. We will focus on particular themes within a historical framework within each thematic subset.
This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.
Luis E. MurilloAuthor
Trinity UniversityInstitution
Private College or University Institution Type
Syllabus Resource Type
Intro, Undergraduate Course Class Type
2005 Date Published
Religious Studies, History Discipline
Buddhism, General Comparative Traditions, Indigenous, Islam, Judaism, Other Christianities, Protestant Religous Tradition
Health/Death, Popular Culture/Media/Music/Sports, Pluralism/Secularism/Culture Wars, Race/Ethnicity Topics