AMST 13184 - History University Seminar

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

An introduction to the seminar method of instruction that explores the major methodologies of the historical discipline, and which accents the organization and expression of arguments suggested by readings in historical topics. The Spring 2010 section will center on Canonization, the process by which the Roman Catholic Church recognizes people who have lived lives of "heroic virtue," offering a useful interpretive tool for understanding the past. Presently there are eight American Catholics officially recognized as saints, and about twenty others at various points on the road to canonization. Like all saints, they became popular in certain contexts. In this course we will not only explore the saints as historical figures, but also examine who promoted them, when, and why, focusing on what the canonization of each has revealed about the shifting relationship between Catholicism and American culture. We will also consider a number of "unofficial" American saints, people whose causes have not been recognized by Rome but who have nonetheless attracted significant devotees in the United States. Ranging from Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th-century Mohawk convert, to Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan firefighter killed at Ground Zero, our cast of characters includes saints and sinners, martyrs and missionaries, patriot priests and unruly women. We will view these American saints through a number of lenses: immigration, race, gender, sexuality, commercialization, and nationalism.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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