Phone: (352) 273-2391

Email: kenwald@ufl.edu
Hours: Tu 1:00-5:00, Th 1:00-3:00 or by appointment

It is one thing to say with the prophet Amos, '"Let justice roll down like mighty waters," and quite another to work out the irrigation system. -- William Sloane Coffin

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. 5th edition. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. 

Mark Lilla. The Stillborn God: Religion, Politics and the Modern West. Random House, 2007.

William E. Connolly. Capitalism and Christianity, American Style. Duke University Press, 2008.

Paul A. Djupe and Laura R. Olson, eds. Religious Interests in Community Conflict: Beyond the Culture Wars. Baylor University Press, 2007.

Ronald B. Flowers. That Godless Court? Supreme Court Decisions on Church-State Relationships. 2nd edition. Westminster/John Knox Press.

The course grade will be based on four components: a midterm examination (30%),  two papers (one @ 20% and the other @ 30%), and your leadership of discussion for one class (20%). The examination involves 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 on January 29 will involve some experiential education and locating information through the Internet and other sources. The second paper 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	Topic	Readings
Tu	Jan. 6	Orientation to Course Discussion of Paper #1	Weapons of the Spirit (video)
Th	Jan. 8	Religion & Politics in General	Wald, chs. 1-2
Tu	Jan. 13-15	The Great Separation	Lilla, entire book
Th, Tu	Jan. 15-22 (3)	Religion & American Political Culture	Wald & Brown, ch. 3 Connolly, entire book
Tu	Jan. 27-Feb. 12 (6)	Religion & State	Wald & Brown, ch. 4 Fishman, "Unto Caesar" Flowers, entire book
Paper #1 due in class on Thurday, January 29
Tu	Feb. 17-24 (3)	Religion & Political Behavior	Wald & Brown, ch. 7
Mid-Term Exam on Thursday, February 26
Tu	March 3 (NO CLASS)
Tu	March 5	Religion and Public Policy	Wald & Brown, chs. 5-6 Djupe & Oldson, ch. 11
Spring Break, March 9th-15th
Tu	March 17-24 (3)	Politics of Evangelical Protestants	Wald & Brown, ch. 8 Djupe & Olson, chs. 2-4, 10
Th	March 26	Politics of African-Americans & Minorities	Wald & Brown, ch. 10-11 Djupe & Olson, chs. 7-9
Tu	March 31	Politics of Roman Catholics	Wald & Brown, ch. 9 (247-267)
Th	April 2	Politics of American Jewry	Wald & Brown, ch. 9 (274-281)
Tu	April 7	Politics of Mainline Protestants	Wald & Brown, ch. 9 (267-274) Djupe & Olson, chs. 5-6
Th	April 9	Religion & Democracy	Wald & Brown, ch. 12
Tu	April 14-16	STUDENT PRESENTATIONS