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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "RL 221-2"
COURSE NAME: "The Popes of Rome: History of the Catholic Church"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2017
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Michael Pettinger
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MTWTH 11:00-12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The history of the Catholic church is essentially intertwined with the history of Western Civilization over the past 2,000 years. The aspirations and struggles of Christendom constitute the fabric of the Christian tradition as it unfolds throughout time. This course represents an historical survey of the Church from its primitive beginnings in Jerusalem (c. 33 A.D.) to the Pontificate of John Paul II (1920-2005). The development of the course will trace the major events, ideas and people that went into the shaping of the Western Church, without ignoring the fundamental importance and influence of the doctrine of Jesus Christ regarding the institution he founded.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

On March, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was chosen by the College of Cardinals as the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The first non-European pope in almost 1,300 years, and the first member of the Order of Jesus to be elected, he took the name Francis and has elicited both excitement and anxiety among Catholics, as he condemns a global economy that neglects the needs of the poor, draws attention to the urgent challenge of global climate change, and promises a thorough reformation of the Church and a more collegial style of governance.

All of this raises a number of important questions. How much impact can a pope have on the lives of Catholics and non-believers at the beginning of the third millennium? What are the limits of his authority in the spiritual and civil spheres? And just how constrained is any individual pope by the decisions and actions of his predecessors, and how free to innovate in response to changing circumstances?

To try to answer these questions, this course will attempt the impossible task of telling the story of the Roman Papacy. Story is at the heart of papal claims to authority. The Popes claim to represent an unbroken tradition that can be traced back through the apostles Peter and Paul to Jesus Christ. But in order to tell the story of that tradition, from the leaders of a semi-legal religious community in Rome to the accession of Francis, we will have to confront gaps and misrepresentations in the historical evidence, dubious claims to sanctity, slanderous attacks on papal morals, competing claims to the papal throne, astonishing generosity and bare-faced greed, outrageous beauty and orgiastic indulgence, heroic self-sacrifice and cold-blooded murder. At times epic, at other times farce, (and on at least one occasion a Gothic tale of horror), it is a story that challenges belief and defies the incredulous. 

Except for the first day of class, each session will begin with an hour-long lecture based on the reading assignment made the previous day, followed by an hour of detailed discussion. The main text for the course will be Roger Collins’, Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy (Basic Books, 2009). This will be heavily supplemented by primary texts, many of which can be found at the following sites:

 Internet History Sourcebook Projects (http://legacy.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp).  

Papal Encyclicals Online
(http://www.papalencyclicals.net/index.htm)

We will also make use of the buildings and monuments of the city of Rome as evidence of papal patronage and papal rule in the Eternal City. Students will be expected to visit and report on three sites chosen from the list below.

1) The Roman necropolis in Vaticano (aka "scavi")

2) Mithraeum, domus, and basilica of San Clemente

3) Catacombs and Basilica of Saint Agnes and mausoleum of Princess Constance

4) Pantheon and Santa Maria sopra Minerva

5) Basilicas of San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore

6) Basilica of St. Peter in Vaticano

Entrance fees for site visits are the responsibility of the each student.


Schedule:

The following is a schedule of lecture titles with topics that will be touched upon. It is subject to revision, so please be in touch and stay informed.

1.    May 22: Introduction and Searching for Origins: Peter, Paul, Christ

2.    May 23: The Search for Origins: Peter, Paul, Christ

a.     Collins (pp. 1-21)

b.     Gospels (excerpts)

c.      Acts of the Apostles (excerpts)

d.     Paul (excerpts)

e.     1 Clement (excerpt)

3.    May 24: An Out-Law Church: Fabian, Cornelius, and Stephen I

a.     Collins (pp. 22-34)

b.     Hermas, Shepherd

c.      Irenaeus, Against Heresies (excerpt)

d.     Cyprian. Letters (excerpts)

4.    May 25: When the Emperor Becomes Christian: Sylvester I

a.     Collins (35-57)

b.     Damasus, Letters (excerpts)

c.      Damasus, Inscriptions (excerpts)

d.     Jerome, Letters (excerpts)

5.    May 29: Gregory I

a.     Gregory, Pastoral Care (excerpt)

b.     Gregory, Letters (excerpts)

c.      Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People (excerpt)

