Spring 2014/Fuller Online
CH500
Waldrop
CH500: EARLY CHURCH HISTORY (4 Units). Jeffrey Waldrop.
DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the more important themes, people, events, and doctrines in church history. Attention will be given to a variety of leading apologists, theologians, monastics and church leaders of the church in the West and in the East, from the post-apostolic fathers through about the end of the sixth century.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated (1) the ability to place their own confessional tradition within the broader framework of early catholic Christianity, (2) an understanding of the ways in which the doctrines and the practices of the church emerge in specific historical contexts, (3) an understanding of the vocabulary of the Trinitarian, Christological, and soteriological debates of the first four centuries, and (4) an increase of their critical skills in reading and writing through the study of primary source materials and by the writing of an analytical essay.
COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.
In addition to longer--‐term projects (such as papers, exams, and special presentations), a typical week’s required activities and interactions will (approximately) include the following:
Read the assigned texts (100 pp., 5 hrs.)
Listen to audio lectures (1–1½ hrs.)
Engage in the class forum (300—word Initial post, 1½ hrs.)
Respond to another student’s post (100–150 words, ½ hr.)
Take a short quiz on the reading (250–500 words, ½ hr.)
REQUIRED READING:
Bettenson, Henry, and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian Church. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199568987, Pub. Price $29.95 [sections on the period through to A.D. 600 only––100 pp. assigned].
Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church. Penguin, rev. ed., 1993. ISBN: 978-0140231991, Pub. Price $18.00 [314 pp.].
Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. The Liturgical Press, 1984. ISBN: 978-0814653326, Pub. Price $24.95 [258 pp.].
Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity Vol. 1. Harper Collins, 1975. ISBN: 978-0060649524, Pub. Price $25.99 [320 pp. assigned].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Frend, W. H. C. The Rise of Christianity. Fortress Press, 1984. ISBN: 978-0800619312, Pub. Price $46.56.
MacMullen, Ramsay. Christianizing the Roman Empire: A.D. 100-400. Yale University Press, 1984. ISBN: 978-0300036428, Pub. Price $22.00.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Active participation in course discussion forums in which students interact with course lectures and course readings (20%).
A five-page analytical essay based upon a classic text from the early church (30%).
Reading assignments (about 992 pp.) and weekly quizzes over reading assignments (10%).
Mid-term exam (20%).
FINAL Exam (20%).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Church History “a” (CHA).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.