Religion and the Social Construction of Race
RELI 391
Fall 2017
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
AFAM 280, AMST 391 |
| Certificates: Civic Engagement |
| Course Cluster: Caribbean Studies Minor, Christianity Studies, Education Studies Minor |
In this course we examine aspects of the intersections between race and religion in a number of historical and social contexts. We place at the center of our discussions the question of how race and religion are co-constructed categories that function as a prism through which people come to understand and experience their own identities and those of others. We will privilege interpretations that emphasize (1) the intersections of race and religion as a process in which power plays a pivotal role; and (2) the means through which communities form collective identities. We will read a range of historical analysis and primary source materials from the U.S. and the Caribbean. After a theory module, we will examine a colonial-era captivity narrative, antebellum pro-slavery document, missionary works, analyses of anti-Semitism, works on Rastafari, Haitian Vodou, Jonestown, the Christian White Supremacy movement, as well as the contemporary U.S. relationship to the Middle East. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFAM)(AMST)(CBST-MN)(CIVI-MN)(EDST)(RELI-MN)(RELI)(STS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Moustafa Bayoumi, "Racing Religion" in THE NEW CENTENNIAL REVIEW
David Chidester, SALVATION AND SUICIDE: AN INTERPRETATION OF JIM JONES, THE PEOPLES TEMPLE AND JONESTOWN
Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, "African-American Women's History and the Metalanguage of Race," in SIGNS
Daniel Lee, "A Great Racial Commission: Religion and the Construction of White America" in RACE, NATION AND RELIGION IN THE AMERICAS
Melani McAlister, EPIC ENCOUNTERS: CULTURE, MEDIA, AND U.S. INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 1945-2000.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Attendance, weekly response papers, three critical essays. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills a "Method & Theory" OR "Thematic Approaches" requirement for the department major. |
| Instructor(s): McAlister,Elizabeth Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: CAAS LOUNG; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 8 | JR major: 5 | | |
| Seats Available: 3 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 0 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 2 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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