6.    May 30: Turning Westward: Leo III and Nicholas I

a.     Collins (117-165)

b.     Acts of Sylvester (excerpt)

c.      Donation of Constantine (excerpts)

d.     Einhard, Life of Charlemagne (excerpt)

e.     Nicholas 1, Letters (excerpts)

7.    May 31: Cadavers and Whores: Stephen VI and John XII

a.     Collins 166-194

b.     Gregory I, Dialogues (excerpt)

c.      Liutprand of Cremona, Antapodosis (excerpts)

8.    June 1: Popes Reforming and Crusading: Gregory VII and Urban II

a.     Collins 195-219

b.     Gregory VII, Dictatus Papae

c.      Henry IV, Letter to Gregory  VII

d.     Gregory IV, Bans on Henry IV and Lay Investiture

e.     Robert the Monk, account of Urban II’s speech at Clermont

9.    June 5: “More than Human, Less than God”: Innocent III  (FIRST SITE VISIT REPORT DUE!)

a.     Collins 220-271

b.     Innocent III, Letters (excerpts)

c.      Bonaventure, Legenda Maior (excerpt)

d.     Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun

e.     Hildegard of Bingen (excerpt)

f.      Bernard of Clairvaux (excerpt)

10. June 6: Avignon and Babylon: Boniface VIII, Clement V, and Clement VI

a.     Collins 272-296

b.     Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (excerpt)

c.      Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis (excerpt)

d.     Bridget of Sweden, Works and Revelations (excerpts)

e.     Catherine of Siena, Letters (excerpts)

11. June 7: The Papacy Splintered: Urban VI and Gregory XII

a.     Collins 297-316

b.     Manifesto of the Cardinals (excerpt)

c.      Manifesto of the University of Paris (excerpt)

d.     Decrees of the Council of Pisa (excerpts)

e.     Decrees of the Council of Constance (excerpts)

f.      Jean Froissart, Chronicles (excerpt)

g.     Catherine of Siena, Letters (excerpts)

12. June 8: MIDPOINT EXAM

13. June 12: Patrons of the Arts and War: Pius II, Alexander VI, and Julius II (Second Site Visit Due!)

a.     Collins 317-342

b.     Lorenzo Valla, Treatise on the Donation of Constantine (excerpt)

c.      Pius II (Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini), Commentaries (excerpts)

d.     Alexander VI, Inter Caetera (excerpts)

e.     Erasmus, Julius Excluded from Heaven (excerpts)

f.      Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Artists (excerpts)

14. June 13: Reformed and Unrecognizable: Leo X, Paul III, and Pius V

a.     Collins 343-367

b.     Martin Luther, 95 Theses (excerpts)

c.      Leo X, Exsurge Domine (excerpt)

d.     Sanuto, The Diaries (excerpts)

e.     Paul III, Regimini mililtantis ecclesiae (excerpt)

f.      Acts of the Council of Trent (excerpts)

g.     Pius V, Regnans in Excelsis

15. June 14: The Papacy in an Expanding Universe: Urban VIII, Clement XI, and Pius VII

a.     Collins 368-413

b.     Condemnation of Galileo

c.      Clement XI, Ex illa die (excerpt)

d.     Kangxi, Decree (excerpt)

e.     Pius VII, Diu Satis (excerpts)

f.      Pius VII, Il trionfo (“The Triumph”)

16. June 15: The Prince Without a Country: Pius IX and Leo XIII

a.     Collins 414-447

b.     Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (excerpts)

c.      Pius IX, Syllabus of Errors (excerpts)

d.     Pius IX, Respicientes (excerpts)

e.     Acts of the First Vatican Council

f.      Leo XIII, De Rerum Novarum (excerpts)

17. June 19: The Problem of Modernism: Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI (Third Site Visit Due!)

a.     Collins 448 – 473

b.     Pius X, Oath Against Modernism

c.      Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis (excerpts)

d.     Pius X, Praestantia Scriptura (excerpts)

e.     Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum (excerpts)

f.      Lateran Treaties (excerpts)

g.     Pius XI, Mit brennender Sorge (excerpt)

18. June 20: Wars Hot and Cold: Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI

a.     Collins 474-500

b.     Pius XII, Divino Afflatu (excerpt)

c.      Pius XII, Humani Generis (excerpt)

d.     John XXIII, Pacem in Terris (excerpt)

e.     John XXIII, Speech at the Opening of the Second Vatican Council

f.      Paul VI, Populorum Progressio (excerpt)

g.     Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (excerpt)

