History of Early Christianity

(HIST 402)

Professor: Dr. Barnes

Office: Brittain Hall 367

Office telephone: (843) 349-2525

Office Hours:MWF: 8:00-10:00and HAPPILY by appointment

*Finals Week only: Office hours will be 8:00-12:00 Mon., Dec. 9 and 9:00-11:00 Wed., Dec. 11

E-Mail: E-mail is the best way to contact me, and you can e-mail me at .

  • I will only send e-mails to your coastal e-mail address, so please make sure you check it regularly, as you will be held responsible for all class information sent via e-mail.

I expect students to use professional courtesy in email exchanges with me. Please address me as Professor Barnes or Dr. Barnes, clearly articulate the questions you have for me, include your full name in your sign-off, and allow 36 to 48 hours for my response; otherwise, I may not respond. I check e-mail during regular work week hours, but I do not check it in the evening, during weekends, holidays, or university holidays. When you follow proper email etiquette, I will respond as soon as possible and offer you the greatest amount of assistance.

Course Description:

HIST 402 Q* History of Early Christianity (3). This course explores the political, economic, social, theological, and cultural developments of Christianity in the Mediterranean, situating the early Christian movement within the historical context of its Jewish roots through its westward expansion, c. 4 BCE-600 CE.(F, S, M, Su1, Su2)

Course Objectives:

Students should be able to:

  • Describe and explain the political, economic, social, theological, and cultural developments of Christianity in the Mediterranean, c. 4 BCE-600 CE
  • Demonstrate knowledge of and analyze the legacy of the Jesus Movement through the Western ascetic tradition
  • Discuss and interpret the early Christian movement within the historical context of its Jewish roots through its westward expansion, c. 4 BCE-600 CE

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Demonstrate the capacity to deal with differences in historical interpretation
  • Critically analyze narrative structures and construct narratives
  • Demonstrate an ability to recognize and interpret multiple forms of evidence, such as art, architecture, and otherforms of material culture
  • Recognize the distinction between primary and secondary sources and understand how each are used to make historical claims

QEP SLOs:

  • SLO 1.1. Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills obtained through participation in experiential learning activities that are relevant/pertinent to their academic programs and/or career goals.
  • SLO 2.1. Students will demonstrate a high level of comprehension and skill in connecting theory with practice which is correlated to their level of participation in Experiential Learning activities.
  • SLO 2.2. Students will compare and contrast their expected learning to their actual learning derived from Experiential Learning activities.
  • SLO 2.3. Students will reflect on the impact that Experiential Learning activities have had on their relationship to the world in which they live.

Required Readings:

  • Peter Brown, The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity.
  • All additional required readings will be posted on Moodle, sent via e-mail, or provided as class handouts. Consequently, it is expected that all students will familiarize themselves with Moodle.
  • Students are responsible for maintaining a properly functioning computer and Internet service for accessing readings and submitting assignments online throughout the semester. Students will NOT be allowed to make up any assignments lost and/or failed due to the malfunction of either the computer or Internet service, and the student is responsible for seeing to the maintenance of the computer and/or Internet service if such a malfunction occurs. If the student is unable to remedy the malfunction in a reasonable amount of time (meaning before he or she misses an additional assignment), the student should withdraw from the course.
  • N.B. –All readings will be posted to Moodle for the week in which they are do. Therefore, students are expected to have read the readings posted for the week by the BEGINNING of class of each day they are assigned on the syllabus.

*Breakdown of all points used for figuring final grades:

(In the instance bonus points are earned, they will be added to the students’ total accumulated points at the end of the semester)

Discussion (10 x 10 pts)= 100 pts

50-word Assign (5 x 20 pts) = 100 pts

Papers(2 x 100 pts)= 200 pts

Total points possible = 400 pts

*Grading Scale:

(448-500)90 – 100% = A

(438-447)88 – 89% = B+

(398-437)80 - 87% = B

(388-397)78 – 79% = C+

(348-387)70 - 77% = C

(338-347)68 – 69% = D+

(298-337)60 - 67% = D

(297 and below) 59 and below = F

As stated in the university catalogue, A, B+ and B, C+ and C, D+ and D, and F carry the traditional academic connotations of excellent, good, average, poor, and failing performance, respectively.

