Syllabus- Christianity Past and Present Fall '02

RS 120E/F: Christianity Past and Present

Syllabus- Fall 2002
E: T/TH 1:00-2:15 pm
F: T/TH 2:30-3:45 pm
JE 373

Instructor:	Raymond A. Patterson
Office:	JE 148
Phone:	ex. 2427
E-mail:	rpatterson@smcvt.edu
Web Page:	http://academics.smcvt.edu/rpatterson
Office Hours:	M Tu Th	4-5 pm 10-11 am 10-11 am and by appointment

Course Description

RS 120: Introduction to Christianity is a survey of Christianity divided into five major segments:

1)	An examination of Christian Scriptures and their testimony to the significance of Jesus Christ
2)	A study of basic Christian doctrines
3)	An overview of the history of the Christian tradition, including significant theological and spiritual movements
4)	An examination of the major Christian denominations, including differences in worship and polity
5)	A survey of various issues facing Christianity in the modern world

Required Texts:

Students should have access to a Bible. I’ll be using the New American Bible, but other translations are acceptable. The text for the class, available at the bookstore, is:

Cory, Catherine, and Landry, David, ed. The Christian Theological Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Other readings will be made available on Reserve. Students should use the library catalog to look up the folder numbers of the reserve readings, which are organized by the title of the article under my name. Please do not mark the Reserve readings when taking notes.

Class Requirements:

Regular attendance is expected of all students. If a student is unable to attend class, he or she should notify the instructor. More than one absence without the instructor’s permission will negatively impact the final grade. Frequent absences will result in a failing grade.

Students should be on time for class. Arriving late or leaving during the class period is disruptive for the class and the instructor. Excessive tardiness will be reflected in a lower grade for class attendance.

Students will be evaluated on the following course work:

Exam #1	20%
Exam #2	20%
Exam #3	20%
3 Written Assignments (2-3 pages each)	30%
Class Participation/Attendance	10%

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy established by St. Michael’s College and distributed to all students.

Class Schedule

(The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule. Students will be notified in class of any changes.)

September 3	Class Requirements Introduction-Cosmologies
Christian Scriptures
September 5	Hebrew Bible-I Christian Tradition, 2-3, 13-42 Genesis 1-3, 11: 1-9, 17, 27 Exodus 3, 20
September 10	Hebrew Bible-II Christian Tradition, 44-68 Psalm 22, 69,110 Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-6, 11:1-9, 53
September 12	New Testament- I Mark 1-10 Christian Tradition, 71-81.
September 17	New Testament- II Mark 11-16
September 19	New Testament- III Christian Tradition, 81-86. Matthew 1-2, 5-7 Luke 1-3; 4:13, 24
September 24	New Testament- IV Christian Tradition, 86-102. John 1:1-14; 6:24-59 Acts 1, 2 1 Corinthians 11:17-33; 13, 15
Basic Christian Doctrines
September 26	Canon of Scripture Creed-I: Trinity Christian Tradition, 109-124.
October 1	Creed II: Incarnation; Soteriology Christian Tradition, 124-129. Written Assignment #1 Due

History of Christianity

October 3	Early Church Christian Tradition, 132-152.
October 8	Exam #1
October 10	Early Medieval Church Christian Tradition, 154-162, 183-194.
October 15	[Columbus Day Holiday]
October 17	High Medieval Church Christian Tradition, 197-228.
October 22	Reformation-I Christian Tradition, 231-242, (250-257), 260-273.
October 24	Reformation II Christian Tradition, 276-303.
October 29	Reformation-III Enlightenment Christian Tradition, 325-334.
October 31	American Christianity Christian Tradition, 345-363.
November 5	Christianity and Culture Christian Tradition, 334-342. Written Assignment #2 Due

Christian Worship and Polity

November 7	Christian Polity Sacraments TBA
November 12	Exam #2
November 14	Styles of Christian Worship TBA
November 19	Forms of Christian Prayer and Devotion TBA
November 21	Religious Orders TBA
November 26	AAR Convention (No class today!)
Issues in Modern Christianity
December 3	Roman Catholic Church and the Modern World: Vatican II Christian Tradition, 365-378.
December 5	Christianity and other Cultures: Evangelization and Inculturation Christian Tradition, 309-322. Written Assignment #3 Due
December 10	Christianity and the Political World: Liberation Theology Christian Tradition, 378-385.
December 12	Christianity and Women’s Issues
December 16 (Monday) December 20 (Friday)	Section F: Final Exam 1:00-3:30 pm Section E: Final Exam 9:00- 11:30 am