reformatief11

Office: 634 South Shepler Tower
Office Hours: M & W 1-2, 4-5P; T 10A-12P

Course Overview:

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to a series of events and changes bearing on the religious, social, and cultural complexion of Europe that unfolded between the 14th and 17th centuries. Collectively historians often refer to these events and the processes that led to them as the Reformation. But because the processes to which this term refers were regionally specific and unique, we will focus our consideration of the period on major social, political, and cultural developments concerning the Church (now commonly known as the Catholic Church) and its relationship to European society; the ways in which everyday people at different levels of society and in different regions of Europe lived out their religious lives; how people of different religious outlooks managed to get along; and the clash between so-called popular religion and mainstream society in the form of witch trials. Also, rather than look at one place, we will look at these phenomena across several regions of Europe, although the geographic locus of the course is comprised of the German- and Dutch-speaking lands of Europe.

In this course you should strive to develop your own understanding of Europe's religious transformations both as contemporaries saw them and as historians and others know them now. As I place a particular emphasis both on written and oral expression, it is also my hope that you will each improve your abilities in these areas. Finally, it is my hope that each student leave this class with an understanding of the place of this complex past in contemporary perceptions of European and North American culture.

This course will provide you with opportunities to improve in the following three areas of intellectual endeavor:

Historical Knowledge: Graduates will demonstrate a satisfactory* ability to recall, apply, and appraise the explanatory value of factual knowledge related to:

Course work consists of four elements: attendance and participation in discussion and other classroom activities, informal writings, formal writings/papers, and quizzes and an essay-based examination.

Formal Writings/Papers (300 Points) :
In keeping with CU History Program's current guidelines for advanced-level coursework, you will have to write 1 primary source-based paper of 8-10 pages worth 175 points (including a mandatory paper topic and rough draft) and 1 secondary source-based paper of 6-8 pages worth 125 points. Due dates for the papers are listed below and unless otherwise specified all papers are to be typed, double-spaced, and in 12-pt. Times Roman font. They must also be properly footnoted. General guidelines are available by clicking on the words in hypertext in this sentence. Specific guidelines for the papers will be provided in a timely fashion and may be found by clicking on the hypertext for the appropriate paper listed immediately below:

There will also be a final examination worth 200 points. Format and additional details on this examination will be provided in a timely fashion.

Classroom Environment: Talking to your classmates or others outside the context of classroom activities is rude and will not be tolerated. Reading outside materials, listening to music, taking telephone calls on your cell-phone, and similar non-class related activities are equally unacceptable. I expect all students to be respectful of one another's right to speak and express opinions. Disagreements and different viewpoints are welcome, but debates should not involve insults. Finally, food and drink are permitted in class as long as courtesy is observed; e.g. if you haven't quite finished your cup of coffee, do bring it along to class, but turning the classroom into a cafeteria is not permissible.

Attendance: As noted above, regular attendance is crucial to your success in this class. If you miss class regularly, your grade will suffer. I would also like to note that frequent lateness in coming to class and frequent early departures will also be penalized as these habits are rude to your fellow classmates and to me as the instructor. I will take attendance daily in this class and an absence is an absence and will be counted as such.

Preparation: All assignments for a given day, whether reading or writing, are to be completed before the class meets on that day. I also recommend that you take notes as you read and during lectures and discussions as this will make studying for the quizzes and writing the papers for the class less of a challenge.

E-mail: I communicate a lot via e-mail, but I use Blackboard to do so. You will be automatically enrolled in the course Blackboard module, and all e-mail messages from me will then go to your CU e-mail account.

For those not aware of the basics of accessing student e-mail please read the following: "Students may easily access their CU email through AggieAccess by clicking on the email icon in the upper right corner after login. Please refer to http://www.cameron.edu/aitc/user_name.html for information about email addresses, usernames and passwords."

Paper Submission Procedure: All papers receiving academic grades (i.e. papers or formal writings) for this course will be submitted via the CU Turn as Safe Assignments via the course Blackboard portal. Instructions for how to do this will be forthcoming in good time for the submission of the first paper.

Missed Participation Opportunities: If you miss class, you miss that day's participation regardless of your reasons for having to do so. Remember, though, that you have the potential to earn more points than you are responsible for, so Although I will obviously keep track of what you do by way of participation I would advise you to remain aware of where you stand for yourself so that you know whether or not you are achieving the necessary minimum level of participation.

Late Papers/Formal Writings: The following policy applies to all late papers for this course that will receive a letter grade, including the in-class Unit Question papers. All papers submitted at any time on the day that the paper is due will be considered on time. Papers submitted after that date, no matter what the reason may be, will automatically be marked down one grade. You will then have seven days from the original due date to turn in the paper. If in that time you are unable to complete the work, the paper will receive a zero.

Missed Examinations: A make-up final examination may be granted to the student at the instructor's discretion and only with a legitimate (e.g. a medical emergency) and documented reason.

