PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS RS-661

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WOMEN, RELIGION AND THE FUTURE OF FAITH COMMUNITIES

Instructor: Adair Lummis, Faculty Associate in Research

Contact Information: Email: alummis@hartsem.edu Office telephone: 860-509-9547

No specified office hours for online course.

Course Description:

In the United States, women are the majority of most attending worship services, but are a minority of those in top leadership positions in most congregations. At the same time, whether women are leaders, active volunteers, or worship attenders, it is likely that women’s kind and degree of participation in their faith community is a key factor in whether the particular congregation and larger religious community will flourish in America. The major focus of this course, therefore, is on the roles women are taking and seeking in different US faith communities in the 21st century; why, with what support, and likely consequences for the women and for congregational vitality, as indicated by recent social science research. Course Grounding and Learning Objectives

Lay of the land: As in past epochs, theological principles, religious traditions

and cultural history continue to affect roles that women are now expected or permitted to take in congregations of different faiths and denominations. Women’s roles can also vary among congregations of the same religion or denomination, depending on the freedom to interpret or revise theological principles and traditions granted by the congregational leaders or taken by women and men attending.

Women’s present opportunities for congregational leadership in the mainline Protestant denominations, although still lower than men’s, are far better on the average than those for women in the more conservative Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic congregations, as well as those of Jewish, Muslim, and Eastern religions. The relative success of women gaining leadership in USA mainline Protestant churches over the last fifty years, however, has provided encouragement for those women in patriarchal faith communities with little authority and want this to change.

Still, other women are content with the historic male-led faith tradition in their more conservative Muslim, Jewish and Christian denominations and congregations. Muslim women are the minority of most attending worship services, as well as a minority in senior leadership positions in mosques and Islamic centers, including the United States and other English-speaking nations. Yet more Muslim women here and in other countries are gaining recognition for their leadership capacities, as they become actively engaged in planning and carrying out educational and outreach events.

Although this course focuses on women in North American communities of faith,

similar trends are occurring elsewhere. Recent research carried out in other continents will be summarized in the lectures. A course premise is that students can compare and observe implications for women in their own faith/denomination through course reading and discussion about women’s roles in congregations that differ in religious beliefs, attender/member characteristics, and community location.

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Course Learning Outcomes: The MAJOR focus of this “RS” course is MA #5, “To demonstrate the ability to relate theory and practice in the social contexts in which a religion’s communities exist.” Also of importance are MA #2, #3, #4: “To demonstrate knowledge (in/of): #2: “respectfully engaging other religions and world views”; #3: “practices of one’s own religious tradition…and appreciate those of others”; #4: “skills for …constructive engagement with diversity.” These outcomes will be considered in student grading throughout the semester. Although MA #1: “foundational and critical knowledge of one’s own religion” is important, this is NOT a course focus or an outcome grading component.

Course Requirements:

Weekly: Doing the week’s reading, answering one of the questions posed by the instructor with each lecture, and commenting on at least one other student’s answers on the course discussion course site is expected. Missing more than two weekly discussions, or very late response, will lower your final grade. 40% of final grade. Mid-term proposal for final essay: 500-800 words on describing the final paper planned about the extent of women’s participation in your choice of faith-related community over the last decade, with references to assigned reading done. 15% of final grade.

Final essay: About 1500 (or more) words, About 15 pages double-spaced, on what the recent history indicates as the future of women’s participation and leadership in your choice of faith-related community, and the outcomes you see for the future vitality of this faith community– AND WHY (using, assigned & other readings, discussions, and insights.) 45% of final grade. The final essay will be the “artifact” sent to the registrar.

Comments on Reading Assigned Many articles and books on women and religion have been published over the last four decades, and this course builds on these. Recent research in this area has appeared in books, monographs and articles, in illustration:

“The Gender Gap in Religion around the World; Women are generally more religious than men, particularly among Christians” by Conrad Hackett et.al. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC, 2016.

“The Gender Pray Gap: Wage Labor and the Religiosity of High-Earning Women and Men” by Landon Schnabel. Gender and Society, 2016, v30, 643-669.

In this graduate level course the reading assigned is intended to give students an overview and understanding of themes and trends (not historical details). Additionally the instructor’s lectures will summarize the findings of empirical studies on religion and women. Students are NOT expected to read those articles that include many tables of numbers, but some of these will be available for downloading on the Canvas course site under a category called “Empirical Studies.”

ALL reading assigned is available ON-LINE in Campus. No purchase of books is required.

