LS 644 - African American Religious Thought

(3.00 cr.)

This course begins with an investigation of the religious world the African slaves brought to North America. Although conversion to Christianity from Islam or African tribal religions was problematic, African American churches began to flourish by the end of the Civil War. Students reflect on a cluster of problems: racism, biblical interpretation infrastructure, doctrine, and tradition. Next, students turn to understanding how the "Great Migration" diversified and challenged the religious ideas popular in urban areas of the country. The course ends with a study African American Christianity in the present era, a transitional period that can be understood as a conflict between classic revivalism, the remnants of the civil rights movement, and the rise of hip-hop culture.