Contemporary Religion in America
Course Schedule and Assignments

This page presents information on the reading journals, explanations of the major writing projects, the schedule of sessions displaying when reading journals and papers are due, and acceptable extra credit projects. You can return to the main Contemporary Religion in America page or visit the Bibliography page.

Reading Journals for Contemporary Religion in America

For the Fall Semester, 2002, the textbooks for the course are:

• Robert Wuthnow, The Restructuring of American Religion: Society and Faith Since World War II, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988.
• Will Herberg, Protestant--Catholic--Jew: An Essay in American Religious Sociology. Revised edition. Garden City: Anchor Books, 1960. Reprint 1983.

Your textbooks are well worth reading from cover to cover. For purposes of class discussion, you are only required to read sections from each as assigned in the class schedule (see below). You should bring to class typed (or handwritten) notes (of about a page or two) indicating your reactions to the assigned reading and the contribution you intend to make to the class discussion on that session's reading. Contributions could include useful questions as well as opinions and applications. Do not outline the readings. I am looking for signs of human intelligence in the journals. After class discussion, you must turn in your notes which will be evaluated and returned to you at the beginning of the next class session. The collection of reading journals will contribute 18% of your final grade in the course.

Assignments to Explore Contemporary Religion in America

Your four projects for the course should each be about three to four pages in length. Focus on the assigned subject so that you can address the topic in a direct, clear, and accurate fashion. You should establish the routine of proofreading your papers and correcting unclear statements and errors in spelling and grammar. Remember that you are communicating your insights and knowledge to others in your writing, which should flow smoothly and lead the reader through the subject in an orderly and interesting manner.

We expect or at least have the fond wish that your ability to organize your thoughts and to communicate your ideas clearly, correctly, and persuasively will greatly improve during your course of studies at the college. To join the circle of educated professionals, you must use American English in a professional manner. If you need help, please ask!

Your projects will be graded on the basis of a range of factors including grammatical and syntactic accuracy, flow of thought, creativity, energy, integrity (no plagiarizing!), and informative content. Please include page numbers. Even a short paper can benefit from headings and a thoughtful introduction and conclusion. Each of your projects contributes 18% of your final grade for the course.

• Interview of a Religious Professional: Interview a religious professional about contemporary American religion. Research the background of the religious body to which your interviewee belongs before the interview and include that information in your report. Also include information on the standing and experience of the person you choose to interview. Be sure to prepare your interview questions in advance. Find out your interviewee's perception of the most important contributions religion makes to people's lives. What are the most significant trends in American religion in the last several decades in the opinion of your interviewee? What event(s) most significant for American religious life in the last several decades would your interviewee pick out? What are the interviewee's expectations for the next five to ten years in American religious life? Do not exclude your own assessment of the interview. This paper is due on September 19.
• Deconstructing Metaphors: The frequently heard expression, "the wall of separation of church and state" is nowhere to be found in the American Constitution or in the Bill of Rights. It is a metaphor used by Thomas Jefferson to represent the religion clauses in the First Amendment. He included this expression in a political letter he wrote as president in 1801. The metaphor was picked up and applied by Justice Hugo Black in the important Supreme Court Everson decision made in 1947. James Madison used a different metaphor for the First Amendment. Read Sidney Mead's analysis of the ideas of Jefferson and Madison in "Neither Church nor State: Reflections on James Madison's 'Line of Separation'." Explain what you think these two metaphors convey about the meaning of the religion clauses in the First Amendment. Does one metaphor represent the meaning and application of the First Amendment better than the other? Explain your choice for which metaphor seems more accurate and authentic. You may also want to consult the contributions of Arlin Adams, Richard Wentz, and Philip Hamburger, as well as the comments of Justice Black himself on these matters (see the Bibliography page). This paper is due on October 17.
• In What God Do We Trust?: Imagine this scene. Several exchange students come to the college, one from Ankara, one from Phnom Penh, and one from Kigali. You are chosen as their guide here. The four of you are in the cafeteria to eat lunch. One of your advisees notices on American money the expression "In God We Trust" and asks, "What god is that?" and "What is American religion like?" Provide an explanation of contemporary religion that would be reliable, informative and interesting to your hypothetical advisees. For extra credit, design your project as a script showing the hypothetical conversation between the four persons. This paper is due on November 14.
  • Information about the countries of your three advisees can be found in the CIA Fact Book (or try the mirror site). Not helpful in this case, but informative for other countries is the collection of Country Commercial Guides.
  • Learn about Ankara's context.
  • Learn about Phnom Penh's context.
  • Learn about Kigali's context.
• Assessing Contemporary Religion: Describe in some detail from your own perspective and in your own words the four most significant concepts, insights, principles, or areas of information provided by the class lectures. This paper is due on December 12.

Course Schedule

• Session One: August 29. Lecture: Introduction to the course.
• Session Two: September 5. Lecture: What is religion? Discussion of Wuthnow, pp. 3-34.
• Session Three: September 12. Lecture: Definitions of religion. Discussion of Herberg, pp. 1-26.
• Session Four: September 19. Lecture: What qualifies as religion? Interview of Religious Professional due. No reading.
• Session Five: September 26. Lecture: Burst of religious energy in the Great Awakening. Discussion of Wuthnow, pp. 35-70.
• Session Six: October 3. Lecture: Burst of religious organizing in the Nineteenth Century. Discussion of Herberg, pp. 27-45.
• Session Seven: October 10. Lecture: Burst of religious organizing continued. Discussion of Wuthnow, pp. 71-99.
• Session Eight: October 17. Lecture: Value of religious liberty. Deconstructing Metaphor paper due. No reading.
• Session Nine: October 24. Lecture: Force of moral imperatives and the problem of social engineering. Discussion of Herberg, pp. 46-71.
• Session Ten: October 31. Lecture: Denominationalism. Discussion of Wuthnow, pp. 100-131.
• Session Eleven: November 7. Lecture: Denominationalism continued. Discussion of Herberg, pp. 72-98.
• Session Twelve: November 14. Lecture: Constitutional parameters. In What God We Trust paper due. No reading.
• Session Thirteen: November 21. Lecture: Constitutional parameters continued. Discussion of Wuthnow, pp. 132-172.
• College closed for Thanksgiving celebration.
• Session Fourteen: December 5. Lecture: Involuntary immigration. Discussion of Herberg, pp. 99-135.
• Session Fifteen: December 12. Lecture: Involuntary immigration continued. Assessing Contemporary Religion paper due. No reading.

Extra Credit Projects

Here are several acceptable extra credit projects that you may prepare to improve your final grade. These projects may each be used to improve your final grade by a maximum of 3% each.

• Explain how you think the religious energy contained in religious congregations, bureaucracies, and special purpose groups can or should be put to good use for the benefit of our society. How much do you think religious institutions contribute to the development of social capital, that is, the ability, skill, trust, and cooperation involved in interpersonal relationships and good citizenship?
• Prepare a reading journal from Herberg, pp. 136-171 or pp. 172-210.
• Explain briefly the original American motto e pluribus unum and its replacement by "In God We Trust." Discuss and defend persuasively which one of the two you personally would prefer as our motto.
• Design and post a functional web page that would be helpful for someone interested in the subject matter of this course. You may include brief comments on relevant books (such as our textbooks), annotated links to reputable, useful information on the internet, and your own contributions to the subject. Respect copyright in the use of text and images.

You can find a few hints about writing style and a list of common writing errors to avoid at my help page on Good Composition. You can return to the main Contemporary Religion in America page or visit the Bibliography page.

Return to the Lecture Hall. Thanks for the visit! This page was edited on 28 August 2002. Email is welcomed by John R. Mitchell, Part-time Instructor in Religion. © 2000-2002 Erasmus Compositor, P.O. Box 25958, Baltimore, MD 21224. For an introduction to life at the center of the world forty centuries ago, visit an old Sumerian scribe at the Nippur Quay. You can also visit Villa Julie College.