HIST 356
History of American Religious Thought (US) (WI)
Catalog Entry
HIST 356
History of American Religious Thought (US) (WI)
Three hours lecture/discussion: (3)
Prerequisite: Three hours of History at the 100 level.
A survey of important developments in American religious thought including Puritanism,
Unitarianism, Transcendentalism, New Thought and Positive Thinking, the Social Gospel,
Fundamentalism, and Neo-Orthodoxy.
Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
The course follows a topical treatment within a chronological framework:
I. Native American Religion
II. The European Background of American Religious Experience
A. Calvinism
B. Puritanism
III. The First National Event in America--The First Great Awakening
IV. Challenges to Orthodoxy
A. The Enlightenment in America
B. Unitarianism
C. Transcendentalism
V. The Second Great Awakening
VI. Sectarians and Utopians
VII. New Thought and the Positive Thinkers
VIII. The Social Gospel
IX. Fundamentalism
X. Neo-Orthodoxy
XI. Recent Trends: Ecumenism, Fundamentalism, and the Electronic Church
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Although the course would generally be classified as lecture, significant portions
of class time are devoted to questions designed to stimulate critical thinking skills
and the examination of primary documents (such as Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God," Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Divinity School Address," and William
James's lectures on "The Varieties of Religious Experience") which introduce students
to the basic raw materials of historical study. In addition, regularly scheduled class
periods are reserved for discussions on assigned readings and monographs. Students
prepare written critical analyses as preparation for thoughtful discussions.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Departmental Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will practice thinking critically and analytically about historical issues,
acquire a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of pertinent historical events
and processes, and cultivate a familiarity with the concepts of historical argument
and interpretation.
2. Students will develop disciplinary research skills by designing strategies to locate
and analyze primary and secondary source evidence, processing and organizing the resultant
data, and composing proper citation and bibliographical entries.
3. Students will apply their critical thinking, research, and compositional skills
to the creation and presentation of thesis driven essays that discuss, for example,
historical social, economic, political, and/or cultural developments and that address
issues such as the causes and consequences of historical change and continuity.
Course Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will be able to discuss the diversity, richness, and centrality of American
religious thought and expression.
2. Students will be able to demonstrate through oral and written analyses how present
religious developments flow from and are intimately connected to the past.
3. Students will develop historical consciousness by comparing and contrasting primary
and contemporary sources.
4. Students will be able to think critically and demonstrate this skill through various
modes of writing.
Assessment Measures
Knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this course will be measured
using an array of assessment tools that may include, among other things, class attendance
and participation, written examinations, formal writing assignments of various types,
and informal writing assignments. All exercises are designed to expand the student's
ability to evaluate historical events and to develop his or her ability to compose
persuasive arguments.
Other Course Information
Previously, History 354 and History 355 included the religious dimension of the American
experience (under the title, American Social and Religious History) in a two-semester
sequence. In recent years, social history has burgeoned to such an extent that teaching
it coupled with religious history dilutes both of these important subjects. Religious
history is a vital part of social history, but deserves distinct and concentrated
treatment. Therefore, on February 20, 1991, the Curriculum Committee approved a restructuring
which retained the previous two-semester sequence History 354 and History 355 under
the revised title, American Social History (see revised syllabi), and added History
356 as a one-semester course to focus on the religious component of the American experience.
Review and Approval
October 2010 Reviewed and Approved by Sharon A. Roger Hepburn, Chair
04/2011
March 01, 2021