GNS 211: History of Western Civilization II 3 Credit Hours Josh Chalmers BA, MA Jchalmers@estoncollege.ca Winter Semester, 2014 I. Course Description This course is a survey of the history of Western Civilization and the Western Church from the Reformation through to the twenty-first century. The course is designed not primarily to discuss church organization and practice, but to speak to the issues of history through the lens of biography. This approach will emphasize the ways that theology affects our actions and impacts society. Toward this aim, the course will be especially interested in those who are the primary "shapers" of this history, that is, individual Christians who have made great changes in the world because of their faith in Christ. II. Learning Outcomes A. Primary Student Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Gain a broad understanding of western history and the story of the church within that history. 2. Begin to understand and learn from the Christian past in shaping one s character and forming spiritually. 3. Begin the process of critically engaging historic thoughts and ideas that have bearing and relevance today. B. Learning Objectives 1. Cognitive Students should be able to: a. Begin to challenge assumed worldviews and develop tools that enable the construction of solid personal beliefs. b. Exercise knowledge that is based on historical content and not so much on personal bias. c. Apply cognitive skills in challenging and developing the Christian church. 1
2. Affective Students should be able to: a. Appreciate the sacrifices of previous characters in Christian history. b. Humbly interact with objectors of Christianity. c. Passionately engage the Christian story in order to live a transformed life and transform culture. 3. Conative Students should be able to: a. Make connections between academic disciplines and recognize historical links and influence. b. Engage in intellectually informed conversations while drawing on historic content and thought. c. Exercise skill in further study of historic events. III. IV. Relationship to Eston College s Mission and Goals One of the learning outcomes articulated by Eston College is to Foster a passion and commitment to be disciples who participate in the call of the Church to impact the world for the glory of God. Understanding the manifold ways that the church has impacted the world throughout history is key for fostering this passion for our current world. Integrative Nature This history course will be focusing on the history of the Christian church by looking at how individuals affect history. This biographical emphasis lends itself well to integrating multiple disciplines, since biography can t help but intersect with other disciplines such as: personal spiritual formation and discipleship, sociology, and politics. Also, this approach to history helps us understand that theology and doctrine matter for how we live. V. Course Evaluation 1. Major Research Paper Biographical Paper (due March 25, 2014): Choose an individual from the following list (note that other figures from history may be acceptable talk to your teacher if you have other ideas): Jakob Boehme (1575-1624) George Fox (1624-1661) Quakers Phillip Jakob Spener (1635-1705) August Hermann Francke (1663-1727) Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf John Wesley (1703-1791) Lady Selina, Countess of Huntingdon Methodism Anne Hutchinson & Mary Dryer 2
D.L. Moody Friedrich Scheiermacher (1768-1834) Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) Hannah More Catherine Booth (1829-1890) David Livingstone Emil Brunner (1 889-1966) Dorothy Day Karl Barth Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dorothy Sayers Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) Holiness Movement Martin Luther King Aimee Semple McPherson Billy Graham Alexander Solzhenitsyn This 7 page paper will cover a topic of the student s choice related to the life or thought of one of the figures on whom the course is focused. Note that this paper must have a thesis i.e., you must make an argument about why they were so effective. Follow the steps below to prepare: 1. Read journal articles and skim at least two biographies on the life of one of the people listed below. Use the internet sparingly for further sources. A good biographical paper will note what different historians have said about the person, and there are always divergent positions on people. 1 2. Create an outline of the significant events that describe the person s faith journey, as well as the events, trends, mood of the church/culture of their day. Aim to focus on how these things intersect. 3. Study primary documents from the person s life that expand their theology and historical impact. 4. Develop a thesis about why they were so influential. 5. Craft a biographical paper that brings all of these elements into a narrative. 6. Deal with any contradictory theories about the person. 7. Conclude with a declaration about why your thesis is true and the best interpretation of their life and impact. 1 Gordon L. Heath, Doing Church History: A User-Friendly Introduction to Researching the History of Christianity (Toronto: Clements Pub., 2008), 80. 3
