Course Catalogue

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This course will explore the development of the Christian church and its theology from the Apostolic Fathers through the patristic period. Attention will focus on the definition of orthodoxy, the development of church order, the role of women, and the socio-political context of Christian development.

1x2hr seminar per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

This is one of the Honours options in TRS and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Theology and Religious Studies, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

TRS3037 Studies in Early Church History and Theology Non Honours

None

The standard assessments for this course are: 

■ Essay (2,500 words) - 55% 

■ Presentation of 7 minutes accompanied by a one-page A4 handout - 20% 

■ Source criticism exercise (750 words) - 25% 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to the Essay (2,500 words), but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

■ Recorded presentation or one-to-one or small group presentation as alternative to presentation.

■ There are no alternatives to the Source criticism exercise (750 words), but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

This course will provide the opportunity to:

■ explore the development of Christian theology and the church in its earliest centuries;

■ engage critically with primary sources which offer evidence of this development;

■ deepen understanding of the political, religious, and cultural world of Late Antiquity;

■ develop awareness of a range of historiographical interpretations of this period.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ present a well-informed account of the development of Christianity and the underlying reasons for that development;

■ offer a critical analysis of a range of primary texts;

■ compare and contrast different interpretative perspectives;

■ present complex arguments in written and oral form.