
Religion and the American University
James W. Fraser(Author)
Johns Hopkins University Press
Published on 1. July 2025
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-1-4214-5173-2 (ISBN)
Description
Explores religion's historic and present-day role in American universities.
Once the unifying center of American higher education, religion has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 220 years. From its origins as the core of a unified understanding of truth as it was taught at the nation's first colleges to its current presence on the periphery of campus life, religion has both shaped and been shaped by the evolution of the American university. In Religion and the American University, James W. Fraser explores the complex relationship between faith and higher education.
While many histories of higher education rarely focus on religion after the Civil War, and studies of religion often neglect its ties to academia, this book bridges the gap between the two histories, offering a richly detailed, chronological account of the shifting role of religion in American colleges and universities over more than two centuries. Through key institutional examples, Fraser illuminates how the place of religion evolved-from the dominance of Protestantism in the nineteenth century to the broad spectrum of faiths, spiritualities, and secular philosophies represented on campuses today. This compelling study examines how student-led organizations, chaplains, religious studies departments, and local communities have kept faith vibrant in academia despite its absence from the dominant university culture of the twenty-first century.
Essential reading for educators, historians, faith leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of faith and education, Religion and the American University offers a fresh perspective on why religion remains a vital and misunderstood aspect of campus life in the twenty-first century.
Once the unifying center of American higher education, religion has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 220 years. From its origins as the core of a unified understanding of truth as it was taught at the nation's first colleges to its current presence on the periphery of campus life, religion has both shaped and been shaped by the evolution of the American university. In Religion and the American University, James W. Fraser explores the complex relationship between faith and higher education.
While many histories of higher education rarely focus on religion after the Civil War, and studies of religion often neglect its ties to academia, this book bridges the gap between the two histories, offering a richly detailed, chronological account of the shifting role of religion in American colleges and universities over more than two centuries. Through key institutional examples, Fraser illuminates how the place of religion evolved-from the dominance of Protestantism in the nineteenth century to the broad spectrum of faiths, spiritualities, and secular philosophies represented on campuses today. This compelling study examines how student-led organizations, chaplains, religious studies departments, and local communities have kept faith vibrant in academia despite its absence from the dominant university culture of the twenty-first century.
Essential reading for educators, historians, faith leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of faith and education, Religion and the American University offers a fresh perspective on why religion remains a vital and misunderstood aspect of campus life in the twenty-first century.
Reviews / Votes
...a masterful analysis of why religion and spiritual matters continue to be so important even on America's nominally secular campuses.-Forbes Fraser's ability to demonstrate the complicated themes throughout the entire world of American higher education, while also showing that the exceptions are, in fact, the rule, makes this book required reading for anyone interested in the history of American religion or American higher education.
-History of Education Quarterly James W. Fraser has written a welcomed, provocative work that is simultaneously comprehensive and engaging in exploring the varied initiatives by religious groups who have had a stake in higher education....He provides a clear, engaging analysis about the complexities of religion both in American life and in its enduring presence in higher education.
-History of Education
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
12 s/w Abbildungen
12 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
694 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-5173-2 (9781421451732)
DOI
10.56021/9781421451732
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
James W. Fraser is a professor emeritus of history and education at New York University. He is the author or editor of fourteen books, including Teaching the World's Teachers and Between Church and State: Religion and Public Education in a Multicultural America.
Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Religion at the "Old Time College": 1800-1870
2. From Moral Philosophy to a Research University: 1870-1905
3. Chaplains, Professors, and Their Students: 1905-1925
4. Campus Religion and the Fracturing of American Religion: 1925-1945
5. A Post-War Boom in Religion and Higher Education: 1945-1960
6. The Long Sixties: Charismatic Chaplains, and Radical Students: 1960-1980
7. A Second Religious Depression on Campus: 1980-2000
8. Resurgence and Difference After 9/11: 2001-2021
Afterword
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
1. Religion at the "Old Time College": 1800-1870
2. From Moral Philosophy to a Research University: 1870-1905
3. Chaplains, Professors, and Their Students: 1905-1925
4. Campus Religion and the Fracturing of American Religion: 1925-1945
5. A Post-War Boom in Religion and Higher Education: 1945-1960
6. The Long Sixties: Charismatic Chaplains, and Radical Students: 1960-1980
7. A Second Religious Depression on Campus: 1980-2000
8. Resurgence and Difference After 9/11: 2001-2021
Afterword
Notes
Index