COURSE DESCRIPTION
Research and analysis of significant persons, events, and movements in the history of Christianity.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Cairnes, Earle. (1996). Christianity through the centuries: A history of the Christian church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to

• Locate the most helpful resources for a general study of church history.
• Summarize the significant events and directions of Christianity during each of the seven periods from the beginning of the church through the present.
• Present an orderly, incisive report on a chosen aspect of church history in written and in oral form.
• Instruct church members in salient features of church history.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Discussion. You will meet with the professor on a regular basis to discuss findings from your research. You are expected to read through the textbook and report on the materials at each of the first three meetings. Evaluation of your comprehension and analysis of the data will account for 25% of your final grade.

Research and reporting. You will conduct a variety of research projects, including

• Assembling an annotated bibliography of resources pertinent to the general study of church history. This list must contain at least seven items to be considered for full credit. Notes should be limited to two to four sentences. The bibliography will account for 14% of your final grade.
• Writing a research paper on a topic to be determined in consultation with the professor. The paper will need to consist of seven to ten pages of text, an abstract, and a list of references, all double-spaced. Format for the paper will follow the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. This paper will count for 35% of your final grade.
• Preparing an outline for teaching about a particular period in church history. The seven periods to consider as topics are: Ante-Nicene, Imperial church, Medieval church, Colonial Christianity, Reformation and orthodoxy, Age of reason and progress, Age of ideological pluralism. The purpose of the outline is to provide a base for teaching in a church situation. The outline should be between three and five pages long, double-spaced. The outline will be worth 11% of your grade.