A Survey of western civilization And European/british literature (from the fall of rome to present) Vine Academy, 2017-18 Instructor: David Duerr Course syllabus Course texts: How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer (HSWTL) The Book That Made Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi (BMW) British Literature for Christian Schools (1992 edition) Ronald Horton, ed. (BL) Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (IV) Silas Marner by George Eliot (SM) Macbeth by William Shakespeare A Pilgrim s Progress by John Bunyan (PIL) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (TTC) The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis (GD) Note: The class will not be using a formal text for historical studies due to the integrative nature of the approach. Instead, students will be using lecture notes and various supplemental texts. Class notebooks: Each student will be expected to maintain a neat and orderly class notebook. It will be the student s responsibility to provide at least a 4-inch, three-ring binder and to organize and enclose all class notes, class handouts, maps, timelines, homework papers and tests in an easily accessible fashion. In addition, each student will be maintaining time line sheets, categorizing the various events provided in class. It is intended that this notebook be a useable resource for future referencing. Each quarter there will be a mid-quarter check of the notebook s condition and an end-of-quarter graded check.
Analytical papers, biographical reports: As outlined in the quarter synopses, students will be doing short papers as a part of their regular homework schedule. These are to be typewritten (neither smaller than 12 point nor larger than 14 point font size please), single spaced, and, when requested, enough hole-punched copies are to be provided to distribute to the class. Research projects: During the course of one semester, students will be expected to complete a research project on an approved topic of their choice. The project will consist of a neatly typewritten paper with at least six pages of body text (14 font 1-1/2 spaced) in addition to title page, bibliography (at least 8 sources, no more than half from internet sites) and annotated footnotes. In addition, each student will present their project to the class in one form or another, i.e. oral presentation, audio and/or visual presentation creativity is encouraged and will be duly rewarded. Book reports: During the alternate semester, students will be reading an example of European literature chosen from an approved list and completing a summary and critique of the book(s) including its relevance to Western thought. The report shall be neatly typewritten and shall consist of at least four pages of body text in addition to title page, bibliography and footnotes (if necessary). This project will also be presented to the class in one form or another. Cumulative examinations: It is not the intent of the instructor to have large amounts of dates and facts memorized, however it is his strong desire to see that students have a firm grasp on the flow of history and know where to come up with those dates and facts readily. There will be short quizzes once a week to help verify reading assignment completion and comprehension, but otherwise there is a lighter emphasis on formal examinations, as one can see from the grading criteria shown in the course description. One test will be administered upon the final day of each quarter covering all material from that quarter. Each test will be approximately two hours long and will be open book. The test will consist of approximately 30 multiple choice questions and 4 essay questions. Students will be expected to correct all wrong or incomplete answers. Extra credit: This course asks its students to exercise numerous skills that the instructor deems necessary to a well-rounded life, such as critical thinking and clear, concise writing and speaking. It is also obvious that these skills will be at various stages of development in each individual student. Each student will excel in certain skills and struggle with others. Recognizing this, along with the fact that learning is the top priority of the course, there is no reason why any student who consistently exercises diligence in his week-to-week assignments cannot raise his grade by completing additional projects which the student and teacher may agree upon, as long as the goal of subject mastery is served by so doing.
