Catalog description: A survey of central events,
figures, teaching and Christian life from the New Testament to the Present. Master
of Arts students only. Full course.
Objectives:
1. to gain basic knowledge of
the story of Christianity from its beginning to the present
2. to collaborate with other
students on course assignments
3. to apply Christian history
to your life experience and vocation
How does the on-line course
compare with the traditional classroom version? The on-line course does not
use lectures. It uses the Christian History Tutor and assigned readings, as
well as group and individual activities on line. Some of the reading, and the
final essay are the same or similar in both the on-line and traditional
versions of HC 1310. The History Tutor is also used in the traditional
classroom, though to a lesser extent. The objectives are very similar for both
classes, but the methods are different. The on-line course expects you to
cooperate with your peers in several group projects. Keeping up with the
deadlines on a weekly basis is very important. Thus, your responsibility is of
a somewhat different nature than in a traditional class, where weeks might
elapse between course requirements. The online class makes students accountable
on weekly, sometimes daily basis.
Required
texts,
available from
Justo Gonzalez, Church
History: And Essential Guide
Mark Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in
the History of
Christianity
Christian History Magazine, “Everyday Faith in the Middle Ages
(Issue #49)
1. Read texts, web articles, and History Tutor segments as described in the weekly assignments in Blackboard.
2. Fulfill all assignments,
individual or group, given for each week. This includes History Tutor
“self-tests” each week.
3. Take four modular tests for
the Christian History Tutor (Early church, Middle Ages, Era of Reform, and
Global). Testing dates are given in the assignments section of Blackboard. The
tests will be drawn from the BASIC (not the Advanced) version of the Christian
History Tutor. These tests will be
graded on a curve, so it is not possible to say in advance what is considered a
“passing” score.
4. Report to instructor when an
assignment asks you to do so.
5. Write the “final essay” due on or before the last
day of the semester. Early papers are
welcome! Directions for the Final Essay are at the end of this syllabus and also
in the “Finals Week” portion of “Assignments” in Blackboard.
6. Complete
an evaluation of the course at the end of the fall semester.
Grading for HC 1310 is based on the following
components:
History Tutor (each modular test is
10% of grade) 40%
Weekly participation in group or individual
assignments 40%
Final Essay 10%
Promptness in observing deadlines* 10%
(*Warning:
Failure to observe deadlines can cost you more than 10% of your grade.
Persistent lateness can make it difficult for your colleagues to turn in their
work on time, since many of the assignments call for you to respond to each
other or cooperate on projects.)
This
course is divided into four modules.
·
Early Church
·
Middle Ages
·
Era of Reform
·
Global Church.
The modules are subdivided
into weeks, which run from Monday to Sunday.
Most weeks include assigned readings, Christian History Tutor
assignments, and group conversations and/or projects. The course uses
individual study and group work. The
course presents basic information about Christian History and encourages your
reflection and interaction with the material.
Module
#1 Early Church September 8-27
Sept. 8-14
Sept. 15-21
Sept. 22-27
Module
#2 Middle Ages September 28-October 18
Sept. 29-Oct. 5
Oct. 6-12
Oct. 13-19
Module
#3 Era of Reform October 20-November 9
Oct. 20-26
Oct. 27-Nov. 2
Nov. 3-9
Module
#4 The Global Church Nov 10-Dec. 14
Nov. 10-16
Nov. 17-23
Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 1-7
Dec. 8-14
Wrap-up week Dec. 15-19
Scheduling notes:
·
Module 4 is the longest module of the course. There is more material to
cover, and also the Thanksgiving break Nov. 23- Dec. 1. No new assignments are
given over the break.
·
Luther Seminary has two “reading days.”
HC 1310 will not observe these reading days because we do not meet as a
traditionally scheduled class. Our on-line class works best when weeks are a
consistent length. It will all come out
even, because Luther seminary calendar includes two days at the end of the term
(Dec. 15 and 16) a Monday and Tuesday as class days. But for HC 1310, no new
material will be introduced on these days. Instead, Dec-11-19 will be wrap-up
time for the class. Our class officially
ends on Friday, Dec. 19 at
·
This course schedule (in the “Assignments” area of Blackboard) includes
evening deadlines and weekends. That is because many on-line students, by
definition, plan to do some of their coursework on evenings and weekends. However, if you do not want to do coursework
on evenings or weekends, you can usually submit your work ahead of those
deadlines. Sometimes group work may make
it hard to do this, if a group project is due and some group members need to do
their work on evenings or weekends. But more often than not you should be able
to avoid working on weekends or evenings if that is your preference.
