Dear Colleague:
Thank you for taking an interest in The Many and the One: Religion, Pluralism, and American History, a Summer Institute for School Teachers to be held at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) from July 12 to July 30, 2010. Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this three-week institute for teachers focuses on religion in American history and culture. Our Institute is part of the NEH’s “We the People” initiative, a program designed to encourage and enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history, culture, and democratic principles.
This institute will support the studies of twenty-five talented teachers from across the nation as they join with nationally renowned scholars to explore how religion has shaped, and been shaped by, the American experience. The Institute directors, Philip Goff, Arthur Farnsley, and Rachel Wheeler, are all noted scholars in their field, whose work encompasses a wide range of subject matter and methodologies.
Participants will have access to many scholarly resources here in Indianapolis, including those of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI, the Indiana University system libraries, and institutions such as the Indiana Historical Society. Teachers from all disciplines are welcome to apply.
The Institute will enable participants from many different fields to develop new materials on American religion that can be incorporated into their current curricula. An English teacher introducing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for instance, will be better prepared to discuss the nexus of religion and race in the context of nineteenth-century America. A civics teacher focusing on the origins of the American government will be able to incorporate discussion about the religion of the founders and the ways in which the First Amendment has shaped American society.
INSTITUTE PROGRAM
The first two days of our Institute will be divided between lectures introducing the central themes and discussions about the unique pedagogical challenges that emerge when teaching about religion. The core of the Institute will be divided into five two-day units devoted to successive eras of American religious history. Each unit will include a broad overview presented by members of the core faculty in which they introduce and lead discussions on the central topical themes as well as the classic and current scholarly debates. The second day of each unit consists of a lecture on the chosen themes by guest faculty and further discussion. Core and guest faculty will be available for appointments in the afternoon to consult with participants as they develop their final projects. These projects, to be presented during the last two days of the Institute, will consist of a unit plan incorporating the teaching of American religion into their curricula. Participants will be asked to identify in advance the era for which they would like to develop their unit plan so that meetings can be arranged with the appropriate core and guest faculty members.
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IUPUI's new Campus Center, where
Institute will meet
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INTRODUCTION
Monday July 12 (Core Faculty)
Morning session: Introduction: People and Institutions in American Religion
Afternoon session: People
Welcome Reception
Tuesday July 13 (Core Faculty)
Morning session: Institutions
Afternoon session: Discussion
UNIT I EARLY AMERICAN RELIGION
RELIGIOUS ENCOUNTER AND EXCHANGE
Here we explore the dominance of the Puritans in narratives of early American religion, before considering how that narrative has been complicated in recent decades, with a broadening focus on the laity, women, the middle and southern colonies, African Americans and Native Americans, as well as the distinctive colonial structures that developed in English, French, and Spanish America. Focusing on the diverse religious lives and the development of social institutions in the New World will lay the foundation for the rest of the program.
Wednesday July 14 Overview: Core Faculty
Afternoon: Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
Thursday July 15 Beyond the Puritans: Guest Douglas Winiarski
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Eiteljorg Museum |
UNIT II RELIGION IN THE FOUNDING ERA
RELIGION, LAW AND SOCIETY
In this unit, we explore religion in the founding era. The founders and religion have become the subject of a spate of recent biographies, many of which speak to the culture wars of the late 20th/early 21st century. Topics for consideration include the personal religious beliefs and practices of the founders, their debates over the role of religion in the new nation, and subsequent tensions between the “establishment” clause and the “free exercise” clause of the First Amendment. The unit will bring the discussion up through the significant court cases in the twentieth century that spurred competing interpretations of the national founders and the religious nature of the nation.
Friday July 16 Overview: Core Faculty
Afternoon: American Civil Religion at the Indiana War Memorial
Saturday July 17: Field trip to Conner Prairie (a living history museum)
Monday July 19 Church, State and Religious Freedom: Guest Sheila Suesss Kennedy
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Students tossing hay
at Conner Prairie
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UNIT III ANTEBELLUM RELIGION
RACE, RELIGION AND REFORM
This unit examines the nexus of race and religion in America by studying the experiences of individuals as they lived their lives within the context of institutions such as slavery and an ever-increasing array of churches, many of which became seed beds of reform. In the antebellum era even more than the founding era, Americans faced a crisis of self definition as American territory was vastly expanded, and the institution of slavery drove northern and southern churches apart decades before the Civil War. Westward territorial expansion not only brought the question of slavery to a head, but it also fueled an era of religious expansion, with prophets of all stripes, from Nat Turner to Joseph Smith to Handsome Lake inspiring followers to join their cause. The themes of race and reform that characterize this era created an American idiom that continues to this day in literature and popular rhetoric.
