REL 2223 - Sex, Drugs, and U.S. Religion

Credits: 4
Religious leaders expect nothing but sober living and chaste sexuality, right? The history of American religion suggests otherwise. Focusing largely on marginalized religious groups whose “alternative” views on sexuality and drug use push them outside mainstream society, this class explores the complex history of drug use, sexuality, and religion throughout American history. In the process, we also explore the evolving legal and cultural climates that either condemn or support religious drug use and religious views on sexuality. As a result of this analysis, we learn that religious Americans cannot agree on the topics of sex and drugs but that debates about sex and drugs are perennial aspects of American religious history. This class begins in colonial America and ends in contemporary America, where national and local politics are forcing dominant religious groups to reconsider their positions on sexuality and drug use.

McDaniel Plan: Multicultural and Social, Cultural, and Historical Understanding