RELI/AFAM 4202 and RELI 6202:

SOUTHERN RELIGIOUS HISTORY

 

Professor:  Dr. Sandy Dwayne Martin

Department of Religion

Rooms 213, Peabody Hall - 542-5356 – martin@uga.edu

Office Hours: M/F 1:30-3:30; Tu/Th 9:30-11:00

Spring 2009

 

I.   Course Description

     

            This course examines the development of religion in the American South from the Colonial Period to the Present, placing particular emphasis upon those aspects that render the South relatively distinct from the rest of the nation.   Specific objectives include:

 

      a)  examining the manner in which Southern religion differs from and compares with other expressions of American religion;

      b)  investigating the nature and impact that evangelicalism has had upon Southern religion and culture;

      c)  investigating the relationship between religion and other aspects of culture and politics in the South;

      d)  understanding the influence and impact that Southern religion has had upon

            the rest of the nation;

      e)  examining the relationship between, and comparing,  white and African American expressions of religion in the South;

      f)  gaining an appreciation for the diversity of Southern religious life;

      g)  examining the rise of fundamentalism in the South;

      h)  discovering the nature and importance of an academic approach to the study of religion.  

     

II.  Required Texts/Readings

 

       Samuel S. Hill, Encyclopedia of Religion in the South, Second Edition

       Erskine Clarke, Dwelling Place: A Plantation Epic

       Albert Raboteau, Slave Religion

 

      Graduate Students:  See Library Reserve for Donald Mathews, Religion in the Old South

 

 

III.  Course Requirements, Grading Formula, and Attendance Policy

 

       A.  Written Work and DPG

 

       In sum, all students are required to attend class regularly and promptly, do all assigned readings and other assignments,  take two or three examinations, take the final examination, write three (3) short essays. Graduate students will do two pre-final exams,  a 15-18 page paper, three essays, and the final exam.

      

       A)  Grading Formula for 4202 and 6202***

       i.) Exams/paper  ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ90%

       l)  Exam #1 (Projected Date: 2/10)                                                   

       2)  Exam #2 (Projected Date:  3/17)                                

       3)  Exam #3? (Projected Date:  4/16)  OR Grad papers due 4/14

       4)  Final Examination*  (5/7; 12 noon - 3 p.m. )             

      

       ii.)  DPG (Attendance/Participation)** ÉÉÉ10%             

                                                                                               

                                                            TOTAL          100%

 

*The final exam is cumulative, that is, covering the

       entire course.

 

**Daily Participation Grade or DPG includes attendance, classroom participation, written assignments.  Required assignments include three essay papers -- an Introduction of Yourself paper of 3-4 pages, Inauguration and Southern Religion of 3-4 pages, and a Course Reflection Paper -- NOT an evaluation paper -- of 3-5 pages.

 

***RELI 6202 is the graduate level of this course.  Graduate students will have tests that are essentially different in format, requiring more writing and deeper critical analysis.  Instead of a third exam, graduate students will write a research paper of 15-18 pages.  Third, graduate students will have additional readings in addition to the required undergraduate readings.

 

      B.  Discussion Sessions

 

      While this is primarily a lecture course, it is the intention of the instructor to have one class discussion session every 3 to 4 class periods.  It is important that students keep abreast of all readings so that they might gain the maximum benefit from the discussion sessions as well as the course in general.

 

       C.  Attendance Policy and Grades; A Summary

 

       1) Attendance is required and classroom participation is strongly encouraged.

       2)  No leaving before class period is officially dismissed.

       3)  Class roll will be taken during the first 5 minutes of scheduled class

            time for each class period.  Latecomers will be marked ÒlateÓ;  three lates equal                     one  absence.  Students arriving 10-15 minutes late will be marked extra late;  two                                                             extra lates equal one absence.  If the student is not present during the first

            15 minutes of each class session , that student will be marked absent for that class                            period and is asked NOT to enter the class during that period.  Unexcused                                                                                          absences beyond four class periods will result in two (2) percentage                                          points being deducted from the semester's grade for each class period missed                                  without excuse.

       4)  An excused absence is one that is unavoidable for emergency or pressing reasons.

 

       D.  Grading Scale

 

       The Professor will use the following grading scale:

 

90-100 –---- A        87-89   -------B+             77-79  ------  C+

89.1-89.99 - A-       80-86    ----- B                70-76  ------  C

                                79.1-79.99 - B-               69.1-69.99 - C-

 

67-69   -- ----D+

60-66  ------  D            Below 60 -- F

59.1-59.99 --D-                                              

      

IV.  Attendance Policy and Grades:  More Detailed Discussion

 

       Consistent with the instructor's own educational philosophy and the rules and regulations of the University of Georgia, attendance,  regular and prompt, and for the entire duration of the class sessions, is required.

