Session | Session Focus | Reading Assignment | Other Assignment | Meeting Place/Exam Dates |
WEEK 1 Monday 03 September | Introduction One: the “Course”: Who, When, and Where?
Overview: Course prospectus, syllabus, schedule and expectations; Who are “We”? Why study “Religion”, the “Popes”, “History”, or the “Catholic Church”? | Syllabus | | |
WEEK 1 Wednesday 05 September | Introduction Two: the “Journey”: How, What, and Why?
Semiotics and Paradigms: How do human societies form? How do basic needs and wants take on religious symbolism, significance, and systems?
| Syllabus | | |
WEEK 2 Monday 10 September | Critical Thinking: the “Process”: Thinking logically, analyzing rationally, and synthesizing critically.
Hermeneutics: Methodologies for studying objects of inquiry: philology, epistemology, metaphysics, history, and culture.
| Previous Lecture Notes | | |
WEEK 2 Wednesday 12 September | Pontifex Maximus: “Building Bridges”: The world’s oldest, continuously surviving, and most important title and office (8th century BCE – 1st century CE). Ancient “Eternal” Rome: from the Roman monarchy, through the Republican SPQR, to the Imperial Period; Roman Law and Religion.
| • Previous Lecture Notes
• Bokenkotter, “Prefaces” and “Introduction”
• Duffy, “Prefaces”
• Norwich, “Illustrations”, “Maps”, and “Introduction” | | |
WEEK 3 Monday 17 September | Peter: “the Rock”: The world’s second oldest, continuously surviving, and most important title and office (2nd century BCE – 1st century CE). Ancient “Roman” Jerusalem: Mosaic Law; the “Sanhedrin”; "Church", "Peter", and “Christ” in the Christian New Testament | • Previous Lecture Notes
• 1 Cor 15, 1-14; Mt 16, 13-20; Mt 27, 57-61; Jn 20,1-10; Jn 20,30-31; Jn 21,24-25
• Bokenkotter, “Chapters 1-3” | | |
WEEK 3 Wednesday 19 September | The Fifth Gospel: “Incarnation & Resurrection”: Religion’s Astrological and Astronomical origins, and humanity’s most examined human artifact. Othonia, Sudarion, and Sindon: did Jesus “of Nazareth” or Jesus “Christ” exist? | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Mt 27, 57-61; Jn 20,1-10
• Duffy, “Chapter 1.1”
• Norwich, “Chapter 1” | | |
WEEK 4 Monday 24 September | Third Century Crisis One: “Tertullian’s Turn and Cyprian’s Solution”: A new monotheism and the emergence of a state within a state (2nd – 3rd century CE). Ancient Roman “Architects”: Stoic "unitas", Tertullian’s "trinitas", and Cyprian’s "ecclesiae catholicae". | Previous Lecture Notes | | |
WEEK 4 Wednesday 26 September | Third Century Crisis Two: “Persecutions or Supplications”: Roman religious revival and its consequences for Christians…and the Empire (3rd century CE). Ancient Roman “Culture Clash”: The “lapsi”, “confessors and martyrs”, “ex comunio”, the “baptismal controversy”, and Pope Stephen I. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Duffy, “Chapter 1.2” | | |
WEEK 5 Monday 01 October | Constantine’s Conundrum: “If you can’t beat them, join them”: Roman policy shift regarding religion and the dawn of a different empire (4th century CE). Ancient Roman “New Deal”: Diocletian, Roman “Toleration”, a “Nova Roma”, the Council of Nicaea I, the “Collegium Pontificium”, and Julian “the Apostate”. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Bokenkotter, “Chapters 4-6”
• Duffy, “Chapter 1.3” | | |
WEEK 5 Wednesday 03 October | Theodosian Shift: “Church-State Identification”: Will the real “Christ”, please, stand up? (4th – 5th century CE). Ancient Roman “Identity Politics”: The Councils of Constantinople I, Ephesus, and Chalcedon; Pope Leo’s “Tome”, the “Fall” of Rome,
and a new P.M.. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Duffy, “Chapter 1.4” | | |
WEEK 6 Monday 08 October | Rome’s “Fall” and “Metamorphosis”: “Who’s in Charge Here?!”. The East’s complacency and the West’s precarity (6th – 8th century CE). Roman & Papal “Dark” Ages: The Councils of Constantinople II, Constantinople III, and Nicaea II; the advent of Islam; the end of Arianism and Iconoclasm. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Bokenkotter, “Chapters 7-9”
• Norwich, “Chapters 2-3” | | |
WEEK 6 Wednesday 10 October | Rise of the Papacy: “Charles in Charge…or so he thought”. The West’s consolidation and the East’s dissolution (8th – 11th century CE). And Then They Were “Two”:
The “Barbarians” vs. the Merovingians and Carolingians; the birth of the “Holy Roman Empire” and the “Papal States”; monasticism and the “schola”; the “Great Schism” of 1054. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Bokenkotter, “Chapters 10-13”
• Duffy, “Chapter 2”
• Norwich, “Chapters 4-8” | | |
WEEK 7 Monday 15 October | MID-TERM EXAM: “Research Project One” is to be completed “on your own time and at home”. Four weeks in addition to exam time is afforded to the completion of this assignment (25% or course grade). | | • Due “in aula” Monday, 22 October 2018
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WEEK 7 Wednesday 17 October | MID-TERM EXAM: “Research Project One” is to be completed “on your own time and at home”. Four weeks in addition to exam time is afforded to the completion of this assignment (25% or course grade). | | • Due “in aula” Monday, 22 October 2018 | |
