Religion and Politics in the United States

3 units

The purpose of this course will be to examine two of the most contentious subjects in public discourse: religion and politics. This course will be grounded in the theoretical and empirical literature conducted by social scientists. The course will provide a broad overview of some of the highlights of decades of study in the field. Topics covered include the impact of religion on the founding of the United States, the way the judicial branch has dealt with the First Amendment's discussion of religion, the political behavior of religious individuals in the United States, as well as a discussion of the future of religion and American politics.