Curriculum and the Culture Wars ― Debating the Bible's Place in Public Schools

The nine chapters presented by the editors examine political, constitutional, and cultural issues concerning the role of religion in the American public schools. The chapters discuss the historical context of Bible courses in public schools from the 18th to the 19th centuries, current local and state efforts to promote elective Bible courses in public schools, the question of the constitutionality of said elective courses, the case for religious instruction about a variety of religions to promote religious literacy, the evolution versus creationism (or "intelligent design") debate, the politics of abstinence-only sex education, and the liberal theoretic argument against school choice and sectarian schools. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Melissa Deckman is Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science and the Louis L. Goldstein Associate Professor of Public Affairs at Washington College. She earned her PhD in Political Science from American University. She is the author of School Board Battles (2004), which won the Hubert Morken Award, given biennially by the American Political Science Association for the best work on religion and politics. She is also a co-author of Women with a Mission: Religion, Gender and the Politics of Women Clergy (2005) and the textbook Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence, now in its second edition with Pearson/Prentice Hall (2011). She is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and is currently researching the intersection of gender and religion in the Tea Party movement.
Joseph Prud’homme is Assistant Professor of Political Science and director of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture at Washington College. He works in the areas of political philosophy, legal studies, and theoretical approaches to religion in public life. He received his PhD in the Interdepartmental Program in Political Philosophy at Princeton University.