Syllabus

Azusa Pacific University

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

History 330: History of Religion in America

3 units, Fall 2007

Instructor: Dr. Bryan Lamkin	Office: Ronald, #128
Associate Professor of History	Office Hours: Tues, 11:30-12:30; Weds, 8:30-9:30
Department: History & Political Science	e-mail: blamkin@apu.edu
Phone: 626-815-6000, ext. 3368	Home Page: http://home.apu.edu/~blamkin/

University Mission and Purpose Statement:

Azusa Pacific University is an evangelical Christian community of disciples and scholars who seek to advance the work of God in the world through academic excellence in liberal arts and professional programs of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course covers the religious history of the American people. The significance of the social gospel, sects, cults, and modern trends are examined. (from university catalog)

Obviously, the religious history of the American people is a tremendous amount of material to manage in sixteen weeks—too much. Therefore, we will take various chronological “snapshots” of the American religious landscape over the past few centuries. I hope to make all of us more aware of our Christian past and the way that American belief systems have helped shape the larger society in our nation’s history. In addition to an historical religious overview, a key goal of this course is the development and advancement of critical thinking abilities. I believe that now, more than ever, we need Christian men and women who can face the complexities of the modern world and provide well-considered answers in the twenty-first century. What better place to advance that goal than in a course on American religion!

Prerequisites: none

Fulfills core requirement for the following majors: Social Science

Fulfills elective requirement for the following majors: History

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the semester each student will be able to:

Describe major developments in the religious history of America since the colonial period, including:

¨ European religious backgrounds and the continuing European influence on colonial American religious development

¨ New England Puritanism and its influence on American culture

¨ Religious revivalism, including the Great Awakenings

¨ The intersection of faith and American political development and practice

¨ The role of religion in reform movements, including the social gospel

¨ Alternative religious movements in American history

¨ The rise of an American world missions movement

¨ The development of conservative and liberal schools of American religion, including modernism, fundamentalism, and evangelicalism

Select an appropriate topic in American religious history, conduct basic research on that topic, and defend a point of view concerning that topic in a short analysis paper.
Develop and present a short oral summary and argument about an appropriate topic in American religious history.
Analyze and argue a position on the state of religious “health” in the colonial period of American history.
Analyze and argue a position on the fundamentalist-modernist controversy of the 1920s.
Choose an individual and defend why that person has contributed the most to American religious history since the late 1800s.
Summarize and evaluate primary source materials in American religious history, keeping in mind the particular historical context of a given era/event.
Describe and list the religious history of his or her family tree for four generations.

COURSE FORMAT

We will approach the study of America’s religious history in a variety of ways. On a number of occasions I will present short, traditional lectures. Several class sessions will be devoted exclusively to class discussions of key issues, especially regarding the assigned readings. We will do some work in small groups, evaluate religious-oriented media, conduct some debates, and who knows what else! Also, you will all be giving short presentations of your research topics in the course.

Reading Discussion Days

There will be four formal reading discussions, listed below in the Semester Schedule. On these days you will be partially responsible to lead the discussion. You will need to have several inquiry points ready to present to the class–things about the reading that struck you, challenged you, angered you, etc. I expect thoughtful reading of the texts that will produce a thoughtful discussion, rather than “I really liked this book,” or “this book stinks.” Please note–if you are absent on a formal discussion day, you must arrange a separate, individual meeting time with me to discuss the reading.

All this means that attendance and advance reading is crucial for your success in the course. My encouragement to those of you who are unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable with this type of active participation/discussion format is, be bold! I expect each of you to be well prepared and to participate, but you will not be ridiculed or made to appear foolish because of your contributions (or lack of).

COURSE POLICIES

Class Etiquette

Please arrive on time and do not leave before the end of class unless you inform me prior to class. Please turn cell phones to off or silent mode (not vibrate!); if your cell phone interrupts the class, you may be asked to leave for the day, and will receive an unexcused absence.

Attendance & Participation

Attendance and participation are crucial for the goals of this course and for your own sense of continuity and understanding. The university catalogue states, “Class attendance is of paramount importance, and excessive absences will affect the final grade.” Students are expected to participate actively in class activities, therefore behaviors such as sleeping, talking, reading unrelated materials, and studying for other classes are not acceptable. Students who are not actively involved in class (e.g. who are sleeping) will be asked to leave class and counted absent.

You are allowed 2 unexcused absences in the semester. If you miss 4 consecutive classes without notifying me, you will be dropped from the course. Attendance is determined by a roll sheet passed around at the beginning of each class. Be on time–if you are late to class you will not be able to sign the roll sheet and you will be considered absent for the day.

