Religion 250 (HONORS) African American Religions Fall 2013 Mary Beth Mathews Trinkle B-36 Office Hours: Mondays 10-1, Tu 2-4, and gladly by appointment mmathews@umw.edu Campus: x1354 Course Description This course will examine the variety of African-American religious experience in this country. We will approach the topic historically, tracing African religions and their encounter with western religions first, and then move on to the religious choices African Americans made. The course will concentrate primarily on Protestant Christianity, but we will give significant attention to Roman Catholicism, the Nation of Islam, Santeria, and other religious traditions. We will also examine the role of women in shaping religion, as well as the interaction between the African-American community and the white community. Students need no prior experience in religious history, but the course assumes that you possess a high-school knowledge of American history. Course Outcomes Students who take this course will gain an understanding of the roles theology, race, class, and gender have played in the development of African American religious history. Students will hone their textual interpretation skills by reading a variety of primary and secondary sources. Finally, students will be able to apply the knowledge they have acquired to current events and debates. All Religion courses seek to have students acquire factual information about different religious traditions, apply critical methods to interpret texts, communicate effectively both in writing and orally in the field of religious studies, and appreciate the diversity and richness of various religious traditions. The Honors Program has the following objectives. Students in this course will be able to: A. evaluate carefully the relevance of disciplinary contexts when presenting a position using a methodology specific to the discipline of study B. apply interdisciplinary approaches to research that demonstrates multiple disciplinary contexts in order to articulate the value of such study C. actively pursue independent educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom. D. articulate an appreciation of ethical behavior and the values of good citizenship and service. Books The following books are required and are available at the Bookstore:
African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness (2 nd ed.) Milton C. Sernett, ed. Through the Storm, Through the Night: A History of African American Christianity Paul Harvey Strength to Love, Martin Luther King, Jr. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X with Alex Haley The course will also use readings posted on the course blog (marked *). Course Schedule 8/27, 8/29 Introduction and Methods Reading: Fulop and Raboteau, Central Themes and Perspectives * 9/3, 9/5 African Religions Reading: Sernett 1-3; Harvey, Chapter 1; Albert J. Raboteau, The African Diaspora * 9/10, 9/ 12 Initial Encounters with Christianity Reading Sernett 4-6; Cyprian Davis, A History of Black Catholics in the United States, Chapter 1*; Albert J. Raboteau, Cathechesis and Conversion * 9/17, 9/19 Slave Religion Reading: Sernett 7-13; Harvey, Chapter 2 9/24, 9/26 Antebellum Free Blacks Reading: Sernett 14, 15, 17, 20, 31 10/1, 10/3 Black Catholics, the Civil War, and Emancipation Reading: Sernett 18, 25-27; Cyprian Davis, Chapter 3*; Harvey, Chapter 4 10/8, 10/10 Women in 19 th Century African American Religion/Church Segregation Reading: Sernett 16, 19, 37; Higginbotham* PAPER OR BOOK REVIEW DUE 10/10 10/ 15, 10/17 FALL BREAK (No class on 10/15--Whoo-hoo!) W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington Reading: Sernett 35; Booker T. Washington s Atlanta Compromise Speech* 10/22, 10/24 The Great Migration/ Pentecostalism/Marcus Garvey Reading: Sernett 32, 36, 38-40, 34, 47, 51; Harvey, Chapter 5 10/29, 10/31 The Civil Rights Struggle (Part I) Reading: Sernett 53-55; King, Strength to Love; Harvey, Chapter 6
11/5, 11/7 The Civil Rights Struggle (Part II) Reading: Sernett 56-58; Charles Marsh, The Beloved Community: An American Search * 11/12, 11/14 Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam, and Islam Reading: Sernett 52; Malcolm X Chapters 1, 9-13, 17-18; Eldridge Cleaver* 11/19, 11/21 Santeria/Voodoo PAPER OR BOOK REVIEW DUE 11/21 No reading assignment 11/26 African American Christian Worship Reading: Fulop and Raboteau, Conflict and Resolution * 11/27 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING (Mmmmm, turkey..) 12/3, 12/5 African-American Religion in the post Civil-Rights Era Reading: Sernett 59; Harvey, Epilogue Final Exam: Thursday, December 12, Noon to 2:30 p.m. Course Requirements One book review, 25% One research paper, 30% Class participation, 15% Blog posts, 10% One final examination (12/12, Noon to 2:30), 20% Honor Code Mary Washington s Honor Code governs all work in this course. Students signatures on any and all coursework convey a pledge of neither giving nor receiving aid on work. You will not receive warnings about infractions, as you should know how to cite sources by this point in your academic career. Using someone else s words, ideas, or arguments without citation is plagiarism. All work must be pledged. If you have questions, please consult with me. You may also want to familiarize yourself with the UMW Honor Code and Constitution, which you can find here: http://students.umw.edu/fredericksburghonorcouncil/guidebook-and-constitution/ Diversity A word about diversity in religion: this class will examine African American religions in their own context and in the context of their encounters with Euro-American religious traditions. We will not, however, engage in subjective judgments about any religion we
discuss. In the classroom, as in any academic environment, we must engage in open and impartial consideration of the subject. Blog posts Each week, students will post a brief (one paragraph) reaction blog post to the course blog (http://africanamericanreligions.umwblogs.org). These posts should not restate the reading but rather provide reflections on the reading. Students should include media in their blog posts; links to articles on current events, photos of significant leaders, and/or videos transform posts from an electronic version of a paper into educational tools on the Internet. In addition to posting your own reaction, please feel free to read those of other students and comment on them. Paper and Book Review Guidelines For this class, you must write one (1) paper AND one (1) book review. The paper should be 7 to 10 pages in length, while the book review should be 3 to 5 pages long. The general guidelines below should help you. If you need additional information, please ask the instructor. Paper You have two choices: 1) an experiential paper, or 2) a research paper. For the first option, you should visit a predominately African-American worship service and report on your observations. Good manners require that you contact the congregation or group ahead of time and request the congregation s permission to attend. Dress for the occasion, and remember that you are there as a representative of the University of Mary Washington. Your paper may use the first person, but you should still write a wellargued and polished paper, placing the congregation s worship in the context of African- American religion. For the second option, you may choose to write about any aspect of African-American religion, historical or contemporary, that interests you. For both types of papers, you must use the Chicago Manual of Style for citations, an outline of which you can find at the Simpson Library web site, and two copies of which you can find in the very comfortable and welcoming CPR lounge. I will post a link on the blog for your reference. Book review You must write one book review for this class. You may consult the supplemental bibliography on Canvas, or you may propose a different book to the instructor. Your book review must include a summary of the author s thesis, an analysis of the author s research techniques, and an evaluation of the success or failure of the book in question. A good book review finds both strengths and weaknesses in the work under scrutiny. You must use the Chicago Manual of Style for citations.
Miscellaneous The instructor expects ALL students to take quizzes, tests, and exams on the appointed days. Extensions will be granted only in EXTREME circumstances AND BEFORE the appointed day. Students in need of accommodations should present a letter from the Office of Disability Resources to the instructor confirming such a need as early in the semester as possible. The instructor makes every effort to accommodate such needs. Students should remember that the class functions best without electronic interruptions. Please silence all cell phones and other electronic communication devices before the start of class. Texting during class is both counterproductive and rude to the instructor and the class. Students who text during class will lose one blog post per infraction.