1
Fall, 2009 Gary Land
HIST488 FAITH AND HISTORY
Tuesday, Thursday 2:00-3:15 p.m.
NH122F
Credit Hours: / 3Office: / 122A Nethery Hall
Phone: / Office: (616) 471-3511
Home: (616) 461-6613
E-Mail: /
Office Hours: / 9;30 A.M.-10:20 A.M. MWF
3:30-5:00 p.m. TTh
or by appointment
Catalogue Description: / A study of the major philosophies of history and contemporary theoretical issues in the discipline with emphasis upon implications for a Christian understanding of history.
Course Objectives: / You should be able to demonstrate in class discussion, papers, and examinations:
- Familiarity with the basic elements of history as a discipline and the reasons for studying the subject.
- Understanding of the major speculative philosophies of history and contemporary theoretical issues in critical philosophy of history and their implications for Christian belief.
- Knowledge of the principle features of the Christian understanding of history and ability to discuss their implications for the working historian.
- Appreciation and understanding for the role of history at the community level.
Required Texts: / Gary Land, Teaching History: A Seventh-day Adventist Approach (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2000).
M. C. Lemon, Philosophy of History: A Guide for Students (London, UK: Routledge, 2003).
George M. Marsden, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship (New York: Oxford, 1997).
Grading: / RequirementsPercentage of Course Mark:
Article Reports 40 pts. 10%
Paper 200 pts. 20%
Service 200 pts. 30%
Quizzes 200 pts. 10%
Test 100 pts. 10%
Book Reviews 100 pts. 20%
Grading Scale
A 95-100%; A- 90-94%; B+85-89%; B 80-84%; B- 75-79%; C+ 70-74%; C 65-69%; C- 60-65%D 50-59%; F 0-49%
Article Reports: / Each student is to read two articles (minimum of ten pages each) from History and Theory, located in the periodical section of the library, and two articles from Fides et Historia, located in the Seminary section of the library (see the end of this syllabus for a list of appropriate articles from this journal, which also deals with church history), and complete an analysis form for each article. A photocopy or printout of the article being reported on must accompany each analysis form with the following elements marked and identified: thesis statement, subthesis statements (usually 3 or 4), and conclusion.
Each article analysis is worth 10 points and is due as noted on the schedule. No late papers will be accepted.
Papers: / Each student is to write a paper of ten to twelve typed pages addressing one of the following topics:
A. Individual Christian thinkers/
practitioners of history. These papers should place the individual in his/her historical setting, identify their primary ideas, and make an assessment of their contribution to the Christian concept and/or practice of history. The best papers will use some primary sources in addition to secondary ones. Possible subjects include: St. Augustine, Joachim of Fiore, Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, Christopher Dawson, Kenneth Scott Latourette, and Herbert Butterfield.
B. Issues or problems in the Christian Philosophy of History. These papers should identify the principle elements of the issue, examine how Christian thinkers and others have addressed these issues, and establish the author’s position on the subject. The bibliography in Land, Teaching History, provides a starting-point for researching these issues. Possible subjects include: the role of providence in the historical process, Jesus and the meaning of history, the role of moral judgment in historical study, the function of history in Christian belief, and whether there is a Christian approach to history.
Students will turn in to the teacher (1) a statement of their topic, (2) bibliography, (3) notes, and (4) an outline at the beginning of class on the dates indicated on the schedule (ten percent will be deducted for each day that an assignment is late) and will present their papers at the final examination time. Final papers are due December 8 at 12:00 noon. Ten points will be deducted for each day that the final paper is late; also, the paper will not be accepted if the student does not fulfill steps 1-4, as outlined above.
Documentation for the paper is to follow Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers . . . , 7th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996).
Point distribution for papers:
1. topic 10
2. bibliography 20 (Minimum 10 sources, including both books and articles; students are to note bibilographical aids used, and must use either America: History and Life or HistoricalAbstracts in electronic form.)
