Syllabus - Spring 2015 Carthage College

REL 2000T (WI): Non-Western Christianities

Lentz Hall 426 TR 2:20-4 pm
Professor: Dr. Susan Ramsey
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 4-6; Wednesdays, 11-2; for other hours, set up appointment via email.
Office: Johnson Fine Arts Center Annex (second door pass the gallery entrance walk between
the FAC and the Chapel towards the Stadium other professors share the Annex office space.)
Cell Phone: (262) 623-1439
E-Mail Address: sramsey@carthage.edu

Course Description:
The course provides an opportunity to explore the story of the Church as it went East and South
from Jerusalem. Students will also examine the contemporary situation of non-Western
Christianity: explosive growth in the Global South (Asia, Africa, Latin America) and under serious
threat in the Middle East and the Near East (Southwest Asia). Christianity is experiencing rapid
growth and transformation in the Global South, while Christianity in the West is in a period of
decline. This course introduces students to unfamiliar facets of Christianity that could potentially
deepen the content of Western Christianity, and prove instructive for Christianity in a post-
Christendom society.

Required Books:
History of the World Christian Movement, Vol. I: Earliest Christianity to 1453, by Dale Irvin
and Scott Sunquist, Orbis Press, 2000
Global Dictionary of Theology, edited by William A Dyrness and Veli-Matti Krkkinen, IVP
Academic, 2008
The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, Philip Jenkins, Oxford University
Press, 3rd edition, 2011
The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle
East, Africa, and Asia--and How It Died, Philip Jenkins, HarperOne, 2008
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. By the completion of this course, students will be able to analyze the differences in sociopolitical
setting between Western Christendom model and Christians as a minority religious group
without imperial support in the East. [Complex and Critical Thinking: Students will be able to view
issues and problems from more than one point of view or disciplinary perspective.]
2.

As students complete this course, they will be able to assess the intercultural and interfaith
situation of historical Christianity in the East. In turn, they will be able to compare the
theological development of Western Christianity in relative isolation for much of its history.
[Exploring and Evaluating Traditions: Engage and evaluate critically key themes of the Western and nonWestern traditions.]

3.

Students will have an opportunity to explore the contemporary situation of non-Western

Christians through interaction with representatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Oak
Creek or the Assyrian Diaspora in Chicago. [Civic Engagement: form moral and ethical judgments of
complex human phenomenon.]

Assignments:

Reading journal (20%): Students should take notes as they read and research. The journal
can be handwritten, using a small notebook, or typed and sent electronically. There will be
four grades for the Reading journal due dates to bring in or email your Reading Journal in
its current state are listed in the Course Schedule. Your reading journal can focus on your
chosen geographic region and/or country. If your country is given significant attention in
one of the reading assignments, I would expect to see some notes on the relevant section in
your Reading Journal.
Class discussion/Participation/Write to Learn Activities (15%)
Small Group Geographic Area Research Discussions/Presentations (15%) - Once students
have selected their geographic area (Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Eastern
Europe), they will form a group with students working on the same geographic area. The
groups will meet for 30 minutes once a week (beginning in week two) to discuss their
research, share resources, and peer-review research papers. Each group will present the
current state of their research once every three weeks beginning with the fourth week of
class.
Research project: Three papers (4 full pages minimum/six full pages maximum). (50%) See
Research project handout for more details.
Extra Credit: Attend a worship service of a non-Western congregation in Milwaukee or
Chicago. [The instructor is trying to arrange a group visit to the Coptic Orthodox Church
located in Oak Creek, WI. Ive asked the pastor if he would give a brief talk during our visit
about Coptic Church History as well as the contemporary situation of Coptic Christians in
Egypt.] Interview an ordained or lay leader about situation that led to diaspora and seek
insight into contemporary conflicts. Write a page about the worship service and a page
about the interview. The visit and the essay are worth up to 5%.

Course Schedule
Introduction

Week One
Thursday, 2/6

I: Origins (to 300 CE)
Week Two
Tuesday, 2/10
Reading: HWCM I: Part I (pp 1-46)
Exploratory Assignment due (first step of research process)

Thursday, 2/12 Visit from Ms. Liz Lang, Reference Librarian
LHOC ch 1 (1-44)
NC ch 1 (1-20)


Week Three
Tuesday, 2/17
Reading: HWCM I: Part II (pp 47-98)
Basic Bibliography due (7-10 items in order to find at least five solid items for research)

Thursday, 2/19 Guided library tour with Ms. Liz Lang, Reference Librarian meet at Hedberg
Library and bring a laptop or tablet. After the tour, we will use the remainder of the class session to
work on the Annotated Bibliography.
LHOC ch 2 (45-70)
NC ch 2 (21-50)
First Reading Journal Check

