Conrad Kanagy Course Syllabus
Prepared for the Center for the Study of Religion and American
Culture by:
Conrad Kanagy
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Elizabethown College
The Center is pleased to share with you the syllabi for
introductory courses in American religion that were developed
in seminars led by Dr. Wade Clark Roof of the University
of California, Santa Barbara. In all of the seminar discussions,
it was apparent that context, or the particular teaching
setting, was an altogether critical factor in envisioning
how students should be introduced to a field of study. The
justification of approach, included with each syllabus,
is thus germane to how you use the syllabus.
For the personal use of teachers. Not
for sale or redistribution.
© Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture,
1998
I. Syllabus Justification
Elizabethtown College is located in central Pennsylvania.
A comprehensive college of 1,500 students, it offers programs
in both pre-professional areas and the liberal arts. The
college was established in 1899 by the Church of the Brethren,
a denomination with Pietist and Anabaptist origins. Today
most ties with the Brethren Church are symbolic with no
religious criteria required of faculty or students. The
student body is largely white, middle-class, and about two-thirds
female. Students come from eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland,
New Jersey, southern New York, Connecticut and other parts
of the Northeast. About one-third of the student body is
Catholic. Students--or their parents--seem to be attracted
to the quiet, rural setting of a college in Amish country
(Lancaster County).
I teach in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
We are a department of three full-time faculty, mine being
the only position in Sociology. We have 20 Sociology/Anthropology
majors and about 35 minors in Anthropology or Sociology.
This course, Sociology of Religion (SOC 317) is an upper-level
elective for majors and non-majors. It does not fulfill
any general requirement in the Core program of the College.
The course is cross-listed in the Department of Religious
Studies. In the two years I have taught the course, I have
had more non-majors than majors, including some students
with no sociological background. I have had a broad cross-section
of students from other majors.
The academic diversity of student backgrounds has influenced
my decision to teach this course from a generalist perspective.
The first year I emphasized sociological theory, only to
find many of my students floundering. This past year the
course focused upon case studies and religion in everyday
life.
In both years I played Berger's notion of the sacred canopy
against the religious free market theories that currently
dominate the field. I construct a continuum that ranges
from traditional religious experience (the sacred canopy)
to a religious free market. Students begin to use these
two types to screen various religious experiences that we
encounter in the course.
I use four books in the course. I found Chalfant et al.
(1994) to be satisfactory as a text, although I am not convinced
that sociologists of religion have gotten it together yet
as far as excellent texts are concerned. Johnstone's text-which
I used the first year-is too broad. The Chalfant et al.
text is too specific. I'm not sure one is a lot better than
the other. Greeley's reader has buried my students and I
may abandon it when I teach this course again. The book
does not contain enough continuity or context for introductory
students. Students with no background in sociological theory
find many of the readings completely overwhelming.
The two books that really worked were written by journalists.
Gary Dorsey's experience at First Church really grabbed
the students' interests. Those who knew nothing about mainline
religion were as fascinated as those who grew up Methodist,
Presbyterian, or Catholic. As far as I am concerned, Dorsey
does a great job of grounding his experience at First Church
in the sociology of religion while creating a truly human
story. Dennis Covington's experience among the snake handlers
had a similar effect upon students.
While the students enjoyed these books, I challenged them
to consider whether either Covington or Dorsey were "doing"
sociology. How would a sociologist look at First Church
or the snake handlers? Did Covington's and Dorsey's questions
differ from those a sociologist would have asked? Would
a sociologist have become as involved with either religious
group as these two journalists became? How did their close
involvement affect the quality of their work? Again, I found
both books very effective as pedagogical devices to use
with rather novice sociology students.
Besides two exams, I required students to lead one class
discussion. This assignment resulted in some very high quality
presentations. The experience allows the instructor to be
a kind of outsider to the material, and to raise challenging
questions that sometimes put the student leader on the spot--in
a constructive way. In many instances, I walked away having
learned something new or having thought about something
familiar in a different way.
The final course project is a term paper examining the
secularization thesis. I encourage students to take a position
on the thesis and defend it: What is secularization? Is
American society becoming more secular? In what ways? In
the entire country or only in specific regions? Are there
differences in secularization between racial and ethnic
groups? Between men and women? How do different definitions
of secularization affect our conclusions about religion
in American society? What about your own congregation, if
you are churched? Where, if anywhere, has there been a change
in religious participation, belief, authority, or any other
religious indicator? Does the idea of a sacred canopy work
to understand American religious experience today? Did it
ever work? Is American religion a free market today? In
what ways?
I was very pleased with the outcome of this assignment.
Several students wrote high quality papers about changes
in their own congregations and denominations.
While my student evaluations in this course have been high,
I am still struggling to make the empirical study of religion
interesting to introductory level students. In my opinion,
a more interesting text or accessible reader would be useful.
II. Introductory Course Syllabus
Sociology 317: Sociology of Religion
Spring, 1998
Time: Monday 2:30-5:15 p.m.
