In this course we will examine American literary works spanning from the colonial to the modern period that in one way or another address religion and national identity as those entities have changed over time. This course is explicitly cross-disciplinary, combining insights from history and the study of literature to shed light on the way religion has shaped how Americans understand themselves and their nation. Starting with the colonial and moving through to the modern period, this course will examine such themes as exceptionalism, innocence, election, social concern, and freedom as they were expressed in mainstream and non-mainstream religious contexts.
This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.
Joe CreechAuthor
Valparaiso UniversityInstitution
Private College or University Institution Type
Syllabus Resource Type
Undergraduate Course, Seminar Class Type
2006 Date Published
Religious Studies, English Discipline
General Comparative Traditions, Protestant Religous Tradition
Popular Culture/Media/Music/Sports, Race/Ethnicity, Nationalism/War/Civil Religion Topics