3. notes–set 1 20
(Minimum 50 notes; 5 different sources)
4. notes–set 2 20
(Minimum 50 notes; 5 different sources)
5. outline 20
6. presentation 30
7. final paper 80
Service Learning: / The service learning component of this course involves two elements, as described below:
A. The Project: Students will work a minimum of twenty hours at the Berrien County Historical Association. The director of the association and his staff will develop a list of possible projects, from which the student will choose. The required hours should be completed by Thanksgiving break. It is the student’s responsibility to contact Francis Porter Snyder, Director, Berrien County Historical Association (471-1202; ) or the appropriate staff person, to arrange the schedule and projects. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED; PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE BCHA UNTIL THAT TIME.
B. The Report: Each student will write a reflective paper of two to three typed pages on their experience, describing (1) the specific project on which they worked and what they contributed to that project and (2) the insights that they gained regarding the role of a local historical museum/association in preserving community memory. Papers are due at the beginning of the final examination period on December 14. No late papers will be accepted.
C. Evaluation: This component will be worth 200 pts. or 30% of the final grade, to be determined as follows:
1. Completion of hours 75 pts.
2. Quality of service work
based on evaluation from
BCHA 75 pts.
3. Quality of written report
and presentation in class. 50 pts.
Test: / There will be one take-home examination as listed in the course schedule, covering the reading and discussion in the course. The examination will be worth 100 pts.and will include both short and long essay questions. It will be distributed prior to the Thanksgiving break and will be due at the beginning of the final examination period on December 13.
Quizzes: / A take-home quiz addressing reading assignments as identified in the schedule will be due at the beginning of each class, except for those days on which no reading is assigned. The quiz will consist of a single essay question for which students are to write a one-half page typed essay. Students may skip three quizzes without penalty. (10 pts.)
Book Reviews: / Two critical book reviews are required: (1) a review of one of the works listed below (due Oct. 14); and (2) a comparative review of the Marsden and Land volumes (due Dec. 4). Reviews must include the following in addition to the final draft: notes on the book, rough draft of the review, and book review rubric.
Colin Brown, History & Faith: A Personal Exploration (Grand Rapids, MI: Academie Books, Zondervan, 1987).
D. W. Bebbington, Patterns in History: A Christian View (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1979; reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990).
H. Butterfield, Christianity and History (London, UK: Bell, 1949).
Steven J. Keilor, God's Judgments: Interpreting History and the Christian Faith (Downers, Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2007).
C. T. McIntire and Ronald A. Wells, eds., History and Historical Understanding (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984).
George Marsden and Frank Roberts, eds., A Christian View of History? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1975).
Ronald H. Nash, Christian Faith & Historical Understanding (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984).
Nick Salvatore, ed. Faith and the Historian: Catholic Perspectives. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007).
Ronald A. Wells, ed., History and the Christian Historian (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998).
Withdrawals
and Incompletes: / Students may withdraw from the class according to the schedule as printed in the Andrews University Bulletin. Incompletes will be given only in the case of extended illness or death in the family that prevents completion of the final paper.
Extra Credit: / Completing the course requirements with distinction will keep you occupied. I do not give extra-credit assignments. You should expect to average about 2 hours of preparation for each class.
Missed Tests: / The mid-term examination may be made up only in the event of illness, with a medical excuse signed by a physician or nurse, or a death in the student’s immediate family. Such make-up tests must be taken within one week of the scheduled examination. No other make-up exams will be given. All students must present a report based on their paper during the final examination period on December 15. When making travel plans for Christmas vacation, please make sure that they do not conflict with the final examination schedule, as no exceptions will be allowed.
Academic Integrity: / Please read the section on academic honesty in the Andrews University Bulletin (2009-10 edition, p. 30). Any violations of this policy will result in a grade of 0 for the individual assignment and all incidents will be reported to the Academic Vice President.
Attendance: / Students are expected to attend class regularly. Students are allowed to miss three classes without penalty The course grade will be reduced by one letter for each of the next three unexcused absences. Seven or more absences will result in a failing grade as outlined in the Andrews University 2009-10Bulletin, p. 30.
