Spring 2013 Courses

For the last few days I have been revising my lecture notes for my spring 2013 course on "Modern Christian Thought." I added lectures on Kant, Kierkegaard, and Emil Brunner as well as contextual information beware and after WWI and WWII.I also replaced readings from Hegel with Harnack.

Next semester I am teaching a new course that I have designed entitled, "The Faiths of the Founding Fathers." Below are some excerpts from the syllabi for these courses.


The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, Spring 2013 

Course Description:

This course is a study of the religious beliefs of the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) in America. Particular attention is given to religion in America and the role of the Founding Fathers in establishing the separation of church and state.  

Required Texts:        

• Frank Lambert, The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America (Princeton University Press, 2003)
• Matthew L. Harris and Thomas S. Kidd, eds., The Founding Fathers and the Debate Over Religion in Revolutionary America (Oxford University Press, 2012)
• Steven Waldman, Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty (Random House, 2009)
• Daniel L. Dreisbach, Mark David Hall, and Jeffry H. Morrison, eds., The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life (University of Notre Dame Press, 2009)

Course Requirements:

1.               Exams (25% for each, 500 total points)

Students will take two examinations that are based on the required readings and class discussions. Both exams must be taken—notifying me within 24 hours if you have a legitimate reason why you cannot be present to take the exam—and no tests will be dropped. 

2.               Reading Quizzes (1% x10 = 100 total points)

Students will take 10 pop quizzes throughout the semester on the assigned readings in the course. Each quiz will consist of questions related to the readings that are due that day of class. These quizzes are designed for students to demonstrate that they have completed the required readings.

3.               Comparative Analysis Paper (30% or 300 points)

Students will write a comparative analysis paper on two of the American Founding Fathers (or Mothers) that we have discussed in class. Papers should be 4,000 words in length (give or take 500 words), double-spaced, 12 point font, and use a minimum of five additional academic secondary sources beyond the required texts for the course, including books (at least two monographs must be utilized), scholarly journal articles, and essays in edited books (no websites please). The paper should have a title page with the student’s name, course, and professor’s name, and are due on April 12 at midnight. Papers will be assessed a 10% penalty for each day late.

Evaluation for comparative analysis papers will be based on the following:

Grammar/Syntax (20%)

-          Does the student show a mastery of grammar and syntax?

Introduction (10%)

-          Is there a distinct introduction in the paper?

-          Does the student provide a clear thesis?

Conclusion (10%)

-          Is there a distinct conclusion in the paper?

-          Is the conclusion sufficiently long enough to explain how the paper has provided an answer to the thesis?

-          Does the conclusion recapitulate the reasons for taking a particular point of view, evaluating the importance of those reasons?

The Body of the Paper (30%)

-          Are the paragraphs grouped by main points that contribute to answering the research question?

-          Does the first sentence of the paragraph introduce its topic, helping the reader to know what to expect?

-          Is there sufficient evidence—statistics, specific names or dates, primary-source quotations, etc.—that supports the main point in the paragraph?

-          Does the student use quotations properly by quoting only primary sources and not secondary sources, instead, paraphrasing a secondary-source author and citing him or her?

Content (30%)

-          Does the student provide a thorough comparison of the Founding Fathers/Mothers?

-          Is the overall argument in the paper convincing?

4.              Attendance and Participation (10% or 100 points)

It is essential that you attend classes regularly and come prepared to take notes on the lectures and participate in class discussion. Since this is a three-hour course, you are allowed three skips without penalty. I will take attendance until five minutes after the hour. Students arriving after that time will be counted absent. For every absence in excess of three, your attendance and participation grade will be reduced by 20 points. 

Helpful Books on the Religion of the Founding Fathers

General Reading

Allen, Brooke. Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers. Ivan Dee, 2007.
Fea, John. Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction. WJK, 2011.
Frazer, Gregg L. The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders: Reason, Revelation, Revolution. Kansas, 2012.

Gaustad, Edwin S. Faith of the Founders: Religion and the New Nation, 1776-1826. Baylor, 2004.
Holms, David L. The Faiths of the Founding Fathers. Oxford, 2006.
Mapp, Alf J. The Faith of Our Fathers: What America’s Founders Really Believed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.
Meacham, Jon. American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. Random House, 2007.           

Abigail Adams

Holton, Woody. Abigail Adams. Free Press, 2009.
Levin, Phyllis Lee. Abigail Adams: A Biography. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2001.
Withey, Lynne. Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams. Touchstone, 2002.

