Religious
Studies 203W: THE CHRISTIANS
MW 3:00 - 4:15 pm
Spring 2002
Instructor: Amy Carr
10 am to 12 pm, Friday 2:15 – 3:15 pm
Also by appointment. Feel free to speak
with me about any aspect of the course or
about related issues.
Office: Morgan Hall, Room 412 (phone: 298-1309; home: 837-0527, before 10 pm)
Department Office: Morgan Hall, Room 456 (phone: 298-1057)
E-mail:
AR-Carr@wiu.edu (note: not always checked on weekends)
This course has two main objectives. First, it introduces students to the Christian religion, its history, and a representative sampling of its theologians and practitioners. In studying some of the many different faces of Christianity, past and present, you can learn to:
-- deepen a capacity to perceive Christian texts, beliefs, and practices with both empathy and criticism;
-- become familiar with the diverse interpretations of the Christian Bible, diverse forms of Christian expression, and many meanings of Jesus across the globe;
-- gain a sense of the key dates, events, thinkers, and movements in Christian history;
-- identify some of the cultural, political, and personal
roles played by religion.
Note: This course COUNTS as a writing course (W)!
Brian Wilson, Christianity (Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 1999).
Mark Salzman, Lying Awake (NY: Alfred A. Knopf,
2001).
Diane Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual, Third Edition
(Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000).
Additional readings will be found on the Web, as handouts, or on Electronic Reserves (ERes).
*Note: if you have trouble
accessing Web readings, try using a library computer or ask a librarian for
assistance.
If
you would like more assistance or feedback on your writing, don’t hesitate to
contact WIU’s Writing Center in
Simpkins Hall 341 (ph: 298-2815, or by
email: MWCENTER@WIU.EDU
). I am also available during office
hours to talk one-on-one about your writing.
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com
http://www.ccel.org/index/author-A.html
Written summaries of the day’s readings will be collected randomly at the beginning of class throughout the semester. Your best scores on 10 of these (each worth 1.5 points) will count towards your final grade; I will collect them at least 11-12 times.
The aim of this exercise is to encourage you to keep up with the readings, to develop your skills in reading comprehension and analysis, and to stimulate class discussion. Towards this end, each day there is an assigned reading, bring to class the following (preferably one copy for instructor, one for yourself):
a) a summary of the day’s reading, in your own words (focus on the main points as you understood them, and anything else which catches your interest);
b) at least one sentence stating your reaction to the day’s reading;
c) at least two questions about the reading. These can include factual questions (like, “What does X mean?”), but should also include at least one interpretive question which probes specific issues raised by the reading—a question for class discussion. You might raise questions which compare something in this text and something else we have considered in this or other courses; or questions which evaluate the rightness or usefulness of something in the reading; or questions which reflect a creative response to the reading.
You will receive full credit for each summary if it is complete (includes parts a, b, and c above), well-written (check for grammar and spelling), and really captures the main points and key subpoints. So do not agonize over them, but do use them as practice in developing your skills in reading comprehension; they are meant to help facilitate a habit of close careful reading, and of trusting your own abilities to understand, analyze, and interrogate written forms of communication.
Late summaries will not be
accepted. If you have a prior excused
absence, turn them in before the class period you will miss (even if
summaries are not collected that day).
Summaries turned in the day after an unexcused or illness-related absence
will generally not be accepted. But
remember that these will be collected periodically, so only frequent absences
are likely to affect your grade on the summaries.
Specific
guidelines for each paper will be handed out separately; see the deadlines in
the course outline below. All papers
must be typed and double-spaced; see the grading rubric for papers for more
details about my expectations for papers.
If you want to revise a paper, see
me first during office hours; revised papers will not be accepted unless you
first speak with me about your original version. Important note: Late papers
will lose a half-point per weekday they are late; no papers will be accepted
more than one week after the original deadline.
