Fall 2005

HIS 365G • Jesus in American Culture

Course Description

This new lecture course will study the changing role of Jesus Christ in American culture from the first settlements to the present. It will argue that the second person of the Christian Trinity has come to dominate American Christianity, especially American Protestantism, even as he has been appropriated by non-Christian traditions in the culture and as he has become a culture symbol that, in an unprecedented way, transcends all specific religious expressions. The course will be a multi-media course with much use of art, literature, music and film. The format will utilize both lectures and regularly scheduled class discussions. Students will be expected to approach a subject about which they may have strong opinions from the perspective of historical inquiry.

Grading Policy

Two hour exams: 25% each Quizzes: 10% Final exam: 40%

Texts

Stephen Prothero, American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon R. Laurence Moore, Touchdown Jesus: The Mixing of the Sacred and the Secular in American History Charles M. Sheldon, In His Steps Bruce Barton, The Man Nobody Knows

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