Gender Studies 333P - The Shakers

'This course will examine the historical and cultural creation of the Shaker society.Shakers were convinced that celibacy was the primary teaching of the Christian message. In the process, they reconfigured traditional understanding of God and Christ to include major female components, and they constructed a series of communities, built worlds, to reflect a new social and political order.Their music, art, and extensive visionary material also carries their understanding of gender relations and sexual activity (or lack thereof) into all areas of life in America. They were patriotic, but did not vote; were pacifists, anti-slavery, and communitarian.'

Prereq: 8 credits in Religion, or 8 credits in Gender Studies, or Permission of Instructor