North America is one of the most religiously diverse regions in the history of humanity; it is also one of the most monolithically Christian places on Earth. Scholars of religious history in North America must deal with this tension between the so-called mainstream and fringes, recognizing how a dominant tradition itself produces plurality while simultaneously exerting pressure on outside groups to lose elements of their distinctiveness. This course will therefore explore diversity within and outside of the Christian tradition(s), examining forces of change, diversification, and conformity, and consider how immigration, gender, race, class, theology, praxis, and other forces have produced and been shaped by the religious ferment of North American society.
This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.
Jeff WilsonAuthor
University of WaterlooInstitution
Public College or University Institution Type
Syllabus Resource Type
Graduate Course Class Type
2012 Date Published
Religious Studies, American Studies Discipline
Buddhism, General Comparative Traditions, Indigenous, Islam, Judaism, Other Christianities, Protestant Religous Tradition
Class/Power, Gender/Women/ Sexuality, Immigration/Refugees, Politics/Law/Government, Pluralism/Secularism/Culture Wars, Race/Ethnicity, Theology/Liturgy Topics