Course Syllabus – Spring 2014
Church and Empires

The College at Southwestern
HIS 1203-A   T/Th    1:00 – 2:15 p.m.  Room S22
Instructor: Kevin Stilley
Office Hours:  By Appointment

I keep office hours a few blocks from the college at Stadium Drive Baptist Church: 4717 Stadium Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76133, or can meet you by appointment in the Student Center.

Email:  kstilley@swbts.edu
Website:  http://kevinstilley.com
Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/kevinstilley
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/kevin.stilley

Catalog Description

A study of the history and philosophy of western civilization from late antiquity to the late medieval period.

Course Objectives

• Appreciation of God’s providence in the overall pattern of history.
• To gain knowledge of the main events, ideas and persons that have shaped western civilization from the early Christian church to the dawn of the Reformation.
• To understand how Christianity and western civilization are related and be able to outline the relationship between church and state across time.
• Development of the skill of applying history to contemporary ideas and issues

Required Texts

• History of the Medieval World, by Susan Wise Bauer
• Ecclesiastical History of the English People, by Bede
• The Middle Ages, by Morris Bishop
• Christian History Made Easy, Timothy Paul Jones

 (Please bring a Bible to class with you.)

 Assignments

Grades will be determined based upon completion of three exams, a writing assignment, and class participation.

• First Examination  (25%) – This exam will be conducted via Blackboard so please be sure to have a good internet connection available on the day of the exam.

• Second Examination  (25%) – This exam will be conducted via Blackboard so please be sure to have a good internet connection available on the day of the exam.

• Final Examination: (25%) – The date and time for the final exam may not coincide with normal class days and times. You must make yourself available to take the final exam at the scheduled time during finals week.   No alternative times or venues for the exam will be offered.

• Essay/Response (15%):  Each student will write a response to the op-ed piece “Does Christian Fundamentalism Endanger Our Republic?” by Carol V. Hamilton  (http://hnn.us/articles/52479.html).  The response should incorporate themes discussed in class regarding the interaction of Christianity, civilization, and Western culture.  Essays should be approximately 1000 words long and will be graded in terms of grammar, composition, creativity, research, analysis, and relevance.  Late papers will be subject to a five yard point per day penalty for delay of game.

• Participation (10%): All students are expected to attend class, be punctual, and participate appropriately in classroom discussion.  To engage in classroom discussion of the assigned reading it is imperative that all reading assignments be conducted in a timely fashion.

• Attendance will be recorded at the beginning of all class sessions. Absences or tardiness will adversely affect your grade.  Absences in excess of six will result in an automatic failure of the class.
• Students are free to record the class.
• Guests are welcome, but please notify the instructor in advance.
• Laptops, iPhones, and similar devices may NOT be used during class as their usefulness is far outweighed by their ability to create a distraction and contribute to the cultural habit of inattentiveness.
• If you become drowsy you may stand at the back or the side of the room until you can resume your seat without falling asleep.

Grades

Grades will be determined by the following scale: 100-98 (A+); 97-93 = A; 92-90 (A-); 89-88(B+); 87-83 (B); 82-80 (B-); 79-78 (C+); 77-73 (C); 72-70 (C-); 69-68 (D+); 67-63 (D); 62-60 (D-); Below 60 = F.

Blackboard

Blackboard and SWBTS student email will be used for class communications.  Students should check both Blackboard and student email daily for possible communications from the instructor.

Tentative Schedule

HIS 3203	Topic	Assignment Due Today
January 23	Introduction to Course -Discussion of Syllabus	Please print out and bring your syllabus to this class session.
January 28	The First 1,000 Years of ChristianityReview for Final Exam	Read: Bishop, chapter 1 Bring Christian History Made Easy to class with you.
January 30	External Pressures on the Church — Persecution: Apologetic and Martyrdom literature	Read: Jones, Introduction and chapter 1
February 4	Internal Pressures on the Church: Heresy, Creeds, & Councils	Read: Jones, chapters 2 & 3
February 6	The Age of Invasions	Read: Bauer, chapters 1, 4, 5, 6 & 8
February 11	Fall of the Roman Empire & Augustine	Read: Bauer, chapters 9, 10, 11 & 12
February 13	Boethius, Monasticism, Asceticism & Mysticism	Read: Bauer, chapters 13, 16, 17, 18
February 18	BritainThe Papacy	Read: Bede, book 1
February 20	Rise of the Franks / Charlemagne	Read: Bauer, chapters 19, 20, 21, 22, 25
February 25	Church and State: A historical perspective	Read: Bauer, chapters 27, 28, 29
February 27	Christ and Culture: Richard Niebuhr and D.A. Carson	Read: Bauer, chapters 33, 34, 35, & 36
March 4	Does Christian Fundamentalism Endanger Our Republic?”	Due: Submit your essay via Turnitin no later than the beginning of class time, and bring a paper copy to class for the instructor.
March 6	Mid-Term Examination	Mid-Term Examination
March 11	Spring Break	Spring Break
March 13	Spring Break	Spring Break
March 18	Mohammad	Read: Bauer, chapters 37, 39, 41
March 20	Expansion of Islam / Do Christians and Muslim’s Worship the Same God?	Read: Bauer, chapters 42, 45, 47, & 48
March 25	The Crusades	Read: Bauer, chapter 71Read: Bishop, chapter 3
March 27	The Crusades, War, Dr. Seuss & Christian Ethics	Read Bishop, chapter 4
April 1	The VikingsRussia	Read: Bauer, chapters 56, 69, 69, & 71
April 3	The Norman Conquest of England / The Hundred Years War / Henry V / Joan of Arc / Europe in the High Middle Ages – Feudalism/ The Black Death / Magna Carta, & Shakespeare’s Kings	Read: Bishop, chapter 2
April 8	The Scholastics (Anselm, Abelard, Aquinas, and other guys whose name does not start with an  “A”  like Ockam)	Read: Bishop, chapter 5
April 10	The University (Averroes, Maimonides, Siger of Brabant and other smart guys)	Read: Bishop, chapter 8
April 15	Literary, Political and Cultural Contributions of the Late Medieval Period	Read: Bishop, chapter 9
April 17	Examination #2	Examination #2
April 22	The Church in the 14th Century	Review Christian History Made Easy
April 24	Medieval Reformers	Review Christian History Made Easy
April 29	The End of Byzantium	Review Christian History Made Easy
	Final Examination	Final Examination In Class

 

“When a man is busy at study, the Evil Impulse whispers to him: Why tarryest thou here.  Go and join the men who flirt with pretty women.”  – Talmud, Zohar, ii, 265b