IST3065-1-FA15 - Empire & the Rise of Christianity

Syllabus version 1.1

Instructor: Pamela Eisenbaum

Course Description

This course covers approximately the first five centuries of Christian history with a view toward understanding the role empire played in the rise of Christianity, both in terms of the confluence between Christianity and the Roman Empire as well as its role in the development of Christian beliefs, practices, discourse, institutions, and strategies of social control. The course is a kind of hybrid of historical studies, religious studies, and post-colonial critique. Thus the readings and discussions will include primary source texts, scholarship on the early history of Christianity in its Roman context, the nature and development of the Christian “religion,” and post-colonial analyses of various aspects of early Christianity.   The flow of the course combines the temporal and the thematic. That is to say that I have attempted to proceed through the term in advancing chronological order in general, but that each week addresses specific themes or issues, some of which extend beyond the primary time period for that week.

The course is designed as an upper level Masters (generally 2nd year and beyond)/PhD course in seminar format.  Iliff masters students should have had at least one course in biblical studies and/or history of Christianity, preferably two, prior to taking this course. If you have had previous relevant course work in biblical studies or the history of early Christianity at another institution or degree program, then you may well be ready to take this course right away, but I suggest checking with me if you are unsure whether you have adequate preparation.

Course Overview

 

Course Objectives

  1. To develop some familiarity with Christian history of the first five centuries in terms of its religious, ecclesiastical, political and cultural dimensions.
  2. To encounter some primary sources of early Christianity
  3. To encounter recent scholarship on the rise of Christianity, so much of which has been influenced by the idea of “Empire” and post-colonial theory.
  4. To develop and explore post-colonial theory as it relates to our understanding the development of Christianity from a marginal Jewish sectarian movement to the dominant cultural, political and religious force in the West.
  5. To develop one’s own critical perspective on the subject and to put one’s skills to use in a paper focused on one particular issue.

Required Books

Other Books that do NOT need to be purchased but from which readings are drawn and/or are recommended as relevant to the course:

 

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters 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 Community Covenant.

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. 

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. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community. 

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