ARTS AND LETTERS 100g—SECTION 35253D
Spring 2009
Christianity in the Roman Empire
Instructor: Prof. Sheila Briggs Place and Time: MW 3:00-4:50 pm, VKC 200
Office Hours: W 3.30-4.30 pm Tel.: (213) 740-0267
Office: ACB 232
COURSE SYLLABUS
In this course you will learn about the development of Christianity in the ancient Mediterranean during the early centuries of the Common Era. You will read original texts, written not only by ancient Christians but also by adherents of other religious traditions in the Roman Empire. The goal of this course is to give you an understanding of early Christianity in its original historical context, i.e., as a Greco-Roman religion. By the end of the course you should have a clear sense of Christianity’s place among and interactions with other Greco-Roman religions and how Christianity and Greco-Roman religions in general were related to the society and culture of the Roman Empire. The course also pays attention to the great diversity within ancient Christianity and how this variety expressed itself in different responses to the broader culture.
Required Reading
Apuleius, The Golden Ass (trans. P.G. Walsh)
Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader
Shorter readings from Pagan, Jewish and Christian Sources, not included in the above, will be made available in class.
Course Outline
Jan. 12. Introduction to course.
Jan. 14. A very quick history of the ancient world.
Jan. 19. Martin Luther King holiday--no classes.
Jan. 21. Practicing religion in the ancient world.
Jan. 26. The Olympian gods and the public cults of state and city.
Jan. 28. Resources for the study of religion in the ancient world.
Feb. 2. Magic in the ancient world. The Golden Ass, Bks 1-3 (pp. 1-57).
Feb. 4. Apuleius’ telling of the Cupid and Psyche story. The Golden Ass, Bks 4-6 (pp. 58-119).
Feb. 9. Popular religion in the Roman Empire. The Golden Ass, Bks 7-8 (pp.120-160).
First assignment due February 9
Feb. 11. Religion and Sexuality. The Golden Ass, Bks 9-10 (pp.161-217)
Feb. 16 Presidents’s Day holiday--no classes.
Feb. 18 -23. Mystery Religions of the Roman Empire. The Golden Ass, Bk 11(pp. 218-240).
Feb. 25. History or Novel? The Christian gospels and acts in the context of ancient literature.
Mar. 2-4 . The Gospel of Luke (Ehrman, pp. 60-91).
Second assignment due March 4
Mar. 9. Christ as Hero. The Christian gospels and acts alongside ancient accounts of the “divine man.” The Alexander Romance (available on Blackboard).
Mar. 11. Diversity and conflict in ancient Christianity.
Mar. 16-18. Spring break.
Mar. 23-25. What is orthodoxy? What is Gnosticism? The Gospel of Thomas (Ehrman, pp.116-126), compared to The Gospel of John (Ehrman, pp.92-115).
Mar. 30. Disputed Legacy. The apostle Paul and the spread of Christianity.
Apr. 1. The Acts of the Apostles (Ehrman, pp. 145-176).
Apr. 6. The Acts of Paul and Thecla (Ehrman, pp.177-182).
Third assignment due April 6
Apr. 8. Christianity in a Greco-Roman city.
Apr. 13-15. Paul and the Christian community in Corinth. Paul’s First and Second Letter to the Corinthians (Ehrman, pp. 205-226).
Apr. 20-22. Class presentations on religion in the ancient cities where early Christian communities were founded.
Apr 27-29. Are Christians Jews? Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (Ehrman, pp. 227-232)
Fourth assignment due April 29.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students should have completed the required reading by the session or first session that it is listed in the course outline.
There are four assignments which include writing a paper and, in the case of the final one, making a class presentation. Each assignment carries 20% of the course grade. More detailed instructions will be handed out with each assignment.
One in-class final examination on Monday May 11, 2.00-4.00 p.m. It, too, will carry 20% of the course grade.
Each student is required to have one conference with the instructor. Students will be asked to sign up for an appointment.
Assignments are due in class on the stated date and must be physically handed to the instructor. All assignments must be submitted in paper form. Students may be asked to submit an additional electronic version of their papers.
COURSE POLICIES AND RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
The most basic intention of Arts and Letters courses is to socialize freshmen into the intellectual demands of college. It is hoped that students at the beginning of their college careers will be excited to see how scholarship is practiced in the humanities and what the contemporary questions and debates in these fields are. These courses are designed to make substantial claims on students' time and energy through heavy reading and writing assignments. This may well be the toughest course you will take in college! You will find this course more manageable if from the outset of your college career you develop good academic habits.
Don't cut class. You are expected to attend every session. If you miss class, then you are left to your own resources to make up the lost work. In such cases, you can try borrowing a fellow student's notes or doing extra reading on the session's topic, but you will have missed the class discussion.
Hand in written assignments punctually. Assignments handed in late may lose points or not be graded at all! If you are having difficulties completing an assignment, contact the instructor as soon as possible, before or by the time the assignment is due. It is always easier to accommodate student requests for time extensions on assignments, when these are presented before an assignment is due. It is also important that students note the date and time and attend the final examination. The instructor must submit the final course grade soon after the final examination. The final course grade is precisely that. The instructor cannot alter it, and even students with compelling reasons for not completing the work on time have to undergo a long petition process, which is often unsuccessful.
All requests by students to the instructor must be made in person and followed up by an e-mail. If you have an urgent request, you may 'phone or e-mail my office, but you should follow up with either personal contact or a letter.
Use Blackboard and check your USC e-mail account for course information. Instructions on assignments, course materials and announcements will be posted on Blackboard. I may also contact students through their USC e-mail accounts.
This course is writing-intensive, but is not intended to offer instruction in writing. Many of you will find it hard to reach the standards of college-level writing. The Writing Center is there to help you. To use it, all you need to do is make an appointment by 'phone or in person a few days in advance. You can also try just walking in, but then you are not guaranteed an appointment, and the center at times will be very busy. Writing Center consultants will help you develop ideas and arguments and revise rough drafts for the written texts you produce in the course. Students, who achieve a "B-" or lower grade on an assignment, are required to make at least one appointment with the Writing Center to revise their next assignment. The Writing Center is situated on the third floor of Taper Hall (Tel.: 740-3691).
All students are expected to know and follow USC's rules on academic integrity. Students must acknowledge all sources (books, journals, videos, web-based and electronic materials, etc.) used in an assignment, whether these are directly quoted, paraphrased or their main ideas summarized. Students should retain notes and any other material that can substantiate that they produced their work consistent with the rules on academic integrity.
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.