Office: Anderson Hall 303
Phone: 273-2391
Department Phone: 392-0262

Email: kenwald@ufl.edu

Hours: Tuesday 1:00-2:30, Thu 2:00-3:30 or by appointment

I always thought the nice thing about God was that he stayed out of American politics. -- Art Buchwald

Subject: This course is intended to acquaint you with the impact of religion on the major dimensions of politics in the United States. “Religion,” as defined in the course, refers not only to formal theological creeds but also to the social beliefs, organizations and subcultures associated with various religious communities. The principal aim of the course is to understand how religion affects politics (and vice versa) rather than to explore the moral questions raised by the interaction of these two forces. By the end of the semester, you should have a much greater understanding of the vitality and variability of religion as a factor in American public life.  

Procedure: Class meetings are intended to blend lecture and discussion. If the latter is to prove valuable, you will need to complete the assigned readings on time and to attend class with questions and observations in mind.

In discussing such a sensitive topic as religion, it is important that we respect views different from our own. As part of that respect, keep in mind that the class is not intended as a place for proselytizing or conversion. It is important that we respect both those who have religious faith and those who do not. If your own views are so sensitive that they cannot bear scrutiny, you may want to consider another class. Keep in mind, however, that this is a course about politics and we are interested in religion primarily as it affects public life.

The core readings will be taken from the following paperbacks (which should be available in area bookstores):

Kenneth D. Wald and Allison Calhoun Brown. Religion and Politics in the United States. 6th edition. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. 

Jay Wexler. Holy Hulabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars. Beacon Press, 2009.

David Campbell and Robert Putnam. American Grace: How Religion Unites and Divides Us. Simon and Schuster, 2012. (Make sure and get this edition with an epilogue.)

Charles Marsh. God's Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights. Princeton University Press, 1997.

The course grade will be based on three components: a midsemester examination (30%), an end of semester examination (30%) and two papers (one @25% and the other @ 15%). The examinations involve a mixture of objective and essay questions that cover all the assigned reading (whether discussed in class or not) and any other material (videos, Web presentations) covered in class. The first paper (15%), due Thursday, September 12th, will involve some experiential education and locating information through the Internet and other sources. The second paper, due Tuesday, November 19th, will focus on a specific policy issue or debate involving religion and politics. Students who participate productively in classroom discussion may earn bonus points at my discretion and there may be other opportunities for extra credit in the form of attendance at speakers, plays, etc.

In this upper-division course, I expect students to attend class regularly, take exams when scheduled, and meet assigned deadlines. Papers that are not completed on time will be penalized.

Outline: Here is our tentative schedule:  

Day	Dates (no. periods)	Topic	Readings
Th	August 22	Orientation
Tu	August 27 (2)	Religion as a Political Resource	Wald, chs. 1-2  Marsh, Intro., chs. 1-2 Putnam & Campbell, chs. 1-3, 14
Th	August 29	NO CLASS - APSA MEETING
Tu-Th	Sept. 3-5 (2)	Religion & American Political Culture	Wald & Brown, ch. 3 Putnam & Campbell, ch.  12
First Paper Due on Thursday, September 12th
Tu-Th	Sept 10-26 (9)	Religion & State	Wald & Brown, ch. 4 Wexler, entire book Fishman, "Unto Caesar"
Tu-Th	October 1-8 (5)	Religion & Political Behavior	Wald & Brown, ch. 7 Putnam & Campbell, ch. 5, 7, 10, 11, 12
First Exam on Thursday, October 10th
Tu-Th	October 15-17 (3)	Religion and Public Policy	Wald & Brown, chs. 5-6
Tu-Th	October 22-31 (6)	Politics of Evangelical Protestants	Wald & Brown, ch. 8 Marsh, ch. 3 Putnam & Campbell, ch. 4
Tu-Th	November 5-7 (3)	Politics of African-Americans & Other Minorities	Wald & Brown, ch. 10-11 Marsh, chs. 4-5 Putnam & Campbell, ch. 8-9
Tu-Th	November 12-14 (3)	Politics of Roman Catholics	Wald & Brown, ch. 9 (247-267)
Second Paper Due on Tuesday, November 19th
Tu-Th	November 19-21 (3)	Politics of American Jewry	Wald & Brown, ch. 9 (274-281)
Tu	November 26 (2)	Politics of Mainline Protestants Religion & Democracy	Wald & Brown, ch. 9 (267-274) Wald & Brown, ch. 12 Putnam & Campbell, ch. 13-15
Second Exam on Tuesday, December 3rd