RELG 218 - Authority and Dissent in Medieval Christianity

FC ARHU WINT

4 credits
This course offers an interpretive study of medieval Christian traditions, focusing on negotiations of authority and dissent in various reform movements. These radical movements, from the twelfth-century renaissance to the Protestant and Catholic reformations of the sixteenth century, caused political and social upheaval by striving to retrieve an idealized past. Issues for consideration include the rise of clerical authority and abuse, scholasticism, biblical interpretation, the role of women, free will, embodiment, asceticism, mysticism, and heresy. The background will be the changing landscape of medieval Europe through urbanization, crusades, plagues, and economic developments.