Religion in North America

A 1997 course by Katie Cannon at Temple University examines "the Black Women's Literary tradition to understand how it functions as a continuing symbolic expression and transformer of value patterns fashioned by the female members of the African American community" with a focus on ethical perspectives.

A 1998 course by Jordan Paper at York University is a "study of non-Western religions, analyzing primal cultures and early civilizations using Amerindian examples, considering traditional (Ojibwa to Inca) and contemporary (American Indian Movement, Peyote Religion) phenomena and their interrelationships with Western religion. Canadian examples will predominate."

A 2013 course by Paul Burford at Tyndale Seminary "designed to educate students regarding the evolution and relevance of faith perspectives specific to Canadian film and filmmakers."

A 1999 course by Elias Bongmba and Mary Ann Clark at Rice University surveys " the transplantation and development of African religions in the Americas. It will include an introduction to Santería, Vodoun , Candomblé, Rastafaris and various revivalist movements with African connections."

A 2013 course by Denis Bekkering at the University of Waterloo on how a variety of films "approaches the 'revival preacher as religious fake' formula."

A course by Joseph Molleur at Cornell College examines "three centuries (from the 1700’s to the 1900’s), we will examine the ideas and experiences of a wide variety of Christians, including conservative and liberal Christians, black and white Christians, male and female Christians, and Protestant and Catholic Christians."

A 2006 course by Arthur Farnsley at Hartford Seminary examines "the mixture of folk beliefs and 20th century fundamentalism practiced by so many Americans today, paying special attention to the religious and spiritual underpinnings of hyper-individualism."

A 2013 course by Gordon Jensen at Saskatoon Theological Union "explores how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada . . . and its predecessor bodies have tried to be both confessionally Lutheran and Ecumenical."

A course by David Bromley at Virginia Commonwealth University focuses "on groups that emerged during the last half of the twentieth century, New Religious Movements."

A 2014 course by Lawrence Foster at Georgia Tech University focuses on Charismatic Revival, Nation of Islam, Mormons, and New Age religious movements within the larger context of "new, unorthodox, and persecuted religious groups."

A course by Anthea Butler at Loyola Marymount University on African American Pentecostalism through the lens of a multiple disciplines.

A course by Ira Chernus at the University of Colorado at Boulder studies "the values, ideas, and sentiments of the 1960s counterculture" with attention to religious issues and "how the popular books of the counterculture created a new 'myth' that served as an ideal for social change."

A 2001 course by Jeffrey Carlson at DePaul University employs an interdisciplinary approach to "the importance of place in a time of rootlessness, the role of memory and ritual, pilgrimage and worship, the stories of immigrants and the dispossessed, our craving for nature, the role of public spaces, and a host of other ways that people experience places as particularly significant" throughout Chicago.

A 2008 course by Sally Promey at Yale University "invites students to explore recent interdisciplinary literatures on the subject of the visual cultures of religions in the United States."

A 1998 course by James Treat at the University of New Mexico uses thematic and historical approaches to "the role of religion in American culture and of religious studies in American culture studies."

A 2006 course by Mark Hulsether at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville "is not a survey of all aspects of religion and US culture, but rather a variable-topics course on selected issues and problems within this field . . . focus this term is on understanding the US in the context of globalization and empire."

A 2013 course by Melissa Harris-Perry at Wake Forest University on the "connections between black religious ideas and political activism."

A 2014 course by Madeleine Miller, OSB at Wayne State College investigates "how religion and politics intersect in American society."

A 2011 course by Gerardo Marti at Davidson College "pursues sociological analysis at the intersection of race-ethnicity and religion" in America.

A 2008 course by Jane Naomi Iwamura at the University of Southern California explores "the complex intersections of race and religion in contemporary America through the rhetorical analysis of written texts and film."

A 2006 course by Nora Rubel at Connecticut College "is a methodological inquiry into American food traditions as elements of personal and communal religious identity."

A 2009 course by Kathryn Lofton at Yale University uses "case studies and theoretical ruminations" to "explore the relationship between ideas about sex and ideas about religion, as well as sexual practices and religious practices" in the United States.

