Christian Life & Thought I <> 03-501S

A. K. M. Adam
25 Seabury Hall
Office 328-9300 ext 39

Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:00-2:50

Christian Life & Thought I is Seabury's required introduction to Church History. Entering students take CL&T I in their first term at Seabury.

Objectives, Plan, Expectations, Evaluation
Resources
Schedule

The course has four objectives:

To familiarize students with the people, places, practices, and historical circumstances of the early church;
To familiarize students with doctrinal teachings that developed during the patristic period.
To help students improve their writing and speaking, collaboration and leadership.
To provide a setting in which students can grow in faith and learning and communion with one another.

It's a tall order, but it's worth trying.

What We'll Do

Each week we will spend most of our class time in discussions, working through the both the fundamental elements of patristic history and discussing the readings for the day. I will ask whether students have any praticular questions relative to the day's readings, and will do my best to answer such questions. In the ensuing discussion, students may be asked at any point to cite a passage from the reading that puzzled, impressed, excited, disappointed, or in some other way caught their attention; therefore they should remember to bring to class their copies of the day's assignments, and ideally their Commonplace Book (see below). We'll try to address not only the Ideas of Great Dead Bishops, but also more of what was happening in people's daily lives for the five hundred years our course covers.

We place importance on the names, dates, teachings, and so on not only because we think that they actually are worth knowing, but also because Commissions, Bishops, Standing Committees, GOE examiners, and your other teachers will assume that you have a firm grasp of names like "Athanasius" and dates like "451." Students will take quizzes on these elements, so it may help the class if I set the relevant dates, names, etc. in context, or explain them more fully than did the readings.

We will spend some time most weeks working on writings skills. I could go on indefinitely about the value of writing better (and everyone can write better), but here I'll just point out that you'll have to write papers for other courses, sermons, newsletter articles, resolutions, reports, and letters for the rest of your vocational lives, and I want to help you do that better.

Expectations

I will expect that students in the course will attend class religiously--that is, with the thoughtful awareness that more is at stake in attendance than simply what one feels like on a particular afternoon. I will excuse you from class if that's necessary, but think hard before asking.

Students will keep a Commonplace Book.

Students will work on writing skills through a series of assignments throughout the term.

Students will take five quizzes online at the Salvific Pursuit part of the course website.

Students will take part in a collaborative project to bring to life one of the important moments of our period for the rest of the class.

Students will contribute to a summary and digest of a theological work from our period to Seabury Notes. Students may choose to work alone on a shorter work, or join forces to produce the Notes on a longer work.

For each of these, students should prepare and submit a self-evaluation either on completion of the particular task or at the close of the term.

Students, in turn, can expect me to attend class, to work hard to open up for you the joys of learning more about our ancient sisters and brothers who struggled and bled, who thought hard about just what this "church" enterprise is all about.

Students can expect me to set an example of enthusiastic engagement with our topic, to demonstrate my concern for students' academic struggles, to join the community's worship at daily chapel, to be pretty forgetful, and--what was that other thing?

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the criteria listed in the course objectives, on the basis of the following six areas:

Their co-operation in the work of the course: attendance, active discussion, and so on

Their accomplishment on the online quizzes in Salvific Pursuit

Their work on writing assignments

Their participation in a collaborative presentation

Their preparation of a summary/analysis of a patristic theological text

Their Commonplace Book

Assinments are due on the date stipulated. For a variety of historical reasons, there will be no extensions granted this term. When Sunday morning comes, one can't get an extension on the sermon; when diocesan convention comes, one can't get an extension on the resolutions; when someone is in the emergency room, one can't get an extension on visits. Plan ahead to make sure that you have time fully to accomplish your assignments for this course.

Each student must accomplish adequate work in all six areas in order to pass the course.

A K M Adam
E-Mail: akm-adam@seabury.edu