This course explores the role religious belief has played in women's lives and how women have shaped religion in America, from the colonial period to the present. We will examine a wide range of religious belief, including Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Protestantism, Spiritualism, and female theologies, and look at women of various ethnic backgrounds, including African American, Native American, Anglo, and immigrant. We will look for ways in which attention to women may change traditional narratives of religious history, and ways in which looking at religious belief can add to our understanding of women's history. Some problems we will consider include the relation of religion to reform, understanding women in conservative religious traditions, and the connection between religious belief and issues of sexuality. We will explore the ways religion has served to empower women, and conversely, how it has served to limit women's opportunities. And we will probe how a serious consideration of women's religious commitment can complicate these categories. Format: discussion/lecture. Requirements: informed participation, several short papers (2-3 pages), and a longer review paper (8-10 pages) on a topic related to the course. Enrollment limit: 25.

Hour: Kobes Du Mez