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A History of the Catholic Church Part I: Early Church to the Reformation Tuesdays, September 4—November 6, 2007 7:00pm-9:00pm EST Click here to register This course has 20 available seats. If registration runs over this limit, the instructor may offer it again in November. Instructor: Assistant Professor of Religious Studies 814/472-2703 E-mail: aremillard@francis.edu Webpage: http://faculty.francis.edu/aremillard/Remillard.htm I. Course Description To understand our world today, we must also understand the Catholic Church's role in shaping the past. From politics to the fine arts, and from benevolence to warfare, the Church has left a substantial impression on the world's historical landscape. This course introduces students to the Church's rich, complicated, and fascinating history, from the II. Course Objectives 1) Familiarize participants with the major people, events, and ideas of the Catholic Church. 2) Encourage participants to develop a deeper understanding of their own faith, where it came from and how it has developed. 3) Enable participants to become lifelong learners of Catholic history. 4) Engage participants in online instruction that allows for two-way, audio-visual contact. III. Course Requirements Those seeking the “Certificate in Catholic Studies” are required to: 1) Attend the sessions (each will be archived for those who cannot attend the live sessions). 2) Participate in the discussions. 3) Complete the readings (particularly the articles). 4) Write a summary essay after the final session. Participants not interested in the certificate may to do as much, or as little, as they would like. In any case, I encourage anyone taking this course to put forth some effort. Otherwise, I suspect it will not be a rewarding educational experience. V. Required Text Thomas Bokenkotter, A Concise History of the Catholic Church ( All other materials will be posted on the course website. VII. Course Outline Week One: Introduction, Jesus, the Gospels Bokenkotter, xi-16 John W. O'Malley, “A Book With Staying Power,”
Week Two: The Apostles, Early Church, Iraneaus Bokenkotter, 17-36 Lewis Lord, “The Year One Was Nasty, Brutish, and Short,” Jean Guarino, “The Role of Women in the Week Three: Bokenkotter, 37-63 Jeffery L. Sheler, “Days of the Martyrs in the Second and third Centuries,” U.S. News and World Report, 2001 Week Four: Jerome, Augustine, Pope Leo I Bokenkotter, 64-96 Joyce E. Salisbury, “Augustine's Definition of Just War,” Free Inquiry, 2005 Week Five: The Making of Christendom, Hildebrand's Revolution, Papal Claims to Sovereignty Bokenkotter, 97-133 Robert Louis Wilken, “Gregory VII and the Politics of the Spirit,” First Things, January 1999 Week Six: Crusades, the Easter Schism Bokenkotter, 134-157 Andrew Curry, “The First Holy War,” John Derbyshire, “Crusading They Went,” National Review, 2001 Week Seven: Aquinas and Aristotle, the Decline of Papal Authority Bokenkotter, 158-184 Jacques Le Goff, “Medieval Week Eight: The Great Schism, the Failures of Reform, St. Francis of Assisi Bokenkotter, 185-207 Valerie Martin, “Saint Francis Meets a Leper on the Road,” Beliefnet.com Thomas Cahill, “The Peaceful Crusader,” New York Times, 2006 Week Nine: Luther, Calvin, and the Reformation Bokenkotter, 208-238 John Witte, Jr., “Consulting a Living Tradition: Christian Heritage of Marriage and Family,” Christian Century, November 13, 1996 Week Ten: Counter Reformation, Council of Bokenkotter, 239-256 The instructor may modify the schedule as the course progresses.
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