"Religion plays and almost always has played a powerful role in American politics. In this course, we will try to understand the causes and consequences of that role by examining the historical and contemporary effect of religion on political culture, political coalitions, individual political behavior, and democracy in the United States. We will assess the religious landscape in the U.S. from a historical and a contemporary perspective, the “culture wars” and the rise of the Christian Right in American politics, the political orientations and political influence of American Catholics, the political orientations of a host of religious and ethnic minority groups, and the impact of religion on American party coalitions and political behavior. To conclude, we will assess the normative consequences of the role that religion plays in American politics by asking whether it threatens democratic government or breathes life into it." -Taken from Prof. Geoffrey Layman's Syllabus

This political science course also counted as my university seminar, meaning that class was small and centered on discussion. I was not well versed in politics going into this course, but after getting the chance to debate and write papers about the effects of different religions on American politics gave me a baseline knowledge. I think this was one of my most formative classes in terms of my political views and made me a more informed voter.