08/27/2008

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History 3344 :
    HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY

 

  Fall 2008,  Holden Hall 225,

 TuTh 8:00-9:30 am

 

TEACHER

 

John Howe                                                       Office Hours:    TuTh 9:30-10:15 am;

Office:  143 Holden Hall                                                             Tu  9:30-10:15 pm;   

Telephone:  742‑1004 ext. 233                                                  W 8:30-9:15 am; and by appointment

E‑Mail:  john.howe @ttu.edu                                                     

Web:  http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/howe  
                (the best way to access this syllabus)

 

 

PURPOSES OF THE COURSE

 

To survey the history of Christianity from the early Church until the present.  To examine, in particular, certain themes of this history:  how Christians have a knowledge of God; how individual believers experience God as seen in Christian literature; how Christian communities are organized;  and how these organizations relate to secular governments.  To see how these themes have been treated in diverse Christian (auto)biographical materials.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this class, students will be able to:

1.  Describe major events and individuals associated with the development of Christianity;

2.  Recognize common features and themes in Christian communities throughout history, despite the distinctiveness of individual Christian communities;

3.  Appreciate the diverse documentation upon which the history of Christianity is based;

4.  Understand human behavior and ideas in greater depth by critically analyzing theoretical and ideological positions adopted by Christian communities; and

      5.  Achieve greater proficiency in the following genres of historical writing:  essay examination and research paper.

 

Methods for Assessing the Expected Learning Outcomes

            The Expected Learning Outcomes of the course will be assessed through a research paper, formal examinations, class discussions, and miscellaneous classroom assessment activities.

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

Required Texts

Roland H. Bainton.  Christianity. With introduction by Jaroslav Pelikan. New York:  American Heritage Library, 2000.

Augustine of Hippo.  Confessions.  Transl. R.S. Pine‑Coffin.  Baltimore: Penguin, 1961. Or any other edition approved by the instructor.

Margery Kempe.  The Book of Margery Kempe.  Ed. B. A. Windeatt.  Baltimore:  Penguin Books, 1985. Or any other edition approved by the instructor.

John Bunyan.  The Pilgrim's Progress.  Ed. Roger Sharrock.  Baltimore, Md.:  Penguin, 1965. Or any other edition approved by the instructor.

 

Class Attendance

Successful completion of this course requires regular attendance.  Difficult reading assignments are interpreted and contextualized in class; additional subject matter is introduced.   If you cannot attend 80% or more of the scheduled classes, you should not be enrolled.      

       

Required Reading

Specific reading assignments for each class are listed in the "Reading and Lecture Schedule," just above and to the right of the lecture date by which they should be completed.  Each assignment is the subject of the following class.  Read so that you come to class prepared to explain, praise, criticize, and question.  If read on schedule, the assignments are manageable; if neglected, they quickly become overwhelming.

 

Examinations

Midterm tests are scheduled for Tuesday September 23 and Thursday October 30.  Each will include multiple-choice questions, identifications, a single essay (from two or more choices), and perhaps map work.  Students receiving a grade below "C" on a midterm should meet with the teacher to discuss it (this is part of the class participation grade).  An opportunity for a make-up examination, for a midterm missed for good reason, is provided on Monday, December 1, at 2:30-3:30.

The final examination, scheduled for Tuesday morning, December 9, 7:30-10:00, will feature multiple-choice and identification questions on the material covered since the second midterm, and several comprehensive essay questions (to be chosen out of many more). 

 

Short Research Paper and Class Report

Each student will choose a contemporary Christian group, and, using at least four primary and six secondary sources, will describe it in a 12‑15 page, double-spaced, typed paper. The paper should introduce the group in question, and examine its attitudes towards the themes examined in the course (how individual believers know and experience God; how the community is organized; and how this organization relates to secular government).   Sources can be found not only in the Texas Tech Library, but also at local libraries (public libraries, although smaller than the University Library, sometimes acquire local histories and works on local church communities that are not found elsewhere), on the Web, and sometimes at offices of the church being studied.  Avoid plagiarism.  The History Department offers one possible style sheet.

Students will present their results to the class during the last class meetings.  The subject must be chosen by Tuesday, Sept 23.  The papers will be due at 8:00 am on Thursday, November 13 (students are required to turn in something by this deadline, even if the draft is still incomplete).  Papers received by the due date will be returned, with corrections, on Tuesday, November 18.  Students may keep the grade earned or rewrite the paper for a higher grade, but no rewritten papers or late papers will be accepted later than 5:00 pm on Dec 11 (graduating seniors will need to submit their rewritten papers no later than 9:00 am on Dec 11).          

                       

NECESSARY ACCOMMODATIONS
             Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible so that the necessary accommodations can be made. 
 

Observance of a religious Holy Day
            Texas House Bill 256 requires institutions of higher education to excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day. The student shall also be excused for time necessary to travel. An institution may not penalize the student for the absence and allows for the student to take an exam or complete an assignment from which the student is excused. No prior notification of the instructor is required.

PLAGIARISM                
            "It is the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity.  The attempt of students to present as their own any work that they have not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension."   -- Texas Tech University Catalog.