Course Description
This course is designed to investigate the relationship between religion and politics in the United States, paying particular attention to the role of traditional religious identities and issues while also acknowledging non-traditional religious movements, ideas, and issues.
The class will explore the general role of religion in upcoming elections and the debate over religion and politics. Attention will focus on the upcoming elections, and students will develop case studies and evaluations of religious themes in senatorial and gubernatorial elections in specific states. The semester will conclude with a general discussion of the role of religion in policy-making.
While general contextualization will form the foundation of this class, great emphasis will be placed on the current election cycle and the role of religion in that cycle. Students will be expected to be informed of the current debates in the various national elections, and will be required to present materials on specific elections in class.
Goals
This course is designed to:
⇒ Provide you with an understanding of the role traditional religious identity plays in the political process;
⇒ Enable you to identify and track religious issues as they develop in an election cycle;
⇒ Provide you with the ability to identify religious aspects of public policy and election debates.
Because this class is listed as both RELST and WES200, you should also achieve “AAC&U [Association of American Colleges and Universities] milestone level 3 standards”:
◊ “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.”
NOTE: WES Seminar II courses may be used to count towards a major; however, if you do so you will have to complete another Seminar II to complete your general studies requirements.
Texts & Readings
The following texts are assigned for this class:
⇒ Hertzke, Allen D., Laura R. Olson, Kevin R. Den Dulk, Robert Booth Fowler. Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture and Strategic Choices, 6th edn. (Hertzke et al.).
⇒ Silk, Mark, and Rhys H. Williams, eds. Understanding Christian Nationalism: Perspectives on the Political Religion of Trump’s America. (Silk & Williams)
In addition, articles are linked to the class “Schedule of Readings & Assignments” page.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING ALL OF THE READINGS, INCLUDING ANY ON-LINE READINGS OR READINGS DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR FAILURE TO OBTAIN READINGS OR READING ASSIGNMENTS DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS.
Responsibilities & Evaluation
Attendance (10% + 10% = 20%)
♦ Physical Presence (10%): You are expected to attend all classes. Points in this category will be assessed by dividing the number of classes attended by the total number of classes held.
♦ Course “Enhancements” (2% x 5 = 10%): On the dates indicated on the “Schedule of Readings & Assignments,” you are expected to attend presentations being sponsored by the Robert Nusbaum Center. All of the events identified on the class schedule take place on Thursdays between 12:00 pm and 12:50 pm.
In-Class Participation (10% + 10% = 20%)
♦ Basic Participation (10%): You are expected to participate fully in class discussions and engage the materials in class. Regular and thoughtful participation in class – as well as enthusiastic participation in the assignments and a general up-to-date awareness of news related to the current election cycle – will be rewarded in this category; mindless blather will not. In addition, on occasion I may engage you directly in informal conversation about the assigned materials, and you will be evaluated based on your ability to discuss the materials substantively and meaningfully.
♦ Reading Presentation (10%): On any given class day, you may be called upon to introduce the materials that were assigned for that day’s class. (If there was more than one article or chapter assigned, you will be called upon only to introduce one of the readings.) This means that – for every class – you must be prepared to summarize the assigned reading and provide some basic thoughts / reflections on that reading.
“Religion, the State, and the 2026 Election” Semester Project
(10% + 10% + 10% + 10% + 10% + 10% = 60%)
You will be assigned a state in which there is an ongoing senatorial race and / or a gubernatorial race. Over the course of the semester you will be developing a report on those elections in your state. The first four parts of the report will be due on specific dates over the course of the semester. The final paper due at the end of the semester will be made up of those four parts edited and appropriately framed to provide a singular coherent whole. (In other words, while you will be evaluated on each part, you are expected to use each part – with appropriate editing – in the final paper.)
♦ Part 1: “State Religious Demographics” written report (10%): On or before the date indicated on the “Schedule of Readings & Assignments,” you will submit a written report on your state’s basic demographic information related to religion. This should include an identification of – and basic information about – the various religious communities represented in the state’s population, an exploration of the state’s religious history (or a synopsis of the history of the groups represented in that state), and major issues related to religion from the state’s history. It is expected that this report will be no fewer than 1300 words long (roughly 4 pages of text plus full and proper citations for all of your sources).
NOTE: Given the presence and role of religion generally in the United States, an absence or diminished presence of religion in your state also should be considered part of the state’s religious demographic information, and should be explored accordingly.
♦ Part 2: “Religion in the 2026 Election Cycle,” in conversation (10%): On one of the dates indicated on the “Schedule of Readings & Assignments,” you will schedule a 10-minute conversation with me (in my office) to discuss the religion-related issues raised in your state during the ongoing 2026 election cycle. You are expected to know and be able to discuss all religion-related issues present, including the religion and religiosity of the major candidates, any religion-related measures on state (or major municipal) ballots, and election-related issue/s involving religion that have been or are currently being covered by traditional news media in your state since the beginning of the current election cycle.
♦ Part 3: “Post-Election Postmortem” oral report (10%): During the class meeting immediately following Election Day, you will provide a 5-minute description of the religion-related issues raised in your state during the just-concluded election cycle, with a brief summary of whether they were resolved by the election and, if so, how they were resolved.
NOTE: This description will be “notes only,” with no presentation software or electronic hardware. You are expected to convey the information verbally.
♦ Part 4: Preliminary draft of final paper, written (10%) and in conversation (10%): On the date indicated on the “Schedule of Readings & Assignments,” you will submit a written draft version of your “Religion, the State, and the 2026 Election” paper. This version is expected to contain all of the previous parts of the project (“State Religious Demographics,” “Religion in the 2026 Election Cycle,” and “Post-Election Postmortem”). It should draw conclusions based on these parts as well as from related assigned readings and class discussions. It is expected that this draft will be no fewer than 2000 words long (roughly 6 pages of text plus full and proper citations for all of your sources). This version of your paper will be evaluated based on its contents.
Separately, on one of the dates indicated on the “Schedule of Readings & Assignments,” you will schedule a 10-minute conversation with me (in my office) to discuss the entirety of your paper, its contents, and any possible difficulties or conclusions.
NOTE: The purpose of having a “conversation” after you have submitted a preliminary draft is so that we can discuss the paper’s structure, content, and style. Appointments made by students who submit their preliminary drafts less than 48 hours before their scheduled “conversation” time will be cancelled, and zero credit (0%) will be given for this portion of Part 4.
♦ Part 5. Finished paper (10%): On the date indicated on the “Schedule of Readings & Assignments,” you will submit a final finished version of your “Religion, the State, and the 2026 Election” paper. It is expected that this finished paper will be no fewer than 2400 words long (roughly 7 pages of text plus full and proper citations for all of your sources). This paper will be evaluated based on the incorporation of suggestions, corrections, and improvements made to the draft version submitted earlier.
NOTE: The purpose of having submitted a draft is so that you can correct or strengthen any aspect of your paper that might be discovered during the writing of the draft or in conversation with me about it. Therefore, the paper isn’t “finished” until it has been reviewed (by you, but also by us together). Failure to submit a preliminary draft will result in no credit (0%) for Part 4 (entire).
[WES Seminar acknowledgment: This final written assignment will serve as an artifact that can be assessed at a later date. It therefore needs to demonstrate your engagement with the Wesleyan Seminar objectives (see criteria, above). More on this as the semester progresses.]