19. June 21: Pilgrim and Scholar: John Paul II and Benedict XVI

a.     John Paul II, Centessimus Annus (excerpt)

b.     John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor (excerpt)

c.      On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons

d.     Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate

e.     Benedict XVI,

20. June 22: From Now On: Francis

June 23: FINAL REVIEW
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

·  explain the historical development of papal claims to authority in the Catholic Church, as well as the principle objections to those claims made by non-Catholic Christians and the alternative models of authority that they propose.

·   describe in broad terms the political and economic causes of the periodic rise, fall, and resurgence of papal prestige, particularly with regard to 1) the doctrinal development of Christianity 2) civil authority, 3) art, culture, and media.

·    provide a detailed account of the careers of at least three popes from widely different historical periods (pre-Constantinian, post-Constantinian, Medieval, Renaissance, Reformation, Modern) and explain how they shaped overall arc of papal history. 

·      most importantly, will be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of how texts, works of art, and architectural monuments can be read in terms of their cultural and historical meaning – reading the past.

 

TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy Roger CollinsBasic Books0465061826  

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Three site-visit reports. The point of these reports is to practice the art of “reading the past.” Each report will be 1000-1500 words long and should discuss: a. At least one thing that you expected to find. Be sure to explain why you expected to see it there and where you formed that expectation. b. At least one thing that you were surprised to find. How did it contradict your expectations. (Again, why did you not expect to see it there, and where and how did you form that expectation. c. At least one thing that you did not understand. Admittedly, this is a little like the “what surprised you” question. What we do not understand is usually something that defies our expectations. The difference is that “the thing that surprised us” is usually something that, in retrospect, makes sense, while the “the thing we do not understand” is usually something that continues to baffle us. So explain what the problem is, what questions or problems the thing raises, and where you might look to find an answer. The reports will also include at least three photos of details from the site, which you have captioned and explained. 6.33% each (total of 20% of final grade)
A midterm examination The midterm exam will be made up of three short essay questions, an identification section, and a detailed account of the career and historical significance of one of the popes discussed in the first half of the course, chosen and prepared by the student.20% of final grade
A final examinationThe final examination will be made up of four brief essay questions, an identification section, and detailed accounts of the career and historical significance of two popes, at least one of whom was studied in the second half of the course, chosen and prepared by the student. (Note that on the final exam, a student will not be permitted to write on the same pope that he or she wrote on for the midterm. 40% of final grade
Attendance and participationThis will be evaluated on the preparation and engagement a student demonstrates during the lectures and discussions.20% of final grade

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cours
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

1.    May 23: Introduction

2.    May 24: The Search for Origins: Peter, Paul, Christ

a.     Collins (pp. 1-21)

b.     Gospels (excerpts)

c.      Acts of the Apostles (excerpts)

d.     Paul (excerpts)

e.     1 Clement (excerpt)

f.      Irenaeus, Against Heresies (excerpt)

3.    May 25: An Out-Law Church: Fabian, Cornelius, and Stephen I

a.     Collins (pp. 22-34)

b.     Cyprian. Letters (excerpts)

4.    May 26: When the Emperor Becomes Christian: Sylvester I and Damasus I

a.     Collins (35-57)

b.     Damasus, Letters (excerpts)

c.      Damasus, Inscriptions (excerpts)

d.     Jerome, Letters (excerpts)

5.    May 30: The Great Popes: Leo I and Gregory I

a.     Collins (58-116)

b.     Leo, Tome (excerpt)

c.      Leo, Letters (excerpts)

d.     Gregory, Pastoral Care (excerpt)

e.     Gregory, Letters (excerpts)

f.      Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People (excerpt)

6.    May 31: Turning Westward: Leo III and Nicholas I

a.     Collins (117-165)

b.     Acts of Sylvester (excerpt)

c.      Donation of Constantine (excerpts)

d.     Einhard, Life of Charlemagne (excerpt)

e.     Nicholas 1, Letters (excerpts)

7.    June 1: Cadavers and Whores: Stephen VI and John XII

a.     Collins 166-194

b.     Gregory I, Dialogues (excerpt)

c.      Liutprand of Cremona, Antapodosis (excerpts)