John Adams

Ferling, John. John Adams: A Life. Oxford, 2010.
McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Samuel Adams 
Alexander, John. Samuel Adams: The Life of an American Revolutionary. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011.
Fowler, William M., Jr. Samuel Adams: Radical Puritan. Longman, 1997.

Stoll, Ira. Samuel Adams: A Life. Free Press, 2008.

Ethan Allen

Randall, Willard Sterne. Ethan Allen: His Life and Times. W. W. Norton, 2011.

Aaron Burr, Jr.
Isenberg, Nancy. Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr. Penguin, 2008.
Stewart, David O. American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America. Simon and Schuster, 2011.

Charles Carroll

Birzer, Bradley J. American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll. Intercollegiate Studies, 2010.

McDermott, Scott. Charles Carroll of Carrollton: Faithful Revolutionary. Scepter, 2001.

John Dickinson

Flower, Milton E. John Dickinson: Conservative Revolutionary. University of Virginia, 1983.

Benjamin Franklin

Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Walters, Kerry. Benjamin Franklin and his Gods. University of Illinois, 1999.

Wood, Gordon. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. Penguin, 2004.

Alexander Hamilton

Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. Penguin, 2005.

McDonald, Forrest. Alexander Hamilton: A Biography. W. W. Norton, 1982.

Randall, Willard Sterne. Alexander Hamilton: A Life. Harper, 2003.

Patrick Henry

Kidd, Thomas S. Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots. Basic Books, 2011.

John Jay

Stahr, Walter. John Jay, Founding Father. Hambledon and London, 2005.

Thomas Jefferson

Bernstein, R. B. Thomas Jefferson. Oxford, 2005.
Ellis, Joseph J. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Vintage, 1998.

Gaustad, Edwin. Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson. Eerdmans, 1996.

Richard Henry Lee
McGaughy, Kent J. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia: A Portrait of an American Revolutionary. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.

Dolley Madison

Allgor, Catherine. A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. Holt, 2007.    

Cote, Richard N. Strength and Honor: The Life of Dolley Maison. Corinthian, 2004.

James Madison

Broadwater, Jeff. James Madison: A Son of Virginia and a Founder of the Nation. UNC, 2012.
Brookhiser, Richard. James Madison. Basic Books, 2011. 
Gutzman, Kevin R. C. James Madison and the Making of America. St. Martin’s Press, 2012.

Labunski, Richard. James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights. Oxford, 2008.

McCoy, Drew R. The Last of the Fathers: James Madison and the Republic Legacy. Cambridge, 1991.

Gouverneur Morris

Adams, William Howard. Gouverneur Morris: An Independent Life. Yale, 2003.

Thomas Paine

Kaye, Harvey J. Thomas Paine and the Promise of America. Hill and Wang, 2006.
Nelson, Craig. Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations. Penguin, 2007.         

Benjamin Rush

Brodsky, Alyn. Benjamin Rush: Patriot and Physician. Truman Talley, 2004.

Hawke, David Freeman. Benjamin Rush: Revolutionary Gadfly. Bobbs Merrill, 1971.

Kloos, John M. A Sense of Deity: The Republican Spirituality of Dr. Benjamin Rush. Carolson, 1991.

Roger Sherman

Hall, Mark David. Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic. Oxford, 2012.

George Washington

Ellis, Joseph J. His Excellency: George Washington. Vintage, 2005.

Longman, Paul K. The Invention of George Washington. University of Virginia, 1999.

Novak, Michael and Jana. Washington’s God: Religion, Liberty, and the Father of Our Country. Basic Books, 2006.

Thompson, Mary V. “In the Hands of a Good Providence”: Religion in the Life of George Washington. University of Virginia, 2008.

John Witherspoon

Tait, Gordon L. The Piety of John Witherspoon: Pew, Pulpit, and Public Forum. Geneva  Press, 2001.

 


Modern Christian Thought, Spring 2013

Course Description:

This course looks at selected movements and figures that have shaped the Christian theological tradition in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Required Texts:        

• Friedrich Schleiermacher: Pioneer of Modern Theology (Fortress, 1991)
• Adolf von Harnack: Liberal Theology at Its Height (Fortress, 1991)
• Rudolf Bultmann, New Testament Mythology and Other Basic Writings, edited by Schubert M. Ogden (Fortress, 1984)
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom (Fortress, 1991)
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (Fortress, 2003)

                                                          

Course Requirements:

1.               Exams (20% x 2 = 400 total points)

We will take two examinations (the final exam is NOT cumulative). The exams are based on the lectures, class discussions, and presentations. Both tests must be taken—notifying me within 24 hours if you have a legitimate reason why you cannot be present to take the exams. 

