The above course carries Arts and Humanities distribution & Culture
Studies A distribution credit for the College of Arts and Sciences.
We often hear that Medieval Europe was a Christian society. But what
does this mean?  How did Christianity shape politics? Piety? Social
relationships?  And what about Christians who lived outside of
western Europe? Or Jews and Muslims who lived among Christians in
Europe?  In this course we will look for answers to these questions
by studying the history of Christianity from 400-1500. This means
our investigation will stretch from the time when northern Europeans
took over the Roman Empire and solidified a political divide between
eastern and western Christianity all the way to the eve of the
Protestant Reformation, when powerful reformers like Martin Luther
inspired the rise of new forms of Christianity and catalyzed the
break-up of medieval Christendom.

This course explores the fascinating diversity of Christianity from
400-1500 CE by surveying the history in three thematic cycles. In
Section One we focus on the institutional authority of the Catholic
Church; in Section Two we analyze the religious authority of saints
and holiness; and Section Three explores the intellectual authority
of theologians and theological teachings. This structure will allow
us to revisit key developments in medieval Christianity from
different perspectives during the course of the semester and will
demonstrate the complexity and variety of practices, beliefs,
institutional structures, and religious attitudes within a single
religious tradition. By the end of the course we should understand
the ways medieval Christians in western Europe (and, to a lesser
extent, the eastern Orthodox churches) might have answered the
following questions:  Where is the holy?  What is the source of
authority?  How do we know God? How can we find salvation? This
course can be seen as a sequel to R327/521, but there are no
prerequisites.  The course will serve as a foundation for the study
of Christianity in later historical contexts, including the material
covered in R331: Christianity 1500-present. Readings will include
several excerpts from works written by medieval Christians in
addition to studies by modern scholars. The course grade will be
based on participation, three short papers and three in-class exams.