Staff contact information
Affiliated Faculty, Luther Seminary
(651) 641-3246
Office: Bockman Hall #27
Mailbox in Gullixson Hall, first
floor
“Office Hours” by appointment (in my office, phone call, or
chat room)
What you can expect from your instructor
I
will respond to you in a timely fashion. This does not mean 24/7, but usually
within a day. Please do not expect the
instructor to respond to every post for this class. Many of the activities are
designed for peer interaction,
encouraging the students to work together as colleagues. I will be monitoring
your posts to make sure that people are engaged in the assignments and that things
are moving along the right track. Sometimes I will make announcements, start
new discussion threads, offer directions, correctives and encouragement, or
just let you know that I am “out there.” Some instructor feedback is built in
to the course. Peer feedback is built
into the course. If you have a particular concern relating to the course,
please contact me. The instructor
reserves the right to change the plans for this course as may be needed.
Course website information
For help with technical
features of the website (anything NOT related to the actual course content)
call toll-free, 24 hours a day: 1.877.725.4357 or visit http://eduprise.custhelp.com. The
people who answer this phone will know nothing about your specific course, but
they are supposed to know things like how to log in, how to post in a
discussion, how to change your password, etc.
For
help with questions about course content
or procedure, contact
Assignment: Discuss what you have learned about the
history of the church that will shape your ministry in the future. Use material
from all four units of the course and be specific in historical reference.
Length: no less than 1200 words, no more than 1500. Please include a word count at the end of
your paper. This is very easy to do, using the “tools” option in Word.
Documentation: Formal footnotes
are not expected. But DO identify your sources as you go along, in the body of
your text. Avoid long, block quotations. Keep quotations brief, and put things
into your own words. This is an open book, open note essay. Just give credit
where credit is due. This assignment does not call for memorization. It does
call for integration of past and present.
Electronic or paper copy? It is up to
you. Your work will be returned in the same form I receive it. I will NOT print out e-mails and send them back
to you. I will send email submissions back with highlighted comments. Either way is OK, but if you want a paper
copy with hand written comments, then you need to turn in a paper copy. Paper
copies can be turned in to
Rationale: This
assignment fulfills Course objective #3, by asking you to write about
“Christian history as a resource for shaping and directing ministry in the
present and the future.” You are being asked to integrate insights from the
course with your own thoughts on ministry. No two papers will be alike. Allow
your own specific ministry—be it youth ministry, education, music, diaconal,
ministry with the ageing, prison ministry, or other—to shape your essay. If you
are not sure what your ministry will be, you can write the essay based your
most compelling interests in church history. Choose an event, person,
controversy, issue or doctrine, insight or movement that intrigued you in each
of the four units. Then reflect on how this could shape and inform your own
vocation. Some applications will be direct, others will be indirect.
Examples (you are not limited to these!)
Early Church through
Middle Ages: Christianity as a
minority religion; lay evangelism; the beginnings of monasticism, pilgrimage,
icons, conflicts between eastern and western forms of Christianity;
Augustine. Reform Era: the
authority of Scripture, the need to correct abuses in the church, the role of
civil rulers, attempts to get rid of, save, or reinterpret aspects of Christian
tradition. Calvin, Luther, Loyola, etc. Global
Christianity: evangelism, humanitarianism, cross-cultural issues, or
liberalism vs. neo-orthodoxy, Wesley, Spener; Religious pluralism, African-American
Christianity, revivalism and reform, immigration, Pentecostalism, etc.
The assignment on the
syllabus says, “be
specific in historical reference.” Example: “When Philip Jacob Spener published his Pia
Desideria in 1675, he made several proposals for
the renewal of the church. One proposal was the use of small groups, etc, etc.”
Go on to say how you might use small groups in your ministry.
Need to try out
some ideas? You can always use the “Lounge Lizards” area of the
discussion board to get some peer responses.
Grading/evaluation--Essays
should be:
1) handed in on or before
the Dec. 19 deadline
2) accurate in historical
reference
3) thoughtful in
application to current ministry context(s)
4) within the length stated
on syllabus,
5) documented as described
on this sheet,
6) well balanced between
historical insight and present application.
7) drawn from all four
modules of the course