Religion, Race, and Politics in Recent American History

3 units

Religion and politics often are seen as topics best avoided in polite company. Yet matters of faith have exerted a powerful influence in American public life. For the last two-plus decades, analysts have debated the existence of culture wars dividing Americans on issues of values, lifestyles, and beliefs. This course traces the relationship between American religion and politics from the Cold War through the Civil Rights Movement and up to the present. We will explore how faith has driven diverse, often conflicting forms of political engagement. We will devote particular attention to civil rights activism (and opposition) in the 1950s and 1960s and to the prominence of evangelical Christianity since the 1970s. Case studies include civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fannie Lou Hamer, as well as influential evangelicals like Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell. The course will allow students to critique interpretations of the place of religion in American life, exploring links (as well as differences) between the recent past and present headlines.