Winter 2012/Pasadena

CH502

Ahn

 

CH502: MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION HISTORY [Taught in Korean]. Katherine H. L. Ahn.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

DESCRIPTION: This is a survey course that covers the development of Christian doctrines and the formation of various confessional groups in the Western theological tradition from the sixth through the sixteenth centuries. The class is conducted mainly in the Korean language for students whose native language is Korean.

 

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: This course should help students identify origins of major confessional traditions in the West both in Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. As they learn how the early Christian Church was transformed to include such a large number of diverse groups of Christians, students will be able to better understand and identify the basic characteristics of different churches and believers that exist today. In another words, this course can help students to be able to relate and minister to more diverse groups of Christians with more educated perspectives and approaches toward their practices and beliefs. Students can also engage in theological discussions about issues relevant to the life of Christians today with greater historical and cultural sensitivity.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  1. Students will be able to identify and explain major theological developments and historical events that shaped Christian churches during the Medieval and the Reformation period.
  2. Students will demonstrate, through written and oral presentations, their ability to analyze and interpret historical sources and to explain their significance in its historical context.
  3. Students will be able to interpret and explain the nature of their own and other ecclesiastical traditions with critical awareness and reflection on the historical development that had taken place during the Medieval and Reformation period.
  4. Students will be challenged to reevaluate some of their own religious assumptions and judgments toward different individuals and traditions in light of the diversity and complexity that developed within the Church during this particular period in Christian history.

 

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet weekly for three and half hours for lectures and discussions.

 

REQUIRED READING:

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Harper Collins, 1985. (Korean trans. by Suh, Young Il; published by Eun Sung, 1995. 중세교회사. 유스토 곤잘레스 저. 서영일 역. 은성 출판사. 1995 & 종교개혁사. 유스토 곤잘레스 저. 서영일 역. 은성 출판사. 1995.)

Rha, Eun Sung. Heavenly Women in the Medieval Age. Seoul, Korea: Geurishim, 2006. (천상의 누이들. 라은성 저. 그리심. 2006.)

Choose one primary source text:

Bettenson, Henry S., and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian Church: Selected and edited by Henry Bettenson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

OR Martin Luther. Three Treatises. (말틴루터의 종교개혁 3대 논문. 말틴 루터 저. 지원용 역. 컨콜디아시. 2000.)

OR Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. (기독교 강요. 존 칼빈 저. Christian Digest, 2003)

 

ASSIGNMENTS: 

1.     Completion of reading the required texts

2.     In-class final exam (40%)

3.     Book Review (4-5 pages; 20%)

4.     Research Paper (30%; 10-12 pages) and Presentation (10%)

 

PREREQUISITES:  None.

 

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:  Meets MDiv core requirement in Church History ÒBÓ (CHB); meets MAT (2010 revision) requirement.

 

FINAL EXAMINATION:  Yes.