January 30: Introductions, Expectations
IN-CLASS: Syllabus; Johnson, “Ancient African Religion Finds Roots in America“
“FOUNDATIONS”?
February 1: Presentations of African American Religious Experiences
READ: Long, “African American Religion in the United States of America”
IN-CLASS: The Green Pastures (1936)
February 6: Film Discussion
READ: HARVEY, “Introduction”
The “INVISIBLE” INSTITUTION
February 8: The Middle Passage
READ: HARVEY, ch. 1
READ: RABOTEAU, ch. 1-2
READ: Prothero, “Yoruba Religion”
February 13: The Invisible Institution, I
READ: HARVEY, ch. 2-3
DUE: Paper topic
February 15: Academic Paper Writing (No new reading)
February 20 – February 22: The Invisible Institution, II
READ: RABOTEAU, ch. 3-6
PRESENTATIONS: Baumfree; Vesey; Wheatley
The BLACK CHURCH
February 27: The Black Church, I
READ: HARVEY, chapter 4
PRESENTATION: Allen
DUE: Response #1 (on RABOTEAU)
February 29: The Black Church, II
March 5: The Black Church, III
READ: FRAZIER (entire)
VARIATIONS on a THEME
March 7: Marcus Garvey & Rastafarianism
READ: Price, “Production of a Black Messiah”
PRESENTATION: Howell
DUE: Response #2 (on FRAZIER)
March 12: The Father Divine Peace Mission Movement
READ: Erickson, “Black Messiah”
PRESENTATION: da Graça
March 14: The Rise of “Black Ethnics”
READ: Johnson, “The Rise of Black Ethnics”
PRESENTATION: Divine
March 19 – March 21: NO CLASS (Spring Break)
March 26: Hebrew Israelites
READ: Gold, “The Black Jews of Harlem”
PRESENTATION: Crowdy
March 28: Moorish Science Temple
READ: The Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America
PRESENTATION: Drew
April 2 – April 4: African American Islam
READ: Berg, “Mythmaking in the African American Muslim Context”
PRESENTATION: Muhammad
DUE (April 2): Response #3 (on da Graça and Divine)
PROMPT: Think about Father Divine and Daddy Grace, and consider whether their work / message either “fit in” or represented an innovation (a “new turn”) in the African American religious experience.
The BLACK CHURCH, REVISITED
April 9 – April 11: The Black Church, Revisited
READ: LINCOLN, The Black Church Since Frazier (entire, by April 9)
READ: HARVEY, chapter 5
PRESENTATIONS: Healy; Seymour; Tolton
April 16 – April 18: Black Theology
READ: CONE (entire, by April 16)
PRESENTATIONS: Abernathy; Hall
DUE (April 18): Response #4 (on Lincoln, in FRAZIER)
PROMPT: Think about Lincoln’s addition to the Frazier work, and consider whether or not it “brings it up to date” or represents a significant shift in the direction of the Black Church.
April 23: NO CLASS (Pesah)
April 25: After King
READING: Gilkes, “Plenty Good Room”
PRESENTATION: Murray
DUE: Draft, final paper
April 30: MOVE
READ: Gurson, “The Philadelphia Siege” (from New York Times)
READ: HARVEY, chapter 6 & “Epilogue”
PRESENTATION: Leaphart
DUE: Response #5 (on CONE)
May 2: The Current State of the African American Religious Experience
READ: Pew Research Center, “A Religious Portrait of African Americans“
May 7: Conclusions
May 10: DUE: Final Paper