Academic Dishonesty: The following statement encapsulates university policy on academic misconduct: "Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty¦ will be subject to disciplinary action." Additional information is provided in the Cameron University Code of Student Conduct at: http://www.cameron.edu/student_development/student_conduct

Among the most serious offenses a student can commit is plagiarism, which is the representation of the work of another as your own. In all of the writing you do for this course you must make clear to me which ideas in a paper are your own and which come from someone else. This is especially important for any formal essays you write. In such essays you must cite all primary and secondary sources you use in accordance with the proper conventions. Instructions on the basics of citation may be found under the general guidelines for papers and can and should be consulted before any formal essays come due. If for some reason you do not choose to examine this page, know that you will not be exempt from following its guidelines. In cases of plagiarism, the Department of History and Government at CU follows the policy for academic dishonesty in the CU Code of Student Conduct. Penalties for plagiarism as defined by the Student Code of Conduct include:

a. The student may be required to perform additional academic work/project not required
of other students in the course;
b. The student may be required to withdraw from the course with a grade of “W” or “F”;
or
c. The student’s grade in the course or on the examination or other academic work affected
by the dishonesty may be reduced to any extent, including a reduction to failure.

Please heed this warning as I am quite serious about it.

Disability Statement: As per the Office of Student Development, "It is the policy of Cameron University to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal and state law. Students with disabilities who need classroom accommodations must make their requests by contacting the Office of Student Development at (580) 581-2209, North Shepler Room 314."

Website for this office:

http://www.cameron.edu/sss/disability.html#1727.

Course Component	Component Point Value
Participation	125
Paper #1	175
Paper #2	125
Unit Question Papers	150
Final Examination	175
Total of All Categories	750

Date	List of Topics	Readings, Assignments, and Activities
8-22	Introduction & Get Acquainted
8-24	Everyday Folk in Medieval Europe and the Church	Read: The Reformation, 1-28.
8-29	Was the Medieval Church a Failed Institution?	Read: The Reformation, 28-42.
8-31	Martin Luther and the 95 Theses	Read: The Reformation, 43-57.
9-5	LABOR DAY	NO CLASS
9-7	The Reforms and Theology of Martin Luther	Read: The Reformation, 57-80.
9-12	Reform Spreads to Switzerland	Read: The Reformation, 81-103.
9-14	The Radical Reformation	Read: The Reformation, 103-134.
9-19	Princely and Royal Reformation	Read: The Reformation, 135-162.
9-21	Calvin's Geneva and Catholic Reformation	Read: The Reformation, 162-185. Turn In: Topic for Paper 1
9-26	Unit Question #1: Which of the following types of forces chiefly drove the Reformation in your view: politics, theological ideas, the desires of common folk, or the need to change church life?	Read:The Reformation, 186-192. Write: Answer to discussion question 1 in class
9-28	Why did religion become a source of disagreement in 16th-century Europe?	Read: Divided by Faith, 1-47.
10-3	How did people define who was in the Christian community?	Read: Divided by Faith, 48-98. Turn In: Paper Topic for Paper #1
10-5	Could states impose religious conformity and did it work?	Read: Divided by Faith, 99-143.
10-10	Adapting Religious Spaces	Read: Divided by Faith, 144-197.
10-12	Sharing Churches and Sharing Society	Read: Divided by Faith, 198-267.
10-17	Mixed Marriages and Mixed Confessions.	Read: Divided by Faith, 268-330.
10-19	"Exceeding Civility"?	Read: Divided by Faith, 333-358. Turn In: Rough Draft of Paper 1
10-24	Unit Question #2: What divided people of different faiths the most: different ideas or the inability to find strategies or tactics of accommodation?	Read: Flesh and Spirit, 3-52.
10-26	Marriage and Childhood in Early Modern Germany	Read: Flesh and Spirit, 53-106, 114-125. Pick Up: Commented Rough Draft of Paper 1
10-31	Childhood and Growing Up in Early Modern Germany	Read: Flesh and Spirit, 135-179 and either 179-216 or 217-.259.
11-2	Introducing Mathias Hovius and the Spanish Netherlands	Read: A Bishop's Tale, 2-53.
11-7	The Personal Politics of the Counter Reformation	Read: A Bishop's Tale, 54-91, 110-132.
11-9	Popular Piety in the Spanish Netherlands	Read: A Bishop's Tale, 93-108, 134-161, and either 178-194 or 196-212. Turn In: Paper 1
11-14	Ministering to the Faithful During the Counter Reformation	Read: A Bishop's Tale, 163-176, either 214-230 or 232-247, 249-281.
11-16	Witchcraft Trials in Continental Europe	Read: Witchcraft and Magic, 3-51.
11-21	Witchcraft Trials in Northern Europe	Read: Witchcraft and Magic, 55-94.
11-23	THANKSGIVING	NO CLASS
11-28	The Practice of Magic in Early Modern Europe	Read: Witchcraft and Magic, 99-115.
11-30	Unit Question #3: What role did magic play in the everyday lives of Europeans c. 1550-1700?	Read: Witchcraft and Magic, 116-132.
12-5	Concluding Thoughts	Read: Witchcraft and Magic, 137-146 Turn In: Paper 2
12-7	Review
12-14	Final Examination (10:15A-12:15P)

History 4413 Fall 2011

Religion and Magic in Europe, 1500-1650

General Policies:

Schedule of Readings, Topics, Assignments and Activities

Back to Courses Page