Intro History of Christianity

Introduction to the History of Christianity - Winter Term 2022

(IST 2500; 4 Credits; Hybrid HI-Intro course)

Start Date: Monday January 10, 2022

End Date:  Friday March 18, 2022

Gathering Days Class Meetings: **Attendance on Zoom required for full-credit in this course**

Tuesday February 8, 2022 from 1 pm to 3 pm (Class Meets on Zoom).

Wednesday February 9, 2022 from 8 am to 10 am (Class Meets on Zoom).

--Gathering Days Information Revised/Updated on January 3rd, 2022--

Instructor: Albert Hernández, Ph.D. Email Address: ahernandez@iliff.edu

Teaching Assistant: Grego Peña-Camprubí, Doctoral Candidate, I.S.T. & D.U. Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in the Study of Religion. Email Address: gpenacamprubi@iliff.edu

Office: Iliff Hall, Room 115. Office Hours: By Appointment via Zoom or Mobile Call

Course Description/Synopsis:

This course introduces students to the broad outlines of the history of Christianity with an emphasis on major historical developments, and on the emergence of both local and trans-local expressions of religious traditions. Students will examine and discuss a series of historical case studies, derived from primary and secondary sources, covering different periods and themes, beliefs and practices, controversies and compromises, and key religious figures. Students will apply their learning from the case studies to a broad understanding of how different social, cross-cultural, institutional and intellectual patterns have shaped the diversity and complexity of the Christian historical and religious tradition.

DEGREE LEARNING GOALS in HISTORY (For all I.S.T. Master’s Degree Programs)

Historical Development and Expressions of Religious Traditions (HI): Demonstrate awareness of religious traditions as historically-situated movements that interacted and changed in relationship to their surrounding cultures and subcultures over time, resulting in various expressions located within and influenced by social structures and institutions, ideologies, historical events, ethnicity and gender, and cultural worldviews.

Course Overview:

This course introduces students to the broad outlines of the history of Christianity with an emphasis on major historical developments, and on the emergence of both local and trans-local expressions of religious traditions. Students will examine and discuss a series of historical case studies, derived from primary and secondary sources, covering different periods and themes, beliefs and practices, controversies and compromises, and key religious figures. Students will apply their learning from the case studies to a broad understanding of how different social, cross-cultural, institutional and intellectual patterns have shaped the diversity and complexity of the Christian historical and religious tradition.

Course Objectives and Learning Goals:

(1) Students will demonstrate basic fluency with key vocabulary and theological concepts used by historians to define and organize the different periods, themes, and concepts of the history of Christianity, such as ecclesiology, soteriology, pneumatology, Christology, theological anthropology, orthodoxy and heresy, reformism, and church revitalization.   

(2) Students will gain a basic understanding of the major historical periods, the varieties of local/regional expressions of Christian belief and practice, and of the complex, contested nature of forging trans-local definitions of Christian unity and identity out of the diversity of local communities and persons that make up the history of Christianity.

(3) Students will develop critical thinking skills through the assessment and application of historical knowledge from among the case studies, themes and periods, and religious traditions covered in the course. 

(4) Students will develop systematic research skills with both primary and secondary sources while studying and discussing the social, institutional, cultural, and intellectual history of the case studies covered in the course.

Required Course Textbooks & Readings:

Justo González, The Story of Christianity, Volume I:  The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. Revised and Updated Edition. New York: Harper-One, 2010. [ISBN: 978-0-06-185-588-7]. (Also available from Amazon Kindle, and from Harper-Collins e-books thru Harper Collins Publishers, and available to Rent from select textbook providers, including Amazon.com).

Justo González, The Story of Christianity, Volume II:  The Reformation to the Present Day. Revised and Updated Edition. New York: Harper-One, 2010.  [ISBN: 978-0-06-185-558-94].  (Also available from Amazon Kindle, and available from Harper-Collins e-books thru Harper Collins Publishers, and available to Rent from select textbook providers, including Amazon.com).