A 2001 course by Jeffrey Richey at the University of Findlay "is an intermediate-level survey of the history and diversity of the Buddhist tradition, from the lifetime of the Buddha in fifth-century BCE India to contemporary Buddhist communities in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and North America."

A course by Charles Bellinger at Texas Christian University examines abortion "from various angles: medical, psychological, philosophical, legal, and religious."

A 2013 course by Michael Brandon McCormack at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary seeks "to foster critical reflection on the relationship between black churches, religious practices and popular culture in the post- Civil Rights era."

A course by Yvonne Chireau at Swarthmore College begins "with the period of African-European contact and move through to the evolution and transformation of African religion in the present day."

A 2012 course by Ray Owens at Phillips Theological Seminary "examines the ways in which religious beliefs, practices and institutions helped to form and inform the modern Civil Rights movement as well as the Anti-Civil Rights forces."

A 1998 course by Liza McAlister at Wesleyan University "examines various American eschatologies and the religious communities that imagine them."

A 2012 course by Robert Lee Foster at Williams Baptist College traces the origins and tenets of "Baptist polity and theology" with special attention to Baptist history and impact in the United States.

A 2013 course by Shannon Craigo-Snell and Lewis Brogdon at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary explores "African American theologies before the Civil Rights movement, the origins and development of Black Theology as a theological movement in the late 1960s against the backdrop of the Black power and Black Consciousness movements, and Womanist Theologies."

A 2011 course by Ruben Garrote at Florida International University offers an introduction "to the key issues surrounding the interpretation and implementation of the First Amendment protection of freedom of religion . . . from the time before the American Revolution to the present."

A 2008 course by Scott Seay at Christian Theological Seminary "offers a sympathetic but critical exploration of both the history and theology of Protestant evangelicalism in the United States."

A 1998 course by Amir Hussain at California State University-Northridge examines "some of the relationships between 'Islam' and 'the Modern World'" with special attention to major reformers, Feminism, radicalism, and Islam in the U.S. and Canada.

A 2003 course by Shawn Landres at the University of Judaism "invites students to think critically and comparatively about Judaism and Jewishness in contemporary North America" with a reliance on "qualitative social-scientific approaches, rather than theological, textual, or historical ones."

A 2013 course by Dianne Reistroffer at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary "designed to provide an overview of the history and doctrine of the Methodist movement. Significant time is spent on the life, work, and theology of John Wesley and the Wesleyan roots of Methodism as well as on the American Methodist experience."

A 2002 course by Raymond Bucko at Creighton University "takes a critical issues approach to the study of Native American Religions."

A 1999 course by John Grim at Bucknell University pursues a history of religions approach "concerned with the settings in which religious beliefs and practices emerge, change, and continue. . . . . focused) largely on North American Indian religious life with some attention to MesoAmerican indigenous religions."

A 1998 course by Tim Miller at the University of Kansas examines "American alternative religions . . . Specifically ones that do not have explicit foundations in Christianity or Judaism."

A 2001 course by Tim Miller at the University of Kansas examines new religious movements in America "that stem from or are closely related to the mainstream American traditions, Christianity and Judaism."

A 2008 course by Allen Tennison at Azusa Pacific University explores "'the development of the Pentecostal movement from its beginnings . . . Including . . . Continuing global impact." Special attention to its history and presence in the United States.

A 2012 course by Amy Plantinga Pauw at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary "serves as an introduction to the Reformed tradition as embodied in the history, faith, institutions, and practices of the Presbyterian churches, with particular attention devoted to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). "

A 2011 course by Scott Seay at Christian Theological Seminary "explores the origins, growth, and present status of the Stone-Campbell Movement . . . Especially as it developed into the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."

A 1999 course by Philip Arnold at Syracuse University surveys the "inner dimensions of the 'great religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and 'primal' religions" as well as how they are situated within the American context.

A 2011 course by Gerardo Marti at Davidson College "pursues sociological analysis at the intersection of race-ethnicity and religion. Our focus in this class centers on American congregational communities (whether it be church, temple, or mosque)— especially in relation to processes of immigration and transnationalism."

A 2014 course by Elfriede Wedam at Loyola University Chicago on "the many dimensions of religion-how it is defined, how people express it, how they experience its power" in the American context.

