American Studies 217 - Religion, Democracy, and American Culture

[Pre-1900] The United States has inscribed the separation of church and state into its constitutional order, and yet Americans have for two centuries been more deeply committed to religious faith and practice than any other people in the Western world. This course endeavors to explore that paradox. Topics addressed include the changing meanings of "the city on a hill"; the varieties of millennial belief and utopian community; the relationship between religion, ethnicity, and gender; religious political activism, including abolition, prohibition, anti-war and anti-abortion movements; and the limits of religious tolerance from movements against Catholics and Mormons to recent warnings of a "clash of civilizations" with Muslim cultures.

Limited to 25 students. Fall 2025. Professors Couvares.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference given to majors, then first and second year students

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on discussion, reading, written work, critical analysis, and at least one field trip; and exposure to various American Studies readings, ranging from the colonial era to the present; and the use of various methods, including interpreting historical, sociological and other scholarly work, as well as poems, novels, photographs, and paintings.