Disability Accommodation: / AndrewsUniversity accepts and appreciates diversity in its students, including students with disabilities. Accordingly, students with documented disabilities are encouraged to inform the university of their disability and enter into a dialogue regarding ways in which the university might reasonably accommodate them. If you qualify for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please see the instructor within the first week of classes for referral and assistance in arranging such accommodations.
Course Schedule:
Date: Topic: Assignment:
Aug. 25 / Introduction27 / Christian Issues in Academia / Marsden, pp. 3-24.
Sept. 1 / Christianity and Academic Rules / Marsden, pp. 25-58
3 / The Difference Christianity Makes / Marsden, pp. 59-82
8 / Theology and Community / Marsden, pp. 83-119.
10 / Speculative Philosophy of History / Lemon, pp. 1-27
15 / Meet with Director, Berrien County Historical Assoc., and staff for introduction to the museum and discussion of the function of local history institutions. Also, possible service projects will be introduced at this time. MEET AT THE MUSEUM PROMPTLY AT 2:00 P.M. IF YOU NEED TRANSPORTATION, PLEASE CONTACT / Paper Topic Due
17 / Greek and Roman Speculations / Lemon, 28-44
22 / Early Christian Views / Lemon, 45-73; Working Bibliography Due
24 / The Renaissance / Lemon, 74-90
29 / Machiavelli to Vico / Lemon, 90-126; History and Theory Reports Due
Oct. 1 / Vico / Lemon, 127-47
6 / Vico to the Enlightenment / Lemon, 147-84 Paper Notes 1 due
8 / The Enlightenment to Hegel / Lemon, 184-217 (Book review due on book of your choice from provided list)
13 / NO CLASS: FALL RECESS
15 / Hegel / Lemon, 217-37
20 / Marx / Lemon, 238-77
22 / Analytical Philosophy of History / Lemon, 281-301; Fides et Historia Reports Due
27 / The Nature and Purpose of History / Lemon, 301-39
29 / What is History For? / Lemon, 339-56; Paper Notes 2 due
Nov. 3 / The Postmodernist Challenge / Lemon, 359-89
5 / Fukuyama / Lemon, 390-409; Paper Outline Due
10 / Evaluating Fukuyama / Lemon, 409-28
12 / General Discussion: Philosophy of History / (Take-home final examination will be distributed)
17 / General Discussion: Philosophy of History / Paper Rough Draft Due; Service Hours to be Completed
19 / General Discussion: Philosophy of History
24 / The Christian Understanding of History
26 / NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING / Land, 1-23
Dec. 1 / The Role of Christian Assumptions / Land, 25-52
3 / Christian Perspectives on History / Land, 53-86; Comparative Book Analysis Due
4 / Paper Due 12:00 noon
10 1:30-3:30 p.m. / Final Examination Period: Presentation and Discussion of Papers / Final Examination and Service Reports Due
Fides et Historia Articles
Because Fides et Historia addresses both the history of the Christian Church and the Christian philosophy of history, I have listed below the philosophical and historiographical articles that are appropriate to this class.
Malcolm R. Thorp, “The ‘Inescapable Dilemma’: Sir Herbert Butterfield’s Reflections on the Human Dilemma,” Fall/Winter 1983, 6-17.
Ronald A. Wells, “Viewing America: A Christian Perspective,” Fall/Winter 1984, 56-67.
Richard Kyle, “John Knox’s Concept of History: A Focus on the Providential and Apocalyptic Aspects of His Religious Faith,” June 1986, 5-19.
Shirley A. Mullen, “Women’s History and Hannah More,” Feb. 1987, 5-21.
Mark A. Noll, “‘And the Lion Shall Lie down with the Lamb,’ The Social Sciences and Religious History,” Oct. 1988, 5-30.
Peter a. Russell, “the Challenge of Writing Christian History,” Jan. 1989, 8-19.
