Black Studies 145 - Intro to AFAM Religions

(Offered as REL 130 and BLST 145) Is there something called black religion? If so, what makes it black? This course will explore the nature and the meaning of black religion. We will examine the historical development of African American religion in the United States, focusing on diverse African American religious groups, including the Nation of Islam, the Moorish Science Temple of America, Black Jews of Harlem, the Black Church, and others. Specific attention will be paid to the ways in which African American religious groups have endeavored to overcome race, class, gender, and other forms of social oppression. The course will have two sections. First, we will attempt to define black religion in the larger context of religious studies. Second, we will explore what is “black,” or unique about African American forms of religion by examining the theological, social, and ritualistic concerns of various African American religious groups.

Fall Semester. Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellow Jeffries.