I’ll be teaching a seminar this fall on American religious pluralism and I need to submit my book adoptions soon. What’s hip, new and suitable for upper-level undergrads? Or, alternatively, what are the go-to classics? It will be a general course, not specifically on Mormonism, but I know this crowd would have good ideas, so I’m just throwing it open for suggestions.
Just to reminisce… when I took my undergrad American religion course from Steve Marini at Wellesley College (using the cross-registration bus provided by MIT), we used Stephen Allstrom’s Religious History. Good times.
Suggest away.
Last time I taught it, by the way, I used Diana Eck, New Religious America, the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and Noah Feldman, Divided by God, plus assorted smaller readings.
Comment by Tona H — March 9, 2012 @ 5:22 pm
Steve Protheros last couple books are a bit orthogonal to this topic but interesting nonetheless.
Comment by Smb — March 10, 2012 @ 9:09 am
I’ve got nothing.
Comment by Edje Jeter — March 10, 2012 @ 9:41 am
Seems like Chaim Potok has written some essays about inter-religion dialogue that may be of use.
Comment by smb — March 10, 2012 @ 10:08 am
Pluralism, by William Connolly. More political, social, cultural commentary than history per se. A very smart read, and fairly short.
Comment by Jacob — March 10, 2012 @ 10:19 am
Catherine Albanese’s America: Religion and Religions is the staple at UCSB.
Comment by Steve Fleming — March 10, 2012 @ 10:21 am
There’s a lot of top-notch stuff recently out on the early American context. Here’s some of the best:
Monographs
*Chris Beneke, Beyond Toleration: The Religious Origins of American Pluralism
*David Sehat, The Myth of American Religious Freedom
Collection of Essays
*Chris Beneke and Christopher S. Grenda, eds., The First Prejudice: Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America
Primary Source Collection
*John Corrigan and Lynn S. Neal, eds., Religious Intolerance in America: A Documentary History
Comment by Christopher — March 10, 2012 @ 11:21 am
William R. Hutchison’s “Religious Pluralism in America: The Contentious History of a Founding Ideal” is a solid study and worthy addition to the list of suggestions.
Comment by Joseph Bonyata — March 13, 2012 @ 12:14 am