DOCSLIB.ORG

Duke University Dissertation Template

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Duke University Dissertation Template Eruditio et Religio: A Comparative History of Religious Life on Four Campuses by Scott Muir Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Mark Chaves, Supervisor ___________________________ Yaakov Ariel ___________________________ Russell Richey ___________________________ Alyssa Rockenbach ___________________________ Grant Wacker Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 i v ABSTRACT Eruditio et Religio: A Comparative History of Religious Life at Four Distinct Colleges of the Research Triangle by Scott Muir Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Mark Chaves, Supervisor ___________________________ Yaakov Ariel ___________________________ Russell Richey ___________________________ Alyssa Rockenbach ___________________________ Grant Wacker An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 Copyright by Scott Muir 2018 Abstract This dissertation examines the relationship between religion and higher education in the United States through analyses of the religious histories of four distinct educational institutions in North Carolina’s Research Triangle—Duke University, Meredith College, North Carolina Central University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It places three seemingly contradictory scholarly representations of this relationship in conversation with one another. The first, represented by evangelical historians George Marsden and John Sommerville, claims that American higher education has come to be characterized by exclusive secularism. The second, represented by scholars of education, including Tricia Seifert, Lewis Schlosser, and Sherry Watt et al. claims by contrast that Christian privilege continues to obstruct the full inclusion of religious and non-religious minorities. And a third, represented by Rhonda and Jake Jacobsen, contends that historical Protestant and secularist predominance have been transcended by inclusive pluralism in the “postsecular” 21st century. This dissertation draws on archival research, participant observation, interviews, quantitative survey analysis, and secondary sources to demonstrate how Protestant, secular, and pluralist forces have coexisted and interacted throughout these four institutions’ histories. It illuminates how their campus religious climates have evolved in distinct ways through contingent interactions among these forces conditioned by a variety of institutional identity factors, including race, gender, iv affiliation, prestige, and geographical reach. As a result, we see that the relationship between religion and higher education is not uniformly characterized by either Christian privilege, exclusive secularism, or inclusive pluralism. Distinct institutional trajectories shape coexisting forms of privilege, secularism, and pluralism that interact in specific contexts, producing unique campus religious climates that shape undergraduate identity formation. v Dedication This dissertation is dedicated first and foremost to my wife Sarah who has suffered through this project with predictable grace and generous support. And to my daughter Eloise, who has helped me to “stay where my feet are” and relish the gift of each moment on this journey. I love you both madly. I would also like to dedicate this work to three family members of the “Greatest Generation,” my most intimate link to the past I represent here. First to the late William “Nonna” McCowen, my mother’s father, a lover of history who taught me to love the South as a Southerner, in spite of its warts. Secondly, to his beloved bride, Virginia “Gigi” McCowen, an alumna of a Methodist equivalent of Meredith College and pluralistic Protestant mystic of the purest order. And finally, to George Parkeson, their dear brother-in-law, who has served Duke University in the Medical School for 43 years, and continues to do so at the ripe age of 90—George welcomed me to Duke, Durham, the Research Triangle, and their rich overlapping histories as only a family history buff can. vi Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... x 1. Introduction: Illustrating the Contingent Interactions Among Protestant, Secular, and Pluralist Forces on Campuses Through Comparison of Four Distinct Case Studies .......... 1 1.1 Argument ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Literature Review: Three Seemingly Contradictory Representations of the Relationship Between Religion and Higher Education..................................................... 3 1.2.1 George Marsden’s and John Sommerville’s Critiques of Exclusive Secularism . 3 1.2.2 The Multifaceted Literature Promoting a New Paradigm Characterized by Religious Pluralism and Fluid Spirituality ....................................................................... 9 1.2.3 Critics of Persistent Christian/Religious Privilege ................................................ 15 1.3 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 24 1.4 Chapter Outline .............................................................................................................. 29 2. The Adhan Controversy in Historical Perspective: Interpenetrating Protestant, Secular, and Pluralist Forces at Duke University, 1839-2016 ................................................ 