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B.S. in Actuarial Science

Otterbein University Course Catalogs

2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

INST 2212 - Religions of the Americas

Hours: 3
Surveys religion in the Americas by examining both major and minor traditions, movements, persons, and ideas that have made significant impact on American spiritual landscapes from pre-Columbian times to the present. Key themes to be addressed include: Native American religions of North and South America; African-American spiritualties; Caribbean and Hawaiian spiritual traditions; the roots of American Judaism and Catholicism; the origins and dominance of Protestantism; the rise of pluralism and denominationalism; the sources and persistence of Liberalism; the impact of the American frontier on religious structures; the importance of rational religion (e.g., Deism) at the nation’s founding; the religious significance of the “Manifest Destiny” idea; the emergence and spread of revivalism; the rise and proliferation of America’s many and diverse indigenous Christian denominations; the Social Gospel; Fundamentalism; immigrant religions of the late 20th and early 21st centuries; and so-called “New Age spirituality.” In thinking of the many cultures and subcultures of the Americas, considering the notion of community and what constitutes the “public good” both locally and globally, specifically examining how religion plays a role in this understanding and reflecting upon how these ideas intersect with our own lives and experiences as well.
Notes: Cross-listed with PHRE 2500.