Attendance Policy:

  • It is not possible to do well in the class without attending class, taking good notes, and reading the assignments.
  • Therefore, in keeping with university policy, students who miss 25% of classes (meaning more than NINE of the scheduled classes) without properly documented excuses will automatically fail the course.
  • In addition, students who miss numerous classes due to an illness that has been professionally documented may be encouraged to take a medical withdrawal.
  • Tardy students (students who enter the room after their names have been called for attendance) will be considered absent, and students who are egregiously tardy (those who enter the room after attendance has been taken and class has already begun) may not be allowed to enter the room, as it is a disruption to the learning process.
  • Students are responsible for all class material/assignments and due dates, regardless of his/her attendance.
  • A student who leaves class early for any reason will be counted as absent for the day.
  • In accordance with CCU Policy ACAD-125, excused absences include:
  1. documented illness that results in an official written doctor advisory to stay home during the exact day and time of class and/or official documented hospitalization during the exact day and time of class,
  2. documented death of a close relative (meaning: grandparents, parents, siblings, your partner or your child), and
  3. official representation of the University, such as an official CCU sporting event, band performance, conference presentation, etc. If you are a participant in a CCU event that requires you to miss class, you will be allowed excused absences for those in which you participate, IF, at least one week in advance, you provide Dr. Barnes with an official letter from the appropriate CCU official on authorized university letterhead that specifically states the dates and times of the necessary absences.

religious holidays. (A list of primary sacred times for world religions can be found online at Because such holidays are known well in advance, you must inform Dr. Barnes of any absences due to observances at least a week in advance, at which time you will be expected to make the appointments necessary to take any quizzes or exams in advance. Excused absences will not be permitted if Dr. Barnes is not informed of the pending absence in advance of the holiday.

IMPORTANT GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING MOODLE:

Important class information will be communicated through Moodle. As a result, students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with Moodle and for any information sent to the class via Moodle. Also, because technological problems can arise, students should do their quizzes and other assignments well in advance to avoid any complications. Exceptions will not be given to those who have such difficulties. Any activity on Moodle deemed unscholarly and inappropriate will result in a failing grade for the course. If students experience technological difficulties, they must contact Student Computing Services, as the professor has no control over this aspect of the course.

IF TECHNOLIGICAL PROBLEMS ARISE, YOU SHOULD:

  1. Contact Student Computing Services at:
  2. Call the Tech Support Center at 843-349-2908
  3. Visit one of the many tech support centers on campus. The locations and hours for all the support centers can be found at:

Discussion:

Because this class is an intensive reading seminar, student discussions on readings will be a significant portion of the overall grade, meaning students should read all assignments carefully and come to class prepared for active involvement in class discussions. There will be a total of 100 pointspossible for discussion participation, which accounts for just over 25% of the overall grade. If you are not present on discussion days, you will NOT receive discussion points for that day under any circumstances. Furthermore, points are earned only when students have READ the assignment AND are active participants in discussion. This means that simply sitting in the room and observing the discussion is not considered participation, nor is it sufficient to simply ask questions, although questions are welcome and should be a part of discussions. Because of the nature of class discussion, it is not possible to recreate or, therefore, make them up. Please do not ask, as there are no exceptions.

  • Participation grades will be assigned according to the following rubric:

9-10 pts = dynamic and informed (i.e., clear knowledge of assigned readings) participation

8 points = solid participation with evidence of a careful reading of the sources

7 points = occasional participation with evidence of having consulted the readings

6 points = participates with minimal effort (i.e. only asking questions or repeating what has already been said)

0-5 points = not present, no attempt to participate, unable to answer questions, or unable to exhibit any evidence of having read the assignment

50-Word Assignments:

Almost every week, students will be required to write at least one 50-word assignment, in which the student will be expected to summarize the argument of an assigned reading and provide significant evidence for the conclusions. Thus, there will be a total of seven 50-word assignments totaling 100 points possible throughout the semester, which accounts for almost 25% of the overall grade. The due dates of each and the reading assignment for each will be posted on Moodle. 50-word assignments are exercises in learning how to summarize a thesis, write more concisely, extract historical interpretations from written materials, and to choose evidence that best supports an argument. Therefore, students will be given precise instructions for writing the 50-word assignments, and the assignments will be graded according to these premises. Failure to follow the guidelines provided will result in the grade penalties stated on the guidelines, including zero points given to papers that violate certain aspects of the paper guidelines. All papers MUST be turned in by the BEGINNING of the class on the assigned due date, uploaded to Moodle as an assignment AND as a hard copy handed in at the beginning of class. No late assignments will be accepted under any circumstances ever, so please do not ask.

Papers:

Students are required to write two analyticalpapers worth 100 points each. Thus, the papers will be worth a total of 200 points (50% of the overall grade). Each paper will expect students to analyze information from class readings, meaning attendance is ALWAYS important in the class, because in addition to discussion grades, the discussions will help students prepare for the papers. Students will be made aware of the paper due dates well in advance. Therefore, no late papers will be accepted under any circumstances. In addition, students will be provided with a detailed assignment for each paper that MUST be followed precisely, as each paper will be graded according to the premises outlined in the assignments. Failure to follow the guidelines provided will result in the grade penalties stated on the guidelines, including zero points given to papers that violate certain aspects of the paper guidelines.

