H8134A The Orthodox Church: Yesterday and Today

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Building upon later Byzantine History, this course unit examines the place of the Orthodox Church(es) in the historical context of the pre-modern (1400-1500), modern (1500-1950) and post-modern eras (1950-today).

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. analyse the impact of the major events, movements, and concepts in the history of the modern Orthodox Church
2. assess the significance of the contribution of major personalities in the modern Orthodox Church
3. interpret a range of primary historical documents of the modern Orthodox Church
4. utilise appropriate methods of historiography and historical research in the analysis of significant theme or issues in the modern Orthodox Church
5. apply key lessons from the history of the modern Orthodox Church to an issue/s in the contemporary Orthodox Church

During this course unit, students may acquire the following threshold concept. This concept is fundamental to a proper understanding of the unit or course. It is essential for further progress in the discipline.

Students need to be able to grasp the concept that history is not just a chronological description of events but involves an interpretive element and a range of methodological approaches. This threshold concept applies to all church history units in the curriculum.

Weekly Topics

1. The Aftermath of 1453
2. The Orthodox Church under the Turkish yoke
3. Reformation and Counter-Reformation and Repercussions in the East
4. The Age of Enlightenment and its Ramifications for the Orthodox Church
5. The Church of Russia until Peter the Great
6. The Age of Revolution
7. Nationalism and Autocephalies
8. Orthodoxy under Communism
9. Orthodoxy and the Ecumenical Movement
10. Towards a Pan-Orthodox Council
11. Orthodox Diaspora
12. The Orthodox Church in Australia