Spring 2014/Fuller Online
CH502
Badger
CH502: MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION HISTORY. Carlton Badger.
DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the Church in the Medieval and Reformation periods (600–1600 A.D.), beginning from its Augustinian foundations and the barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire, through its millennium-long attempt to build a Christian society and the resulting tensions in thought, governance and practice, and the many reform efforts which culminated in the transformation of European “Christendom” in the Reformation of the sixteenth century begun by Luther.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: There are four objectives to this course. First, that students become familiar with the central developments in the church of the Middle Ages and Reformation, particularly those that led to the Reformation and have formed and expressed Protestant identity. Second, that students gain an understanding of Medieval Christendom and the Reformation from diverse points of view, including the perspectives of the original participants and those of historians today. Third, that students practice the close reading of selected primary sources in order to analyze and faithfully articulate a historical text. Fourth, that students reflect on the perennial nature of the controversies that shaped Christian identity in this period as these doctrines and practices have engendered contemporary Christian diversity and ecumenical conversation.
COURSE FORMAT: This is an online course that will be conducted over a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar.Each week, students and the instructor will interact with the material and each other primarily through threaded discussions, research, and other assignments. Introductions, podcasts, lectures, and readings for each lesson will be available online to supplement course textbooks.
REQUIRED READING:
Janz, Denis, ed. A Reformation Reader (with CDROM). Fortress, 2002 (not the 2008 edition). ISBN: 978-0800634735, Pub. Price $24.00 [275 pp. assigned].
Julian of Norwich. Showings (Classics of Western Spirituality). Paulist Press, 1977. ISBN: 978-0809120918, Pub. Price $24.95 [65 pp. assigned].
Ozment, Steven. The Age of Reform (1250–1550). Yale University Press, 1981. ISBN: 978-0300027600, Pub. Price $25.00 [370 pp. assigned].
Primary and secondary readings on the course site and from online resources [approx. 250 pp.].
ASSIGNMENTS:120 hours total class time:
Completion of assigned readings, and readiness to discuss the texts [7 hours reading/week: 70 hrs. total].
Reading or listening to lectures/podcasts [8 hrs total]
Weekly posts (250-400 words) reflecting on readings/podcasts and weekly response to a classmate’s post (150-200 words each) - [2 hrs per forum; 15 forums: 30 hrs total; 50% of grade].
Two 3-page (1250 word) analytic papers, analyzing source documents [5 hrs each: 10 hrs total; 10% of grade each]
Midterm (20%) and Final Exam (20%) [1 hr. each]
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Church History “B” (CHB) and MAT requirement (effective Winter 2010).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.