2-3 pp. on Jesus
as Mother excerpt 5 pts
4-5 pp. on the novel Lying Awake 10 pts
4-5 pp. Analysis of Worship Service 10
pts
There will be five exams (short answer & essay)—but do not fear, this means you’ll integrate your learning in chunks rather than all at the end. The final will focus on themes from the end of the semester, but will include a few questions to help you integrate your learning for the whole course. Most questions are distributed before the exams, and some exam questions are collectively developed by the class.
Exam on Early Christianity 10 pts
Exam on Medieval Christianity 10 pts
Exam on the Reformation & Protestants 10 pts
Exam on Modern & Global Christianity 15 pts
+ Comprehensive
Class
participation includes showing up for class, contributing to class discussion,
and engaging in any in-class written or group activities.
If
you believe you would learn better by completing a different set of
assignments, please see me soon and then submit an alternative plan, in
writing, by January 28. I will not
accept alternative plans which only reduce the course workload. (Adapted from a syllabus note of Dan
Buchanan, St. John’s Univ.)
1) Note that a substantial percentage of your
grade (25%!) will depend on your
presence for in-class and group exercises and on keeping up with the readings
by turning in summaries. Missing a lot of class will likely drop your
grade by two to three letters!
2) Because of #1 above, there is no official attendance policy; however, I will keep track of your attendance and factor it into the class participation part of your grade.
3) Consistent tardiness or leaving class early can affect your class participation grade.
4) If a disability or the effects of medication make it difficult for you to attend class some days, tell me early in the semester so that we can work out a way to accommodate your learning needs.
Honor Code
Discussion of course materials with your peers is highly encouraged, especially in preparation for exams. Learning always involves sharing ideas and developing them together. But beyond our collective learning, independent work is expected on all journals, class exercises (except group ones), exams, and papers. Plagiarizing, borrowing, or copying another’s words or ideas, without proper acknowledgment, can earn an automatic F on an assignment or in this course.
Be sure to consult me if you are not sure about how or when
to properly acknowledge the ideas and works of others. Read Hacker pp. 109-112 (especially p. 112)
about plagiarism.
In
accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act,
academic accommodation will be made for any student who has a need and notifies
me. It is imperative that you take the
initiative to bring such needs to my attention, as I am not legally permitted
to inquire about such issues. You can
also contact Disability Support Services at 298-2512 for additional
assistance.
A (90-100%) Excellent work
B (80-89%) Good work
C (70-79%) Average work; meets the
course criteria adequately
D (60-69%) Below average work; fulfills
only partially the course criteria
F (0-59%) Course work does not sufficiently fulfill the course criteria
Grading criteria for papers will be handed out
separately. Remember that grades do not
measure you or your potential
abilities, but your mastery of skills in this particular course at this
particular stage of your education!
COURSE OUTLINE
Jan.
16 Introduction to
Christian Diversity (Wilson, pp. 11-17)
Jan. 21 MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY: NO CLASS
Tip:
Begin reading the novel Lying Awake NOW!
Jan. 23 Jesus’ Life and the Gospels in Jewish Context
In-Class Biblical Interpretation (on a gospel selection handout)
Read Isaiah 9:2-7 (Jewish expectations of a Messiah)
Matthew 5:1-11 (Jesus’ teachings)
Matt. 22:34-40 (Love commandment)
Luke 8 (Jesus’ healings, miracles, parables)
Wilson, pp. 18-25
Use
any biblical translation, or see http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm
Jan. 28 Jesus’ Death and Resurrection: From a Jewish Jesus to a Cosmic Christ
Read Mark 10:32-34, 11, 14-16 (all chapters!)
Romans 5:1-6:14
John
1:1-4, 1:14
Wilson, pp. 25-27
Handout
from Marcus Borg’s Jesus: A New
Vision
Jan. 30 Formation of the Early Churches and the Many Visions/Versions of Jesus
Gospel of Mary http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm
Infancy Gospel of Thomas http://www.gnosis.org/library/inftoma.htm
The Didache http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0714.htm
Wilson, pp. 28-37
Feb. 4 Christian Persecution
Martyrdom of Perpetua http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/maps/primary/perpetua.html
Groups develop questions for exam (will be posted on web page)
Feb. 6 ASSESSMENT DAY: NO CLASS
Feb. 11 Exam on Jesus and Early Christianity (45 min.)
