AMERICAN CATHOLICISM
Winnifred Sullivan
email: sullivanw@wlu.edu
Winter 1998; 15 students
General Information
This course considers the history and experience of the Roman Catholic church in America, from the first French and Spanish missionaries, through the rise of the largely Irish and German immigrant church in the 19th century, to the coming of age of the American Catholic community and its participation in and response to Vatican II. Attention is given to the theology, ritual forms and cultural style of Catholic religious practice and to the history of the Catholic community and its participation in the public life of the larger American community.
The overarching questions for this course will be: What makes American Catholicism Catholic? What makes it American? and What do we learn about religion from studying American Catholicism?
Course Requirements
Preparation for class, quizzes and participation in class discussion. Each student will be asked to prepare a short (2-3 pages) reflection paper on the readings each week (except the first and last week) in response to an assigned question.(50% of grade).
Midterm (25% of grade) and final (25% of grade).
All assignments, including preparation for class, are expected to be timely, unless prior approval is given. Lateness will be penalized.
Required texts (all in paper)
Jay P. Dolan, The American Catholic Experience
Richard McBrien, Inside Catholicism
Thomas Merton, Seven Story Mountain
Brian Moore, Black Robe
Robert Orsi, The Madonna of 115th Street
Packet of readings (available from Karen Lyle)
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENTS
wk.1
1/6 Introductory lecture: The Late Medieval European Church
Colonial Catholicism
1/8 Spanish Missions
Assignment: read Las Casas, In Defense of the Indians
In Class: Lecture/discussion on early Spanish missions
wk.2
1/13 Spanish Missions cont.
Assignment: read Junipero Serra, Diary
Dolan, pp. 15-30
reflection paper due
In Class: Lecture/discussion on Southwest missions
1/15 French Missions
Assignment: read Moore, Black Robe
Dolan, pp. 31-68
Lalemant, "How Father Jogues was Taken. . ."
In class: Lecture/discussion on French missions
wk. 3
1/20 English Catholics in the New World
Assignment: read John Carroll selections Dolan, pp. 69-97
reflection paper due
In Class: Lecture/discussion on Maryland Catholics
1/22 Catholics in the new republic
Assignment: read Dolan, pp. 101-124
In Class: Quiz on colonial Catholicism
The Immigrant Church
wk. 4
1/27 NB: this class will be held in the evening
Who were the Immigrants?
Assignment: read Dolan, pp. 127-157
reflection paper due
In Class: Lecture/discussion on Immigrant Catholicism
1/29 The parish and the neighborhood
Assignment: read Dolan, pp. 158-220
In Class: Lecture/discussion on Immigrant Catholicism cont.
wk. 5
2/3 Devotional Catholicism
Assignment: read Taves, The Household of Faith (in packet)
reflection paper due
In Class: Lecture/discussion on devotional Catholicism
2/5 Black Catholics (NOTE: this will be an evening class)
Assignment: read Davis, History of Black Catholics, chs. 3-6
Afro-American and Catholic
In Class: lecture by Prof. Delaney
wk. 6
2/10 Anti-Catholicism and Nativism
Assignment: read nativism and anti-Catholicism selections (in course packet)
reflection paper due
In Class: Lecture by Dr.Stephanie Wilkinson
2/12 MIDTERM
WASHINGTON HOLIDAY
wk. 7
2/24 Conversion
Assignment:read Brownson selections
In Class: discussion of conversion
2/25 Evening lecture by Professor Scott Appleby
2/26 Americanism and Modernism
Assignment: read Appleby and Sullivan selections
In Class: Visit by Prof. Appleby
Coming of Age
wk.8
3/2 Italian Catholics
Assignment: read Orsi, The Madonna of 115th St.
In Class: Discussion of Orsi
reflection paper due
3/4 Social Gospel
Assignment: read Dolan, pp. 321-348
In Class: view and discuss The Radio Priest
wk. 9
3/9 Schools
Assignment: read Dolan, pp. 262-293, 384-420
Everson v. Bd. of Education
Reflection paper due
In Class: Discussion of Everson
3/11 Triumphal Catholicism
Assignment: read Morris selection
In Class: view The Bells of St. Marys
wk. 10
3/16 Thomas Merton
Assignment: read Merton, Seven Story Mountain
reflection paper due
In Class: View film on Merton/discussion of Merton
Vatican II and Aftermath
3/18 Religious Freedom
Assignment: read Dignitatis Humanae
Murray, We Hold These Truths selections
In Class: Lecture/discussion on Dignitatis Humanae
wk. 11
3/23 American Catholicism and Vatican II
Assignment: read Dolan pp. 423-454
Gaudium et Spes
reflection paper due
In Class: Lecture/discussion on Vatican II
3/25 Vatican II and religious orders
Assignment: reading to be assigned
In Class: view and discuss Breaking Silence
wk. 12
3/30 Indigenization and syncretism
Assignment: reading to be announced
In-Class: Discussion of definition of Catholicism
4/2 American Catholicism today
Assignment: reading to be announced
In class:to be announced