Course Syllabus

Instructor: Amy Erickson, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Director of the MTS Program

Overview of the Course

A possible schedule for articulating and focusing your research interests and thesis topic (feel free to emend this document to suit your needs/style)

Books for the Course

I have chosen recent books that have provoked conversation among people informed about and interested in religion in contemporary America. Given the interests of students in the MTS program, I was particularly drawn to books that investigate peculiarly American cultural manifestations of religion. These readings provoke questions such as: What does our religion say about our (cultural, familial, and individual) identity? How have religious traditions and American culture/history interacted in history? How are religious ideas, icons, and traditions interpreted and imagined in the United States? How can we be more self-reflective about how we engage, practice and talk about religion? What does interdisciplinary study of religion look like? On account of my area of expertise and training (biblical studies), Christianity is our primary touchstone, however what Christianity looks like on the American landscape is necessarily informed by interaction with other religions.

Overview and Objectives

Late Work