Peter A. Russell, “Eric Voegelin: An Eschatological Direction to History?” Fall 1989, 3-15.
Arlin C. Migliazzo, “Teaching History as an Act of Faith,” Winter/Spring 1991, 6-19.
John G. Stackhouse, Jr., “Writing History Instead of a Novel: Is Description Creative?” Summer 1991, pp. 4-10.
Charles W. Brockwell, Jr. and Timothy J. Wengert, “Christian History in Ecumenical Perspective: Principles of Historiography,” Winter/Spring 1992, 40-53
James C. Juhnke, “Manifesto for a Pacifist Reinterpretation of American History,” Fall, 1993, pp. 53-64.
Rick Kennedy, “Miracles in the Dock: A Critique of the Historical Profession’s Special Treatment of Alleged Spiritual Events,” Summer 1994, pp. 7-22.
Willard W. Dickerson, III, “History as Moral Philosophy: A Look at History’s Place in the Liberal Arts Curricula of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries,” Fall 1995, 29-51.
Keith C. Sewell, “The Concept of Technical History in the Thought of Herbert Butterfield,” Fall 1995, 52-76.
Robert Sweetman, “Of Tall Tales and Small Subversive Stories: Postmodern Fragmatics and the Christian Historian,” Summer 1996, pp. 50-68.
Scott H. Moore, “Christian History, Providence, and Michel Foucault,” Winter/Spring 1997, 5-14.
Robert Wennberg, “The Moral Standing of the Dead and the Writing of History,” Summer/Fall, 1998, 51-63.
Lance D. Chase, “When I Have Fears: The Perils of a Fin De Siecle Mormon Historian,”, Fall 1997, 5-13.
Thomas J. Davis, “Historical Knowledge and True Wisdom: Objectivity, Faith, and Freedom,”
Fall 1997, 14-23.
DonnaRose Echeverria, “Christopher Dawson Revisited,” Fall 1997, 24-37.
Jay D. Green, “A Creed for Modernism: Shirley Jackson Case and the Irony of Modern Approaches to ‘Faith and History,’” Fall 1997, 38-49.
Barry Hankins, “History is Written by the Losers: A Case Study in Historiography and Religous Conflict,” Fall 1997, 50-65.
Rick Kennedy, “Faith and History; A Better Understanding of Balancing Likelihoods,” Fall 1997 66-73.
Michael Kugler, “Christian History’s ‘Untimely Effect,’” Fall 1997, 74-83.
Jerry L. Summers, “Millennialism, Globalization, and History,” Summer/Fall 1999, 1-12.
Paul Spickard, “It’s the World’s History: Decolonizing Historiography and the History of Christianity,” Summer/Fall, 1999, 13-30.
Donald A. Yerxa, “Macrohistory at the Millennium’s End: Recent Themes in World Historiography,” Summer/Fall 1999, 31-46.
Gary Land, “History and the Challenge of Theory,” Winter/Spring 2000, 119-25.
Robert Tracy McKenzie, “Christian Faith and the Study of History: A View from the Classroom,” Summer/Fall 2000, 1-15; George Marsden, “Response to McKenzie,” 16-18.
Sam Powell, “History and Eschatology in the Thought of Wolfhart Pannenberg,” Summer/Fall, 19-32.
William Vance Trollinger, Jr., “Faith, History, and the Conference on Faith and History,” Winter/Spring 2001, 1-10.
Perry Bush, “Economic Justice and the Evangelical Historian,” Winter/Spring 2001, 11-27.
Donald A. Yerxa, “Remembering the Past: The Historical Philosophy of John Lukacs,” Winter/Spring 2001, 121-36.
Donald A. Yerxa, “Contingency, continuity, and Narrative: David Hackett Fischer’s Approach to History,” Summer/Fall, 2001, 73-86.
Christopher Shannon, “Between Outrage and Respectability: Taking Christian History Beyond the Logic of Modernization,” Winter/Spring, 2002, 3-12.