 

       Absences  0 -- Excellent Attendance

                        1--  Very Good Attendance

                         2 -- Good Attendance

                        3-4  -- Fair Attendance

               5 or more -- Bad Attendance

 

Note:  Every unexcused absence above four (4) will result in a two point deduction from the overall semester grade for each such unexcused absence. Students who do not attend at least two (20) class sessions will receive an F for the course.  Students are 100% responsible for all information missed because of absences.  Exam dates are subject to change with at least a one-week notice.  Students are responsible for keeping abreast of all exam schedules originally projected or revised.   An excused absence is recognized by the professor for an absence that he concludes is either unavoidable for emergency and/or for which there is a vitally pressing reason(s) for such absence.

 

       Students are required to take all exams. Students who miss an exam for non-sufficiently valid reason(s) will be assigned "0" for that exam and the Ò0Ó will be computed as part of the final grade.

 

       When an attendance sign-up sheet is not passed around, then the class roll will be taken 5-6 minutes after scheduled start time for class.  Latecomers will be marked ÒlateÓ;  three lates equal one absence.  Students arriving 10-15 minutes late will be marked extra late;    two extra  lates equal one absence.  A student not present within the first 15 minutes of each class session will be marked absent for that class session and is requested not to enter the class during that period.

 

       Students who have unavoidable appointments or unavoidable obligations that require their absence during any portion of the class time should see the professor prior to or as soon after the date of the appointment/obligation as possible because under no circumstances whatsoever should students leave class before it is dismissed by the professor.  Students who cannot stay for the entire class period must miss that class period rather than leave during class time.  Failure to abide by this policy will result in being marked absent for the entire class session and removal from class if the professor believes such becomes necessary.   

       Of course students must attend class on the examination days.  Students are 100% responsible for all information missed because of absences.  Exam dates are subject to change with at least a one-week notice.  Students are responsible for keeping abreast of all exam schedules originally projected or revised.  

       This class will be largely lecture in nature.  The professor will attempt to provide time for class discussion and participation.  The professor will consider participation and discussion in determining final grades in borderline situations between two grades.

       An excused absence is one for which a student has written proof (if at all attainable) that one's absence was necessitated by a valid cause, e.g., incapacitating illness, death in one's immediate or close family or of someone close to the student.  (Sleeping late,  hangovers,  and studying for exams are not accepted as excused absences.)  Doctor and dental appointments, participation in extra-curricular UGA activities, and job interviews may or may not be excusable.  Consult  the instructor prior to the absence, if at all possible;  if such is not possible, then consult the instructor as soon as possible after the fact.  Attendance at weddings, baptisms, bar or bat mitzvahs, etc. are not normally excusable absences.  But, again, consult the instructor.

       The professor does not generally give make-up examinations, even for unavoidable absences.  Instead,  if the class is given an extra exam,  persons might use that one as a substitute for an exam missed because of valid reasons or they may take an extended final examination that compensates for an exam missed because of valid reasons.

 

V.  Other Important Points

 

       Honesty Policy:  All academic work must meet the standards contained in ÒA Culture of Honesty.Ó  All students are responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. 

 

      This Syllabus:  The course syllabus is a general plan for the course;  deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

 

      Office Hours:  Note the professor's office hours and use them as the need or inclination arises.  Remember, if you have questions or concerns, it is your responsibility to discuss these matters in a rational, courteous, and responsible manner with your instructor.

 

 

Course Outline for

RELI/AFAM 4202  and RELI 6202:  Southern Religious History

 

Dr. Sandy Dwayne Martin (martin@uga.edu)

Spring Semester 2009

 

I.  Introduction:  The Course (January 8)

 

II.  Background of American Religions (January 13, 15, 20, 22)

 

      Readings A (Required for both 4202 and 6202):

 

      1.  Judaism --Hill,  Encyclopedia,  Judaism

      2.  Christianity -- Encyclopedia, Protestantism  and Roman Catholicism

      3.  Islam --  Encyclopedia,  Islam

      4.  African Religions -- Raboteau, Slave Religion,  ch. 1

      5.  Native American Religions  --Encyclopedia, Native American Religions

            Pre-Contact

      6.  Introduction to Dwelling Place, pp. vii-xvi

 

      Readings B (Required Readings for RELI 6202 and Recommended for RELI 4202):

                                                                       

            Jews in the South,  Native American Religions since 1600

 

III.  The Colonial Phase, ca. 1607 -- ca. 1783 (January 27, 29)

 

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      Beth Elohim, Disestablishment, Established Religion, Greek Orthodox Church,                         Jews in the South, Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,                                                             Appendix (Colonial Period).

