High School History: The Rending of Christendom

The Rending of Christendom

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Course name: The Rending of Christendom (1417-1648)
Class dates: Wednesdays, September 24 to December 17, 2014. No class October 29th.
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 5:00 pm Eastern (4:00 Central; 3:00 Mountain; 2:00 Pacific)
Duration: 55 mins
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th grade. 9th to 10th grade also if they have above average reading skills.
Suggested high school credit: 1 full semester of history.
Fee: $190 for all 12 classes
Instructor: Mr. Phillip Campbell
Course description: This 12-week course will acquaint students with the pertinent people and ideologies that led directly or indirectly to the outbreak of the Protestant Revolt. Protestant ideas will be contrasted with Catholic theology throughout in order to give the course an apologetic dimension in addition to the historical. Students will see how the ideologies of Protestantism affected the various nations of Europe politically and how many of the attitudes and assumptions of modernity are rooted in 16th and 17th century developments. Students will also learn how the Church responded to these changes to the traditional order.

Course outline:
Week 1: Christendom: Review of growth of the Christian Church in the Middle Ages and the establishment of "Christendom" as a united, political expression of a Catholic world view.
Week 2: Origins of the Revolt: A look at several religious and political factors that led to the revolt (the Avignon Papacy, Western Schism, growth of nationalism and the printing press).
Week 3: Martin Luther & Lutheranism: Biographical sketch of Luther, the historical origin of his ideas and Lutheran theology compared to the Church's teachings.
Week 4: Germany on Fire: 1525-1555: A look at how the incendiary writings of Luther led to the Peasant's Revolt of 1525 and ushered in a generation of warfare in Germany.
Week 5: Anglicanism: the via media: The origins of the Anglican schism in the divorce proceedings of Henry VIII and the manner in which the old Faith was eradicated in England.
Week 6: Calvin & Knox: The historical origin and theology of the more "Puritan" elements of Protestantism and their vision of society.
Week 7: Consolidation of English Protestantism: The anti-Catholic measures of Edward VI and Elizabeth of England and the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
Week 8: The True Reformation: A look at the true Reformation, the so-called "Counter Reformation" of the Church and the Council of Trent.
Week 9: French Wars of Religion: A look at the religious strife in late 16th century France between the Catholics and the Huguenots.
Week 10: The Spanish-English Wars: The dissolution of Anglo-Spanish relations, culminating in the defeat of the Spanish in 1588; the origin of the "Black Legend" of Spanish cruelty.
Week 11: The Thirty Years' War: The final religious conflict in Europe that raged from 1618 to 1648 and how it changed the political and religious outlook of Europe.
Week 12: The Stalemate: Survey of the state of the revolt in various countries by 1648 and how the mentality of the revolt took root in the development of the American colonies.
Course materials: Everything provided free by the instructor.
Homework: Homework will consist of readings from primary source documents available online, as well as the completion of a series of mini-essay questions and short quizzes weekly. All homework is due no later than 7 days after it is assigned (e.g., the homework listed for the first day of class is due on or before the second class). Estimated homework time all week, including rewatching recordings and reviewing notes, is 3 hours per week.

Instructor biography:
Phillip Campbell holds a BA in European History from Ave Maria University and  a certificate in Secondary Education through Madonna University. He has a background as a Youth Director and RCIA instructor. He teaches history and Scripture for the St. Augustine Homeschool Enrichment Program. Mr. Campbell is the author of the popular fantasy-epic Tale of Manaeth. His writings have also appeared in such publications as St. Austin Review and The Distributist Review. Most recently, Mr. Campbell was elected Mayor of Howell, MI. Mr. Campbell and his wife of thirteen years homeschool their four children. Mr. Campbell teaches history, economics, and logic for Homeschool Connections.