31 2.1 Introduction: The Adhan Controversy as Clash Between Protestant, Pluralist, and Secular Forces ........................................................................................................................ 31 2.2 Founding: A “Non-Sectarian” Denominational Identity Emerges Amidst Secular and Ecumenical Alternatives .............................................................................................. 36 2.3 Expansion: Protestant Establishments and Proto-Pluralism in a “Privatized Era” ................................................................................................................................................. 42 2.4 “Pluriformity,” Protestant Privilege, and Secularization: The Contest over a Diversified Campus Culture ............................................................................................... 55 2.5 Conclusion: The Adhan Dialogues as a Metaphor for the Relationship Between Religion and Higher Education .......................................................................................... 66 vii 3. A Puzzle of Paradoxes: Women’s Education and the Evangelical Mainline at Meredith College, 1900-2017 ....................................................................................................................... 70 3.1 Founding: Baptist Faith Inspires, Hampers, and Threatens Women’s Education 74 3.2 Challenging and Reinforcing the Gendered Boundaries of Southern Propriety and Baptist Piety ................................................................................................................... 83 3.3 The Evangelical Mainline at Midcentury: Progressive Social Engagement and Evangelical Witness ............................................................................................................. 89 3.4 Rupture: Meredith in the Crosshairs of a Baptist Battle Over Faith and Gender 102 3.5 Reorientation: Women’s Education and Institutional Mission in the “Pluriform Era” ....................................................................................................................................... 113 3.6 Conclusion: Gains and Losses .................................................................................... 127 4. Institutional Myths: Comparing Protestant, Pluralist, and Secular Structures at NCCU and UNC-CH, 1795-2017 .......................................................................................................... 130 4.1 The Protestant Establishment of Segregated Public Liberal Arts Education in North Carolina .................................................................................................................... 138 4.2 Midcentury Polarization: Preserving Protestant Cultures and Accommodating Secular Institutional Rules................................................................................................. 149 4.3 Protestant Privilege, Pluralism, and the Public University: Racial and Economic Disparities ............................................................................................................................ 171 4.4 Conclusion: The Complex, Vulnerable Nature of Religious Structures at Public Universities .......................................................................................................................... 194 5. Conclusion: Towards a Flexible, Interactive Account of Religion in Higher Education ....................................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • E. Brooks Holifield Emory University in America's Pastor Grant Wacker Has
    Grant Wacker’s America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and The shaping of a nation 1 Panel Discussion at the American Society of church history conference January 9, 2016 E. Brooks Holifield Emory University In America’s Pastor Grant Wacker has given us an important treatment of one of the most prominent figures in American religious history. Billy Graham was the dominant force in the resurgence of evangelical Protestant Christianity in the United States, and to understand him better is also to gain a fruitful perspective not only on religion but also on American culture in general during the years in which he attracted hundreds of thousands of people to his crusades, countless readers to his newspaper columns, and a worldwide audience to his public appearances. Wacker has given us a lens through which to catch sight of America—or at least a considerable segment of America—during a period in which he became for many a representative of the nation as well as the Protestant church. The book is not a conventional biography but rather a series of thematic chapters that focus on the intersection between Graham’s public life and broader currents in American culture. While fundamentally appreciative of Graham’s achievements, Wacker discusses the evangelist’s shortcomings as well. America’s Pastor has received significant attention. Besides a half-dozen periodicals in the UK, it has been reviewed in scholarly journals (Christian Scholars’ Review, Foreign Affairs), magazines (Booklist, Books and Culture, Christian Century, Christianity Today, Chronicle of Higher Education, First Things, The Nation), major urban daily newspapers, and numerous established blog sites (Faith and Leadership, Patheos, US Religion).