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COURSE SYLLABUS

After introductory week, the course is divided in three sections: Section I, “Head Start for the Mostly Mainline: Protestant Women in Predominantly White Churches,” discusses factors in how women emerged more visibly as leaders of Christian congregations and denominations from the early l9th to the late 20th century America and challenges they still face in the 21st century. Section II, “Catching the Spirit and Divisions Among American Women Outside the Protestant Mainline,” describes women’s situations and aspirations who belong to Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Muslim, Black, Hispanic or Asian congregations. Section III, “Underling Issues, New Chances, and the Future,” explores arguments about gender differences in fitness for leadership and opportunities for women’s leadership in communities of faith, with consequences for women and congregations

WEEK 1: Jan 16. Introduction to Women’s Place in World Religions 1. Reading: Only the on-line lecture introduction.

2. Students: Introduce themselves one line, given some information about their religious backgrounds, and what their particular interests are in this course.

SECTION I THE EMERGENCE OF WOMEN AS CHURCH LEADERS: PROTESTANT WOMEN IN PREDOMINANTLY WHITE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES WEEK 2: Jan 23. Women’s Leadership in USA Churches in 18th- early 19th Centuries

Reading for themes, similarities and differences 1. Susan Hill Lindley, You Have Stept Out of Your Place: A History of Women and Religion in

America. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996). Chapters 5 and 6, “The Great Awakening” and “The Ideal American Woman”. Pp. 39-69.

2. Carl and Dorothy Schneider, In Their Own Right: The History of American Clergywomen. (New York: Crossroad, 1997). Chapter 2: “Crosscurrents: 1800-1853).” Pp 23-56.

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WEEK 3: Jan 30. Moving through the 20th Century and into the 21st Century: Protestant Women Seek Official Recognition in Christian Churches.

Reading for themes, similarities and differences: 1. Carroll, et al., Women of the Cloth (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1983) Chapter 2.

“American Churches and ‘Women’s Place.’ Pp. 20-48.

2. Paula D. Nesbitt. The Feminization of the Clergy in America: Occupational and Organizational Perspectives. (New York: Oxford U. Press, 1997), “Tradition of Transformation: Women’s Struggle over Religious Authority & Leadership.” Pp. 9-28.

3. Barbara B Zikmund, et al., Clergy Women: An Uphill Calling. (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 1998) Chapter 1: “A New Situation”. Pp. 1-22.

4. Edward C. Lehman, Women’s Path into Ministry: Six Major Studies (Pulpit and Pew, Duke Divinity). 2003. 46 pages. Download from:

https://www.faithandleadership.com/programs/spe/resources/ppr/women.pdf

Empirical Studies and Web Articles:

Barna Group: “Number of Female Senior Pastors in Protestant Churches Doubles in the Past Decade.” (2009) https://www.barna.org/barna-update/leadership/304-number-of-female-senior-pastors-in-protestant-churches-doubles-in-past-decade#.VbfLyLNViko

“Mark Chaves: why are there (still!) so few women clergy?” (2009) https://www.faithandleadership.com/mark-chaves-why-are-there-still-so-few-women-clergy

Ray Waddle, “Waves of History” and Adair Lummis, “Visions and Revision: Women in Ministry Today.” Reflections. Vol. 98:1 (Yale Divinity School, 2011). Pp. 16-18.

SECTION 2: CATCHING THE SPIRIT FOR CHANGE AMONG WOMEN OUTSIDE THE MAINLINE PROTESTANT CHURCHES WEEK 4: Feb 6. Roman Catholic Women Leadership and Divisions Reading for themes, similarities and differences

1. Mary Jeremy Daigler, A History of the Women’s Ordination Movement in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church. (Lanham, MD, Roman and Littlefield, 2012). “Introduction” Pp. ix-xiii, and Chapter 7: An Upward Spiral: Longstanding Challenges” Pp 161-179.

2. Mark Chaves, Ordaining Women: Culture and Conflict in Religious Organizations. Harvard University Press, l997). Chapters 2 and 8: “The Symbolic Significance of Women’s Ordination” and “Conclusion.” Pp. 14-37; 182-192.

3. Elaine H. Ecklund, “Catholic Women Negotiate Feminism: A Research Note.” Sociology of Religion. 64. (2003) Pp. 515-524.

4. Christine Gervais, Claire Turenne-Sjolander, “Integrating and Constructing the ‘Authentic’

Roman Catholic Church: Feminist Perspectives among Canadian Women Religious.” Review of Religious Research, 57 (2015). Pp. 365-396.