Tuesday July 20 Overview: Guest Sylvester Johnson
Afternoon: Frederick Douglass Papers
Wednesday July 21 Beyond Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Guest John Stauffer
UNIT IV GILDED AGE TO WORLD WAR II
INDUSTRIALIZATION, URBANIZATION, IMMIGRATION AND CLASS
This session explores the rise of modern America. The well-known Scopes trial serves as the anchor to explore the various scientific, cultural and scholarly movements/theories of the nineteenth century that undermined traditional religious authority. These debates played out against a backdrop of increasing urbanization, industrialization and immigration that transformed the nation. We will explore the religious options of individuals and institutions in the aftermath of this crisis from the Progressive movement to Fundamentalism.
Thursday July 22 Overview: Core Faculty
Afternoon: Indiana Historical Society
Friday July 23 The Age of Scopes: Guest Darren Dochuk
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Indiana Historical Society on canal |
UNIT V RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA
EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION IN AMERICAN RELIGION
This unit uses the themes of expansion and contraction to explore the changing face of religion in late twentieth and early twenty-first century America. In the wake of WWII, we became a nation of “Protestants, Catholics and Jews,” defined as a god-fearing nation fighting against the spread of “godless communism.” The seeming unity of the post-war era soon gave way to the age of Aquarius and the rise of the religious right, touching off the culture wars of the late twentieth century.
Monday July 26 Overview: Core Faculty
Afternoon: Islamic Society of North America
Tuesday July 27 Immigration and the Age of Aquarius: Guest Amanda Porterfield
Wednesday July 28 The Rise of the Religious Right and American Exceptionalism: Guest Laura Olson
CONCLUSION
July 29: Student Presentations of Curricula
July 30: Student Presentations of Curricula
Evening: Concluding Reception
INSTITUTE STAFF
Core Faculty
Arthur E. Farnsley II (Ph.D. Emory University) is Executive Officer of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Visiting Professor of religious studies, and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI. A sociologist of religion in America, he is author of three books about topics ranging from Southern Baptists to faith-based initiatives. He is lead co-author of the critically praised Sacred Circles, Public Squares: The Multicentering of American Life, the centerpiece of a $6 million project studying religion in Indianapolis, which appeared in 2005. Farnsley directed the large project from which that book and others sprung. He is currently the editor of the Religion and Urban Culture book series published by Indiana University Press. His expertise in religious social institutions will provide the basis for the social/institutional discussions in this program.
Philip Goff (Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is the Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture and Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies at IUPUI. His research specialization is American religious history, particularly religion in politics and popular culture. Author or editor of several books, he is presently completing an intellectual biography of John Adams as well as a book about religion in the early days of radio, and is co-author of a new history of religions in the United States to be published by Cambridge University Press. The author of over one hundred articles, book chapters, reviews, and academic papers, Goff has served as a legal consultant for church-state cases and co-authored amicus briefs for cases before the Federal Supreme Court. He has been named to Who’s Who Among Teachers, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World.
Rachel Wheeler (Ph.D. Yale University) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies at IUPUI and works in the field of early American religious history. Her recent book, To Live upon Hope, studies the encounters between native peoples and Europeans at mission sites. Having published in several major journals, she is currently co-author of a new history of religions in the United States to be published by Cambridge University Press. She is co-editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. Her expertise in religion’s cultural development in American history will provide the basis for the cultural/individual discussions in this program.
VISITING LECTURERS
Darren Dochuk (Ph. D. University of Notre Dame) is Assistant Professor of History at Purdue University. Specializing in the history of evangelicalism, his first book is From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain Folk Religion and Grassroots Politics in California’s Southland, which is based on his dissertation that won the Allan Nevins Prize for the best dissertation in the field of American history. He is currently editing a book entitled Sunbelt Rising: The Politics of Space, Place, and Region in the American South and Southwest.
Sylvester Johnson (Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University-Bloomington. His book, The Myth of Ham in Nineteenth-Century American Christianity examines the way nineteenth-century Americans used the biblical legend of Noah to claim that one of Noah’s sons, Ham, was the ancestor of the black race. That book won the American Academy of Religion prize for best first book.
Sheila Suess Kennedy (JD, Indiana University) is a professor of Law and Policy at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is the author of several books, including the recent God and Country: America in Red and Blue and Distrust American Style: Diversity and the Crisis of Public Confidence.
Laura Olson (Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison) is Professor of Political Science at Clemson University. Her research focuses on contemporary religion, civic engagement, and American politics, with special emphasis on the political attitudes and behaviors of clergy. She is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of eight books, including Religious Interests in Community Conflict: Beyond the Culture Wars and Women with a Mission: Religion, Gender, and the Politics of Women Clergy.
Amanda Porterfield (Ph.D. Stanford University) is the Robert Spivey Professor of Religious Studies at Florida State University and writes about the interplay between religion and culture. She has written books on the New England Puritans, Protestant women missionaries in the 19th century, and the transformation of American religion after 1960. She is co-editor, with John Corrigan, of Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture, the quarterly journal of the American Society of Church History.
