Instructor: Ben Bennett-Carpenter
Course Time: MW 1:00-4:20
General Education: Western Civilization
Term: Summer ( I)  2013

DESCRIPTION:
This course delves into the creative imagination in American religion. Ideas of creativity as they have been conceived over time in Western civilization will be explored, especially in relation to Western religion. Students will be introduced to pre-cursors of American religious imagination from antiquity to the present day. Special emphasis will be put on the development of original American religions in the 19th and 20th centuries in distinction from their counterparts in Europe, with some attention to traditional and non-Western religions. Students will be challenged with the sheer fact that there are many new, original, and innovation religions in America – and challenged with the unusual idea that these religions result from powerful, creative minds. In short, we will explore the idea that American religions are manifestations of American creativity.

TEXTS:
Our primary texts include Creativity & Beyond: Cultures, Values, and Change by Robert Paul Weiner (SUNY Press, 2000), The American Religion by Harold Bloom (2nd edition, Chu Hartley Publishers, 2006) and a select reading list of articles. The selected readings will be made available through the course site in Moodle. The 2nd edition of They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein (Norton, 2010) and The Craft of Research by Wayne Booth, Gregory Columb, and Joseph Williams (3rd edition, Chicago, 2008) are also required.

CLASS STYLE:
Class is conducted in a seminar style emphasizing lively and substantial engagement with the ideas of the course through discussion. Film and/or guest presenters may be used as appropriate, if possible. Student presentations and writing will center on the history of, and approaches to, creative imagination in American religion as described above and as developed in class. Assignments may include presentations and several written assignments, including a substantial paper that includes a draft, feedback, and revision process. The paper may include an element of active, original research and will be on a topic of the student’s choice related to creative imagination in American religion. Some elements of the course will include online work through Moodle, library databases, and the world wide web.