The following constitute excused absences: (1) illness (2) death in the immediate family (3) required appearance in a court of law (4) representing the university in an extracurricular activity. Please note that some university extracurricular activities do not justify an excused absence, so prior approval of the absence by the professor is required. Unexcused absences include work, job interviews, job fairs, weddings, vacations, and completing work for other courses.

It is the student’s responsibility to make the instructor aware of the situation prior to the absence and to provide appropriate written documentation. If absent, contact a classmate who can fill you in on what you missed, since you will be responsible for all material covered during class.

The following guidelines will be used in determining your attendance/participation grade (three or less unexcused absences is “regular attendance”):

Regular attendance, active contributor to class discussion	A
Regular attendance, occasional contributor to class discussion	B
Regular attendance, little/no contribution to class discussion Irregular attendance, active or occasional contributor to class discussion	C
Irregular attendance, little contribution to class discussion	D
Irregular attendance, no contribution to class discussion	F

Academic Integrity and Dishonesty

The maintenance of academic integrity and quality education is the responsibility of each student at APU. Cheating or plagiarism is an offense for which a student may be expelled, suspended, or given a less severe disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense which diminishes the quality of scholarship and defrauds those who depend on the integrity of the educational system. Academic dishonesty includes:

Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.

Students completing any examination should assume that external assistance (e.g., books, notes, calculators, and conversations with others) is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the instructor.

Students may not allow others to conduct research or prepare work for them without advance authorization from the instructor.

Substantial portions of the same academic work may not be submitted for credit in more than one course without authorization.

Fabrication: Intentional falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.

Facilitating academic dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, or work of another as one’s own in any academic exercise. (from university catalog)

Additional guidelines on plagiarism:

Students often misuse their sources unintentionally. Others do so intentionally. Both are unacceptable. Fundamentally, plagiarism is when you offer the words and ideas of another author as your own. The work of another person, their ideas, interpretations, distinctive phrasing, and exact words, constitute that author’s intellectual property. Use of that property without proper citation is, simply, theft. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please ask me to clarify. Plagiarism is a serious matter; as a Christian community we need to hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards–to do only those things that please our Lord and Savior. Academic dishonesty, including intentional plagiarism, will result in a failing grade for this course.

REQUIRED READING (available at University Bookstore):

Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1992. ISBN #0-8028-0651-1

Morgan, Edmund S. The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop. 2d ed. The Library of American Biography Series, ed. Oscar Handlin. New York: Longman, 1999. ISBN #0321043693

Hardesty, Nancy A. Women Called to Witness: Evangelical Feminism in the Nineteenth Century. 2nd ed. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press, 1999. ISBN: 1-57233-058-9

Balmer, Randall. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey Into the Evangelical Subculture of America. 3d ed. New York: Oxford, 1993. ISBN #0195131800

History of Religion in America Coursepack. (short primary source documents–please bring this to each class)

Please have the assigned readings completed by their corresponding lecture dates. Doing so will enable you to understand the lectures more fully, provide you the chance to ask more informed questions, and allow you to participate in any relevant discussions

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

PAPER ASSIGNMENTS

Two short analytical essays are required and you must choose a different period for each of your topics: Foundations, The Protestant Century, and Modern Turbulence. Each paper must describe and evaluate a major event, religious group or movement, or person that will not be covered by the existing topics listed in the Semester Schedule below.

Foundations period topics might include:

· Catholic settlement

· Early Baptists

· Church of England

· Quakerism

· Presbyterians

· Disestablishment

· Native American Spirituality

· Slave religion

Protestant Century topics might include:

· African-American religion

· Immigrant religion

· Religion and the Civil War

· Post-Civil War Prohibition

· Religion and Gilded-Age Politics

· Late 19^th-century biblical criticism

· The Ecumenical Movement

Modern Century topics might include:

· Pentecostal/Charismatic/Holiness Movement

· The Supreme Court and Religion

· Religion and the Great Depression

· Vatican Two

· Hispanic Religion

· Any of the individuals listed in Chapter 19 of the Noll text (Billy Graham excepted)

The requirements for these papers include:

¨ 3 to 5 pages in length, typed and double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. Use conventional, 11-13 point fonts.

¨ Blending primary and scholarly secondary sources to evaluate critically your subject. Argue something strongly about your topic rather than merely “reporting” the facts. I would like to see you use at least three scholarly sources to develop your paper.

