Fall

Instructor: G. Ted Bohr, SJ

Office: A2

Office Hours: Mon & Thur 11:00 – 12:30

Email: tbohr@luc.edu

Phone: 06.355.88.305

Forensic image of a 1^st century Semitic man.

Course Description

This is a survey course in the history of Christian thought. Students will learn the characteristics of major patterns within Christian thought, major figures within these patterns, and major cultural interactions. Students who successfully complete this course will be familiar with major events and figures in the history of Christian thought and will be able to form a perspective on the effect of Christian thought on several cultural periods.

Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Area satisfied — Theological and Religious Studies Knowledge

Skills Developed— Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions

Values Requirements satisfied — Understanding Spirituality and Faith in Action in the World

Disclosure statement: This course will have a compulsory Core assessment component. The data collected will not be reported for individual students but used as a collective unit to inform us of how well students are performing compared with other LUC students.

Required Texts

McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian 

Thought. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998.

            Bible (any translation).           

Specific Learning Objectives[1]

Students who successfully complete this course will be introduced to . . .

Foundational Knowledge

·         Understand the nature of historical theology and how it differs from other types of theology.

·         Know major eras, figures, doctrines, and controversies of the Christian theological tradition.

·         Understand the role of historical context in the formulation of theological doctrines and ideas.

Application

·         Be able to draw meaningful connections between a particular Christian doctrine or idea and its historical context.

Integration

·         Appreciate the similarity between historical analysis of Christian ideas and historical analysis of other types of ideas.

Human Dimension

·         See yourselves as educated students of historical theology qualified to inform family and friends on relevant topics.

·         Hold an enriched personal appreciation of historical theology consistent with personal convictions about the Christian faith.

Caring

·         Want to learn more about historical theology and have an informed sense of how and what to learn.

Course Policies

In general, students must comply with policies found in the student handbook and current undergraduate studies catalog. But please note the following:

Class participation assignments can only be completed during the class session in which they are given (i.e., if a student misses that class session, he or she cannot get credit for that assignment).

The essay assignment is due in class on the due date. Essays turned in after that time will lose one letter grade (10%).

Cheating of any kind, on any assignment, quiz, or exam, will result in a zero (F) for that component of the course grade.

In addition to all assigned readings, students will be responsible on quizzes and exams for any material presented in class, whether or not they were in attendance. Instructor’s notes will not be made available.

Documentation must accompany any requests for make-up quizzes or exams. Make-up quizzes or exams may differ in format from those given in class.

Students will have only the allotted time to complete quizzes and exams. For exams, that means one full class period. For quizzes, that means the first thirty minutes of a class period. Late students will have only the balance of allotted time to complete the quiz.

Students who have a documented disability and want to discuss academic accommodations should speak with the instructor and Services for Students with Disabilities (Sullivan Center 260) as soon as possible.

Course Requirements & Grades

The final course grade (100%) consists of the following elements: Midterm Exam (20%), Final Exam (20%), Quizzes (20% [2x10%]), Essay (20%), and Class Participation (20%).

The essay assignment allows students to explore a particular aspect of the course material suited to their interest(s). An information sheet with detailed information regarding the essay assignment will be distributed after the mid-term exam.

Participation assignments are designed to foster active engagement with course material and provide helpful feedback to both students and the instructor. Examples of participation assignments include—but are not limited to—the following: respond in writing to questions or ideas presented in class, participate in a small group discussion, evaluate the effectiveness of an instruction method, or take a pop quiz. The participation assignment, while always completed in class, may at times be based on a reading done outside of class. Because the emphasis is on participation, assignments will in general receive full credit simply for being completed, although the instructor reserves the right to withhold full credit from an incomplete assignment. Since missed assignments cannot be made up, and since a student may in some circumstances have an unavoidable absence, up to two participation assignments can be missed without penalty. After that, the class participation grade drops ten percent for each missed assignment (e.g., missing three assignments results in a grade of 90%). Assignments will be given regularly, but not necessarily in every class period.

Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale, where numbers indicate a student’s percentage of the total points available: 100-93 (A), 92-90 (A-), 89-87 (B+), 86-83 (B), 82-80 (B-), 79-77 (C+), 76-73 (C), 72-70 (C-), 69-67 (D+), 66-60 (D), 59-0 (F).

Maria Salus Populi Romani

Course Schedule

Here is the tentative schedule for the course, including topics for each class session and the associated reading assignments (HT = McGrath, Historical Theology). Students will be expected to have thoroughly read the material assigned for each class session. This schedule may change or shift, depending on the pace of the course, and additional readings may be added on an ad hoc basis. Changes to the schedule will be announced in class, so attendance at every session is important.

Any element of this syllabus is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.