Place: Nicarry 207
Instructor: Dr. Conrad L. Kanagy, Nicarry 217
Phone: 717-361-1301 (Office)
717-367-4743 (Home)
E-mail: KANAGYCL@ACAD.ETOWN.EDU
FAX: 717-361-1487
Hours: Monday 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Tuesday/Thursday 11:00-12:00 p.m.
By appointment also.
Required Texts
- Chalfant, H. Paul, Beckley, Robert E. and C. Eddie Palmer.
Religion in Contemporary Society (3rd ed.), Peacock, 1994.
- Covington, Dennis. Salvation on Sand Mountain, Penguin,
1995.
- Dorsey, Gary. Congregation: The Return to Church, Viking,
1995.
- Greeley, Andrew M. Sociology and Religion, Harper Collins,
1995.
Goal of Course
To broaden awareness of the importance of religion to the
social contexts within which humans interact; specifically,
to understand how religion shapes society and how society
shapes religion.
Specific Objectives
- To examine how religion and the study of religion are
shaped by our social contexts.
- To become aware of the sociological differences and
similarities of American religious forms.
- To use the sociology of religion to better understand
social interactions--particularly those characterized
by religious conflict and/or religious community.
- To understand the social contexts within which our own
religious biases have developed and exist, and to see
how these biases affect our attitudes and behaviors.
5. To improve written and oral communication skills through
presentation of course materials and writing projects.
Course Requirements
- Two exams (20% each) 20% or 20 pts.
- Lead class discussion 20% or 20 pts.
- Secularization paper 20% or 20 pts.
- Final exam 20% or 20 pts.
Grading
The course components when averaged together by their relative
importance will generate a course grade based on the following
scale:
90-100 =A Excellent
89-89 =B Good
70-79 =C Average
60-69 =D Poor
Below 60 =E Failing
A plus and minus grading system is used to make finer distinctions
within each grade, i.e.,
70-72 = C-
73-76 = C
77-79 = C+
Sample Grade Calculation
Exam I = 80% x.20 = 16.00 pts.
Exam II = 90% x .20 = 18. 00 pts.
Secularization paper= 90% x.20 = 18.00 pts.
Lead Class = 80% x .20 = 16. 00 pts.
Final Exam = 90% x.20 = 18.00 pts.
Course Grade 86.00 pts. (B)
Evaluation of Written Material
Spelling, grammar, style and appearance will be considered
in determining the grade for all written work. Late papers
will lose 5 points for each day delinquent. Citation of
sources must be done in one of the accepted academic styles.
Failure to do will result in the loss of 25 points from
the paper's score.
Examination Policy
Exams will not be given at times other than those indicated
on the syllabus unless a written medical excuse is provided.
Exams will cover assigned readings and the material presented
in class sessions.
Plagiarism and Cheating
You are expected to follow the highest standards of academic
integrity and honor. Plagiarism and cheating are serious
breaches of academic integrity and according to College
Policy will result in a course grade of F. Prior to exams
students will indicate their willingness to abide by the
Elizabethtown Code of Integrity by writing "I will
honor" on the first page of each exam.
Class Attendance and Participation
Students are expected to attend class regularly and to
be prepared for small and large group discussions of assigned
material.
Course Components
Exams I, II (20%) The exams will be essay in format. Three
questions will be randomly selected from a list of questions
distributed prior to the exam.
Secularization Paper (20%) This 10-12 page paper will focus
on the secularization and religious market debates currently
raging within the sociology of religion. Using secondary
sources, students may review the history of the debates,
discuss one aspect of the debates, or provide their own
empirical evidence in support of or opposition to a particular
position. Major scholars participating in the debates must
be cited. The works of these scholars will be placed on
reserve in High Library.
Lead Class Discussion (20%) Students will be responsible
to present and discuss one week's readings. Any presentation
format may be used including guest speakers and videos,
It is assumed that the presentation will utilize about two-thirds
of the class period.
Final Exam (20%) The final exam will be cumulative and
will be composed of four essay questions randomly selected
from a list of questions previously distributed.
Class Schedule
Date Topic/Readings
1/19 Introduction: The Sociology of Religion
Chalfant I
1/26 Sociological Theories of Religion
Chalfant 2
Greeley 1,3,5,6
2/2 Sources of Religiousness
Chalfant 3
Greeley 7,9
2/9 The Organization of Religion
Chalfant 4
Dorsey (first third)
2/16 Religious Pluralization
Chalfant 5
Dorsey (second third)
Exam I
2/23 Religion and Other Social Institutions
Chalfant 10
Dorsey (last third)
3/2 Contemporary Trends in American Religion
Chalfant 6
Greeley 27,30
3/16 New Religious Movements
Chalfant 8,9
3/23New Religious Movements
Covington (entire book)
3/30 Secularization: Arguments For It
Chalfant 14
Greeley 17,18
Exam II
4/6 Secularization: Arguments Against It
Chalfant 11
Greeley 11,12,14
4/13 Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism
Chalfant 7
Greeley 30, 31
4/20 African Americans and Religion
Chalfant 12
Greeley 34
Nelsen and Kanagy (to be distributed)
4/27 Women and Religion
Chalfant 13
Greeley 24-26
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