Religion and the American University

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.

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.