WEEK 8 Monday 22 October | Role of the Papacy: “Deus lo vult”. Rome’s Reboot of Antiquity, for better and for worse (11th – 13th century CE). Roman “Middle” Ages: The “universitas”; the “Crusdaes”; the “indulgentia” and the “buying and selling of indulgences”; Pope Gregory VII vs. H.R.E. Henry IV and the “Dictatus Papae”; the “Magna Charta”. | • Bokenkotter, “Chapters 14-16”
• Duffy, “Chapter 2”
• Norwich, “Chapters 9-13” | "Research Project One" DUE! | |
WEEK 8 Wednesday 24 October | Retreat of the Papacy: “Living Saints”. The Papacy’s Claim of Rome. (13th – 14th century CE). Papal “Middle” Ages: Lateran Council IV and the Mendicant Orders; Second Council of Lyons; the “Unam Sanctam” and the first “Jubilee”; the “Avignon Papacy”, the “Western Schism”, and Catherine of Siena. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Duffy, “Chapter 3” | | |
WEEK 9 Monday 29 October | Return of the King: “Living Sinners”. Rome’s Claim of the Papacy (15th century CE). Proto-Rinascimento & Proto-Reformation: The “Black Death”; Pope Martin V and the Council of Florence; Pope Eugene IV; John Wycliffe and Jan Hus; Slavery; Pope Nicholas V and the “Fall” of Constantinople. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Bokenkotter, “Chapters 17-18”
• Norwich, “Chapters 14-16” | | |
WEEK 9 Wednesday 31 October | Papal Power: “Forged in Fire and Gold”. Papal Rebirth of Rome (15th – 16th century CE). Papal Rinascimento I: Pope Sixtus IV and his Chapel; Savonarola, Pope Alexander VI, and a New World; Pope Julius II, a reluctant sculptor, and an ambitious architect. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Duffy, “Chapter 4.1” | | |
WEEK 10 Monday 05 November | Papal Prowess: “The Ceiling that Daunts”: “Catholic” catechesis "a fresco" (16th century CE). Papal Rinascimento II: Michelangelo and his ceiling that almost wasn’t. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Norwich, “Chapters 17-19” | | |
WEEK 10 Wednesday 07 November | Papal Presumption: “The Room that Taunts”: Papal propaganda "a fresco" (16th century CE). Papal Rinascimento III: Raffaello and his room that almost killed him. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Duffy, “Chapter 4.2” | | |
WEEK 11 Monday 12 November | Papal Paralysis: “The Wall that Haunts”: Final Judgment "a fresco" (16th century CE). Protestant Reformation: Luther, Calvin, and Henry VIII; the Sack of Rome; Michelangelo and his wall that almost condemned him. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Bokenkotter, “Chapters 19-21”
• Norwich, “Chapter 20” | | |
WEEK 11 Wednesday 14 November | Papal Posturing: “The Writing on the Wall”: From Reformation to Revolution (16th – 17th century CE). CounterReformation and Revolution: Pope Pius V, the Jesuits, and the Council of Trent; Copernicus and Galileo; Popes Urban VIII and Alexander VII; Bernini. | • Previous Lecture Notes
• Duffy, “Chapter 4.3-4.4”
• Norwich, “Chapter 21” | | |
WEEK 12 Monday 19 November | Preparation & Study Days: “Project Presentations” are to be prepared “on your own time and at home”. Four weeks in addition to class time is afforded to the completion of this assignment (25% or course grade).
| | Due “in aula” on Monday, 26 and Wednesday, 28 November 2018. | |
WEEK 12 Wednesday 21 November | Preparation & Study Days: “Project Presentations” are to be prepared “on your own time and at home”. Four weeks in addition to class time is afforded to the completion of this assignment (25% or course grade). | | Due “in aula” on Monday, 26 and Wednesday, 28 November 2018. | |
WEEK 13 Monday 26 November | The Modern Papacy (18th – 19th century CE). "Project Presentation".
| • Bokenkotter, “Chapters 22-27”
• Duffy, “Chapter 5”
• Norwich, “Chapters 22-25” | "Project Presentation" DUE! | |
WEEK 13 Wednesday 28 November | The Modern & Contemporary Papacy (20th – 21st century CE). "Project Presentation". | • Bokenkotter, “Chapter 28-37”
• Duffy, “Chapter 6”
• Norwich, “Chapters 26-28” | "Project Presentation" DUE! | |
WEEK 14 Monday 03 December | The Contemporary & Future Papacy: Conclusion, Review, and Course Evaluations. | Previous Lecture Notes | Course Evaluations: Completed through MyJCU.
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WEEK 14 Wednesday 05 December | FINAL EXAM: “Research Project Two” is to be completed “on your own time and at home”. Four weeks in addition to exam time is afforded to the completion of this assignment (25% or course grade). | | Due “in aula” in the room, at the time, and on the date to be determined by the Registrar’s Office during JCU's Final Exam Week (Monday, 10 December through Friday, 14 December 2018). | |
WEEK 14 Friday 07 December | Vatiland: “Top to Bottom”: MANDATORY Site Visit of the Rooms of Raffaello, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, its Dome, and the “Scavi” beneath (Simon Peter’s tomb). Mandatory Site Visit of the Vatican: Meeting Point, Date, and Time: Vatican Museums Entrance in Viale Vaticano on Friday, 7 December 2018 at 07:30 AM SHARP! End Time at 01:30 PM. | | Meeting Point, Date, and Time: Vatican Museums Entrance in Viale Vaticano on Friday, 7 December 2018 at 07:30 AM SHARP! End Time at 01:30 PM. Students that fail to attend will be marked for four absences. | |
WEEK 15 Monday, 10 through Friday, 14 December 2018 | Whether you study hard or hardly study, I sincerely wish you all the best! | | | TBD |