Syllabus
Conditions: This class requires active participation of students who ought to read selected texts. Final evaluation of students is based on: activity in the class (10% of evaluation), in class presentation (10% of evaluation) seminary paper or essay (5 pages) on one of the covered (or approved) topics based on at least 3 bibliographic and 2 electronic resources (40% of evaluation), final exam 40% (of evaluation). Seminary paper is due to the end of the last teaching week before the beginning of the exam period.
Activity in the class (presence and active participation in debates is a clear plus)
In class presentation (Each student is supposed to prepare 15 to 20 minutes long oral presentation introducing one of many American churches, sects or some of the great world religious traditions to the class. Presentation should contain brief information on origins and history, geographical distribution of believers and basic concepts of faith).
Seminary paper or essay (Each student will pick up individual topic till the 3rd week of instruction and consult it with lecturer, after approval of suitability and relevance of the individual topic by the lecturer; student is allowed to produce the term paper. Individual topic may focus on analyzing the impact of particular denominational influence on American culture, society, political life, national and political identity. Phenomenon such as televangelism, megachurches, religions conservativism, liberalism, radicalism, fundamentalism, New Christian Right Movement, religious lobbying potential or religious public opinion making potential are also legitimate topics).
Any use of quoted texts in seminary papers and theses must be acknowledged. Such use must meet the following conditions: 1) the beginning and the end of quoted passage must be shown by quotation marks 2) when quoting from books and periodicals, the name(s) of author(s), book or article titles, the year of publication, and page from which the passage is quoted must all be stated in the footnotes or endnotes 3) internet sourcing must include a full web address whwre the text can be found as well as the date the web page was visited by the author.
In case the use of any texts other than those written by the author is established without proper acknowledgement as defined above, the paper or thesis will be deemed plagiarized and handed over to the Disciplinary Commission of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Final Oral Exam will have the form of brief dialogue over the content of seminary paper, verifying student produced the paper himself/herself and clearly understands basic ideas, concepts as well as the wider frame of particular term paper topic. Student should understand at least some basic terms and facts introduced during the course like the Great Awakenings etc.
Class Format
Each class will begin with student presentation. During this seminary section basic concepts and problems of each individual presentation will be discussed. General topics connected with the explaining of basic functions or problems of religiosity in the society and their theoretical interpretations may also be debated.
The rest of class will have the form of lecture explaining specific features of American religiosity and specific functions of religiosity in American society in contrast to Central European region (based on the recommended reading). All introduced theoretical explanations can be debated.
Program: Introduction of key historical moments forming American religiosity, as well as moments of clash of religious tradition with modernity. Main issues of the clash of religious tradition and modernity that form social, political as well as religious development in the USA will be addressed in this class. Stress will be put on understanding of the development leading to different position of religion in modern American society compared to Europe. Attention will be paid to the development of American society in 1950s, 1960s and 1980s as well as to the role of conservative Christians in public politics. Program / Thematic Circles: 1. Origins of Religiosity? Why is religiosity still relevant for social sciences? … 2. Original Inhabitants, Puritan New England 3. First Great Awakening 4. American Revolution and Religiosity 5. Second Great Awakening 6. Tocqueville 7. Catholic Church in the USA 8. Changes in Protestant-Catholic Relations 9. Conservative Believers 10. Religion and Politics 11. Televangelists 12. The Wall of Separation. How to Perceive It? 13. Religious Changes and Sociological Data
Annotation
Introductory course describing some of the main problems created by the clash of religious tradition with modernity in the USA.