¨ Follow the detailed guidelines listed in the separate paper assignment handout.

¨ Foundations period papers are due Thursday, October 4, the papers for the Protestant Century period on Thursday, November 1, and Modern Turbulence period papers Thursday, December 6.

¨ You must present a short oral presentation (5-7 minutes) of the findings of one of your two papers. My goal is to have one-third of you present your papers for the Foundations period, one-third for the Protestant Century, and the remaining third will do their presentation on the Modern Turbulence period topic. I will pass around a sign-up sheet within the next week to schedule these presentations.

¨ You may substitute a different type of “presentation” for one of your essays. For example, if your career goal is teaching and you would like to provide a “lesson plan” or a PowerPoint lecture in place of an essay, that is acceptable. Please let me know two weeks in advance of the particular due date if you would like to submit an alternative format.

FAMILY HISTORY

Each of you will develop, as fully as possible, a “Family Religious History” chart for at least four generations of your family, beginning with yourself. List the religious affiliations (or lack thereof) of each family member as fully as possible and briefly note other important religious/social data (i.e. the person was part of an ethnic immigrant community; he/she was converted in a religious revival; he/she became alienated from Christianity due to an ugly church split, etc.). Your family history is due Thursday, November 29.

If some situation in your family would make it awkward or difficult for you to complete this project, you may be excused from doing it. Advise me quickly if this is your situation and we will determine an acceptable alternative assignment.

EXAMINATIONS

There will be a mid-term and a final examination. Both will be take-home exams composed of major essays on central course themes. You are expected to interact with the sources provided in the course in responding to the examinations and I want to see at least informal references/citations to those sources. Please note: you cannot choose the same person or movement used in one of your analytical essays in answering the exam questions. I will give you the mid-term and final exam questions approximately two weeks before their respective due dates.

GRADING

Mid-term Exam:	15%
Analytical Papers:	30%
Oral Presentation:	10%
Family History:	10%
Participation:	15%
Final Examination:	20%

Improvement is a crucial part of this course. If there is significant improvement in quality of work over the course of the semester, emphasis will be given to the higher grade rather than maintaining the strict mathematical averages listed above.

Late Policy

Late papers will be penalized with a one-third grade deduction per class session, to a maximum of 2 full letter grades. For example, a B paper would become a B- if one session late, a C+ if two sessions, and so forth.

Extra-credit work will not be accepted for this course.

I will use the following abbreviations in grading your essays:

A	Awkward and/or incorrect phrasing
C	Missing citation; please provide the reference for your statement or quote
D	Descriptive; merely summarizes rather than analyzing why/how it relates to thesis
E	Needs additional explanation
IQ	Introduce quotes rather than “dropping” them into the essay; i.e. Fay writes, “. . .
IS	Incomplete sentence/sentence fragment
G	Too general; provide a specific example or examples to illustrate your point
P	Need to begin a new paragraph here
R	Indicates a recurring issue throughout the paper
S	Too many subjects in the same section; deal with one theme only per paragraph
T	Poor transition between ideas/paragraphs
U	Unclear; clarify your idea

I will use the following guidelines to grade your written assignments:

A	Outstanding (90-100%)	Shows originality and creativity. It makes a clear, consistent, and persuasive argument and brings in specific, relevant examples to back up its assertions. This paper is analytical rather than descriptive in tone–not merely informative, but is written with a style that interests and captivates the reader. Uses citations when appropriate, but not gratuitously. Paper contains few, if any, errors in mechanics (grammar, punctuation, and spelling).
B	Above average (80-89%)	The paper is well-written, including a clear thesis and good use of sources, but gives less supporting detail or less elaboration than above and may have a tendency to be too descriptive. Generally, the paper is competent but not extraordinary, and may include some irrelevant information or generalizations. May contain a moderate number of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.
C	Average (70-79%)	A grade of C reflects adequate college work but the insight is not marked by independent thought. Argument is underdeveloped, and contains some irrelevant information, repetition of information, or generalizations, rather than specific examples that support the thesis. The answer may not answer all parts of the question. Paragraphs need more details, examples, and specifics. There are many mechanical errors, but they are not so problematic that the paper is unable to be understood.
D	Below average (60-69%)	The paper is below average either because some aspect of the assignment has not been fulfilled, or because a preponderance of errors interferes with clear communication. A “D” may also indicate failure to follow directions, a paper that is too short and does not attempt to treat topic in depth, or failure to demonstrate personal effort and improvement.
F	Failing (0-59%)	Not acceptable, either because the student did not complete the assignment as directed, or because the level of writing skill is below an acceptable level for college work.

