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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Themes in American Religion

Course Title:	RL565 - Themes in American Religion
Department:	Religious Studies
Instructor:	Don E. Peavy, Sr., Ph.D. E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites:	None

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

Welcome to RL 565, Themes in American Religion. At first blush, the readings for this course would appear to have little or nothing in common. However, these readings are connected in that they all pour forth from a common font of inspiration, concern, and creativity that has made up the common river of American religiosity. The purpose of this course then is to acquaint students with these common themes so that students will be able to recognize them and to understand them as well as appreciate the religious diversity of the North American landscape and how those various faith traditions represent and respond to these themes.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would require us to write, "God wills that everyone obeys Gods will."

REQUIREMENTS

1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Bookstore
   
   Darkwater: Vocies from Within the Veil by W. E. B. DuBois. Dover Publications (1999). ISBN13: ISBN: 0486408906
   
   The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution by Shulamith Firestone. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2003). ISBN13: 9780374527877 ISBN: 0374527873
   
   Black Elk Speaks: Beig the Life of A Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux by John G. Neilhardt. University of Nebraska Press (2004). ISBN13: 9780803283855 ISBN: 0803283857
   
   The Kingdom of God in America by H. Richard Niebuhr. There are many editions of this classic and any edition will work.
   
   A Theology for the Social Gospel by Walter Rauschenbush. Westminister John Knox Press (1997). ISBN13: 9780664257309 ISBN: 0664257305
   
   Textbooks should be ordered from the Canyon College Online Bookstore to insure that the correct volume and edition is obtained.

2. Conferences. Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.

3. Exams. There will be no exams in this course.

4. Papers.There will be a short paper of at least two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), due at the end of each week=s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings. There is a mid-term paper due of between 1500 and 2500 words. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian=s "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use end notes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the "author said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the texts and this cannot be done merely by quoting the authors.

5. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:
   
   

   Papers	60%
   Midterm Paper	40%

6. Grading Scale
   
   

   90 - 100%	A - Excellent
   80 - 89%	B - Above Average
   70 - 79%	C - Average
   60 - 69%	D - Below Average
   59% or below	F - Failing Grade

   
   
   A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.
   
   B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.
   
   C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.
   
   D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.
   
   F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.

WEEK ONE

Read Neihardt 1-118. Read the Lecture posted for this week. The influences of Native American religions on the American religious psyche have never been fully appreciated. We take a small step in correcting that oversight by commencing our study with the reading of excerpts from a most profound and remarkable writing. In this writing, we come to know the themes of spirituality and transcendence.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is your initial reaction to the readings for this week?
2. Although there is no single Native American Religion, what do you see as common elements of Native American Religion?
3. Does the vision of Black Elk show Christian influences? Please explain your answer and give examples of those influences.
4. “By and large Indian people have not found liberation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, but rather, continued bondage to a culture that is both alien and alienating, and even genocidal against American Indian peoples.” What do you understand this passage to mean? Do you agree or disagree with the assessment made?

WEEK TWO

Read Du Bois pages 1-113 and Lecture for this week. Du Bois is known primarily for his classic work, The Souls of Black Folk. It may be because of its popularity that I have chosen not to read that work here. We are reading a popular but lesser known work by Du Bois in which he sets forth themes of spirituality and the common brotherhood of all humanity. This theme of a common brotherhood would be crystallized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his reinterpretation of the image of God and his refrain, “All of God’s children.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. In his Credo, Du Bois says that he believes that “men may be brothers in Christ, even though they be not brothers-in-law.” What do you think Du Bois meant by this statement?
2. For Du Bois, religion (though he preferred the term spirituality) was of little or no value unless it addressed the concrete conditions and needs of people in their lived experiences. Do you agree/disagree? Why?
3. Can a religion be viable in North America without addressing the race issue? Why or why not? Please give examples to support your answer.
4. What is your interpretation of the Second Coming?

WEEK THREE

Go to: http://www.beacon.org/client/pdfs/7719_intro.pdf and read the essay by Emerson, “Emerson’s Spiritual Principles.” Go also to http://www.emersoncentral.com/divaddr.htm and read Emerson’s “Divinity School Address.” Read the Lecture posted for this week. Write a coherent essay of 1500 to 2500 words in proper APA or Turabian format in which you answer the following questions:

1. One of the persistent themes of North American religion is individualism. How does Emerson represent this central and critical theme?
2. In his “Divinity School Address,” Emerson writes that “God incarnates himself in man …” What do you understand Emerson to mean and does such a statement harmonize with traditional teachings of Christianity?
3. Please use the remainder of your essay to reflect of how Emerson views humanity and the individual in specific and what these have contributed to your understanding of what it means to be an American. In addition, how do you see themes present in Emerson’s writings present in religion in America today?

WEEK FOUR

Read Niebuhr 17-126 and the Lecture for this week. Read Peavy’s article, “Has the Kingdom of God Come to America?” This week we turn to a persistent theme in American religion – the Kingdom of God. When he was president, Ronald Reagan oftentimes spoke of the United States as that “shining city on a hill.” President Bush has echoed that theme in many speeches in which he as spoken of God’s mission for the United States and how God has chosen the United States to do certain things in the world. What is the relationship between God and the United States? What is the proper boundary, if any, between religion and politics? These are just a few of the questions raised by this week’s readings.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What does Niebuhr mean by the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of Christ?
2. What is the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Christ, according to Niebuhr?
3. Is the United States a Christian nation? Why or why not?

WEEK FIVE

Read Rauschenbusch Introduction to 130 and the Lecture for this week. We have said earlier that a common theme in North American religion is individualism. This week Rauschenbusch turns that theme on its head and argues for a social understanding of religion and attacks both individualism and capitalism. He also highlights a theme that is the bedrock of liberal Protestantism-- social activity in the world.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is the social gospel?
2. How does Rauschenbusch define sin?
3. How persuaded are you by Rauschenbusch’s arguments?
4. What do you think Emerson’s response would be to the social gospel?

WEEK SIX

Read Firestone 1-112 and the lecture for this week. We have reviewed racism, individualism, capitalism, spirituality, transcendence, and several other themes that have marked out the territory of North American religion. We end our journey with a review of feminism and the theme of sexism.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What exactly is the dialectic of sex?
2. What is the misguided feminism?
3. Du Bois spoke of a common brotherhood of men and Dr. King spoke of all humans being created in the image of God. What does Firestone appeal to in support of her call for women to come together and for the empowerment of women?
4. What is your overall reaction to Firestone’s book?