Description
This course will examine the history and variety of African American religious experiences, from its African roots to contemporary religio-cultural expression. Heavily influenced by its encounter with Protestant America, the African American religious experience is one of great depth and breadth, and incorporates elements not found in European Protestantism but brought into the matrix of experience from Africa, the Caribbean, and various non-Protestant religious traditions. The African American religious experience has been as much as response to surrounding conditions as it has been a creative blending of old world and new; as much a response to racism as it has been to universal religious aspirations.
Students will encounter various aspects of African American religious experiences, and will explore some of the dilemmas members of these communities have faced as they have grappled with the religious, social, economic, and political landscapes of country, and encountered other religious traditions, cultures, and ideas.
This course is also listed as a Wesleyan Seminar, which means it is designed an immersion into liberal arts education. Within the seminars, students will learn how to identify complex problems and issues, consult expert sources, question assumptions, consider disparate points of view, develop complex personal positions, and present conclusions. The three seminars are progressively more sophisticated in their approaches and expectations. This course, designated as a WES 200-level course, is expected to be the most sophisticated in approach and expectations of the series.
This seminar may be used to count towards the major in Religious Studies; however, if you chose to do so you will be required to complete another WES 200-level course to fulfill the general studies requirements for graduation.
Unless otherwise noted, students enrolled in this course as a Religious Studies course (RELST) have the same requirements and are expected to meet the same expectations as those students who are enrolled in the course as a Wesleyan Seminar.
Goals
By the end of the semester, students enrolled in this course:
⇒ Should be familiar with some of the history and variety of African American religious experiences in the United States;
⇒ Should understand some of the connections between elements of that history and the range of experiences expressed in contemporary American society; and
⇒ Should understand the complexities involved in grappling with the multiform expressions and the interaction of religious communities of all sorts in American society.
In addition, upon successful completion of this course, those enrolled in this course as a Wesleyan Seminar (WES) are expected to be able to:
⇒ Critically consider an issue or problem;
⇒ Consult sources and consider expert opinions;
⇒ Question assumptions and attend to relevant contexts when presenting a position;
⇒ Develop a specific position while acknowledging different sides of an issue; and
⇒ Articulate conclusions effectively before an audience.
Texts & Readings
The following are the central texts assigned to this course:
⇒ Cone, James H. Black Theology & Black Power. (CONE)
⇒ Frazier, E. Franklin. The Negro Church in America/The Black Church Since Frazier. (FRAZIER)
[NOTE: This is actually two books in one: the first half is an older text by E. Franklin Frazier, the second half is a (comparatively) newer text by C. Eric Lincoln (title: The Black Church Since Frazier). You will be reading both parts.]
⇒ Harvey, Paul. Through the Storm, Through the Night: A History of African American Christianity. (HARVEY)
⇒ Raboteau, Albert J. Slave Religion: The “Invisible Institution” in the Antebellum South, updated ed. (RABOTEAU)
The texts by CONE, FRANKLIN, and RABOTEAU are also available digitally on the free online resource ARCHIVE.org.
[Instructions for using ARCHIVE.org]
In addition, articles may be distributed occasionally in class or linked to the class Web site.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING ALL OF THE READINGS. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR FAILURE TO OBTAIN READINGS OR READING ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS.
Evaluation
Class Participation (10% + 10% + 10% = 30%)
Your grade in this category will be evaluated in two ways:
⇒ Attendance (10%): You are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Your grade will be calculated by dividing the number of classes attended by the total number of classes. There are no exceptions; there are no excuses.
⇒ Discussion participation (10%): You are expected to participate fully in regular discussions, and engage the materials in class. Regular and thoughtful participation in class, as well as enthusiastic participation in the assignments, will be rewarded in this category. Mindless blather will not.
⇒ Presentation of Assigned Reading (10%): At least once during the term you will be called upon to summarize the readings assigned for that day’s class. You will be expected not only to summarize the reading but also to answer a few initial questions related to the significance, meaning, or application of the ideas presented in that reading. You may request a “pass” when called upon, but each time you pass one point will be deducted (from the 10% you can earn on this assignment).
Reading Responses (5 x 5% = 25%)
Five times during the semester you will submit before class a response to the reading assigned for that class. This response should only briefly summarize the reading; most of your energy and space should be spent on an analysis of the reading and what it might mean in terms of contemporary religious experience / society.
Semester-Long “Personality” Project (10% + 5% + 10% + 20% = 45%)
Over the course of the semester, you will be engaged in various activities in anticipation of submitting a final research paper.
By the date specified on the syllabus, you are expected to have chosen an important figure from African American religious history (from those listed below) as the subject for your research. Your selection must be approved by me.
Possible “Personalities” (listed alphabetically by last name):
Ralph Abernathy
Richard Allen
Isabella Baumfree
William Saunders Crowdy
M.J. Divine
Timothy Drew
Henry Highland Garnet
Marcelino Manuel da Graça
Prathia Laura Ann Hall
James Augustine Healy
Leonard Howell
Vincent Leaphart
Jarena Lee
John Marrant
Elijah Muhammad
Pauli Murray
William Joseph Seymour
Maria W. Stewart
John Augustus Tolton
Denmark Vesey
Phyllis Wheatley
[Alternative individuals may be investigated only with my explicit permission.]
Presentation of Personality (10%)
On the date identified on the syllabus, you will make a brief (5-10 minute) presentation of your research in which you will provide a brief biographical introduction of be your “personality” and an exploration of how / why that person is relevant to the study of the African American religious experience. You may provide handouts, but no presentation media will be permitted.
Presentation Sources List (5%):
At the conclusion of your “Personality” presentation, you are expected to submit a list of sources used in your presentation, with a description of the information taken from each specific source that you used in that presentation.
Paper draft (10%):
On the date specified on the syllabus, you are expected to submit a draft of your final paper, in a proper format and consisting of an introduction and exploration of related evidence (with proper citation), with a list of sources used. [Because this is a draft, a conclusion may be included but is not necessary.]
The Paper (20%)
On or before the date designated on the syllabus, you will submit the final paper, incorporating comments and suggestions offered during the presentation and from the evaluation of the submitted draft. The final paper should be no less than 2500 words (approximately 10 pages, double-spaced), including citations and notes.
This final written paper will serve as “an assessable artifact” – it will be used to evaluate the success of the course in getting students to engage with the Wesleyan Seminar objectives. [This is an evaluation of the course and is done independent of your evaluation as a student in the course, with your name removed, and after the conclusion of the semester.]
Unauthorized assistance or evidence of any willful breech of the standards of academic integrity will be dealt with in the most aggressive manner.