Week Four
Tuesday, 2/24
HWCM I: Part III (pp 99-154)
Annotated Bibliography due

Thursday, 2/26
LHOC ch 3 (71-96)
NC ch 3 (51-68)
Basic Outline due

II: Eastern Orthodoxy & Non-Imperial Xty (c. 300 to 600 CE)
Week Five
Tuesday, 3/3
Reading: HWCM I: Part IV (pp 155-219, 240-256)
Detailed outline due

Thursday, 3/5
LHOC ch 4 (97-138)
NC ch 4 (69-100)

II: The Rise of Islam to the Crusades (c. 600 to 1000 CE)

Week Six
Tuesday, 3/10
Reading: HWCM I: Part V (pp 257-322)
First Paper Due

Thursday, 3/12
LHOC ch 5 (139-172)
NC ch 5 (101-133)
Second Reading Journal Check

Week Seven

Tuesday, 3/17
Reading: HWCM I: Part V (pp 354-382)

Thursday, 3/19
Midterm Exam
(Midterm Grades due on Friday, 3/20)

Spring Recess: 3/24 and 3/26 Enjoy your break!!!

III: From the Crusades to the Fall of Constantinople (1000 to 1453 CE)

Week Eight
Tuesday, 3/31
Reading: HWCM I: Part VI (pp 383-386, 390-405, 440-475, 492-506)
*if requested, revisions for first paper due today.

Thursday, 4/2
LHOC ch 6 (173-206)
NC ch 6 (134-170)

IV: From the Fall of Constantinople to 1600

Week Nine
Tuesday, 4/7
Reading: HWCM II: chapters 1-3

Thursday, 4/9
LHOC ch 7 (207-226)
NC ch 7 (171-200)
Third Reading Journal Check

Week Ten
Tuesday, 4/14
Reading: HWCM II: chapters 5-6

Thursday, 4/16
LHOC ch 8 (228-246)
NC ch 8 (201-236)
Second Paper due

V: The Seventeenth Century

Week Eleven
Tuesday, 4/21
Reading: HWCM II: chapters 7-9

Thursday, 4/23

LHOC ch 9 (247-262)
NC ch 9 (237-265)

Week Twelve
Tuesday, 4/28
Reading: HWCM II: chapters 10 and 13

Thursday, 4/30
NC ch 10 (266-276)
*if requested, revisions for second paper due today.
V: The Eighteenth Century

Week Thirteen
Tuesday, 5/5
Reading: HWCM II: chapter 14

Thursday, 5/7
Reading: HWCM II: chapter 16
Third Paper due

Week Fourteen
Tuesday, 5/12
Reading: HWCM II: chapter 17

Thursday, 5/14
Reading: HWCM II: chapter 18
Final Reading Journal Check

Final Exam
Tuesday, 5/19
3:30 to 5:30 pm
*if requested, revisions for third paper due today.

Course Policies

Documented Disabilities
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing any accommodations for this course, please
arrange to meet with me in the first weeks of class. The documentation must be on file with Carthage College
learning specialist in the Advising Center (x5802.) This information will be kept strictly confidential. If you
believe you may suffer from a disability but this has not been assessed or documented, the learning specialist
can test and evaluate your circumstance at no cost to you.

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism
Please be advised that institutional policy stipulates serious penalties for plagiarism and academic dishonesty.
Your participation in this course implies your declaration of intention to abide by the Carthage College honor
code. To learn more about the range of what is considered plagiarism, as well as how to avoid it, see
www.plagiarism.org. The instructors policy on plagiarism is as follows:
For the first instance of plagiarism, the student will receive an automatic zero on the assignment.
If there is a second instance of plagiarism, the student will not pass the course.


Extra Credit
Extra credit opportunities will be announced from time to time. Extra credit will be accepted from students
that have demonstrated clear effort during the course with good attendance.

Late Work: For most assignments, you can turn in your work late. If it is under 24 hrs. late, one grade
deduction. If 24-48 hours late, two grade deduction. If 48-72 hours late, three grade deduction. Work will
not be accepted if it is turned in more than three days (72 hrs) past the due date. Exceptions can occur for
excused absences as explained below.

Attendance Policy

All students can miss two classes without penalty: save these for illness, unexpected family circumstances, etc.
If students attend every class session on time, there will be a 3% bump in grade. If students miss one class,
there will be a 1.5% bump in grade. If students miss three to four classes, their grade will be reduced by one-
half to one letter grade. If students miss five or six classes, 1-1/2 to 2 letter grades. If students miss seven or
more class sessions, they will not be able to pass the course. In-class work can be made up if there is an
official note from an instructor for a field trip, a coach for an away game, a music director for a performance,
or the Dean of Students office for extended illnesses or complicated personal circumstances.