Race and Religion Course – Wells-Oghoghomeh

What does it mean to be “American.” Since their inception, America and American identities have been constituted through ever-evolving religious and racial imaginaries, conflicts, and lineages, forging ideological stances, symbols, and myths that rival traditional religions.  Using a historical approach, this course explores the racial and religious imperatives encapsulated within concepts of “Americanness” and the racial and religious ideas that define the discursive, historical, and sociopolitical boundaries of American identities. In addition to examining how claims to American identities have altered the religiosity of historically-marginalized racial. Others, we will also consider the ways racial concepts have resembled and drawn upon religious forms in their operations in America. Finally, we will discuss how peoples responses to concepts of race and religion challenge, nuance, and expand notions of America and the American.

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