MODERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN HISTORY

 
 
Unit Weighting                       

9 cps

Type of Unit                

Specialised

Prerequisite                 

H7231A

Academic Staff            

Rev. Gerasimos Koutsouras, BA (Sydney 1998) MA (Sydney 2000) DipByzMusic (Thessalonica 2002) MTh (Thessalonica 2005), Lecturer

Curriculum Objectives

Building upon Byzantium: Resplendence and Twilight, this course unit examines the place of the Orthodox Church(es) in the historical context of the pre-modern and modern eras (1453-today).

Learning Outcomes

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

1. demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of important historical events and concepts of the period
2. appraise the role that major personalities have played in the flow of history
3. exhibit the capacity to critically interpret primary and secondary sources relating to this period
4. construct an argument that is supported with historical evidence
5. apply what is learned from a study of this period to the present experience of the Orthodox Churches.

Content

1. Historical method, themes, concepts and sources of the period
2. The aftermath of 1453 and the new world order
3. Life for Orthodox Christians under Turkish rule
4. Reformation in the West and its repercussions in the East
5. The phenomenon of competing missionaries (Catholic and Protestant) in the East
6. The age of reason and its effect on the Orthodox Church
7. Nationalism and its consequences
8. Orthodoxy under threat at home (Communism and Kemalism) and its blossoming abroad
9. Ecumenism, Union, Uniatism
10. Biographical studies of major personalities: leaders, intellectuals, saints, women

Assessment Profile

1. Review, summary or multimedia media presentation, with reference to the present experience of the Orthodox Churches, demonstrating an ability to critically engage with primary and secondary sources.
2. An essay assessing the key social, cultural, historiographical, and/or religious aspects relevant to the late Byzantine period.
3. An exam that interprets and appraises the key events and personalities in the early Byzantine period from the available literary sources.

Schedule

3hr lecture per week on campus