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| History Department |
HISTORY 345/RELIGION 345:
RELIGION in AMERICA
Fall 2005
Dr. Robert Whalen
Office: 209 Watkins
Phone: 704-337-2208
Email: whalenb@queens.edu
R. Whalen 209 Watkins
Ofc Hrs: Th 9:25-10:30 ofc: 704 - 337‑2208
& by app’t.
[Please Note: an electronic version of this syllabus is posted on the Queens University of Charlotte webpage, under the heading “2005 History Courses.” This electronic version will be the “official” syllabus, and will include all updates, corrections, and changes. So be sure to review the electronic syllabus frequently!].
I. History 345/ Religion 345 studies the key movements, events, and people in the history of religion in the United States, from the colonial era to the present. History 345 is cross-listed as Religion 345 – Religion in America. Students may receive credit for the course EITHER as a History course OR as a Religion course (but not both!). History/ Religion 345 meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00 – 10:50.
II. HONOR. Everyone member of the Queens Community is governed by the Queens Honor Code. Its principles are:
The Queens Honor Code
· As a member of the Queens Community, I will endeavor to create a spirit of integrity and honor for its own sake at Queens University of Charlotte.
· Academic Pledge: I pledge truthfulness and absolute honest in the performance of all academic work
· Community Pledge: I pledge to be truthful at all times, to treat others with respect, to respect the property of others, and to adhere to university policies
· Accepting both the privileges and responsibilities of living by this code of honor, I resolve to uphold this code and not to tolerate any violations of its spirit or principles.
The Honor Code absolutely prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty, such as cheating and plagiarism, and calls for serious punishment of academic dishonesty.
III. Objectives.
History/Religion 345 has TWO OBJECTIVES:
(1) this course will enable students to master key materials concerning the origins and development of religion in the United States, and
(2) will engage students in those methods of scientific analysis called “historical thought.”
“The origins and development of religion in the United States.” Whether you’re religious or not, one thing seems clear – religion has had, continues to have, and most likely will continue to have, an immense impact on Americans, on American culture, and on American public life. To understand the United States, in fact, you must know something about the role of religion in America.
An “excellent” performance in this class means that a student has attained mastery over a wide array of empirical information regarding religion in America.
“Historical thought.” This course, secondly, will engage students in a specific form of CRITICAL THINKING called “historical thought.”
Humans have the great gift of REASON. Reason connects humans with reality. Thinking clearly and carefully enables us to make good judgments; thinking poorly leads to disaster.
“Critical thinking” means thinking clearly and carefully. We often connect critical thinking with science. “Science,” though, does not refer only to the physical sciences. Scientific thinking is the attempt to use your mind to understand your world. To think scientifically means to think in a disciplined, systematic, and thoughtful way. It means to think “carefully,” in which “carefully” means both that you think logically and that you “care about” how you think. History is a form of scientific thinking.
Scientific thinking is dedicated above all else to truth. Non-partisanship, open-mindedness, and objectivity are essential to good science. True, we all have our own agendas, perspectives, and psychologies, we all start from our own personal experience – nevertheless, what matters in history, as in all science, is not whether I’m right or you’re right, but rather whether what’s claimed is right. In doing scientific history, conservatives and liberals, believers and non-believers, everyone with this cause and that, must set aside their own perspectives and work together to determine the historical truth.
“Historical thinking” is a specific form of critical thinking. Thinking historically means thinking about time, about the complex and turbulent interaction of past – present – and future.
An “excellent” performance in this class means that a student has mastered the techniques of thinking critically about the empirical information relevant to religion in America.
IV. A Labor Theory of Knowledge.
Knowledge is better than ignorance. Knowledge brings with it both power and pleasure. But - the acquisition of knowledge demands very hard work. We live, alas, in an age in which instant gratification and immediate entertainment are the norm. Anything that requires effort we often think of as “boring” or “too hard.” This course, however, will demand the kind of hard work athletes devote to sports or musicians devote to their instruments. Specifically, STUDENTS SHOULD INVEST FROM 2 1/2 TO 3 HOURS OF OUT-OF-CLASS WORK FOR EACH HOUR SPENT IN-CLASS. If you are unable to invest this amount of work, you should not take the class.
This course will function primarily as a SEMINAR, not as a lecture course. That is, the course will stress reasoned, rigorous, and thoughtful conversation among seminar participants, and not simply lecture by the instructor. Seminars – based on Socrates’ conviction that truth emerges through dialogue – can be extraordinarily effective learning devices – IF EVERYONE IN THE SEMINAR IS WELL-PREPARED FOR THE DAY’S WORK. Therefore, please do not come to class unprepared!!
V. Registration, Disability, Attendance.
A. Be sure that you’re registered for this course BEFORE you take it! You cannot be registered after-the-fact. If you’ve any questions about registration, speak with the Queens Registrar.
B. If you are a student with a verified disability, and require accommodation, you must provide the instructor with a statement to the effect from the Student Disabilities Services Office. Without such a statement, the instructor cannot provide special accommodation.
