POL-207: Religion and American Politics

      This course examines the intersection of the religious and political spheres. We begin by exploring a wide variety of contemporary issues under the broad rubric of "values" politics.  Secondly, we study the connections between moral values and political beliefs in American history as well as in contemporary politics.  We conclude by studying the First Amendment's religious freedom clauses through a succession of judicial interpretations, ultimately acting out our own mock Supreme Court cases.  I hope all will approach the course inquisitively and with open minds... and usually we do! Thus we gain in understanding, even from those with whom we cannot agree.

      Two papers will be assigned, an analysis of the presidential election campaign and a response to the mock court case. In each case, I encourage students to turn in one or more rough drafts of the papers prior to the due date.

      Religion and American Politics is offered in even-numbered fall semesters. It counts as an American Politics course for the Political Science major or for Teacher Education endorsement in American Government. It is a Writing Emphasis course.
 

Religion and Politics Links

recent Supreme Court rulings

American Religion Data Archive

County-by-county map of American religious affiliation data

Great set of links from the Paul B. Henry Institute at Calvin College

Comprehensive site devoted to Martin Luther King Jr:  papers and photographs, and a searchable bibliography

Organizations: 

      Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, Trinity College, Hartford CT
      Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, Wheaton College, Wheaton IL
      Family Research Council: conservative culture featuring President Tony Perkins's daily "Washington Update"
      American Values: another conservative group, headed by former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who also offers a daily "End of Day Report" as well as a blog
       Americans United for Separation of Church and State: ardent separationists

Find Biblical passages and references at Bible Gateway, sponsored by Gospel Communications International (must be rather evangelical... I notice they offer neither the Revised Standard Version nor the New Revised Standard Version as translation options)

citation guide for MLA method


Course Outline: Fall 2008

TEXTS

    Sheila Kennedy, God and Country: America in Red and Blue (Baylor, 2007)
    Kenneth D. Wald and Allison Courtney-Brown, Religion and Politics in the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 5th ed., 2007)
    John Witte Jr., Religion and the American Constitutional Experiment: Essential Rights and Liberties (Westview, 2nd ed, 2005)
  

CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING LIST

Course introduction

I.  RELIGION IN AMERICAN CULTURE

    The Values Divide in American Politics: Kennedy 1
    Puritanism and the Colonial Era: Kennedy 2
    Enlightenment Rationalism and the Colonial Era: Kennedy 3
    Values Conflict in American History: Kennedy 4
    American World Views Today: Kennedy 5
    Values and the Social Issue: Kennedy 6
    Values and the Class Issue: Kennedy 7
    Values and Science/Technology Issues: Kennedy 8
    Values and Crime: Kennedy 9
    Values and Foreign Policy: Kennedy 10

II.  RELIGION AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

    Religion and Politics: WCB 2
    Religious Interest Groups: WCB 5
    Religious Group Influence: WCB 6
    Religion and Issue Positions:  WCB 7
    White Evangelical Protestants and the Christian Right: WCB 8
    Roman Catholics, Mainline Protestants, and Jews: WCB 9
    Ethnic and Religious Minority Groups: WCB 10
    Women and Gays: WCB 11

III.  RELIGION AND THE CONSTITUTION

    Ideas of the Constitutional Era: Witte 2
    Freedom of Religion: Witte 3
    The First Amendment: Witte 4
    Early Church-State Issues in the States: Witte 5
    Early Church-State Issues at the National Level: Witte 6
    The Free Exercise Clause: Witte 7
    The Establishment Clause: Witte 8

    Conclusion: Witte, pp. 249-257
    ORAL ARGUMENTS
    ANNOUNCING DECISIONS


Next Course: Political Parties and Elections

Last Course: American National Government

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Last update 11/13/08