Winter 2015/Fuller Online

CH502

Badger

 

CH502: MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION HISTORY (4 Units: 160 hours). 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. (1) 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; (2) that students gain an understanding of the Medieval Christendom and the Reformation from diverse points of view, including the perspectives of the original participants and those of historians today; (3) that students practice the close reading of selected primary sources in order to analyze and faithfully articulate a historical text; and (4) 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 course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. 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.

 

REQUIRED READING: 1,025 pp. required.

Janz, Denis, ed. A Reformation Reader. Fortress, 2008. ISBN: 978-0800663100, Pub. Price $24.00 [285 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. 300 pp.].

 

ASSIGNMENTS & ASSESSMENT: 

  1. Reading or listening to lectures/podcasts/PowerPoint presentations [These are related to learning outcomes ##1 & 2]. [15 hours total].

  2. Weekly posts (300 words) reflecting on readings/podcasts and weekly response to a classmate’s post (150-200 words each) (40% of grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2 & 4]. [15 forums; 2.75 hours per forum: 50 hours total].

  3. 1,025 pp. of required reading in primary and secondary sources [The readings are related to learning outcomes #1 & 2]. [70 hours].

  4. Two 3 page analytic papers, analyzing source documents to be assigned (10% of grade each; 20% total) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [5 hours each: 10 hours total].

  5. Midterm (25%) and Final Exam (25%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome ##1 & 2]. [15 hours].

 

PREREQUISITES: None.

 

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets 144 MDiv core requirement in Church History “B” (CHB) and MAT requirement (effective Winter 2010).

 

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.