The exam will be in three parts. Parts I (4 short answers) and II (essay) will be exactly like a midterm and cover everything since the last exam. Part III will be a cumulative essay over the whole semester. The exam will be worth 150 points instead of 100.
As before, you'll have a choice of short answers. They will be drawn from important ideas, people, or other points from the lectures.
You'll also have a choice of essay questions in both Parts II and III. Themes that would make good essay questions for Part II might include: the Social Gospel and liberal Protestantism in the 20th century; the experience of Jews or Catholics in America (perhaps a compare and contrast question); the rise of conservative and Fundamentalist Protestantism, from the publication of the Fundamentals to the political activism of the late 20th century; compare and contrast political activism of liberal Protestantism in the Progressive Era with that of conservative Protestantism after the late 1970s; African American religion in the 20th century; or the transformation of American religion in the postwar era. I will ask for examples from The Color of Christ in some essay options.
The cumulative essay in Part III will take a longer view of American religious history. Study your notes for the course. Several potential themes come to mind for cumulative essay questions: trace evangelicalism and revivalism from the First and Second Great Awakenings to the late 20th century; compare and contrast the experience of minority religions in America (Catholics, Jews, Mormons, etc.); the impact of the Calvinist churches (Puritanism, Congregationalism, Presbyterianism) on American religion, life, and politics; the history of liberal Protestantism from its Arminian and Unitarian origins through Transcendentalism through the Social Gospel and the 20th century; analyze the influence of capitalism/economy/money/wealth on American Protestantism (e.g., slavery, industrialization, wealthy businessmen); trace the history of African American religion from the colonial period to the late 20th century; or church-state relations in the colonial era, the Constitutional era, the 19th century (think for example of Bible in schools, etc.), and the late 20th century (Supreme Court decisions, evolution in schools, etc.). I might ask for examples from the readings in some essay options.
Last updated: December 8, 2016, 2:50 p.m.