Religion and American Public Schools

This course will investigate the relationship between religion and public education in the United States with a focus on issues affecting classroom practice, curriculum, and pedagogy. Based in large part on legal decisions in the area and relying primarily on a discussion format, it will be a blend of three elements: a brief examination of the historic relationship of religion and education in the United States; an analysis of historic and current legal and public policy materials related to that relationship; and an exploration of ways of balancing the relationship in curricula so as to respect the religious rights and responsibilities of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and the educational system in which they encounter each other.

 

This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.

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