Foundations of Christendom 325-1300 AD

Service Description

Course Description This course continues directly from the first semester Founding and Building Christendom course, which traced the history of the Church and Christendom from approximately 1000 BC to AD 325. In this second semester, students will explore the transformation of the ancient world into medieval Christendom through the dramatic events that shaped both the Church and Western civilisation. Beginning with the conversion of Emperor Constantine and the legalisation of Christianity, students will examine the growth of the Christian Roman Empire, the great doctrinal councils, the lives of key saints and Church Fathers, and the gradual collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The course will then follow the preservation and spread of Christendom through the early medieval period, including the rise of monasticism, the conversion of barbarian kingdoms, the coronation of Charlemagne, and the formation of Christian Europe. Students will also study the rise and rapid expansion of Islam, the growing tensions between East and West that culminated in the Great Schism of 1054, and the Crusading movement that emerged in response to centuries of conflict and pilgrimage disruption in the Holy Land. Prerequisites: A strong foundation in reading comprehension and critical thinking is essential, as students will engage with both primary and secondary sources. They must be willing to participate in class discussions, complete written assignments, and practise logical argumentation. If students did not complete the semester one course, they should have good familiarity with that period of history. Required Materials: The Building of Christendom: 324–1100, Vol. 2 by Warren H. Carroll is a required text and must be purchased independently from Via Classica (This is the same text as Semester One). Students need an A4 exercise book for notes. All work submission and live classes will be conducted using Microsoft Teams and Microsoft OneNote. Course Sessions: The course commences in Term 3 on Monday, 20 July, with two one-hour sessions each week on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00 AM (AEDT/AEST). The term will end on Wednesday, 23 September. Term 4 will resume on Monday, 12 October, and conclude on Wednesday, 9 December. No classes will be held on 24 August or 26 October. Instructor: Mrs. Elizabeth Matheson