University of Utah History 4795 Mormonism and the American Experience Fall Semester 2017 T, Th 2:00 – 3:20, WBB 617 W. Paul Reeve CTIHB 323 585-9231 Office hours: T, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.; W, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. [email protected] Course Description: This course explores the historical development of Mormonism in an American context, from its Second Great Awakening beginnings to the beginning of the twenty-first century. It situates the founding and development of Mormonism within the contexts of American cultural, economic, social, religious, racial, and political history. A central theme is the ebb and flow over time of tension between Mormonism and broader American society. How did conflicts over Mormonism during the nineteenth century, especially the conflict over polygamy and theocracy, help define the limits of religious tolerance in this country? How have LDS beliefs, practices, and culture positioned and repositioned Mormons within U.S. society? Learning Outcomes: 1. To situate the development of Mormonism within broader American historical contexts and thereby arrive at a greater understanding of religion’s place in American life. a. To understand the impact of Mormonism upon American history. b. To understand the impact of American history upon Mormonism. 2. To formulate and articulate in class discussions, exams, and through written assignments intelligent and informed arguments concerning the major developments and events that have shaped Mormonism over time. 3. To cultivate the critical mind in response to a variety of historical perspectives. Perspective: This course studies Mormonism in an academic setting. In doing so our purpose is not to debate the truth or falsehood of religious claims, but rather to examine how religious beliefs and experiences functioned in the lives of individuals and communities. Course readings will represent a variety of perspectives, from the faithful believer to that of detractors and critics and everything in between. These perspectives are designed to not only offer insights into Mormon history, but to teach about the various reactions Mormonism has engendered. This course is not about promoting or detracting from anyone’s faith, but seeks to understand religion as a motivating power in Mormon lives and how it intersected with broader forces and peoples in American history over time. Required Texts: Johnson & Wilentz, The Kingdom of Matthias. Oxford University Press, 1994. Mason & Turner, Out of Obscurity: Mormonism since 1945. Oxford, 2016. Additional readings found under the “files” tab on CANVAS Optional Text: Bowman, The Mormon People. Random House, 2012. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Attendance and Class Participation: Regular attendance is recommended and can enhance your final grade. Each student is expected to read the material assigned in the class schedule before coming to class. As you read, think critically about the material and form your own opinions about the main concepts in each selection. Your informed opinions, questions, and comments are valued and participation will be graded. A student who comes to every class, but never participates, will receive a grade of F in class participation. Discussions: Class discussions will follow major themes from the textbooks, but will not merely rehash the texts. Exam questions will come from the texts, lectures, and discussions, therefore class participation and note taking are strongly recommended. Quizzes: There will be six unannounced quizzes given throughout the semester. The quizzes are designed to test your understanding of the assigned readings. Each quiz is worth ten points; only your five highest scores will be used in the final grade. There will be no make up quizzes given, except for university excused absences. Exams: There will be two exams, one midterm and one take-home final. The midterm exam will consist of identification and essay questions. The final is a comprehensive essay and will be worth 100 points. Response Papers: Each student is expected to write two 1,200 - 1,500 word response papers on topics of your choice from the list in the class schedule. Your papers should be typed, double spaced, 12 point font, and should include a word count on the first page under your name. You should upload your response paper through CANVAS. It must be uploaded before the beginning of class the day it is due or it will be considered late. These papers will be written in response to the additional reading listed under the six dashes (------) on a given day’s assigned readings. On days with multiple sets of additional readings, you are free to choose the set you read. You will select your topics the first week of class. Your response papers are then due at the beginning of class on the day we discuss that topic as listed on the class schedule. Your response papers should make sense of a day’s topic through a careful analysis of all of the readings assigned on that day. They should evaluate the readings for that day and consider them a combined set of knowledge on a given topic. What do the readings as a synthetic whole teach you about the topic for that day and by extension what do they teach you about Mormon and US history? What are the main arguments each historian makes in his or her essay and how does she or he support those arguments? How do the readings relate to each other? Do they agree or disagree? What messages do the readings convey and how do they convey them? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments and evidence? From what perspectives do the various historians write? Do you agree or disagree with the historians’ interpretations, evidence, and arguments? Why or why not? What new insights, ideas, and information did you receive and what is your response? You should demonstrate an ability to think critically about the readings, and to respond with a well-reasoned analysis. Each response should demonstrate an ability to think independently and should contain sound analysis that exhibits a command of interpretive and conceptual skills. Use well-chosen examples, persuasive reasoning, and solid evidence directly applicable to the readings. Structure your essays so that they move easily from one point to the next with clear, smooth, and appropriate transitions, coherent organization, and fully developed paragraphs. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and a clear organization of ideas are essential to obtaining an “A” on this assignment. Please remember that there is no good writing, only good rewriting. Take the time to proofread and rewrite your paper. Critical Analysis Take Home Final: Each student is expected to select a popular culture representation of Mormonism (a movie, novel, television show, a collection of political cartoons organized around a common theme, or a website) from a list of possibilities in the “Popular Culture” folder under the “files” tab on CANVAS. If you select a pop culture representation not on the list you must get it approved by me before proceeding. You will then write a 2,000 to 2,750 word critical analysis of your selection scrutinizing it against what you have learned this semester. Your analysis should consider the perspective of your selection, its strengths, and its weaknesses. How does it portray Mormonism and why? What messages does it convey? What does it want its audience to believe about Mormonism? What does it do well? What could it do better? Does it serve to contribute to stereotypes about Mormons or does it serve to correct them? How so? What are the stereotypes it perpetuates or seeks to correct? Does your selected work portray Mormonism in a historically accurate manner? Why or why not? Be sure to draw upon the readings and class discussions from this semester to inform your analysis. You might choose to focus your response on one or two themes from this semester around which to organize your paper (gender, race, Joseph Smith, polygamy, prophets, etc.) and compare and contrast portrayals of that/those theme(s) between what you have studied in class and your chosen pop culture medium. Your chosen theme(s) might be that/those for which you wrote response papers. Your take-home final should assume that I know the basic content of your pop culture representation and should not merely rehash it. Rather your final paper should analyze your selected medium in the same way that Jana Riess analyzes the popular culture representations of Mormonism in her essay that we read for class. Your response should demonstrate an ability to think independently and should contain sound analysis that exhibits a command of interpretive and conceptual skills. Your paper should contain an easily identifiable thesis. It should use well-chosen examples, persuasive reasoning, and solid evidence directly applicable to your thesis. Structure your essay so that it moves easily from one point to the next with clear, smooth, and appropriate transitions, coherent organization, and fully developed paragraphs. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and a clear organization of ideas are essential to obtaining an “A” on this assignment. Please remember that there is no good writing—only good rewriting. Take the time to proofread and rewrite your paper. Your response is due on the day listed in the class schedule. It should be typed, double spaced, twelve point font, one inch margins, and the front page should include your name and a total word count for the paper. Plagiarism: When writing your response paper, ANY and ALL direct quotes should be cited with a parenthetical reference such as this (p. #). ANY and ALL quotes or references from other material apart from the readings under review must be footnoted. This includes direct quotes, paraphrases, and the use of themes or ideas articulated by another person. Do not plagiarize! Plagiarism is a serious offense which violates general standards of honesty (see http://www.sa.utah.edu/code/html for more information).