INQ-271 | American Catholicism/s

Full Title: American Catholicism/s

Topic Description:

It has been said that good Catholics “pay, pray, and obey,” particularly obey.  If that was the case, wouldn’t all Catholics be basically the same?  But even the quickest glance at American Catholic history shows that this is untrue.  The church has had its share of innovators and traditionalists, the outspoken and the irreverent, the well-intentioned and the corrupted.  The meeting of an ancient hierarchical religious tradition and a young vibrant democracy produced myriad ways of being Catholic.  Throw in the many ethnic traditions of American Catholics and you have a fascinating diversity.  The history of these Catholicisms, the conflicts they produced, and their effect on the United States, will be the focus of this course.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: November 2011