Church in America WT-SSTA-CHAM
This course focuses on the history, development, and contemporary role of the Catholic Church in the United States. It covers the most significant stages of Catholicism’s presence in America—from the colonial period, through the influx of European immigrants and the development of church structures, to the contemporary challenges facing the Catholic community.
The course discusses, among other topics, the relationship between the Catholic Church and American society, issues of immigration and cultural diversity, the development of Catholic education, the Church’s social and political activities, and changes in the religiosity of American Catholics. Special attention is also given to the relationship between the Church and the state, religious freedom, and the impact of social and cultural changes on the life of the Church.
The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the most significant events and processes shaping Catholicism in the United States and to develop their ability to analyze its place in history and in contemporary American society.
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Course coordinators
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Preliminary Requirements
Learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, the student will:
Knowledge
be familiar with the basic stages of the Catholic Church’s development in the United States;
understand the significance of immigration and social change for American Catholicism;
be familiar with the basic issues concerning the relationship between the Church and the state in the U.S.;
recognize the most important contemporary issues and challenges facing the Catholic Church in America.
Skills
be able to analyze primary sources concerning the history and contemporary reality of the Church in the U.S.;
be able to present and compare different perspectives on the role of religion in American society;
is able to use historical and social information to interpret contemporary religious phenomena.
Social Competencies
is prepared to engage in a substantive discussion on religion, culture, and society;
respects the diversity of religious and cultural traditions;
is able to critically evaluate information regarding religion and its place in public life.
Assessment criteria
Grading is based on class participation, a short presentation or essay, and a final exam.
Bibliography
Literatura podstawowa
John Paul II - Ecclesia in America
Dolan, Jay P., The American Catholic Experience: A History from Colonial Times to the Present, Doubleday, New York 1985.
Hennesey, James, American Catholics: A History of the Roman Catholic Community in the United States, Oxford University Press, New York 1981.
O'Toole, James M., The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 2008.
McGreevy, John T., Catholicism and American Freedom: A History, W. W. Norton & Company, New York 2003.
D'Antonio, William V., Gautier, Mary L., American Catholics: Gender, Generation, and Commitment, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham 2013.
Literatura uzupełniająca
Ellis, John Tracy, The Life of James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, 1834–1921, Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee 1952.
McAvoy, Thomas T., The Great Crisis in American Catholic History, 1895–1900, Henry Regnery Company, Chicago 1957.
McGreevy, John T., Parish Boundaries: The Catholic Encounter with Race in the Twentieth-Century Urban North, University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1996.
Orsi, Robert A., The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880–1950, Yale University Press, New Haven 1985.
Greeley, Andrew M., The Catholic Revolution: New Wine, Old Wineskins, and the Second Vatican Council, University of California Press, Berkeley 2004.
Faggioli, Massimo, The Rising of the Laity: Lay Leadership in the American Catholic Church, Paulist Press, New York 2017.
Weigel, George, Catholicism and the Renewal of American Democracy, Encounter Books, New York
documents of the Catholic Church about America
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: