Historical Courses for the Fall and Winter Sessions of 2011-2012

From the subapostolic age to the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy' in the East and the Carolingian revival and Treaty of Verdun in the West. Geographical expansion of the church; the relation of Christian faith to cultural settings and other religions; the development of doctrinal and ethical positions; forms of Christian life and worship; the rise of Islam.  This course will consist of lectures, small group discussions, and oral reports that summarize small group discussions.  Short assignments; choice of final exam or research paper.

From the subapostolic age to the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" in the East and the Carolingian revival and Treaty of Verdun in the West. Geographical expansion of the church; the relation of Christian faith to cultural settings and other religions; the development of doctrinal and ethical positions; forms of Christian life and worship; the rise of Islam. Class participation, course portfolio, one short essay, and two other academic exercises (choice of reading notes, short papers, weekly quizzes, final exam, etc.).

From the subapostolic age to the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" in the East and the Carolingian revival and Treaty of Verdun in the West. Geographical expansion of the church; the relation of Christian faith to cultural settings and other religions; the development of doctrinal and ethical positions; forms of Christian life and worship; the rise of Islam. Lectures, 2 seminars. One synthetic paper, one essay.

The course aims to provide a general knowledge of mediaeval church history (600 - 1500) presented in a text and by exercising critical reasoning through analysing 3 primary texts chosen by the student. The reality of the church's life shown by the clergy, laity and in its worship is made tangible through manuscript, artistic and architectural material from videos and Power Point presentations. Teaching methods: seminars, audiovisuals, lectures.

Development of thought and piety; monasticism and mendicants; crusades, parish life; papacy, princes and church councils; Byzantium; East-West relations; relations with Jews and Muslims; Renaissance and reformations; reformers; missionary expansion; confessionalism. Lectures. NOTE: Students who have taken --H2002H Medieval Christianity (600-1500) and/or --H2003H Reformation & Early Modern Christianity, may not take Christianity II (843-1648). Prerequisite: 1000 level history course. Primary source, assignment, paper, take home final.

Development of thought and piety; monasticism and mendicants; crusades, parish life; papacy, princes and church councils; Byzantium; East-West relations; relations with Jews and Muslims; Renaissance and reformations; reformers; missionary expansion; confessionalism.  The course will consist of lectures and class discussions.  GRADING PROCEDURES:  In-class discussions, short essay, long essay. 

An introduction to Patristic thought to 451 AD, surveying principal writers East and West. Detailed study of Athanasius On the Incarnation and The Tome of Leo. Lectures, readings, four short reports and a final oral examination.

A survey of Medieval and Reformation Theologies, from 843 to 1648. The Carolingian Revival and Monastic Schools; Anselm and Cur Deus Homo; Peter Lombard and the Cathedral Schools; Abailard and the Universities; the rediscovery of Aristotle; the Friars: Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Occam; Gregory Palamas; the Reformation: Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer; the Synod of Dort; Richard Hooker; Second Scholasticism.

This course will examine how Christianity has both contributed to the
emergence of the modern world and has responded to some of the major
developments that characterize modernity. Topics may include the impact
of new ways of thinking on Christian world views; movements of
religious renewal; Christian responses to new social trends and
development; the geographic expansion of Christianity; developments in
Christian practice and worship; Christianity and public life; new
trends in Christian thought.

An examination of the concept of martyrdom and its literature during the early modern period, its political and theological causes, and its inspirational and polemical role in the consolidation of early modern religious traditions. The course will also discuss methods of approaching martyrology across various denominations and regional settings including England, Reformation Europe, the Americas and the Orthodox Church in various countries. Evaluation: short assignments, participation, short presentation and final exam or research paper.

This course is an introductory survey of the institutional and social history of Modern Catholicism from 1648 (the unofficial end of the Reformation period) to the present.  It explores the reciprocal relationship between the unfolding of history and the development of Catholic theology.  Much attention will be given to significant events (such as the rise of modernity and the Holocaust, as well as the First and Second Vatican Councils) and important personalities (particularly popes, bishops and theologians) that shaped the teachings and attitudes of the Catholic magisterium in Rome.  Equal weight will be given to the lived experience of Catholicism in the unique context of Canada.  Lectures; Discussions; Book Review; Primary Source Analysis and choice of Final Assignment (Research Paper or Final Examination).

The background of the Reformation, especially in the late Middle Ages; the central figures of Erasmus, Luther, Calvin and Zwingli; the special circumstances of the English Reformation and the spiritual renewal of the Counter-Reformation. Lectures, readings, class discussion, minor papers critical book report, major reasearch essay, final exam.

This introductory course surveys the history of atheism and secularization from the mid-eighteenth-century Western European Enlightenment to the present. We will not only read selections from some of the most important English, Scottish, German, and American atheists, agnostics, and rationalists of the period, but also examine and discuss how contemporary political and social thought contributed to the rise of secular thought and gradual decline in theological orthodoxy. The course will demonstrate how the writings of atheists and theological rationalists have always been predicated on significant intellectual and emotional tensions between orthodox Christianity and contemporary culture. Participation, research summary, book report, online final exam.

This introductory historiographical course surveys select “sacred” and “profane” works of church history by some of the most important ecclesiastical historians and philosophers active from the mid-first century AD until the mid-twentieth century. Participation in online discussion group, research paper, critical response/book report, online final exam.

A continuation of TRH2412H, this course evaluates the development of world Orthodoxy following the 1204 Sack of Constantinople. Stages of dialogue with the "modern" world and the impact this has internally and in external relations. Special attention to Orthodox responses to the political and intellectual crises of the 20th C., and to the emigration to pluralistic regions such as Europe and North America. Orthodoxy in ecumenism. Prerequisite: TRH2412H.

Exploration of Amerindian and French interface, baroque spirituality, arrival of the Irish and Scots, ultramontane spirituality, Confederation and Catholic education, messianic language groups, Canadians cope with the Depression, church unity and the CCCB, the Asbestos Strike, Quiet Revolution, Vatican II, women, and Aboriginal People. Presentation, paper, and open exam.

This course introduces aspects of the history of Christianity in Africa from mid-nineteenth century up to the period just before the start of the emergence of African political freedoms.  The course will focus on two geographical regions: East Africa and West Africa, paying attention to major historical, religious and social issues such as the slave trade, colonialism, Islam, the role of African agency and rise of African nationalism.  Lectures and discussions.  Evaluation: Class Attendance.  2 class tests.  2 short papers.  1 long paper.

The fifty years between the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the Council of Constantinople in 381 were times of extraordinary theological change leading to understandings of God and Christ both continuous with and sharply different from earlier teaching, a true revolution. This course explores the process of doctrinal change during that period, both in its own right and as a paradigm for doctrinal change in later periods, including the present. Lectures, reading of original sources in translation, group discussion, research essay.

A review of all of the surviving works of Richard Hooker, often called the first theologian of Anglicanism, his Calvinism and reaction to Calvinism, his scholasticism, and his defence of the institutions of the Church of England. Seminars, short report and major paper. (Taught in alternate years)

A history of Eastern Christianities through the study of the life and works of major early authors who shaped Eastern Christian traditions, including Origen, Aphrahat, Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria, the Cappadocians, Maximus the Confessor, Simeon the New Theologian, Nicholas Cabasilas, Gregory Palamas. Lectures-seminars, short synthesis papers, major paper. Advanced degree students enroll in RGH6430H. Crosslisted to the Theology Department.

Emphasis on the history of the iconoclastic controversy and ecumenical councils, especially for the development of Christology. Readings from Nicaea II, Theodore the Studite, John of Damascus and Theodore Abu Qurrah. Iconography and spirituality. Church visit. Lectures-seminar, reflection papers, major paper. Prerequisite: Three courses from the Theological or Historical departments.

Is beauty simply “in the eye of the beholder” or is it something more? Is it a way to God, a moral precept, or the specific locus for a unique kind of pleasure? This course examines a variety of subjective and objective views of beauty in the history of Western philosophy and theology from antiquity to the present (e.g. in the thought of Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Kant, Weil, Barth, and Balthasar). It will also consider the implications of these views of beauty for the production of the visual arts, music, and literary culture in Western religion and society.

The course will look at the Reformed and Methodist traditions associated with the theologies of John Calvin and John Wesley, their roots, development, and intersection, particularly in Canada. Themes such as mission, evangelism, engagement with society, theological convergences and controversies will be explored, with specific reference to The Presbyterian Church in Canada, The United Church of Canada, and their antecedent denominations. Lectures and discussion. Evaluation: Informed participation in group discussions; mid-term writing assignment; final project.

Canada is a nation of immigrants, and the Canadian religions are the religions of immigrants. The waves of religious immigrants will be studied including 17C French, 18C Irish and Scottish, 19C German, Polish, Jewish, and Ukrainian immigrants; 20C English, Italian, and Portuguese to the more recent Caribbean, Filipino, Chinese, Tamils, Vietnamese, and Korean religionists. The attitudes of Euro-Canadians will be examined as they progress from Anglo-Celtic Calvinism to Canadian secular multiculturalism. The techniques of archival research, historical analysis, and historiography will be explored. Seminar presentation and research paper. Class Presentation 30%; Research Essay 40%; Collaborative Recapitulation (open book exam) 30%.

This seminar will examine the doctrine of individuality (and individuation) developed by the two Franciscan thinkers John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham and the configuration of their thought as one or another form of discursive “individualism.”  It does so against the backdrop of their participation within the Franciscan spiritual tradition on the one hand and the Aristotelianism of their university environment and training. In so doing, it explores a properly historical understanding of a philosophical figure’s choice of discursive type. Texts: Francis of Assisi, Collected Works; John Duns Scotus, Philosophical Writings, On Individuation; William of Ockham, Philosophical Writings

Seminar exploring patterns of involvement of religion in the public sphere. Traditional assumptions about church and state, impact of 19th-century "disestablishment" and 20th-century pluralism, Catholicism and the state in Quebec, women as religious reformers, the social gospel, Christian populism in the prairies, ecumenical and evangelical approaches to public engagement, implications of constitutional change are among the topics considered. Informed participation, mid-term written assignment, research paper.

The fifty years between the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the Council of Constantinople in 381 were times of extraordinary theological change leading to understandings of God and Christ both continuous with and sharply different from earlier teaching, a true revolution. This course explores the process of doctrinal change during that period, both in its own right and as a paradigm for doctrinal change in later periods, including the present. Lectures, reading of original sources in translation, group discussion, research essay.

A review of all of the surviving works of Richard Hooker, often called the first theologian of Anglicanism, his Calvinism and reaction to Calvinism, his scholasticism, and his defence of the institutions of the Church of England. Seminars, short report and major paper. (Taught in alternate years)

A history of Eastern Christianities through the study of the life and works of major early authors who shaped Eastern Christian traditions, including Origen, Aphrahat, Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria, the Cappadocians, Maximus the Confessor, Simeon the New Theologian, Nicholas Cabasilas, Gregory Palamas. Lectures-seminars, short synthesis papers, major paper. Advanced degree students enroll in RGH6430H. Crosslisted to the Theology Department.

Emphasis on the history of the iconoclastic controversy and ecumenical councils, especially for the development of Christology. Readings from Nicaea II, Theodore the Studite, John of Damascus and Theodore Abu Qurrah. Iconography and spirituality. Church visit. Lectures-seminar, reflection papers, major paper. Prerequisite: Three courses from the Theological or Historical departments.

Until recently, it was customary to regard Kant as the thinker who gave definitive form to the notion of aesthetic judgment and who succeeded in explaining why aesthetic experience is something essentially distinct from other kinds of experience. The postmodern rejection of the practice of aesthetic theory, however, has done much to undermine Kant's position vis-a-vis the arts. This course aims to re-examine Kant's aesthetic theory from the vantage point of the art theoretical literature that preceded it. In an effort to better understand Kant's contribution to the history of thought about art, it will seek to contextualize such "Kantian" themes as judgment, taste, genius, beauty, sublimity and purposiveness. It will also consider to what degree our understanding of Kant has been shaped by later modernist assumptions about the character of his contribution.

Canada is a nation of immigrants, and the Canadian religions are the religions of immigrants. The waves of religious immigrants will be studied including 17C French, 18C Irish and Scottish, 19C German, Polish, Jewish, and Ukrainian immigrants; 20C English, Italian, and Portuguese to the more recent Caribbean, Filipino, Chinese, Tamils, Vietnamese, and Korean religionists. The attitudes of Euro-Canadians will be examined as they progress from Anglo-Celtic Calvinism to Canadian secular multiculturalism. The techniques of archival research, historical analysis, and historiography will be explored. Seminar presentation and research paper. Class Presentation 30%; Research Essay 40%; Collaborative Recapitulation (open book exam) 30%.

This course of lectures will examine Luther's writings on the theology of the cross and on human freedom; and Calvin's writings on Scripture and the Christian life. Weekly readings and final examination (oral or written).