2. Class Presentation: The presentation will piggy-back on the research paper, expanding it and providing more space for exploration of that person s life and impact. This presentation should be 20-30 minutes long. Follow the steps below to prepare: 1. Prepare a one page outline to hand out to your instructor and classmates. 2. Find some media to match your presentation (this may take the form of a PPT showing art or photos that have to do with person s life and ministry, or it may be an excerpt from a video that provides more visual aid). 3. Study some primary documents from the person s writing and prepare a sample for the class to review during your presentation. Create 2-3 questions from the reading that teach us more about the values of the person you have studied. 4. Prepare your conclusion with the following two components: I. Aim to make the person come to life for our modern world. You can be creative in how you do this (see this blog post for an example: http://joshchalmers.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/wouldwilliam-tyndale-use-twitter/. II. End with some lessons we can apply to our lives as Christians today. This may include both positive and negative lessons. If you want a great example of how to do this, model your conclusions after John Piper s biographical sermons (we will watch several of them in class, but here is a link as well: http://www.desiringgod.org/resourcelibrary/biographies/by-title). Evaluation will be based on the quality of research. Along with this, the impact of the overall presentation, based on organization and interest will also affect your grade. Note: Students who are also taking Oral Communication will be marked on their presentation skills for that class. 3. Textbook Interaction: Students must read the textbook, Parade of Faithfulness according to the reading schedule set out in section 8. Each week a Monte Carlo Quiz may be administered based on the assigned readings due that day of class. There will be 10 quizzes each worth 2% each. Finally, you must submit your textbook at the end of the course to demonstrate active reading for another 10%. We will discuss what this means on the first day of class. 4
B. Time Investment Hours Due Date In class instruction: 38hrs Textbook Reading and Quizzes: 28hrs (300 pp.) Class Presentation: 18hrs Various Major Paper: 21hrs March 25 Total: 105hrs C. Grade Distribution Class participation: 10% Textbook Quizzes: 30% Major paper: 30% Class Presentation: 30% Total: 100% VI. VII. Class Attendance and Participation Therefore any student missing more than 10% of classroom instruction will lose 15% of their final grade. For example, in a typical class during one semester this equates to 3.6 hours or just over 2 classes, or one classroom session if the instruction time is held on a Friday. During Mini-semester it is mandatory for students to attend all classes. After a student has been absent for 20% of the class, a failing grade will be recorded. The aforementioned does not include add drop attendance previous to add drop dates or times. Academic Policy/Assignment Guidelines A. All assignments should be completed according to the Eston College format guidelines. Part of grading will be based on format. All papers should be the assigned length, not shorter or longer. Please use 12-point type, Times New Roman font. While content is the most critical factor in determining the grade you received for your work, to receive the highest marks papers must be properly formatted and relatively free of grammatical errors. (Formatting should meet the above criteria unless noted otherwise in individual assignments.) B. Completion of all assigned readings will be expected before the next class discussion. C. All hardcopy assignments that need to be handed in will be expected at the beginning of the class. Please be certain that this is clearly understood. Papers that are handed in after the beginning of class will be considered a day late. Further delays will be penalized according to Eston College guidelines. Email assignments do not need to be submitted before class unless otherwise noted. 5
D. Assignments are due whether or not you attend the relevant class. If you cannot make it, make sure that you pre-arrange for your paper to be handed in on time. VIII. Tentative Schedule Date Topic Textbook Reading/Assignments Jan 14 Syllabus and Introduction Jan 16 Waldo to Wycliffe 197-216 Jan 21 The German Reformation 217-238 Jan 23 Jan 28 The Swiss Reformation 239-260 Jan 30 The Anabaptists 261-278 Feb 4 The Catholic Reformation 279-298 Feb 6 The English Reformation 299-317 Feb 11 Puritans in England and America 318-336 Feb 13 Sectarian movements in Europe and America 337-354 Feb 18- March 7 Reading Break/Mini-Semester Mar 11 The Catholic Church 356-374 Mar 13 Encounter Mar 18 Trans-Atlantic Awakenings 375-394 Mar 20 An Age of Societies 395-415 Mar 25 The Modern Missionary Movement 416-435 Mar 27 Skip 436-455 Apr 1 Theological Ferment 456-466 Apr 3 Worldwide Christian Outreach 467-495 Apr 8 Presentations Presentations Apr 10 Presentations Presentations Apr 15 Presentations Presentations Apr 17 Presentations Presentations Bibliography: Required Textbooks: Tucker, Ruth. Parade of Faith: A Biographical History of the Christian Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Supporting Bibliography: Will be provided with class notes. 6