HIST230

Intended as an introduction to the varieties of American religious experiences, this course will understand religion broadly as a lived cultural system that gave shape and meaning both to individual lives and to social and political events. The course covers the history of American religion from the colonial period to the end of the 20th century, focusing on the development of a pluralistic religious culture. Readings emphasize how ordinary people have understood and practiced their faiths, rather than the doctrinal and philosophical distinctions among religions.