 

      Raboteau, ch. 2

      Encyclopedia, pp. 1-6.

 

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

            Mathews, ch. 1

 

 

 

IV.  The Rise and Growth of Evangelicalism in Colonial and National Phases,  ca. 1720 -- ca. 1830  (February3, 5, 10)

 

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      Raboteau, ch. 3

      Encyclopedia, pp. 6-19

      Andrew Bryan, Samuel Davies, Evangelicalism, Great Awakening, Great Revival,                     Devereaux Jarrett, Silver Bluff Church, Shubal Stearns, George Whitefield.

 

 

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

 

                                                                        Mathews, ch. 2  

 

V.  Southern Society: Case Study -- Dwelling Place, ca. 1808-1869

      (February12, 17 [Exam #1?], 19, 24, 26, March 3,)

      Readings Schedule:  #1 -  pp. 1-96;

                                        #2 - pp. 97-201;

                                        #3 - pp. 202-299;

                                        #4 -- 300-396; 

                                        #5 - pp. 397-465.

 

VI.  Southern Society B:  Institutions, Plantation Missions, Interracial  Contacts,  ca. 1800 -- ca. 1861 (March 5, 17 [Exam #2], 19,)

 

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      Raboteau, ch. 4 and 5

      African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church,           Black Catholicism, Lott Carey,

 

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

 

            Campbellite Tradition, Grimke Sisters, Landmark Movement,

            Methodist Episcopal Church (South),  Mission to Slaves, Mormons,

            Southern Baptist Convention, Triennial Convention. Invisible Institution

            Mathews, chs. 3,  5

 

VII.  The Slavery Issue and Southern Christians, ca. 1780 -- ca. 1861

                             (March  24, 26,)  Second Exam-19)

     

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      Raboteau,  ch. 6

           

 

    Abolitionism, Morris Brown,  Methodist Episcopal Church  (South), 

     Southern Baptist Convention,  Denmark Vesey. Presbyterian Church in the

    United  States, Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States

 

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

 

      Mathews, ch. 4, Recommended:  Mathews, ch. 6

 

VIII.  Civil War and Reconstruction:  Issues and Eras,  ca. 1837 -- ca. 1880

                (March 31, April 2)

     

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      1.  Civil War

 

            Hill, Encyclopedia, Civil War, Judah Philip Benjamin,                                  

     

      2.  Reconstruction -- Encyclopedia,  American Missionary Association,  Lost Cause                  (The),  Henry McNeal Turner

     

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

 

      Mary Boykin Chestnut,  Robert Louis Dabney,  Thomas Dixon (Jr.),  Abraham                         Lincoln, James Henley Thornwell

 

IX.  Selected Developments in Post-Civil War South, ca. 1865 -- ca. 1930      

                (April 7, 9, 14, 16 - Third Exam?)

           

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      1.  Racial Issues

 

            Encyclopedia, pp. 19-29,  Association of Southern Women for the Prevention

                of Lynching, Ku Klux Klan

 

      2.  Rise of New Black Denominations

 

            Christian Methodist Episcopal Church,   National Baptists, Second Cumberland                 Presbyterian Church

 

X.   (Post-Civil War South) continued . . .

 

      3.  Southern White Christian Identity

 

            Lost Cause (The)

      4.  Rise of Holiness and Pentecostal Groups

            Assemblies of God,  Church of God in Christ  (Inc.),  Church of the Nazarene,                    Holiness Movement,  Pentecostalism,  William Joseph Seymour

     

      5.  Fundamentalism, Modernism, Millennialism, and Social Gospel

 

            Fundamentalism,  Modernist Controversy,  Millennialism,  Social Gospel

 

      6.  Evolution Controversy

 

            Evolution Controversy,  Scopes Trial

 

      7. Temperance and Women

 

            Eighteenth Amendment,  Temperance,  Woman's Christian Temperance Union,                  Women in Religion

 

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

 

            Bible (Authority of), Bible (Interpretation of), Bible (Inspiration of),

      Louis Dembitz Brandeis, William Jennings Bryan, Church of God (Cleveland,              Tennessee), Church of God in Christ (Inc.), Church of God of Prophecy,  Fire                                                                 Baptized Holiness Church (of God of the Americas), Frank (Leo, Case),  Atticus                 Greene Haygood,   Keswick Movement,  Charles Harrison Mason, Henry Lewis              Mencken,  Lottie (Charlotte Digges) Moon,  John Franklin Norris, Benjamin                       Morgan Palmer,  Rapture, Sanctification, John Thomas Scopes, Scopes Trial,                         Segregation,  Snake Handlers.