Donald A. Yerxa, “A Meaningful Past and the Limits of History: Some Reflections informed by the Science-and-Religion Dialogue,” Winter/Spring, 2002, 13-30.
Jay D. Green, “On Peeling Back Ceiling Panels: Theology and the Dilemma of Christian Historiography, A Response to Shannon and Yerxa,” Winter/Spring, 2002, 31-35.
Eric Miller, “Capitalizing on Commonwealth: A Response to Shannon and Yerxa,” Winter/Spring, 2002, 37-40.
Ronald A. Wells, “Beyond ‘Religious History’: The Calling of the Christian Historian,” Winter/Spring, 2002, 41-47.
Perry Bush, “What Would History Look Like if ‘Peace and Justice’ Really Mattered?” Winter/Spring, 2002, 49-55.
William H. Katerberg, “Is There Such a Thing a “Christian’ History?” Winter/Spring, 2002, 57-66.
Shirley Mullen, “Comments and Evaluation on ‘Revisioning History in Christian Scholarship,” Winter/Spring, 2002, 67-71.
Symposium, “Thinking Together: War and Peace in American History,” Summer/Fall 2002, 1-23.
C. John Sommerville, “Christian Historiography?: A Pragmatic Approach,” Winter/Spring, 2003, 1-7.
OgbuU. Kalu, “Clio in a Sacred Garb: Telling the Story of Gospel-People Encounters in Our Time,” Winter/Spring, 2003, 27-39.
Karen Jolly, “Historical Empathy, Medieval Mentalities, and the Opening of the Evangelical Mind,” Summer/Fall, 2003, 7-18.
Ron Morgan, “This Great cloud of Witnesses: Evangelical Christians and the Lives of Saints,” Summer/Fall, 2003, 19-27.
Cheryl A. Riggs, “The History of Concepts: Historical Methodology and the Search for Truth,” Summer/Fall, 2003, 28-35.
Wilfred M. McClay, “Planting Sequoias: Reflections on Tradition and History,” Summer/Fall, 2003, 37-48.
Shirley A. Mullen, “David Hume and A Christian Perspective on History: Insights from an Unlikely Ally,” Summer/Fall, 2003, 49-60.
William W. Dickerson, “ History as a Teacher of Ethics in the Early Middle Ages,” Summer/Fall, 119-130.
William H. Katerberg, “Redemptive Horizons, Redemptive Violence, and Hopeful History,” Winter/Spring, 2004, 1-14.
Gerald J. Biesecker-Mast, “The Word Made Flesh: The Skin of History in Yoderian Historiography,” Winter/Spring, 2004, 53-66.
Robert Tracy McKenzie, “‘Sermons’ for the Secular Classroom,” Winter/Spring, 93-104.
Glenn E. Sanders, “ Christian Faith and Teaching History: Tools and Communities,” Winter/Spring, 2004, 105-110.
Jacalynn Stuckey Welling, “Christian Faith and Teaching History: Embracing Religious Diversity,” Winter/Spring, 2004, 111-117.
Paul Otto, “Teaching History as Creational Development,” Winter/Spring, 2004, 118-124.
Herman Paul, "Guillaume Groen Van Prinsterer: A Critical Reappraisal," Summer/Fall, 2004, 67-82.
David Howlett, "Historians on Defining Hegemony in Missionary-Native Relations," Winter/Spring, 2005, 17-24.
George Harinck, "Abraham Kuyper's Historical Understanding and Reformed Historiography," Winter/Spring, 2005, 71-82.
Gabriele Greggersen, "Between Heaven and Earth: Augustine's Synthesis of Theology and History," Winter/Spring, 2005 83-91.
Mark R. Schwehn, "Faith Seeking Historical Understanding," Summer/Fall 2005, Winter/Spring 2006, 11-21.
Thomas Albert Howard, "On Prudence and Historical Inquiry," Summer/Fall 2005, Winter/Spring 2006, 23-34.