Classroom behavior: In summarizing Vine Academy s code of conduct, it is recognized that the students in this class are young adults, and therefore they will be treated with respect. In return, it is expected that they will treat the instructor and all others with that same level of respect. No deviation from this will be tolerated. First Quarter synopsis: During the first quarter, the class will begin with a brief overview of Roman culture at its zenith and proceed into an analysis of the fall of Rome. From this foundation the class will proceed to examine and analyze the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The approximate dates covered will be A.D. 100-1480. We will also look at the advent of dualistic world view and trace it through its mutations during the same time period. For the first quarter, time correspondence will be off between history and British Literature, due to a later development of the English language and its written form. The period covered by the literature anthology will be from St. Bede s Ecclesiastical History of the English People through William Tyndale s work (A.D. 450-1530). Students will also be reading Sir Walter Scott s historical novel Ivanhoe to serve a dual function as narrative color for our study of the Medieval Period and for its own inherent value in British literature as one of the first great examples of the romance novel. Each student will be completing one major research paper or book report and presentation per semester which will not be reflected in the following homework assignments. First quarter homework assignments Note: Unless otherwise indicated, homework is expected to be completed prior to the week s class session as listed in due dates. Due 30 Aug: Students are to prepare a brief family history to be presented orally (under five minutes please). Contents to include where maternal and paternal families originated, what their surname (last name) means, their immediate family structure and dynamics, how they received their Christian (first) name, any embarrassing nicknames, and anything unique about their family histories. Due 6 Sept: HSWTL Chapter 1, BMW Foreword and Prologue, BL pp. 1-13, IV ch. 1-5, handout: The Liturgical Year, assemble material for class notebook Due 13 Sept: BMW ch. 1-2, BL pp. 14-18, 36-37, IV ch. 6-9, handout: Excerpt from City of God, one-page report for distribution on assigned saint from 4 th - 6 th century A.D. Due 20 Sept: BMW ch. 3-4, BL pp.38-40, IV ch. 10-14, handouts on Irish Christian Poetry, Prosody, and Stanza, one-page report on fundamentals of Islam, also be prepared to discuss why Roman Church achieved such Due 27 Sept: dominance of early Christendom BMW ch. 5, BL pp. 40-41, IV ch. 15-21, one-page synopsis of five major linguistic influences on the English language, citing word examples from each Due 4 Oct: HSWTL ch. 2, BMW ch. 6, BL pp. 44-52, IV ch. 22-27 Due 11 Oct: BMW ch. 7, BL pp. 92-109, IV ch. 29-35, one-page report on The Jewish
Diaspora in Medieval European Society Due 18 Oct: BL pp. 112-131, excerpt from More s Utopia, IV ch. 36-40, one- or two-page report A Critique of the Middle Ages (Often referred to as the Dark Ages, what is your opinion as to whether this title is warranted or not use examples to support your conclusions) Due 25 Oct: HSWTL ch. 3, BL pp. 53-56, 132-138, IV ch. 41-44, prepare for cumulative exam tonight, turn in Take Home Essays and class notebooks Due 1 Nov: BL pp. 139-161 Second quarter synopsis: The second quarter is primarily focused on the Reformation Period (1485-1688). Students will be studying the various waves of ecclesiastical reform and their major contributors including Calvinism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Anabaptists, and other groups. After a brief glimmer of returning to a unified concept of truth, students will observe the return of dualistic philosophy into the Church. Also included in the course of study will be the Roman Catholic Counter Reformation and the rise of rationalism and humanism in Western thought. The political turmoil generated by these revolutionary new movements will be looked at in depth as well as the voluminous amount of art and music generated during this period. British literature study will track chronologically with historical study this quarter. Along with progress in the anthology, students will be reading George Eliot s Silas Marner and John Bunyan s colloquial allegory The Pilgrim s Progress, after the Bible itself the most widely read book in the English language. Second quarter homework assignments Due 8 Nov: Due 15 Nov: Due 29 Nov: Due 6 Dec: Due 13 Dec: Due 20 Dec: Due 10 Jan: Due 17 Jan: Due 24 Jan: BMW ch. 8, BL pp. 162-177, SM ch 1-3, handouts: Jan Hus Excerpts and The Founding of Herrnhut BMW ch. 9, BL pp. 178-192, SM ch. 4-7, handouts: Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon, one-page biographical report for distribution on assigned scientist, musician and/or artist HSWTL ch. 4, SM ch. 8-13, Calvin and Zwingli excerpts BMW ch. 10, BL pp. 193-198, SM ch. 14-21, one- to two-page biographical report for distribution on assigned reformer or counter reformer BL pp. 280-300, 344-345, PIL pp. 5-52, handout: Act on Restraint of Appeals, begin work on allegory (up to three pages) due 8 Jan HSWTL ch. 5, BL pp. 301-316, PIL pp. 53-111, handout: Robert Herrick BMW ch. 11-12, PIL pp. 112-135, handouts: Schleitheim Confession, Menno Simons Excerpts, allegories due Semester research papers/book reports due, PIL pp. 136-154, prepare for cumulative exam tonight, turn in Take Home Essays and class notebooks BMW ch. 13, BL pp. 317-343, TTC Book 1, handout: Charles Dickens bio
