Exploring Amish Culture

Course Description

This course is designed as an introduction to Amish culture, more specifically, the Old Order Amish, the most conservative group of Amish living in the United States. Through course work designed to acquaint students with a social/historical/political and educational perspective of the Amish, students will gain a better understanding of this fascinating, complex culture and what makes it unique. Resisting change in a technological world is a constant struggle for the Amish who shun electricity, automobiles, and other modern conveniences. Since the Amish eschew individual accomplishment, this course focuses on the Amish as a “Little Community,” how they depend on the resources of the outside world, (the non-Amish community), and how they adapt to change. The course also clarifies some of the major differences between the Amish and Mennonite culture, differences that many outsiders are curious about but do not fully understand. Life ceremonies such as birth, marriage, and death are investigated as well as social change and illness issues, including Amish medical behavior and problems, mental illness, and suicide patterns. Much of the content of this course is assimilated through reading fiction and nonfiction books and articles about Amish culture, researching the culture on the Internet, viewing films and videos portraying Amish culture, participating in discussions and small group work in class at the College, and visiting an authentic,working Amish farm where students will be able to participate in discussions with an Amish family, experience a tour of an Amish farm, and sit down for a meal with the Fisher family (an Old Order Amish family) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.