    [Show full text]
  • America's China Dream and China's American Dream
    Narrative Section of a Successful Application The attached document contains the grant narrative and selected portions of a previously funded grant application. It is not intended to serve as a model, but to give you a sense of how a successful application may be crafted. Every successful application is different, and each applicant is urged to prepare a proposal that reflects its unique project and aspirations. Prospective applicants should consult the Summer Seminars and Institutes application guidelines at http://www.neh.gov/grants/education/summer-seminars-and-institutes for instructions. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to consult with the NEH Division of Education Programs staff well before a grant deadline. Note: The attachment only contains the grant narrative and selected portions, not the entire funded application. In addition, certain portions may have been redacted to protect the privacy interests of an individual and/or to protect confidential commercial and financial information and/or to protect copyrighted materials. The page limit for the narrative description is now fifteen double-spaced pages. Project Title: America and China: 150 Years of Aspirations and Encounters Institution: Calvin College Project Director: Daniel Bays Grant Program: Summer Seminars and Institutes 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024 P 202.606.8500 F 202.606.8394 E [email protected] www.neh.gov AMERICA’S CHINA DREAM AND CHINA’S AMERICAN DREAM: 150 YEARS OF ENCOUNTER NEH Summer Seminar Seminar co-Directors: Dan Bays, Professor Emeritus, History Department, Calvin College Dong Wang, Centre for Global Cooperation Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. TABLE OF CONTENTS A.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2015 Dean's Report
    The 2015 Dean’s Report DUKE DIVINITY SCHOOL “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” — Matthew 22:37 These years at Duke are your best opportunity to learn to love God with all your intellectual capacity. This is the time for the sanctification of your intellect. Don’t miss this opportunity. It is a privilege to take our place among Christians through the centuries—and there are not so many of them—who are called to love God through the sanctification of our intellects. That is the chief purpose for which you were called here ... Study as a witness of faith. — Excerpted from the Opening Convocation sermon preached by Interim Dean Ellen F. Davis on August 25, 2015 The 2015 Dean’s Report DUKE DIVINITY SCHOOL Message from the Dean: A Year of Transition 2 Gratitude for Our Gifts and a Focus on the Future A Process of Discernment 6 Report from the Dean Search Committee Ensuring Priorities Are Met 10 New Leadership Positions Devote Attention to Key Areas Commemorating a Scholar and Mentor American Church History Professor Grant Wacker Retires 14 Refurbishing the Divinity Library 18 A Photo Report on Library Enhancements Partnering Together 20 A Record-Setting Year for Giving The Year in Review 2015 Highlights from Duke Divinity School 24 Facts and Figures 34 Annual Financial Report 35 Boards and Administration 36 MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN A Year of Transition Gratitude for Our Gifts and a Focus on the Future Ellen F. Davis Interim Dean and Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; yes, God’s faithfulness is boundless.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloadhandler/264462/39009/418569/13%20- %20CMR%20Article%20-%20We%20Ve%20Got%20An%20Emergency.Pdf (Accessed 4/23/2012)
    Distribution Agreement In presenting this thesis or dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree from Emory University, I hereby grant to Emory University and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive, make accessible, and display my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, including display on the world wide web. I understand that I may select some access restrictions as part of the online submission of this thesis or dissertation. I retain all ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. Signature: _________________________ _______________ David Patrick King Date SEEKING A GLOBAL VISION: THE EVOLUTION OF WORLD VISION AND AMERICAN EVANGELICALISM by David P. King Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Division of Religion Historical Studies Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ E. Brooks Holifield, Ph.D. Supervisor ___________________________ Elizabeth Bounds, Ph.D. Committee Member ___________________________ Jonathan Strom, Ph.D. Committee Member __________________________ Grant Wacker, Ph.D. Committee Member Accepted: ___________________________________________ Lisa A. Tedesco, Ph.D. Dean of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies ________________ Date SEEKING A GLOBAL VISION: THE EVOLUTION OF WORLD VISION AND AMERICAN EVANGELICALISM By David P. King B.A. History, Samford University, 2001 M.Div., Duke Divinity School, 2004 Advisor: E. Brooks Holifield, Ph.D. An abstract of A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Division of Religion Historical Studies 2012 Abstract Seeking a Global Vision: The Evolution of World Vision and American Evangelicalism By David P.
    [Show full text]