Christian Movement I

Fall 2200

The Early and Medieval Period.

 

The Christian Movement courses provide a student with an overview of the development of Christian church.  In the first semester, we concentrate on the ancient and medieval church, and in the second, we concentrate on reformation and modern church history. 

 

The Goals of the Course:  The Association of Theological Schools standards for the Master of Divinity Degree and for the Master of Arts in Religion stress the need for a thorough study of the Christian religious tradition.   In almost all seminary classes, the instructor refers to Christian history, to particular thinkers, people and movements in that history, or to the general course of Christian development.  The Christian Movement courses are designed to provide a student with the foundational knowledge that will help a student use historical studies in their larger educational program.   This major goal breaks down into two emphases:

 

• To provide a narrative outline of the development of the church broad enough to enable the student to locate significant persons, places, events, in their historical context.
• To help the student develop those historical skills that are useful in many areas of the theological curriculum.

 

The First Goal:  In the first semester, we will study the ancient and medieval periods.  If all goes well, we will finish with a discussion of the Renaissance and the beginnings of the Reformation. Second semester will complete the story by an examination of the modern period.   We will work toward this goal by means of lectures and discussions.

 

The Second Goal: The historical skills that students need in their theological education can generally be divided into three categories:

 

1.      The ability to place events, persons, etc in context and to understand some of the interconnections between different events.

2.      The ability to read a non-contemporary text and to use some of the tools of scholarship to understand that text.

3.      The ability to study a historical topic using some of the tools of modern scholarship and to write a sound report on that research.

 

Because of the pressures of time, we will emphasize the second goal in the first semester and the third goal in the second semester.

 

Assignments:

 

1.      Towards a Narrative Understanding.

o       The Readings.   To develop their understanding of the basic narrative of the development of Church History, each student will read the sections on the ancient and medieval church in a standard narrative history.  There are a number of good texts available, and students should select a text that fits their own learning style and level of knowledge.  The following texts are available at the bookstore:

• Williston Walker, A History of the Christian Church
• Henry Chadwick: A History of Christianity
• Adrian Hastings: A World History of Christianity.
• More advanced students or those who learn most easily through reading may wish to read separate books on the early and the medieval church.  The following are recommended:
  • Glenn Hinson, The Early Church
  • Henry Chadwick, The Early Church
  • Votz, The Medieval Church
  • Southern, Western Society and the Church
• The Exams.  Closely tied to the readings are the two take home examinations.  While most students will want to do some library study in addition to their text for these assignments, your narrative reading will be your primary resource for these assignments.

2.      The Reading of Ancient Texts.

o       The Second hour of each class is devoted to a discussion of some selected ancient and medieval texts.  While any number of texts could have been selected, I have selected three texts that are “classics;” that is, books that are important in their own right. Eusebius: The Church History; Augustine, The Confessions, and Julian of Norwich, the Revelations.  These are available in the bookstore, in various editions in the library, and on the Internet.  I asked the bookstore to order the most inexpensive editions in print.  The edition of Julian, however, cost more than I had anticipated, so I am leaving those assignments vague for the moment.  There are separate assignment sheets for Bangor and for Portland.

o       Demonstrating Skills in Reading Texts.  There are two ways that students can demonstrate that they have met this goal:

§         A student may elect to prepare a two-page discussion of each week’s reading assignment.   This should be emailed to the instructor in time for it to be read and returned.  For Portland students, this means no later than Friday for a Monday class and for Bangor Students it means no later than Monday for the Wednesday class.  In addition to keeping the student on schedule, weekly work on the texts often is cumulative; that is, skills grow by repetition.

§         A student may prepare a careful text study either of the one of the seminar texts or of another text, selected after consultation with the instructor.  This paper will be written in standard academic format with notes and references and no more than 13 pages, excluding bibliography or notes. 

§         In general, a student who feels their skills in reading texts are already well developed will select the second option, while students who have less experience in theological or historical materials will select the first option.

§         Some students are particular interested in studying Christian art or music.  You may use any such “document” for your textual study.

3. Personal Goals:  Part of our revised curriculum is a renewed emphasis on students developing their own learning goals and on the development of a portfolio of work that demonstrates their growth and development.  In this course, students may negotiate an alternative to one assignment.  These alternatives may be either projects that feature the use of class material in the practice of ministry or research projects that require particular depth in the use of library and other resources. All alternative projects need to be approved within two weeks of the beginning of class.

 

Due Dates:

 

·        We will distribute the first examination the week of October 30 and it will be due the next class.  The first examination will cover the narrative history through the Christ logical Controversy.

·        The second examination is distributed the last day of class and it is due January 8, 2001. 

·        Text studies are due on January 8, 2001.

·        Alternative assignments are due on January 8, 2001.

 

Evaluation and Grading:

 

            The purpose of any basic course is to lay foundations for future work.  In that sense, you will have a much clearer picture of how you have done in the Christian Movement later in your theological studies.  Those of you who have begun the portfolio work will want to draft a two or three pages self-evaluation of your work, and I will write a reply that you can deposit with your own reflections. 

 

            Grading:  We have yet to find an alternative to grading.  Students tend to do significantly less work (and much less on time) in pass-fail courses.  Work for a grade, unfortunately, has priority over work for a P.   The following criteria are used for grades in this class:

 

            B=the student has demonstrated basic competence at the Master of Divinity or Master of Arts level.  Their written work is well research, thoughtfully presented, and follows accepted academic forms. On tests, this means that the student has accurate information, used resources well, and was able to present the information clearly.  On the assignment on interpreting text, the student must understand the context of the material, any significant problems in its transmission or reception, and be able to demonstrate that they have understood the basic material.  The purpose of the assignment is not to argue with the text (although you may do so) but to demonstrate that the student understands it and can explain its meaning.

           

            A=Basically, a judgment on the quality of the students’ work.  In addition to demonstrating the basic competence required for a B, an A paper reflects additional achievement.  Written work, for example, may be especially well presented, a paper or an exam may reflect especially thorough research, a student may have presented and defended a particular understanding of the material with notable clarity of argument or study.  On text studies, the student will have enhanced their study by a more sophisticated approach to the source.

 

            B+ or A-:  The line between these two grades is never completely clear, either for students or for faculty, and many faculty do not give B+, because so many students see the grade as a “near miss” of an A.  I give both.  On written work, a B+, however, is not a near miss.  It presents work that I am sure is not A or A- work but has some strong features that set it apart from other B papers.  A- papers are papers that have several outstanding features. 

 

            C or C+: This work meets the requirements for credit, but it is not on a graduate professional level. The student has not demonstrated basic competence at the Master of Divinity or Master of Arts level.

 

            D or F:  These grades mean that the work done in the course was not acceptable.  The student has not demonstrated basic competence or reached the institution’s minimum expectations. 

 

            Relative Value of Assignments:

 

            Textual Study                    40 %

            First Exam                         30 %

            Second Exam                     30 %

 

A Note On Examinations:  Take Home examinations will consist of six broad essay questions.  One question will be assigned to the whole class and the student will select another question from the remaining five.  In most cases, students will find an essential outline of their answer in the narrative text that they have selected, but most students will need to supplement their standard reading with some library study.  But these are not “mini” term projects.  You need to get your information, evaluate it, and analyze it quickly.