Humanities (HUMN) 321

Overview

How did the Roman Empire evolve from the death of Nero in AD 68 to the reign of Marcus Aurelius in the late second century? What caused the crisis of the third century, and how did the Empire surmount this? How did Christianity evolve during these centuries, and who were the most important Christian thinkers contributing to the consolidation and elaboration of Christian doctrine? How and why did the Empire adopt Christianity as its official religion? What were the causes of the decline and fall of the Western Empire? These are some of the questions addressed in HUMN 321.

The course deals with the evolution of the Roman Empire from its expansion under Vespasian and his successors to its collapse under Valentinian III, examining, among other topics, the achievements of the “Five Good Emperors,” the crisis of the third century, the reconstruction of the Empire by Diocletian and Constantine, and the eventual decline and fall of the Christian Empire in the face of “barbarian” invasions. The course also follows closely the development of early Christian thought from the writing of the Gospel According to John at the beginning of the second century to its culmination in the theological system of St. Augustine.

The writings of many Christian thinkers are explored, including those of St. John, Clement of Alexandria, Origin, St. Athanasius, and St. Augustine. Attention is paid as well to the growth of the Church as an institution, and to the impact on Christianity of persecution, monasticism, and the conversion of the Emperor Constantine. Although the course employs a historical perspective, its overall approach is interdisciplinary, drawing upon the insights of classical scholars, literary critics, theologians, and historians of the ancient world.

Outline

Unit 6: The Roman Empire from Vespasian to Diocletian

Unit 7: The Early Church and Christian Theology from John to Origen

Unit 8: The Christian Empire: Constantine to Valentinian III

Unit 9: St. Augustine

Evaluation

To receive credit for HUMN 321 you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbooks

Other Materials

The course materials include a study guides, and a student manual.

Challenge for Credit Course Overview

The Challenge for Credit process allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university level course.

Full information for the Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

• Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Policy
• Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Procedures

Challenge Evaluation

To receive credit for the HUMN 321 challenge registration, you must complete the two parts of the challenge exam and achieve a minimum grade of at least “D” (50 percent) on both parts. The two parts of the exam must be written on the same day, or on two consecutive days.

Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form

• Challenge for Credit Form