A 2010 course by Gerardo Marti at Davidson College "pursues an understanding of both the "social-ness'" of religion itself and the mutually influencing interactions between religion and its social environment" with focus on American society.

A 2012 course by Josh Packard at the University of Northern Colorado analyzes religion in America.

A 2012 course by Seth Walker at the University of South Florida "explores the intersection of religion and contemporary popular culture in America."

A 2010 course by Sally Promey at Yale University explores "the destruction, censorship, and suppression of pictures and objects . . . Motivated by religious convictions and practices, in the United States."

A 2007 course by Judith Weisenfeld at Princeton University uses "the thematic lens of visual and material culture studies (largely in U.S. contexts) . . . For the study of religion."

A 2011 course by Colleen McDannell at the University of Utah asks "how do commercial filmmakers . . . understand religion? How does Hollywood call on religion to articulate various social, aesthetic, and economic concerns? Which social and cultural changes have made their impact on the movies?"

A 2009 course by Judith Weisenfeld at Princeton University on "the politics of representing religion at key moments in both American film and American religious history."

A 2012 course by Kenneth Lasson at the University of Baltimore "examines the history and development of the religion clauses of the First Amendment, as well as the relevant jurisprudence."

A 2013 course by John Farina at George Mason University "on the legal doctrines that have arisen in cases under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment."

A course by Sarah Rivett at Princeton University "charts how a supernatural domain . . . Persists throughout American literary history."

A 2012 course by Molly Jensen at Southwestern University approaches American religion through novels and "considering distinctive religious expressions of geographically- and culturally-diverse communities."

A 2010 course by Gustav Niebuhr at Syracuse University studies "how news organizations describe religion's place in the public realm, form the heart of this course."

A 2007 course by Wendy Cadge at Brandeis University examines "the relationship between religion, health, and healing in the contemporary United States."

A 2003 course by Chris Hamilton at Washburn University "describes the major world religions in America, and their political/social teachings and practices that affect American life and the world."

A 2014 course by Laura Olson at Clemson University "designed to examine and critically analyze the nature of the relationship between religion and various aspects of politics in the United States."

A 2013 course by Chris Gilbert at Gustavus Adolphus College "examines the political impact of religion in the United States, both historically and today."

A 2013 course by Kenneth Wald at the University of Florida concerns "the impact of religion on the major dimensions of politics in the United States. 'Religion,' as defined in the course, refers not only to formal theological creeds but also to the social beliefs, organizations and subcultures associated with various religious communities. The principal aim of the course is to understand how religion affects politics (and vice versa)."

A 2012 course by Mark Brewer at the University of Maine examines the "thoughtful and critical examination of the many different ways that religion affects American politics, and also ways in which politics affects matters of religion."

A 2009 course by Ira Chernus at the University of Colorado-Boulder focuses "principally on the relation between religion and nationalism in the history of the United States. We will look particularly at the the question of how a self-styled “chosen people” understands itself and its mission and deals with other peoples."

A 2011 course by David Campbell at the University of Notre Dame analyzes "the ways in which religion is interwoven into American politics . . . (and) America's religious pluralism."

A course by Joseph Kosek at George Washington University "considers how religion and politics have influenced each other in the United States as well as the ways that Americans have understood those influences."

A 2007 course by Ira Chernus at the University of Colorado at Boulder "studies selected eras of war and selected movements for peace throughout U.S. history . . . the Pequot war, the war with Mexico, the Spanish-American war, World War II, the Cold War, the U.S. wars against Iraq, and the "war on terrorism" are featured.

A 2011 course by Ellen Blue at Phillips Theological Seminary "is a survey of the history of women and religion in the U.S. from the colonial period to the present" in the United States.

A 2010 course by Marcia Robinson at Syracuse University "focuses upon the role that religion may have played in women’s understandings of themselves as abolitionists, social reformers, and human beings" with special attention to Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

A 2000 course by Daniel Sack at Hope College traces the ways in which "African-Americans have formed religious traditions from a variety of influences—including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and African religions."

A 2009 course by Herbert Ruffin at Syracuse University "emphasizes Black religious practices, institutions, and thought in African Americans."