8.    June 2: Popes Reforming and Crusading: Gregory VII and Urban II

a.     Collins 195-219

b.     Gregory VII, Dictatus Papae

c.      Henry IV, Letter to Gregory  VII

d.     Gregory IV, Bans on Henry IV and Lay Investiture

e.     Robert the Monk, account of Urban II’s speech at Clermont

9.    June 6: “More than Human, Less than God”: Innocent III

a.     Collins 220-271

b.     Innocent III, Letters (excerpts)

c.      Bonaventure, Legenda Maior (excerpt)

d.     Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun

e.     Hildegard of Bingen (excerpt)

f.      Bernard of Clairvaux (excerpt)

10. June 7: Avignon and Babylon: Boniface VIII, Clement V, and Clement VI

a.     Collins 272-296

b.     Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (excerpt)

c.      Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis (excerpt)

d.     Bridget of Sweden, Works and Revelations (excerpts)

e.     Catherine of Siena, Letters (excerpts)

11. June 8: The Papacy Splintered: Urban VI and Gregory XII

a.     Collins 297-316

b.     Manifesto of the Cardinals (excerpt)

c.      Manifesto of the University of Paris (excerpt)

d.     Decrees of the Council of Pisa (excerpts)

e.     Decrees of the Council of Constance (excerpts)

f.      Jean Froissart, Chronicles (excerpt)

g.     Catherine of Siena, Letters (excerpts)

12. June 9: MIDPOINT EXAM

13. June 13: Patrons of the Arts and War: Pius II, Alexander VI, and Julius II

a.     Collins 317-342

b.     Lorenzo Valla, Treatise on the Donation of Constantine (excerpt)

c.      Pius II (Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini), Commentaries (excerpts)

d.     Alexander VI, Inter Caetera (excerpts)

e.     Erasmus, Julius Excluded from Heaven (excerpts)

f.      Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Artists (excerpts)

14. June 14: Reformed and Unrecognizable: Leo X, Paul III, and Pius V

a.     Collins 343-367

b.     Martin Luther, 95 Theses (excerpts)

c.      Leo X, Exsurge Domine (excerpt)

d.     Sanuto, The Diaries (excerpts)

e.     Paul III, Regimini mililtantis ecclesiae (excerpt)

f.      Acts of the Council of Trent (excerpts)

g.     Pius V, Regnans in Excelsis

15. June 15: The Papacy in an Expanding Universe: Urban VIII, Clement XI, and Pius VII

a.     Collins 368-413

b.     Condemnation of Galileo

c.      Clement XI, Ex illa die (excerpt)

d.     Kangxi, Decree (excerpt)

e.     Pius VII, Diu Satis (excerpts)

f.      Pius VII, Il trionfo (“The Triumph”)

16. June 16: The Prince Without a Country: PIUS IX and Leo XIII

a.     Collins 414-447

b.     Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (excerpts)

c.      Pius IX, Syllabus of Errors (excerpts)

d.     Pius IX, Respicientes (excerpts)

e.     Acts of the First Vatican Council

f.      Leo XIII, De Rerum Novarum (excerpts)

17. June 20: The Problem of Modernism: Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI

a.     Collins 448 – 473

b.     Pius X, Oath Against Modernism

c.      Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis (excerpts)

d.     Pius X, Praestantia Scriptura (excerpts)

e.     Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum (excerpts)

f.      Lateran Treaties (excerpts)

g.     Pius XI, Mit brennender Sorge (excerpt)

18. June 21: Wars Hot and Cold: Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI

a.     Collins 474-500

b.     Pius XII, Divino Afflatu (excerpt)

c.      Pius XII, Humani Generis (excerpt)

d.     John XXIII, Pacem in Terris (excerpt)

e.     John XXIII, Speech at the Opening of the Second Vatican Council

f.      Paul VI, Populorum Progressio (excerpt)

g.     Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (excerpt)

19. June 22: Pilgrim and Scholar: John Paul II and Benedict XVI

a.     John Paul II, Centessimus Annus (excerpt)

b.     John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor (excerpt)

c.      On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons

d.     Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate

e.     Benedict XVI,

20. June 23: From Now On: Francis

21. June 24: FINAL EXAM