All papers MUST be turned in by the BEGINNING of the class on the assigned due date, uploaded to Moodle as an assignment AND as a hard copy handed in at the beginning of class.

NOTES:

Each student is responsible for his or her own class notes, meaning Dr. Barnes WILL NOT give out her notes to any student under any circumstances, so please do not ask.

EXAMS:
There will be two examinations, including a midterm and the final. Each exam will be worth a total of 100 points, meaning each exam will account for 20% of the overall grade. If a student will be unable to attend a test because of a university sponsored event, s/he must inform the professor at least a week BEFORE the test with written documentation from the proper university official on university letterhead. There will be NO makeup exams given without legitimate documentation, such as a written doctor’s note. If a student misses an exam for a legitimate reason (non-university related situation, such as illness) and has documentation, s/he must contact me within a week of the exam either in person or via e-mail. The only time I will consider allowing a makeup exam will be for reasons that the university recognizes as excused, (see attendance policy above). If the student meets ALL of these conditions, I will consider letting the student take a makeup exam on the last regularly scheduled class day of the semester.

For each exam, students MUST bring a new bluebook, in which ALL exam answers will be written in either blue or black ink. If a student fails to procure the required materials, s/he will not be allowed to take the exam and will receive a failing grade for the exam. Furthermore, if you miss more than one exam, you will receive a failing grade for the course, regardless of reasons. If you miss the final, you will receive a failing grade for the course. The date of the final will be posted on the Finals Schedule, which can be accessed on the university’s website. All students are responsible for knowing when their finals are scheduled.

Grievance Policy:

If unhappy with a grade, a student must submit to the instructor approximately one page detailing why s/he feels the assignment was misgraded along with the graded assignment at which time the instructor will set up an appointment to discuss the grievance. Students must submit grievances within one week of the assignment’s return to the general class. Also, because all grades will be posted to Moodle in a timely manner, students must make the professor aware of a grading mistake within a week of when a grade was posted. Otherwise, no changes will be considered.

Inclement weather policy:

Classes will take place as long as the university is open and holding classes. If there are extreme weather conditions, such as a hurricane or dangerous driving conditions, students should check Moodle for class updates.

Students with Disabilities:

Students with disabilities are responsible for contacting the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services to find out about their rights and their obligations. Also, you MUST bring me official documentation from the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services BEFORE I can make any exceptions to regular classroom policies in order to accommodate disabilities.

The Writing Center:

Students who have difficulty with grammar, paper organization, citations, or other writing concerns should consult the Writing Center, which is in Room 209 of the Prince Building. Help is available during the following times:

  • Monday – Thursday, 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM
  • Friday, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Students can also get help from the Writing Center in the Bryan Information Commons Room 234 at the following times:

  • Monday – Thursday 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
  • Sunday 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM

-For additional information, visit:

Academic Dishonesty:

Cheating in any form and on any assignment, quiz, test, or other graded assignment is a serious offense. If a student is caught committing academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and/or cheating in any form, s/he WILL receive a failing grade (specifically the grade of FX) for the entire course and will be reported to the appropriate university officials. Academic integrity involves honesty in learning and in teaching. One aspect of academic integrity involves student research and work. When consulting printed or electronic sources or discussing assignments, tests, etc. with classmates, bear in mind that anything (ideas, structure, organization, information, statistics, phrases, etc.) that you incorporate into your work must be properly cited, even when you are not quoting the sources directly. If you have questions about appropriate methods of citation, consult the instructor. Dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, and other violations of academic integrity will provide grounds for disciplinary action and may result in an F or FX for this course (see Section D. on “Prohibited Conduct” and Section F. on “Academic Sanctions” in the Code of Student Conduct). Refer to the Code of Student Conduct, accessible at for a full statement of the University’s official policy and for examples of plagiarism. All activities and assignments for this course must conform to the Code of Student Conduct. Please be warned that violations of academic integrity will be treated *very* seriously by the instructor. You are also reminded that the Code of Student Conduct contains an “Honor Pledge” (see Section C). It states that the University “expects the highest standards of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility.” Please take a minute to read and/or review the pledge. Therefore, cheating and/or plagiarism in any form will not be excused because of claims that one lacked an understanding of what constitutes either.

 Only information from the assigned text or material posted on Moodle by the professor is permitted for use in the course. The use of information obtained from the Internet or other outside sources on exams, quizzes, or any other graded assignment is forbidden in this class. Thus, the use of information that is not specifically provided by and/or assigned by the professor during the present semester will also be considered cheating in this course and students will be penalized as stated above. Finally, NO work in this course will be collaborative at any time, meaning each student is expected to do his or her OWN work at ALL times, including all quizzes, exams, etc. Thus, any and all collaboration will automatically be considered cheating, with ONLY the exception of borrowing a current classmate’s notes with his or her explicit permission.