A 2013 course by Gwendolyn Simmons at the University of Florida "designed to give the student a coherent, interdisciplinary understanding of the African American religious experience from the beginning of the African sojourn here in North America until the present."

A 1998 course by Katie Cannon at Temple University "focuses on autobiographical narratives written or dictated by ex-slaves of African descent from 1750 to the twentieth century."

A 2000 course by Darren Middleton at Texas Christian University that employs the arts to explore Caribbean religions.

A 2006 course by Carmelo Alvarez at Christian Theological Seminary "pretends to be a general introduction to the Hispanic/Latino theology."

A 2002 course by Raymond Bucko at Creighton University adopts an "ethnohistorical [approach], combining the disciplines of history and anthropology to obtain multiple perspectives on the interactions between native and non-native peoples . . . from the time of contact to the present as presented through history, anthropology, literature and film."

A 2004 course by Russell Kirkland at the University of Georgia explores "the practice of religion in selected regions of North America, past and present" with focus on the Navajo, the Hopi, the Lakota "Sioux," and other lesser known and decimated Native cultures.

A 2013 course by Andrea Mantell Seidel at Florida International University "provides an introduction to Native American religion and spirituality . . . of a number of diverse tribes within North, Central, and South America."

A 1996 course by James Treat at the University of New Mexico is "a close examination of the role of worldview in academic scholarship . . . (with) focus on the ways in which contemporary native scholars are bringing indigenous intellectual and cultural traditions to bear on a wide range of dominant academic disciplines and theories."

A 1997 course by James Treat at the University of New Mexico seeks to understand "the relationship between native people and Christianity" as it explores "the experience of native peoples."

A 2001 course by James Dalton at Siena College deals with the religious traditions of both modern and archaic native peoples . . . (including) the relationship of their religious experience to other forms of experience (social, economic, political, cultural, and so forth)."

A course by Ira Chernus at the University of Colorado at Boulder explores "the notion of 'American Civil Religion' as an academic category."

A 2005 course by Susan Ridgely at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh "explores the colorful, contested history of religion in American culture. While surveying the main contours of religion in the United States from the colonial era to the present, the course concentrates on a series of historical court cases that reveal tensions between a quest for a (Protestant) American consensus and an abiding religious and cultural pluralism."

A 2014 course by John Imbler at Phillips Theological Seminary "designed to introduce various events, movements, and peoples of Christianity in the United States from the pre-colonial period to the present."

A 1998 course by Debra Washington and Brett Smith at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary "offers a general introduction to the emergence of Christianity in the United States from Puritanism to Vatican II."

A 1999 course by Winnifred Sullivan at Washington and Lee University asks "What is American about American religion and what is religious about American religion?"

A 2011 course by Ira Chernus at the University of Colorado at Boulder focuses on "the values and cultural patterns that people in the U.S. tend to share in common" rather than "on organized religion."

A 2006 course by Mark Oppenheimer at Hartford Seminary analyzes religion as "a locus of dissent and counterculture in the United States."

A 2009 course by John Fea at Messiah College focuses "on the role of religion in the American founding era."

A course by Laura Ammon at Whittier College explores "various facets of the diverse face and immigrant nature of Religion in America since the sixteenth century."

A 2013 course by Wakoh Shannon Hickey at Alfred University "surveys American religious history from the 17th century to the late 20th century."

A 2001 course by Courtney Bender at Columbia University analyzes "the contemporary positioning of religion and religious

A course by Kevin Lewis at the University of South Carolina focuses on "the region's long cultural isolation, its tragic history, 'peculiar' heritage, politics, literature, geography, and weather" in relation to religious expressions.

A 2009 course by Scott Seay at Christian Theological Seminary explores "major developments in the religious history of the United States since 1945, with emphasis on how the church has negotiated the increasing pluralism of American society."

A 2011 course by Bernadette Brooten and Wendy Cadge at Brandeis University "focuses on analyzing religious diversity in greater Boston and asking how religious practices and beliefs unite and divide communities."

A 1998 course by Ron Grimes at Wilfrid Laurier University "concentrates on the religious and cultural interactions of people who are of indigenous or African descent as they encounter European religion and culture."