SEMESTER SCHEDULE & READING ASSIGNMENTS

PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS

Week One

Thursday, September 6: Introduction & General Concepts

Reading: Noll, 1-8

Week Two

Tuesday, September 11: The European Context to American Christianity

Reading: Noll, 11-14, 31-35

Thursday, September 13: Puritanism

Reading: Noll, 30-35, 38-53, 55-62

Week Three

Tuesday, September 18: Puritanism

Thursday, September 20: Discussion—What Was the Puritan Dilemma & Did They Solve It?

Reading: Morgan, Puritan Dilemma

Week Four

Tuesday, September 25: The Great Awakening

Reading: Noll, 83-113

Thursday, September 27: The Great Awakening

Week Five

Tuesday, October 2: Discussion—“Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?”

Reading: Edwin Gaustad, Chapters 4-5 in Neither King nor Prelate: Religion and the New Nation, 1776-1826, pages 59-109; David Holmes, Chapters 5-9 in The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, pages 53-98; Frank Lambert, “Deists Enter the Religious Marketplace,” Chapter 6 in The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America, pages 159-179; Noll, 114-23, 130-41

Thursday, October 4: “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?”

Reading: Mark A. Noll, Nathan O. Hatch, and George M. Marsden, The Search for Christian America, pages 107-124 (On reserve in library); Noll, 143-62

*Foundations period paper due

*Mid-term exam distributed

PART TWO: THE PROTESTANT CENTURY

Week Six

Tuesday, October 9: The Second Great Awakening

Reading: Noll, 163-90

Thursday, October 11: The Second Great Awakening

Week Seven

Tuesday, October 16: Moral & Social Reform Movements

Reading: Noll, 219-44, 313-34

Thursday, October 18: Alternative Religious Visions

Reading: Noll, 191-99

*Mid-term exam due

Week Eight

Tuesday, October 23: Discussion—Did Feminism Begin in the 19^th Century?

Reading: Hardesty, Women Called to Witness

Thursday, October 25: Evangelism and the Social Gospel

Reading: Noll, 286-309

Week Nine

Tuesday, October 30: Evangelism and the Social Gospel

Thursday, November 1: Evangelism and the Social Gospel

*Protestant-Century period paper due

PART THREE: MODERN TURBULENCE

Week Ten

Tuesday, November 6: Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy

Reading: Noll, 363-88, 390-95, 400-08

Thursday, November 8: The Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy

Week Eleven

Tuesday, November 13: View/Discuss Inherit the Wind

Thursday, November 15: View/Discuss Inherit the Wind

Week Twelve:

Tuesday, November 20: The Shaping of Evangelicalism

Reading: Noll, 423-25, 427-46, 452-57, 509-12

Thursday, November 22: Thanksgiving Holiday—No Class (Happy Turkey Day!)

Week Thirteen

Tuesday, November 27: The Shaping of Evangelicalism

Thursday, November 29: The Shaping of Evangelicalism

*Family History chart due

*Final exam distributed

Week Fourteen

Tuesday, December 4: Discussion–What is the State of American Religion?

Reading: Balmer, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory; Noll, 459-78, 531-53

Thursday, December 6: The 1960s and Beyond

Reading: Noll: 459-78, 531-53

*Modern Turbulence period paper due

Week Fifteen

Thursday, December 13: Final Examination Due, 2:15 p.m.

Available Support Services

· Students in this course who have a disability that might prevent them from fully demonstrating their abilities should meet with an advisor in the Learning Enrichment Center as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure full participation in the successful completion of course requirements.

· A variety of support services are available in the Learning Enrichment Center for persons desiring additional assistance in the course.

· Students needing help with writing skills should contact The Writing Center.

Instructor’s Note

The following instructor’s syllabi were consulted and used in designing this course. In some cases the language from their syllabi was incorporated into this one.

John Putman, History 445, San Diego State University. http://balrog.sdsu.edu/~putman/445/sylf03.htm (class etiquette)

Dr. Harold D. Tallant, History 470, Georgetown College, http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/courses/his470/syllabus.htm (attendance)

Jo Miller, History 100, Cornell University. http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/hist100.81/syl.html (attendance)

Ralph Wilmoth, HS 255, Iowa State University. http://www.lib.iastate.edu/commons/hs255/01spr/syllabus.html (attendance)

Kathryn Long, History 483, Wheaton College.

http://www.iupui.edu/~raac/youngscholars/syllabi19941996/long.html (family religious history chart)