Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph.  D. Office:  Feinstein CAS 110 Or by Appointment Phone:  (401) 254-3230 e-mail: mswanson@rwu.edu

AMST 310 Varieties of Religious Experience Roger Williams University CAS 122 11:00 - 12:25  T, Th           Spring, 2002

Michael R. H. Swanson, Ph.  D. Office:  Feinstein CAS 110 Or by Appointment Phone:  (401) 254-3230 e-mail: mswanson@rwu.edu

Week of  Tuesday, April 9   The Jewish Experience in America, Continued For Tuesday, April 9     Read, in Allitt     6.4  Benjamin Roth Warns his Immigrant Son about                     Moral and Religious Dangers in America (1854)  pp. 172 - 174    8.6.  Abraham Cahan Shows how American Business                     Life and Religious Pluralism Shattered a                               Russian Jewish Immigrant's Traditional Faith,  (1916)                                          pp. 239-241     10.2  Jacob Sonderling, Immigrant Rabbi, Observes                     American Jewish Life (c. 1930). pp. 293-296     10.5 Mordecai Kaplan Defends Jews' Life in                     Two Civilizations (1928) pp. 302-305     10. 6  Will Herberg Analyzes Religion and                     Assimilation, (1955)    pp. 305-308

There is a common theme in today's readings:  the opportunities and perils of assimilation.  Jews, like Catholics and Protestants had to make their peace with American Pluralism.  For many, the relative acceptance of Jews and  Judaism into the American community offered opportunities to integrate into the society in ways which were not open to them in societies where life was confined by law, oppression, and custom to isolated ghettos.  But opportunity brought its own problems.  How much change could be accommodated without losing a sense of uniqueness and identity.  Each of our authors faces this quandary.  Kaplan finds his solution by redefining the meaning of the word religion.  Herberg looks to history and offers a Jewish celebration of American pluralism.

For Thursday, April 11     Read, in Allitt,     Jewish Food and Jewish Identity  (Joselit)  pp. 317 - 321     Jewish Intellectuals and Secularization (Hollinger) pp. 321 - 326     The Idea of a Judeo-Christian Tradition (Silk) pp. 352-356

We conclude our brief look at Judaism in America with three short essays.  Joselit examines the concept of Kosher and looks at ways association with food enhances a person's sense of identity in cultural, ethnic, and religious  senses.  Hollinger looks at assimilation from the opposite side of the coin, suggesting that as free-thinking (i.e., non-religious) Jews begin to participate in the intellectual and political dialogue one result is a decline of Protestant influence in American culture.  Silk explores the roots of the term  Judeo-Christian Tradition as a product of cold war anti-communisim, and raises the issue whether there is such a thing.  If American greatness arises from its Judeo-Christian Tradition does that imply that other religious traditions are automatically excluded?  This may be especially problematic for Americans affiliated with Islam.