Additional Required Readings ---- from primary and/or from secondary sources will be listed with Links in the "Course Summary" outline of the Syllabus under the respective week of the course in which the reading is due to be completed with full author, title, and page number information as well as any relevant external links for each secondary source or for each primary source excerpt.  All additional required readings are also be available to students under the "Files" tab of our Canvas course site.

Suggested Additional Reading: (Optional texts; Not required to purchase)

Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity. Third Edition. William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003.

Kevin Madigan, Medieval Christianity: A New History . Yale University Press, 2015.

Brian Catlos, Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain. Basic Books/Hachette Book Group, 2018.

Glen S. Sunshine, A Brief Introduction to the Reformation. Westminster John Knox Press, 2017.

George E. Tinker, Missionary Conquest: The Gospel & Native American Cultural Genocide. Fortress, 1993.

Evaluation, Required Assignments, and Grading Procedures 

Course Procedures & Expectations

Accessing and Regularly Checking our Canvas Course Site:

• Before the start of Winter Tern 2022: Students are expected to use the Canvas course site/page to familiarize themselves with the entire course syllabus, the required weekly reading assignments from the different primary and secondary sources, and with the instructions and deadlines of all required and graded assignments and online group discussions throughout the duration of the course.
• Checking Canvas Regularly: Students are expected to check the Canvas course site/page regularly for important announcements or updates from the instructor.
• Handouts and Resources: Historical timelines, relevant images from the historical periods covered in the course, and links to additional web-based resources are also available on the Canvas course site/page and on the "Files" tab for the course.
• Inclusive Language: It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language and appropriate pronouns in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to fostering an effective and respectful classroom community.
• Pass/Fail Grading Option: Iliff masters students wishing to take the class on the Pass/Fail grading option should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.
• Technology Issues/Concerns : If you need assistance managing Canvas please email the Iliff School of Theology HELP DESK or call them at 303-909-9321.  Please leave a message and the staff will get back to you as soon as possible. They are typically available from about 8:30 AM to about 4:30 PM in the Mountain Standard Time Zone (MST).

Guidelines for Online Group Discussions/Open Forums:

• In order to participate effectively with their peers, and with the instructor and the Teaching Assistant, in each required/graded Group Discussion/Open Forum, students will be expected to have read the assignments for each week of the course, and to have viewed the respective video lecture(s) for that week's class discussion.
• A paragraph or so, or four to six complete sentences, is sufficient to receive credit. You can always do more if you like, but the idea is to generate conversation with each other while reflecting on the discussion topic.
• Each required and graded Group Discussion/Open Forum is structured on Canvas so that you must first post your reply to the actual discussion topic, and then the next time you log-in to post you will be permitted to see other students' replies to the topic.
• Please remember to log back in to the Group Discussion/Open Forum to post your second required response to the respective week's theme or topic, and to extend the conversation by engaging at least two of your classmates before moving on to the next week's course topics and reading materials.
• You will get credit for doing the discussion assignment, and you will receive no credit/points if you don't do it, or you will receive reduced credit/points if you don't engage at least two of your peers in the week's discussion--- simple as that.
• Late postings or incomplete participation in the online Group Discussion/Open Forum will result in a point deduction.
• Students are expected to participate respectfully in all Group Discussions/Open Forum assignments by interacting in both positive and critically thoughtful ways with their peers, the instructor, and the TA.

Writing Lab:

Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab . , which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft.

Academic Integrity and Core Values:

All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity , as published in the Master's Student Handbook , or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook , as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Core Values .

Incomplete Grade Petitions:

Incomplete Grade Petitions will be granted only in the case of documented and verifiable medical circumstances or other personal or family related emergencies. In the event a student requires this option, the final grade for the course will be assigned as a "Pass" (P) or "Fail" (F) grade. See the Master's Student Handbook for the Policies and Procedures about Incomplete Grade Petitions.

Additional Policies & Services:

Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The Advising Center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. The Disability Services Officer at Iliff is Jeremy Garber, jgarber@iliff.edu . For more information, go to the Disability Services section in the Masters Student Handbook .