Third quarter synopsis: During the third quarter, the class will be dealing with the Enlightenment, the Age of Revolution and the prelude to the Modern World (including the Baroque, Rococo, Classical, and Romantic artistic styles). Students will trace the increasing elevation of humanistic thought and a new type of dualism arising from it, and critique its impact on Western thought and civilization. In addition to sampling British literature from John Milton through Jane Austen and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, students will read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, a novel with Reformation bases and themes of love and redemption in the midst of the chaos of the French Revolution and its consequent Reign of Terror. Third quarter homework assignments Due 31 Jan: HSWTL ch. 6, BL pp. 366-393, TTC Book II ch. 1-5 Due 7 Feb: BMW ch. 14, BL pp. 394-418, TTC Book II ch. 6-10, one-page biographical report for distribution on assigned philosopher, theologian Due 14 Feb: BMW ch. 15, BL pp. 419-452, TTC Book II ch. 11-15 Due 28 Feb: HSWTL ch. 7, BMW ch. 16, BL pp. 454-479, TTC Book II ch. 16-24 Due 7 Mar: BMW ch. 17, BL pp. 480-503, TTC Book III ch. 1-7, handout: In the Original 17 th Century German, one-page analytical paper contrasting the Bloodless Revolution in England with the French Revolution---what went wrong? Due 14 Mar: HSWTL ch. 8, BMW ch. 18, BL pp. 506-531, TTC Book III ch. 8-12, one-page biographical report for online distribution to class on artist/musician Due 21 Mar: BL pp. 532-559, Jane Austen bio handout, TTC Book III ch. 13-15, one or two paragraphs describing another example of the redemption theme in literature, song, or cinematography that you are familiar with, prepare for cumulative exam tonight, turn in Take Home Essays, and class notebooks Due 28 Mar: HSWTL ch. 9, BMW ch. 19, BL pp. 560-588 Fourth quarter synopsis: Historical studies in the fourth quarter will bring students up from the 1830 s to present, looking at European wars of growing severity and the development of what is referred to as a post-christian era, and the progressive trading away of individual rights in Western societies in order to gain security in what is being viewed as an increasingly nonsensical world. This study will be critical in equipping students to proclaim Christ to an increasingly cynical, illogical and pessimistic world. The class will look at alternative ways to live and what must be done to get back on track in our own society. This will include worldview critique and analysis, and recognition of dualistic thinking in contemporary society. Students will take a look at their second allegory when they read The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis. In addition they will complete the walkthrough of British literature, picking up with the later Romantic writers such as Lord Byron and taking things up to present, showing the detached meaninglessness and prophetic pessimism of late 20 th Century-early 21 st Century Europe. Again, it is critical for students to have their eyes open to where the elite of our own
country are attempting to take us, i.e. in the footsteps of Western Europe. The semester research project or book report will be due at the end of the quarter. Fourth quarter homework assignments Due 11 Apr: Due 18 Apr: Due 25 Apr: Due 2 May: Due 9 May: Due 16 May: Due 23 May: Due 30 May: BL pp. 592-636, one- to two-page analytical paper The Objectivity of Science How objective is science in actuality? What presuppositions did Darwin s theory begin with? What unforeseen and unfortunate outcomes were logically drawn from using this theory as their factual presupposition? HSWTL ch. 10, BL pp. 637-685, one-page biographical report for online distribution on assigned 19 th Century artist, one-page biographical report for online distribution to class on 19 th Century Christian missionary BL pp. 686-717, one- to two-page analytical paper: Karl Marx provided what he felt were answers to some of the gross inequities of life, yet his philosophy was the basis for some of the most repressive governments of all times. Where did he go wrong in predicting his utopian outcomes? HSWTL ch. 11, GD Preface, ch. 1-4, handout: Total War, one-page biographical report for distribution on assigned philosopher, artist, or theologian HSWTL ch. 12, GD ch. 5-9, one-page analytical paper: World War I was supposedly the War to End All Wars. What did this optimistic statement presuppose that was incorrect? HSWTL ch. 13, BMW ch. 20, GD ch. 10-11, one to two-page analytical paper on how the Nazi atrocities could take place with the implicit approval of a society considered to be one of the most civilized and literate in the world at that time. Where was the Christian Church? Can you think of more recent examples where the world in general and we as Christians were or are behaving in a similar fashion? GD finish book, Handout: A Dose of Reality, one-page paper on the progression of philosophical thought and historical circumstances that produced the necessity for developing Existentialism as a world view. Research projects and book reports are due. Notebooks due 28 May. Handouts: Post Christian Poetry, The Liberal-Democratic Challenge to Christianity, final examination, notebooks due Go change the world!