REL 31200 - The Black Religious Experience

This course is designed to help students gain an appreciation for the ways African Americans have used religion as resistance to oppression. We begin with an exploration of religions in West Africa prior to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, including the role of Muslim slaves in the formation of slave religion in the Americas. We will also look at syncretism and the development of new religions in slave communities (Voodoo, Santeria, Shango, Candomble, etc.). We will also discuss the role of Christianity in the lives of African Americans, particularly in the segregated South.

Cr. 3
Session Indicators
Typically offered Spring.