C. The ATTENDANCE POLICY for this course is as follows: A student may miss three classes during the term without penalty. If a student exceeds this limit, the student’s final average will be reduced by 5 points (on a 100 scale) for each additional absence. Students who have reason to believe that because of some emergency they may have to miss a number of classes should consult the instructor as soon as possible.
VI. Texts. The texts for this course are:
a. John Corrigan and Winthrop S. Hudson, Religion in America.
b. Robert Mathisen (ed.), Critical Issues in American Religious History.
Books will be available in the bookstore. It is YOUR responsibility to purchase or borrow the books and study them as assigned!
We will view FILMS, parts of films, and videos in class. These materials will NOT be on library reserve because in most cases they will be borrowed for a short time only and will have to be returned. The films are as important a part of the class as the readings and other materials and you will be Quized on them.
Other readings will be available as Library Reserves (LR) in Everett Library, as handouts, and on the History Department web page.
VII. Internet Materials. The syllabus, handouts, and supplementary readings will be found on the History Web Page at www.queens.edu.
VIII. Quizzes. Just about every week, we’ll have a brief (10-20 questions) objective quiz. The quiz will be on that week’s work AND will review earlier material. These quizzes are designed to measure your mastery of the class’s information. Students who come late to class will not be eligible to take the quiz for that class. There will be no make-up quizzes for any reason. Any missed quiz will count as a “zero.” At the end of the term, the TWO lowest scores will be dropped, and the average of the remaining scores will be your weekly quiz grade. This will count as 20% of your course grade.
IX. HOMEWORK. Just about every week, students will have brief homework assignments. These assignments are to encourage students to keep up with class work, but more important, these assignments are occasions for students to practice that type of critical thinking called “thinking in time.”
Here are the rules:
1. Each homework assignment MUST BE TYPED. Handwritten submissions WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
2. Each assignment should be about 2 typed pages in length.
3. Assignments should be written in response to the “critical thinking” questions of the appropriate day’s handout. Students may write on questions of their own – provided that the question is a genuine “critical thinking” question!
4. Each assignment must QUOTE FROM THE DAY’S READING. Each submission must include at least ONE QUOTATION.
5. THE HOMEWORK IS DESIGNED TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE RELEVANT DAY’S WORK. DOING THE WORK AT SOME LATER DATE OBVIOUSLY DEFEATS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR THE ASSIGNMENT. THEREFORE NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
6. Homework must be kept together in a folder. SUBMIT THE HOMEWORK IN THE FOLDER. (Be sure your name’s on the folder).
7. Each assignment will receive a “0/1” grade. It will receive a “0” grade if it isn’t turned in; if it isn’t typed; if it does not include at least one direct citation from the text; if it fails to answer the question. I will receive a “1” grade if it is turned in on time, and is typed, and includes at least one quotation from the text and if it answered the question!
8. There will be 12 assignments. Students can score a maximum of 10 points. Thus, if you miss a couple of assignments you still have several chances to do well; or, if you accumulated all the points you need, you no longer need to submit assignments!
9. Points accumulated will but put on a 100-point scale. This 10 points = 100%.; 9 points = 90%, etc. This score, in turn, will count 15% of the final course grade.
X. Examinations. There will be two examinations in this course, the Mid-Term and the Final. Each will be primarily an “objective” Quiz, that is, roughly 75% of each will consist of fill-in-the-blanks, multiple-choice, true/false, and other informational questions. Roughly 25% of each will be devoted to essay questions.
AN EXAMINATION MISSED FOR ANY REASON WILL COUNT AS A “ZERO.” MAKE-UP EXAMINATIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE ONLY IN THE MOST EXTREME AND UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
The Mid-term counts 20% of your final course grade. The Final counts 30% of your final course grade. While the Final Examination will focus on material since the Mid-Term, it will include materials from the beginning of the course. The Final Examination will be scheduled by the University.
PLEASE! Do not make travel or other personal plans that interfere with your exams! Fairness demands that all students in the class should take the same examination at the same time – exceptions will be granted only in the most unusual and extreme situations!
XI. Essay.
Each student will write a single RESEARCH ESSAY. The grade for this essay will count 20% of your final course grade.
The attached rubric explains the essay assignment. BE SURE TO WRITE YOUR ESSAYS IN ACCORD WITH THE ATTACHED RUBRIC!!
XII. Grades. The grading system for this course is as follows:
A
94 – 100
4.0
“superior”
A-
90 – 93
3.7
B+
87 – 89
3.5
“good”
B
83 – 86
3.0
B-
80 – 82
2.7
C+
77 – 79
2.5
“satisfactory”
C
73 – 76
2.0
C-
70 – 72
1.7
D+
65 – 69
1.5
“poor”
D
60 – 64
1.0
F
59 and below
0
“failing”
Your Final Grade will be computed as follows:
Quiz Average 20%
Homework 15%
Mid-Term Exam 20%
Final Exam 25%
Essay Average 20%
Instructors are required to KEEP GRADES PRIVATE. Therefore, they cannot be sent to you by e-mail; they cannot be given to you over the telephone; they cannot be given to another student; they cannot be posted on the instructors’ door. Nor, in most cases, can graded materials be left for you outside the instructor’s door.