Discuss the Church Year and an Ancient Liturgy (30 min.)
II. Constantine, Christendom, and Medieval
Christianity
Feb. 13 From Christian Persecution to Christendom
“Conversion” of Emperor Constantine (Wilson pp. 38-44)
Christian Creeds
http://www.creeds.net/ At this site, read the following:
What Is a Creed?
The Apostle’s Creed
The Nicene Creed (not the Creed of Nicaea—unless you read Greek!)
Definition of Chalcedon
Monasticism: Sayings of the Desert Fathers & Mothers
http://www.cin.org/dsrtftit.html (1, 3, 9, 14, 17)
http://www.innerlightproductions.com/
Feb. 18 First Division of the Church: Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism
Wilson, pp. 44-54
Icons and Cathedrals
Feb. 20 Augustine and Aquinas: A Patristic and a Scholastic Theologian
Augustine, Confessions
Aquinas on providence http://www.newadvent.org/summa/102202.htm
Feb. 25 Two Monastic Theologians: Hildegard von Bingen and Julian of Norwich
Hildegard von Bingen
Julian of Norwich, from Revelation of Divine Love
Christian Meditation and Contemplation (good, simple introduction)
http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/religion/Essay.html
Feb. 27 Sample of Historical Scholarship: Caroline Walker Bynum, Jesus as Mother
Bynum selection
7:30 pm, Heritage Room—University Union
Feb. 29 Informal conversation with John Dominic Crossan! (time, place TBA)
Mar. 1 2-3
pp. paper on Bynum selection: due
FRIDAY by 3:15 pm in my box or
office folder
Mar. 4 Christian Justifications for War and Torture: The Crusades and Inquisition
Wilson, pp. 55-57
Children’s Crusades http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/children.html
Inquisition
Mar. 6 St. Francis and Apostolic Poverty
Groups develop questions for exam (will be posted on web page)
Mar. 8 Exam
on Medieval Christianity
Mar. 11 Salzman, Lying Awake, pp. 1-107
Mar. 13 Salzman, pp. 108-181
* Paper on Salzman due Monday,
March 18 (in class)
Mar. 18 Main Features of the Protestant Reformation
Paper on Salzman due
Read Wilson, pp. 57-65
Mar. 20 Major Reformation Theologians: Luther and Calvin
Martin Luther
John Calvin
Diary of Calvin’s teenaged female cousin
Mar. 25 Christianity Comes to the New World (the Americas)
Christian Debates about the Humanity of Indigenous Persons
Christian Missionaries: The Jesuits
Bartolomé de las Casas: Converted Defender of Native Americans
Mar. 27 Pietism, Rationalism, and More Denominational “Splintering” in Response to Modernity (the Enlightenment and Industrialization)
Wilson, pp. 66-76
Deism
John Wesley, sermon and hymns
Jonathan Edwards, sermon excerpt
Apr. 1 Christian Social Reformers in the US
Christians for and against slavery and segregation
Christians for and against same-sex relationships
Apr. 3 Modern Catholic Reformation: Vatican II
Wilson, pp. 77-81
Groups develop questions for exam (will be posted on web page)
V.
Contemporary Issues in Christianity
Apr. 15 20th century Christian Feminist Reforms and Feminist Theology
Apr. 17 Liberation Theology
Wilson, pp. 82-88
Apr. 22 The Globalization of Christianity: Contextualized Theology and Interreligious
Dialogue in Africa, Asia, and the Americas
Wilson,
pp. 88-98
Ernest Munachi Ezeogu, “Bible and Culture in African Theology”
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/1020/theology.htm
(click on ‘Bible and Culture in African Christianity’)
May 1 Wrap-up session and preparation for the final
Last day to turn
in analysis of a worship service