A 1998 course by K.I. Koppedrayer at Wilfrid Laurier University provides an "introduction to religious studies using selected examples of religion in North America. Major topics include inter-religious relations, the westernizing of Asian religions, the changing nature of religious tradition, and religions in multicultural settings. The course concentrates on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam as they are found in North America."

A 2004 course by Christopher Buck at Michigan State University offers "structured practice in critically reading views constructed by religious Americans [in how] to read a particular religious perspective on America and figure out where it comes from.A 2010 course by Elizabeth Drescher at Santa Clara University.

A 2012 course by Tona Hangen at Worcester State University considers "aspects of US history through the lens of American religion, with an emphasis on the history of religious pluralism."

A 2012 course by Wendy Cadge at Brandeis University "introduces . . . the tools and concepts central to the sociological study of religion in the United States."

A course by Stephanie Mitchem at the University of South Carolina explores "African American religious life from twin perspectives, 1) historical, cultural, and theological dimensions and 2) through cultural expressions, particularly music and art."

A 2011 course by Jacquelyn Winston at Azusa Pacific University examines "the social, historical, intellectual, cultural, political, and popular influences upon the theological development of American Christianity from colonial Puritanism of the 17th century through the revivals, Civil War, and Jesus movements of the 20th century."

A 1998 course by Debra Washington at DePaul University focuses on "diverse and creative forms of religious expression and transformation" in America with special reference to "the interaction of religion and culture."

A 2017 course by Lynn Neal at Wake Forest University examines "numerous sources, topics, and dilemmas" from popular culture as it considers "religion IN popular culture, popular culture IN religion, popular culture AS religion, and religion and popular cuture in dialogue."

A 2016 course by Lynn Neal at Wake Forest University examines "the history of specific 'cults,' and tackle the methodological and conceptual issues that arise in studying New Religious Movements (NRMs)."

A 2012 course by Frances Adeney at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary assesses "the contemporary situation for Christian evangelism and mission in the United States" with special attention to cultural contexts.

A 2010 course by Mark Hulsether at the University of Tennesee, Knoxville, "explores the intersections among religion, culture, and society in North America, especially in recent years" with special attention to "key sociopolitical issues such as empire, race and gender contestation, and consumerism."

A 2011 course by Jennell Botello at Florida International University traces "the historical development and influence of religion in the United States and particularly its influence on American culture."

A 1995 course by Terry Matthews at Wake Forest University seeks to develop " an appreciation of the rich religious history of the South, as well as an awareness of the intellectual, moral, political, social and economic forces that helped mold the region and give it a distinctive ethos." Attention is paid to the often-overlooked experience of African Americans, Roman Catholics, and Jews in the South in addition to Protestantism.

A 2000 course by John Hawley and Courtney Bender at Columbia University aims "through readings and projects already structured into this syllabus and through sustained exposure to projects of students own devising, to learn something of the complex texture of religious life in New York City."

A 2014 course by Cheryl Anderson at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary acquaints students "with the variety of biblical interpretations in the African American tradition" and the general principles of biblical hermeneutics.

A 2014 course by Larry Murphy at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary examines "select issues black ministers have faced and addressed as they pursued the mission and ministries of the church" as well as "insights into the effective contemporary practice of ministry."

A 2014 course by Gennifer Brooks at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary surveys "the history, theology and practice of preaching in the African American context, generally referred to as Black Preaching."

A 2014 course by Ron Anderson at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary provides "a historical and theological overview of church music. Although there will be some semblance to surveys of music history, it will focus on the various histories and traditions that have primarily shaped the practice of church music in North America."

A 2018 course by Jill DeTemple at Southern Methodist University "is designed as an intermediate course" to introduce students to "the border as a geographic and cognitive location rooted in history."

A 2019 course by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan at Seminary of the Southwest "engages multiple texts, scripture, literature, film, music, socio-political movements, and art to explore the violent system that grounds theological, psycho-socio-economic, and political oppression: white supremacist patriarchal misogyny, and the resulting intergenerational trauma, from a Womanist theological ethics perspective."

A 2019 course by Andrew Monteith at Elon University analyzes "the ways that movies, television, sports, novels, and other types of popular culture can shape, cultivate, interact with, and even serve as religion."