[Note: On very rare occasions, according to the Queens University Catalog, when “unusual circumstances” make it “impossible” to complete class work, students may request a temporary grade of “incomplete.” Please note however: (a) “Incompletes” are not normally given. An “Incomplete” is given only in “unusual” circumstances, such as family emergencies, sudden illnesses, etc. Note quite completing assigned work promptly is NOT an “unusual” circumstance; (b) the “unusual circumstance,” must make it “impossible” to get the work done. Students are expected to complete the course on time; only when it’s obvious that because of the “unusual circumstances” it’s simply impossible to complete the work, will an incomplete be issued; (c) any requests for a temporary grade of “Incomplete” must be made in writing prior to the date of the Final Examination. This request must explain the nature of the “unusual circumstances” and also explain just why that makes completing the work on time is “impossible.” Should you receive a grade of “Incomplete” it is YOUR responsibility to turn in the outstanding work before the DEADLINE set by the Registrar’s office. If work is not submitted by the deadline, the temporary grade of “Incompletes” will be turned into an “F”].
XIII. Calendar.
NOTE: Additional readings will regularly be added to the syllabus. They will normally be available on the web. BE SURE TO CONSULT THE WEB-SYLLABUS BEFORE CLASS! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL LISTED READINGS, AND THEY ARE ALL POTENTIAL SUBJECTS FOR QUIZZES & EXAMS!
Also: be sure to download the handout for each class!
DATE
TOPIC
READING
OTHER
Religion?
America?
Backgrounds & Beginnings
Corrigan & Hudson: 1
Religion in Early America
Mathisen 2: Documents 1-6 + Webb
Journal 1
England & America
Corrigan & Hudson: 2 (41-62)
Reading: “Who Were the ‘Puritans’”?
Quiz 1
England & America
Corrigan & Hudson: 2 (62-end)
Religion in Colonial America
Mathisen 2: Cogliano & Dunn
Journal 2
7. F 9 Sep
The Great Awakening
Corrigan & Hudson: 3
NO CLASS MEETING TODAY
The Great Awakening
Mathisen: 3: Documents 1-6
The Great Awakening
Mathisen: Cowing; Blauvelt & Skinner
Quiz 2
The Birth of the Republic
Corrigan & Hudson: 4
Journal 3
Religion in the American Revolution
Mathisen: 4: Documents 1-5
Quiz 3
Religion in the American Revolution
Mathisen: 4: Hatch; Noll
The New Republic & the Churches
Corrigan & Hudson: 5
QUESTION & BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE IN CLASS
American Religion in the Middle Period
Mathisen: 5: Documents 1-6
Expansion & Consolidation
Corrigan & Hudson: 6
Journal 4
Quiz 4 (on material from 26 Sep)
16. F 30 Sep
American Religion & the West
Mathisen: 6: Documents 1-6
NO CLASS MEETING TODAY
American Religion & the West
Mathisen 6: Szaz; Berkhofer
The Broadening of Denominational Life
Corrigan & Hudson: 7
Journal 5
Visions of Religious Community
Corrigan & Hudson: 8
Quiz 5
Religious Communities
Mathisen 5: Mintz; Mathisen
Journal 6
21. W 12 Oct
MID-TERM EXAMINATION
Slavery & American Religion
Mathisen 7: Documents 1-8
Religion & the Civil War
Mathisen 8: Documents 1-6
Quiz 6
Religion in Post-Civil War America
Corrigan & Hudson: 9
RESEARCH REPORT DUE IN CLASS
New Americans
Corrigan & Hudson: 10
Journal 7
A New Intellectual Climate
Corrigan & Hudson: 11
Science & the Crisis of Faith
Mathisen 9: Documents 1-5; EITHER Carter OR Turner
Quiz 7
The New Society in Industrial America
Corrigan & Hudson: 12
Journal 8
Religion in Industrial America
Mathisen 10: Documents 1-6; Dolan; Fulop
Religion & Empire
Mathisen 11: Documents 1-6
ARGUMENT OUTLINE DUE IN CLASS
Religion & Empire
Mathisen 11: Handy; Hunter
Quiz 8 (to be keyed to "A 19th century conversation")
A Shifting Religious Configuration
Corrigan & Hudson: 13
Journal 9
Fundamentalism & Modernism
Mathisen 12: Documents 1-5
Quiz 9
Fundamentalism & Modernism
Mathisen 12: Marsden, Gatewood, Szaz
The Great Depression & World War II
Mathisen 13: Documents 1-5; Pratt; Carpenter
Journal 10
Protestantism in the mid-20th century
Corrigan & Hudson: 14
Quiz 10
Religion from World War II to Vietnam
Mathisen 14: Documents 1-6
Journal 11
A New Catholicism
