Presidental elections in the United States: politics and religion WSE-PO-E-PEinUS

1. Historical overview: constitutional separation of church and state, theory and reality (e.g. voting always on Tuesdays), political reality of WASP, religious/moral issues discussed during Thomas Jefferson elections. Attempts to break the WASP rule before 1960.
2. American specifics: religion versus secularism; concepts of Enlightenment and the “Civil Religion”; morality of individual freedom and socio-economic reality of slavery and racism; secular and religious American exceptionalism in as an element of presidential rhetoric.
3. Changes in religious affiliations of contemporary Americans: generational changes (especially people in their 20s and 30s), growing numbers (and percentage of voters) without religious affiliation (during recent years c. 26%) or declaring themselves as “spirituals”, growing resentment of organized institutional religions and churches, growing phenomenon of apostasies (mostly Protestants and Catholics) 2.5-3 millions a year
4. Questions considering the religiosity of American presidents: official and private declaration, pragmatism of political campaigns, importance of religiosity of the voters: case of 1980 election and use of religious issues by Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter
5. Political engagement of Protestant right: genesis and program. Interpretations and significance of Scopes Trial; its cognitive legacy in debating concepts of creationism in pre-election (primaries’) debates; Terms: evangelicals (conservative evangelicals) and Protestant fundamentalists and their affiliation with the Republican Party.
6. Religious and political significance of Lynchburg, Virginia: from eugenics to Protestant fundamentalism. From the founder, Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.,a pastor and political activist to the fall of Jerry Falwell Jr. in 2020.
7. Two political paths of the televangelists: Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Two models of religious and political activism; foundation of the religious political lobby; Christian Zionism; Pat Robertson as a televangelist and a candidate in presidential election.
8. Protestant Right’s political influence in the first decade of the twenty-first century: George Walker Bush and the Protestant Right; Bush’s re-election and mobilization of Catholics against the Catholic candidate; Republican candidates and Leading evangelical universities (especially Liberty University and Regent University); interactions with Judaism and Islam.
9. Religion in 2008 campaign: Religious identity of Barack Obama; primaries and controversies over Jeremiah Wright; Ideology of the Black Liberation Theology; significance of the religious factor in 2008 election.
10. Catholics in presidential elections: traditional and contemporary anti-Catholicism; characteristics of the anti-Catholic rhetoric; transformations of the beginning of the twenty-first century: Polarizations in use of the term “the Catholic candidate” in the context of vice-presidential candidates in 2021 campaign (Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan)
11. Religious issues in 2016 and 2020 campaigns: “The “God’s Gap”, adjustments of Evangelical Protestant Right rhetoric considering support for Donald Trump; Joe Biden as the second Catholic president. Questions considering future elections.

Term 2021/22_Z:

1. Historical overview: constitutional separation of church and state, theory and reality (e.g. voting always on Tuesdays), political reality of WASP, religious/moral issues discussed during Thomas Jefferson elections. Attempts to break the WASP rule before 1960.
2. American specifics: religion versus secularism; concepts of Enlightenment and the “Civil Religion”; morality of individual freedom and socio-economic reality of slavery and racism; secular and religious American exceptionalism in as an element of presidential rhetoric.
3. Changes in religious affiliations of contemporary Americans: generational changes (especially people in their 20s and 30s), growing numbers (and percentage of voters) without religious affiliation (during recent years c. 26%) or declaring themselves as “spirituals”, growing resentment of organized institutional religions and churches, growing phenomenon of apostasies (mostly Protestants and Catholics) 2.5-3 millions a year
4. Questions considering the religiosity of American presidents: official and private declaration, pragmatism of political campaigns, importance of religiosity of the voters: case of 1980 election and use of religious issues by Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter
5. Political engagement of Protestant right: genesis and program. Interpretations and significance of Scopes Trial; its cognitive legacy in debating concepts of creationism in pre-election (primaries’) debates; Terms: evangelicals (conservative evangelicals) and Protestant fundamentalists and their affiliation with the Republican Party.
6. Religious and political significance of Lynchburg, Virginia: from eugenics to Protestant fundamentalism. From the founder, Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.,a pastor and political activist to the fall of Jerry Falwell Jr. in 2020.
7. Two political paths of the televangelists: Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Two models of religious and political activism; foundation of the religious political lobby; Christian Zionism; Pat Robertson as a televangelist and a candidate in presidential election.
8. Religious and political significance of Lynchburg, Virginia: from eugenics to Protestant fundamentalism. From the founder, Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.,a pastor and political activist to the fall of Jerry Falwell Jr. in 2020.
9. Two political paths of the televangelists: Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Two models of religious and political activism; foundation of the religious political lobby; Christian Zionism; Pat Robertson as a televangelist and a candidate in presidential election.
10. . Catholics in presidential elections: traditional and contemporary anti-Catholicism; characteristics of the anti-Catholic rhetoric; transformations of the beginning of the twenty-first century: Polarizations in use of the term “the Catholic candidate” in the context of vice-presidential candidates in 2021 campaign (Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan)
11. Religious issues in 2016 and 2020 campaigns: “The “God’s Gap”, adjustments of Evangelical Protestant Right rhetoric considering support for Donald Trump; Joe Biden as the second Catholic president. Questions considering future elections

(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych

(in Polish) nie dotyczy

Subject level

elementary

Learning outcome code/codes

enter learning outcome code/codes

Type of subject

obligatory

Course coordinators

Anna Peck

Bibliography

1. Anna Peck, Genius Loci: Attempt of Rationalization of the American Protestant Fundamentalism. „Universitas Gedanensis” (Polskie Towarzystwo Filozoficzno-Teologiczne) 2013, r. 25, t. 46, ss. 81-98 PDF available online

https://www.universitasgedanensis.pl/images/Universitas_Gedanensis/Universitas_Gedanensis_46.pdf

2. Anna Peck, Juxtaposing right and wrong: presentations and interpretations of the American Protestant Fundamentalism. “Universitas Gedanensis”, R. 24, 2012, t. 43-44, ss. 41-56. PDF available online

https://utw.diecezja.gda.pl/universitas_gedanensis/uniwersitas%2043-44.pdf

Rick Perlstein, Reaganland. America’s Right Turn 1976-1980. New York 2020
Selected chapters:
- chapter 8: “The Moral Womanly Woman is Alive and Well in Mississippi”
- chapter 22: Christian Soldiers
- chapter 34: “Feed Your Faith and Starve Your Doubts”

Thomas Piketty, Capital and Ideology. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England 2020.
Selected chapter:
- Part 2: Slave and Colonial Societies (parts considering the United States)
- Part 3: The Dead Ends and Pitfalls of the Populism Debate pp. 962-965.

Term 2021/22_Z:

https://www.universitasgedanensis.pl/images/Universitas_Gedanensis/Universitas_Gedanensis_46.pdf

https://utw.diecezja.gda.pl/universitas_gedanensis/uniwersitas%2043-44.pdf

3. Rick Perlstein, Reaganland. America’s Right Turn 1976-1980. New York 2020
Selected chapters:
chapter 8: “The Moral Womanly Woman is Alive and Well in Mississippi”
chapter 22: Christian Soldiers
chapter 34: “Feed Your Faith and Starve Your Doubts”
4. Thomas Piketty, Capital and Ideology. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England 2020.
Part 2: Slave and Colonial Societies (parts considering the United States)

Notes

Term 2021/22_Z:

analysis of PowerPoint information

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of WSE-PO-E-PEinUS in USOSweb