 

XI.  Rise of the Modern South,  ca. 1930 - Present  (April 21, 23)

 

      Readings A (4202/6202):

 

      1.  Overview

 

            Encyclopedia, pp. 29-37

 

      2.  Literature

 

            Mary Flannery O'Connor,  Walker Percy, William Faulkner

XII.  (Modern South) continued . . .

      3.  Southern White Moderates, "Liberals,"  and Radicals

 

            Will D. Campbell,  Christian Socialism, Committee on Interracial Cooperation,                              Fellowship of Southern Churchmen,  Southern Tenants Farmers' Union

 

      4.  Civil Rights Movement

            Civil Rights Movement,  Martin Luther King (Jr.),  Southern Christian Leadership              Conference

 

      5.  Religious Leaders

 

            Will W. Alexander,  Bernard Baruch, Mary McCleod Bethune, 

            Electronic Church, Billy Graham,  Oral Roberts,  Jones (Bob, Family)

 

       6.  Politics,  Religion, and Conservative Christian Politics

 

            James Earl Carter,  Moral Majority

 

      7.  New Religious Movements and Recent Developments

 

            Charismatic Movements,  Santeria,  Appendix  (Recent South)

 

      Readings B (6202; Recommended for 4202):

 

            Baptist Bible Fellowship,  Black Ministerial Protest Leadership (1955-1970),          Will D. Campbell,  Caribbean Immigration,  Charismatic Movements, Christian   Schools,  Committee on Southern Churchmen, Wallie Amos Criswell,  Faith      Healing, Tobias Geffen, Harry Golden, Charles Emmanuel Grace,  Mordecai   Fowler Ham (Jr.), Billy James Hargis, Joseph Harrison Jackson,  Clarence

            Jordan,  Martin Luther King (Jr.),   Koinonia Farm,  Presbyterian Church in         America, Presbyterian Church (USA),  Jacob M. Rothschild,  Lillian Eugenia             Smith,  Southern Sociological Congress,  Theology (Southern), Dorothy Rogers      Tilly, United Presbyterian Church, Willis Duke Weatherford, Gertrude Weil.

 

XIII.  Conclusion  (April 28)      

 

 Final Examination: Thursday,  May 7, 2009,. Time: 12 noon - 3 p.m.    

 

NOTE: 

Keep both this syllabus with course outline and consult it often.  It is a vital guide for this course.  Students are encouraged, expected, and advised to ask questions during the quarter about the syllabus/outline in particular or the course in general concerning points which they feel require greater clarity.  The instructor reserves the right to alter the format or content of the syllabus/outline as his professional discretion dictates or allows or as the occasion demands.  But the format and content should remain reasonably and fundamentally intact.

 

 

 

 

 

"WHERE I STAND" GRADE SUMMARY

 

RELI 4202 / AFAM 4202 / RELI 6202                

Spring Semester 2009

Dr. Sandy D. Martin, Professor

 

 

 

Name ______________________________________________

 

 

A.  Computing Where I Stand in the Course

 

Exam #1 ___________ 

 

Exam #2 ___________

 

Exam #3 ___________    (or Paper for Graduate Students)

 

 

Total Points __________ divided by 3 = ____________ X  .90  =

 

 ____________, plus

 

____________ DPG points equals  _________________ *

 

This is where you stand in the course.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B.  Computing Final Course Grade

 

COMPUTING SEMESTER'S GRADE -- having taken the final exam

 

Add all  three or four exams (two or three pre-finals and the final), divide by 4, multiply that number by .90,  and add the DPG points.  That is your semester's grade,  assuming acceptable attendance.  See the section(s) in this syllabus regarding how attendance and absences impact semester's grading.

 

Ex#1 _______ + Ex#2 _______+Ex#3  _______+ Final Ex _______  =   ___________

 

divided by 4 = _______ X .90

 

= ______________________

 

+ DPG Points _______   = Semester's Grade _____________