John Stauffer (Ph.D. Yale University) is chair of the History of American Civilization Program and Professor of English and African and African American Studies at Harvard University. His teaching and research interest include American History and Literature of the Antebellum and Civil War era, visual culture, and Protestant literature. He is the author of two widely acclaimed books, including, Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and The Black Hearts of Men: Radical Abolitionists and the Transformation of Race.
Douglas Winiarski (Ph.D. Indiana University) is Associate Professor of Religion and Coordinator of American Studies at the University of Richmond. He is an expert on colonial and pre-colonial religion in New England and author of the forthcoming Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: The Travail of New England Congregationalism, 1680-1770 from University of North Carolina Press.
CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
Indianapolis is the country’s 13th largest city, large enough to play host to the Indianapolis 500 (the largest single-day sporting event in the world), the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, the 2012 Super Bowl, the world’s largest children’s museum, the Heartland Film Festival, Black Expo, and Indy Jazz Fest. And Indy is small enough to personify small-town charm, with flavorful cultural districts, convenient public transportation, and a strong sense of community.
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Children's Museum of Indianapolis |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Indianapolis Zoo |
IUPUI is in the heart of it all, located just two blocks from the Indiana State Capitol, and adjacent to the White River State Park (which includes botanical gardens and the Indianapolis Zoo) and the Indiana Avenue cultural district. The Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Museum, NCAA national headquarters, and Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art are all within easy walking distance of campus.
Indianapolis is home to a remarkable religious diversity and offers a wide range of religious resources. Virtually every Protestant denomination is represented in Indianapolis. The city historically had a large German Catholic population. In recent decades, Hispanic-Americans have made up a growing segment of the Catholic community. Indianapolis is home to five synagogues representing different Jewish traditions, from Sephardic to Reformed to Reconstructionist. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is located in the western suburb of Plainfield and several local mosques have vibrant communities of immigrant, native-born, and convert Muslims. Indianapolis also has a Confucius Institute, an Indian Cultural Center, and multiple Sikh gurdwaras. The Tibetan Cultural Center, founded by the Dalai Lama’s brother, is just down the road in Bloomington for those with a special interest in Buddhism. In addition, the Vietnamese Buddhist community recently opened a new temple in the Pure Land tradition.
HOUSING
Participants will receive a $2700 stipend to offset travel and living costs. Participants will have the option of staying in the Apartments on the Riverwalk on IUPUI’s campus, located in downtown Indianapolis.
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Apartments on the Riverwalk |
The Riverwalk complex is a recent addition to the IUPUI campus. It is within short walking distance of the Institute’s meeting space, but for those who prefer not to walk, there is a free campus shuttle that runs regularly throughout the day. Two-bedroom and four-bedroom units are available, at a cost of $45 and $40 per night, respectively (based on sharing apartment suites with other Institute participants). All units have individually controlled air-conditioning. Each bedroom has a full-sized bed, desk, chair, and dresser, and is wired for high-speed Internet access, telephone, and basic cable. The shared living space is furnished with a sofa, chair, entertainment center, and end tables. Each kitchen has a microwave, refrigerator, oven/range, and full-size washer/dryer. (Note: kitchens are not furnished with dishes, flatware, glassware, or pots and pans.)
Participants who elect not to stay in the apartment complex should contact local hotels as soon as possible. University Place Hotel on campus and Marriott Residence Inn on the Canal nearby are two convenient options.
Institute participants will have access to IUPUI’s libraries as well as its athletic facilities, including a world-class natatorium and the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, both of which offer visitor membership rates. An on-campus food court is available and a small restaurant district is only a couple of blocks away. Downtown Indianapolis is a fifteen-minute walk or a short bus ride from the Campus Center where our seminar will be held.
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
We are looking for teachers who want to discuss the most cutting-edge, current scholarship in American religion. Some of those teachers may offer classes on “religion” as a topical area, but we are especially interested in those who understand religion as an important variable in analyzing political, literary, or civic themes. If you think an appreciation of religious context is crucial to understanding the topics you teach, and you are prepared to dedicate three weeks to writing a lesson plan that incorporates a better understanding of religious themes, this institute is for you.
The National Endowment for the Humanities sets clear guidelines for applicants, which you should review thoroughly. You must be a full-time teacher in a public or private (including religiously affiliated) school, or a full-time home-schooling parent. As the guidelines note, this year we may include up to three full-time graduate students who plan to become K-12 teachers.
All applicants must complete the cover sheet available on the NEH website. Please print a copy of the completed cover sheet and attach it to the top of the application you send to us. Your application should also include a resume or personal biography, two letters of recommendation, and an essay explaining why you would benefit from participation in this institute.
The essay will carry considerable weight in our evaluation of applications because we are looking for the best possible colleagues for our three-week exploration. Please tell us why you would benefit and what you bring to the table that will benefit our own research and your colleagues’ lesson plans.
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Competition pool, IUPUI's Natatorium |
National Institute for Fitness and Sport |