Summer 2012/Pasadena
Two-week Intensive: July 30-Aug. 10
CH502
Ahn
CH502: MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION HISTORY. Katherine H. L. Ahn.
DESCRIPTION: This is a survey course that studies the development of Christian
doctrines and the formation of various confessional groups in the Western
theological tradition from the sixth through the sixteenth centuries.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: This course should help students identify
origins of a number of major confessional traditions among Christian churches,
as well as their own. As they learn how the early Christian church was
transformed into various traditions in Europe during the Medieval and
Reformation periods, students will be able to understand and explain
similarities and differences among the traditions. In such a way, this course
can help students become more effective ministers to people with diverse
Christian backgrounds, as they approach people with better historical
understanding of their practices and beliefs. Students can also engage in
theological discussions about issues relevant to the life of Christians today
with more intelligent and historically based information and with better
understanding of the great diversity within the Christian church.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Students will be able to identify and explain major theological
developments and historical events that shaped the Christian church during the
Medieval and the Reformation periods.
- Students will demonstrate through written and oral presentations their
ability to analyze important historical texts and to explain their significance
within different historical contexts.
- Students will demonstrate through presentations and writing assignments the
ability to interpret various ecclesiastical traditions by analyzing their
development and changes during the Medieval and Reformation periods.
- Students will be challenged to reflect upon some of their religious
assumptions by studying the complexity and diversity of Christian churches in
history and will develop a greater understanding of various Christian
traditions and individuals by understanding how their beliefs and practices
were formed during this period.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet daily in four-hour sessions for two weeks,
for lectures, presentations, and discussions.
REQUIRED READING:
- Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Vols. 1-2.
Harper Collins, 2010. ISBNs: 978-0061855887, 978-0061855894. Pub. price $25.99
each.
- Bettenson, Henry S., and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian
Church. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199568987. Pub. price
$29.95.
- Janz, Denis, ed. A Reformation Reader. Fortress, 2002. ISBN:
978-0800634735. Pub. Price $34. (Or the 2008 ed. ISBN: 978-0800663100. Pub.
price $39.00.)
- Tucker, Ruth A., and Walter L. Liefeld. Daughters of the Church: Women
and Ministry from New Testament Times to the Present. Academie/Zondervan,
1987. ISBN: 978-0310457411, Pub. price $39.99.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: (1) Completion of all required reading. (2) One
research paper (12-15 pages; 60% of the final grade). (3) One quiz (10%) (4)
One examination based on required reading materials and lectures (30%).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Church History "b"
(CHB); meets MAT requirement (effective Winter 2010).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (April 2012)