New Empirical Studiy (Other Continents)

C. Eze, G.C. Lindegger, S. Rakoczy, “Catholic Religious Sisters Identity Dilemmas as Committed and Subjugated Workers: A Narrative Approach” (in Nigeria). Review of Religious Research, 57 (September 2015). Pp. 419-434.

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WEEK 5: Feb 13. Overview: Women’s Roles and Identity in Other Conservative/ Patriarchal Faith Communities in the USA and other “Neo-Liberal” English-Speaking Countries Reading for themes, similarities and differences

1. Lori G. Beaman, “Molly Mormons, Mormon Feminists and Moderates: Religious Diversity and the Latter Day Saints Church. “ Sociology of Religion, 62, (2001). Pp. 65-86.

2. Lora Vance, ”Seventh-day Adventism: Women’s Changing Role in an Endtime Religion.” Chap 2: Pp 49-75. Women in New Religions (New York: New York University Press, 2015).

3. Leora Tanenbaum, Taking Back God: American Women Rising Up for Religious

Equality: (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009) Chapter 7, “God Gave the Torah to Jewish Women Too.” Pp. 197-241.

4. John P. Barkowski and Jen’nan Read, “Veiled Submission: Gender, Power, and

Identity among Evangelical and Muslim Women in the United States.” Qualitative Sociology 26 (2003). Pp. 71-92.

5. Belinda Green, “Being Muslim in the Neo-Liberal West: Reflections on an Ethnographic Study of Muslim Women in Australia.” Chapter 8, Pp. 61-74. In Terry Lovat (ed), Women in Islam: Reflections on Historical and Contemporary

Research. (Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer, 2012).

WEEK 6: Feb 20. Women’s Roles in Muslim Communities in of Faith Reading for themes, similarities and differences

1. Yvonne Y. Haddad, Jane I. Smith, Kathleen M. Moore, Muslim Women in America: The Challenge of Islamic Identity. (New York, Oxford, University Press, 2006). Chapter 4: “Practices of the Faith”. Pp. 61-79.

2. Jamillah Karim, American Muslim Women (2009: NY U. Press). “Negotiating

Gender Lines: Women’s Movement across Atlanta Mosques.” Pp. 163-205.

3. Tanenbaum, op cit. (2009), Chapter 6: “The Alarm Has Rung and Muslim Women are

Wide Awake.” Pp. 158-196.

4. Sarah Sayeed, Aisha Al-Adawiya, Ishan Bagby, Women and the American Mosque (March, 2013) Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Download:

www.hartfordinstitute.org/The-American-Mosque-Report-3.pdf

New Empirical Studies in Countries ( Skim) A. Meguellati, N. Mohd; Y. Mohd. “Work-Family Demands and Subjective Well-

Being among Female Academicians: The Role of Muslim Religiosity” (in Malaysia) Review of Religious Research. 57 (2015) Pp. 419-434.

(2015-2016) Web articles on the Women’s Mosque Movement in L.A.

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WEEK 7: Feb. 27. Women Members and Becoming Leaders of Christian African-American USA Congregations: A Different Situation? Reading for themes, similarities and differences

1. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, If It Wasn’t for the Women (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001). “Some Mother’s Son and Some Father’s Daughter: Issues of Gender, Biblical Language, and Worship.” Pp. 121-141.

2. Delores Carpenter, A Time for Honor: A Portrait of African American Clergywomen

(St. Louis, Chalice Press, 2001), Chapter 1. “Black Christian Women in the African American Church.” Pp. 1-23.

3. Richard N. Pitt, Divine Callings: Understanding the Call to Ministry in Black

Pentecostalism (New York, New York University Press, 2012) Chapter 5. “Don’t Quit Your Day Job.” Pp. 149-181.

4. Daphne C. Wiggins, Righteous Content: Black Women’s Perspectives of Church and

Faith (Religion, Race and Ethnicity). (New York: New York University Press, 2005). Selections to be given later.

WEEK 8: March 6. Women Taking Leadership in Asian Congregations: A Similar Journey? Reading for themes, similarities and differences

1. Jung Ha Kim, Bridge Makers and Cross-bearers: Korean American Women and the Church. (American Academy of Religion. Oxford University Press, 1997). Chapter 6. “Women’s Negotiations on Gender and Racial-Ethnic Identities.” Pp. 91-119.

2. Timothy Tseng, “Unbinding their Souls: Chinese-Protestant Women in 20th Century

America.” In M. L. Bendroth and V.L. Brenton, Eds: Women and Twentieth Century Protestantism. (Urbana: U. of Illinois Press, 2002). Pp. 136-163.

