The Center for Ethnic and Religious Studies records primarily document the Pluralism Project collaboration between the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Harvard University. The records highlight communities within the southeast Michigan and the greater Detroit area in particular, as well as the Pluralism Project itself.
Claude Jacobs' Director's files document his time as Director of the Pluralism Project and professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The collection also includes Michigan religious communities material includes inspirational/instructional texts, pamphlets, fliers, newsletters, community outreach, and various programs.
The Center for Ethnic and Religious Studies was established as the Center for Religion and Society in 2001 by faculty in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The Center aims to 1) provide a focus for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scholarly research on religion and its relationship to American society, 2) house and support the existing interdisciplinary minor in Religious Studies, 3) coordinate other activities on campus related to religion, and 4) serve as a point of contact for members of the metropolitan community interested in issues related to religion, and to engage that community in a dialogue about those issues. The faculty affiliated with the Center and Religious Studies minor come from a variety of disciplines, including History, Anthropology, English, Political Science, Psychology, and Philosophy. Many faculty members are actively involved in research and outreach with religious communities in Dearborn and metropolitan Detroit. The Center is home to four interrelated programs: 1) interdisciplinary minor in Religious Studies, 2) the Worldviews Seminar, 3) the Pluralism Project at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and 4) the Metropolitan Detroit Digital Music Archive of religious music, chant, and recitation. The Center also sponsors lectures and colloquia on campus and serves as a link between the University and area religious centers and inter-religious organizations.
The Pluralism Project at the University of Michigan-Dearborn was founded by Dr. Claude F. Jacobs, Director of the Center for Religion and Society. William McNeese was the Director of Photography for the Center, and the Pluralism Project. The Project was established as a study of religious diversity in southeastern Michigan. It grew out of the University's affiliation with the Harvard University Pluralism Project which began in May 1999. The Pluralism Project intended to serve as a public resource for researchers and scholars through the creation of religious center profiles. Importantly, the Project also provided the UM-Dearborn students the opportunity to become engaged with local religious communities. Students enrolled in Anthropology 440 (Religion and Culture), Sociology 455 (Sociology of Religion), or Independent Study, have participated in the research of the Pluralism Project as a part of their course requirements. Students, working independently or in groups, were assigned to a religious center such as a church or a temple, and were required to make a minimum of three visits during the term. Using provided research guidelines, students collected information on the history of the religion and the religious centers. Students' reports and other research were used to develop religious community profiles.