2.               Discussion Questions (20% or 200 points)

Students will write four discussion questions for each of the following thinkers: Schleiermacher, Harnack, Bultmann, Barth, and Bonhoeffer. Students will answer their questions on a typed sheet of paper, single-spaced, and approximately one-half page in length for each question, use parenthetical citations to show where in the text they found evidence for their answers, and email their questions and answers to the professor prior to the start of class (by 11am) on the day of the assigned reading (late assignments will not be accepted). For Schleiermacher, Barth, and Bonhoeffer you will prepare one question for each of the four class sessions on those theologians, but for Harnack and Bultmann you will write and answer two questions per class period (see schedule below). Each question and answer is worth ten points. Questions should be broad in nature—not allowing for a simple yes or no answer—and appropriate for class discussion.

Students will be graded according to the following criteria for each answer:

8-10 pts – the student asked engaging and intelligent discussion questions and

            fully answered their questions. The student’s answers were well developed

            (at least a full paragraph for each question), demonstrated a thorough

            grasp of the information, used parenthetic citations, and, if applicable,

            provided clear evidence of critical thinking (analysis, synthesis,

            evaluation, or application). 

5-7 pts – the student asked fair discussion questions and adequately answered

            their questions, showed some development/understanding of the

            information, utilized only one or two parenthetical citations, and, if

            applicable, some evidence of critical thinking.

1-4 pts – the student asked inappropriate or poorly worded discussion questions

and inadequately answered their questions, showed nominal development/understanding of the information, utilized no parenthetical

            citations, and, if applicable, only the beginning of critical thinking.

0 pts – the student did not ask or answer any questions.

3.               Research Paper (25% or 250 points)

Each student will write a research paper on a particular theologian, summarizing the theologian’s life, theology, major works, and contribution to modern Christian thought. Papers should be 3,500 words in length (give or take 500 words), double-spaced, 12 point font, and utilizing both primary (written by the theologian) and secondary (written about the theologian) sources. The paper should use a minimum of five secondary sources (academic books and journal articles—avoiding websites and general dictionaries). Papers are due on the day of your presentation (by midnight). Papers will be assessed a 10% penalty for each day late.

Evaluation for research papers will be based on the following:

Grammar/Syntax (20%)

-          Does the student show a mastery of grammar and syntax?

Introduction (10%)

-          Is there a distinct introduction in the paper?

-          Does the student provide a clear thesis?

Conclusion (10%)

-          Is there a distinct conclusion in the paper?

-          Is the conclusion sufficiently long enough to explain how the paper has provided an answer to the thesis?

-          Does the conclusion recapitulate the reasons for taking a particular point of view, evaluating the importance of those reasons?

The Body of the Paper (30%)

-          Are the paragraphs grouped by main points that contribute to answering the research question?

-          Does the first sentence of the paragraph introduce its topic, helping the reader to know what to expect?

-          Is there sufficient evidence—statistics, specific names or dates, primary-source quotations, etc.—that supports the main point in the paragraph?

-          Does the student use quotations properly by quoting only primary sources and not secondary sources, instead, paraphrasing a secondary-source author and citing him or her?

Content (30%)

-          Is there a summary of the theologian’s life?

-          Does the student accurately describe the theologian’s theology?

-          Does the student describe the theologian’s major works?

-          Is it clear what contribution the theologian has had on modern Christian thought?

4.               Presentation (5% or 50 points)

Each student will participate in an individual or group presentation on an assigned theologian (see signup sheet and dates) and the contribution that this thinker has made to Christian theology. The format of the presentation is left up to the discretion of the presenter(s). The presentation should be 15 - 20 minutes with an additional five minutes allotted at the end for questions by the class and the professor. The presentation will be assessed by the professor, and based on the following:

Criteria for Evaluation:

a.       Amount of information

b.      Quality of information

c.       Mechanics

d.      Quality of the presentation

e.       Creativity

5.               Attendance and Participation (10% or 100 points)

It is essential that you attend classes regularly and come prepared to take notes on the lectures and presentations, and participate in class discussion. Since this is a three-hour course, you are allowed three skips without penalty. I will take attendance until five minutes after the hour. Students arriving after that time will be counted absent. For every absence in excess of three, your attendance and participation grade will be reduced by 20 points.