Prof. Joseph Molleur
Prall House 101
Jmolleur@cornellcollege.edu
Office Phone: 895-4237
REL. 356: Christianity in America
Aim of the Course
The goal of this course is to gain an understanding of, and appreciation for, several of the central figures and movements in the history of American Christianity. In our studies, which will span three centuries (from the 1700’s to the 1900’s), we will examine the ideas and experiences of a wide variety of Christians, including both conservative Christians and liberal Christians, both black Christians and white Christians, both male Christians and female Christians, both Protestant Christians and Catholic Christians. Hopefully, by the end of the course, students will have an insight into why some scholars of religion prefer to speak of “christianities” (lower-case “c”, plural) rather than “Christianity” (upper-case “C”, singular).
Course Requirements
1. Class Participation (20% of final grade). Regular attendance at class meetings and regular participation in class discussions are expected. Additionally, each student will take a turn at initiating class discussion by identifying, and raising questions about, a passage in the assigned reading that they find particularly interesting. More than one absence from class will progressively lower this portion of your grade.
2. Midterm Exam (25%), which will take place on the second Tuesday of the term. The exam will contain both short answer and short essay questions.
3. A 4-5 Page Essay (25%), due on the third Wednesday of the term. Late essays will not be accepted without prior consent of the professor.
4. A Take-home Final Exam (30%), due by 1:00 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the term.
Required Texts
1. John Woolman, The Journal of John Woolman and A Plea for the Poor.
2. Harold Simonson, Selected Writings of Jonathan Edwards.
3. Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love.
4. Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain.
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5. On reserve in Cole Library: Selections from Women and Religion in America, Vol. 1: The Nineteenth Century, ed. R. Ruether and R. Keller.
Class Meeting Times
Class meetings will be held on Monday through Friday, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Academic Honesty
Consult the COMPASS for the College's policy on cheating and plagiarism. More will be said about plagiarism when your essay assignments are distributed.
Students with Special Needs
Cornell College is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to all students. If you have a documented learning disability and will need any accommodation in this course, you must request the accommodation(s) from the instructor no later than the third day of the term. Additional information about the policies and procedures for accommodation of learning disabilities is available at http://cornellcollege.edu/academic_affairs/disabilities/.
Course Calendar
Note: The reading assignments listed in this course calendar are to be completed PRIOR to that day's meeting of the class.
WEEK 1
Monday: Getting oriented.
I. 18th Century
Tuesday: Woolman, The Journal of John Woolman, Chapters I-IV.
Wednesday: Woolman, Chapters V-VIII.
Thursday: Woolman, Chapters IX-XII.
Friday: Simonson, Selected Writings of Jonathan Edwards, pp. 27-95 (2nd ed.: 19-71).
WEEK 2
Monday: Simonson, pp. 96-133, 156-188 (2nd ed.: 77-104, 123-139, 145-151).
Tuesday: MIDTERM EXAM, 1:00 PM.
II. 19th Century
Wednesday: Women and Religion in America, Introduction and “Women and Revivalism” (Library Reserve).
Thursday: Women and Religion in America, “The Struggle for the Right to Preach” (Library Reserve).
Friday: Women and Religion in America, “Women in Social Reform Movements” (Library Reserve).
WEEK 3
III. 20th Century
Monday: King, Strength to Love, Chapters 1-8.
Tuesday: King, Chapters 9-15.
Wednesday: ESSAY DUE, 1:00 PM.
In-class viewing of the film, All God’s Children.
Thursday: Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, Part Two, Chap. One: I-II, IV-VI; Chap. Two: I, IV.
Friday: Merton, Part Three, Chap. One (all); Chap. Two: II-V.
WEEK 4
Monday: Merton,
Part Three, Chap. Three: III-IV; Chap. Four (all); Epilogue.
Tuesday: No class--work on take-home final.
Wednesday: TAKE-HOME FINAL DUE BY 1:00 PM.
A List of Reference Resources Available in the Library
Encyclopedia of African American Religions (Ref 200.89 En19)
Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism (Ref 200.9 En19b)
American Religious Leaders (Ref 200.92 H147am)
African-American Religious Leaders (Ref 200.922 Aa77af)
Contemporary American Religion, 2 vols. (Ref 200.973 C767)
Encyclopedia of American Religious History, 2 vols. (Ref 200.973 Qu31e)
Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, 1997 (Ref 277.05 Ye32)
Dictionary of Christianity in America (Ref 277.3 D561)
Atlas of American Religion (Ref 277.3 N469a)
The Religious Right (Ref 277.3082 Ut8r)
Encyclopedia of American Catholic History (Ref 282.7303 En19)
Cults in America (Ref 291 L587c)
Handbook of Denominations in the United States (Ref 291.0973 M461h)
Encyclopedia of American Religions (Ref 291.2 En19)