3. Pyong Gap Min, “Severe Underrepresentation of Women in Church Leadership in the Korean Immigrant Community in the United States.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 47 (2008). Pp. 225-241,

4. Esther Chan, “Complementarianism as Doctrine and Governance: Narratives on

Women’s Leadership among Second-Generation Asian Americans.” Review of Religious Research, 57 (2015). Pp. 435-452.

SECTION III: UNDERLYING ISSUES, NEW CHANCES AND THE FUTURE WEEK 9: March 13: Socioeconomic Differences affecting Women’s Religiosity

Reading for themes, similarities and differences 1. Landon Schnabel, “The Gender Pray Gap: Wage Labor and the Religiosity of High-

Earning Women and Men.” Gender and Society, 2016, v30, 643-669.

2. Todd W. Ferguson, “Failing to Master Divinity: How Institutional Type, Financial Debt, Community Acceptance, and Gender Affect Seminary Graduates’ Career Choices.” Review of Religious Research, 57 (2015) Pp 341-364).

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WEEK 10: March 20. The Nature-Nurture-Opportunity Debates: Are Women More Religiously Inclined than Men, and if so Why?

Reading for themes, similarities and differences 1. Rodney Stark, “Physiology and Faith: Addressing the “Universal Gender Difference in

Religious Commitment.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 41: (2002). Pp. 495-507.

2. Darren Sherkat: “Sexuality and Religious Commitment in the United States: An Empirical Examination.” Sociology of Religion 41 (2002) Pp. 313-323. 3. Adair Lummis, “A Research Note: ‘Real Men’ and Church Participation.” Review of

Religious Research. 45. (2004) Pp. 404-414. New Empirical Studies and Web Articles:

Barna Group, “Five Factors Changing Women’s Relationship With Churches” (2015) https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/722-five-factors-changing-women-s-relationship-with-churches#.VbfLCrNViko

“The Gender Gap in Religion around the World; Women are generally more religious than men, particularly among Christians”; Conrad Hackett et.al. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC, 2016. https://www.compassion.com/multimedia/gender-gap-in-religion.pdf

WEEK 11: March 27. Week of Reading/Writing Catch-up: Proposals for Final Essay Due No other assignments

WEEK 12: April 3: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Congregations Reading for themes, trends, differences

1. Michael Emerson, W. Mirola, S.Monahan. “Adam, Eve and Steve: How Religion Intersects with Gender and Sexuality.” In Religion Matters: What Sociology Teaches Us about Religion in Our World (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2011). Pp. 134-159.

2. Krista McQueeney. “’We are God’s Children, Y’All.’ Race, Gender and Sexuality in Lesbian-and Gay-Affirming Congregations.” S. C. Monahan,S. Mirola, M. Emerson, Sociology of Religion: A Reader. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2011). Pp. 209-228.

Additional Reading to skim: Scott Thumma and Edward R. Gray, eds. Gay Religion. (Walnut Creek, Altamira Press, 2005 Wendy Cadge. "Reconciling Congregations: Bridging Gay and Straight

communities." ). Pp. 31-45. Melissa Wilcox. "A Religion of One's Own: Gender and LGBT Religiosities." .

Pp. 203-220. Ingrid Sell. "Intermediaries: Spirit and Transcendence in a Sample of ‘Third-

Gendered’ North Americans." Pp. 303-311

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WEEK 13: April 10. Women’s Leadership in Faith Communities

Reading for themes, similarities and differences 1. Paula D. Nesbitt. The Feminization of the Clergy in America: Occupational and

Organizational Perspectives. (New York: Oxford U. Press, 1997), Chapter 9. “Clergy Feminizations: Controlled Labor or Liberationist Change?” Pp. 161-177.

2. B. B Zikmund, AT Lummis and MY Chang, Clergy Women: An Uphill Calling.(Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 1998) Chapter 6. “An Expanding Ministry.” Pp. 114-133.

3. M. Deckman, S. Crawford, L. Olson, J. Green, “Clergy and the Politics of Gender.” Journal

for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42 (2003). Pp. 621-631.

WEEK 14: April 17. Final Lecture: Women and the Future of Faith Communities NO Reading Assigned:

WEEK 15: April 24. Final Essays due May 4. Students are asked to write an essay of 1500-2000+ words on what they see as the future of women’ s leadership and congregational strength in their denomination, faith tradition, OR on a a contemporary topic concerning the role of women in faith communities. Students may use their scholarly and personal observations, reflections they have written on lecture questions, some new insights, as well as: the course assigned chapters, articles and other reading