HISTORY 356 Body and Blood: Religious Cultures and Conflicts c.50-1650 - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

An in-depth analysis of Christianity, Islam and Judaism in the late antique and medieval periods and the conflicts which shaped them. It examines the roots of Christian and Muslim religious thinking, their interaction with Jewish and Pagan traditions, the Crusades, anti-Semitism, heresy, schisms within Christianity and the Reformation.

Course Overview

‘Body and Blood’ offers an examination of Christianity, Islam and Judaism mainly in the late antique and medieval periods, and considers the conflicts which shaped the three faiths.

We will examine the roots of Christian and Muslim religious thinking, their interaction with Jewish and Pagan traditions, the Crusades, aspects of the Jewish-Christian debate, heresy, schisms within Christianity, and developments within Islam.

The course covers a wide span of history, covering aspects of the late Roman, early medieval, high and late medieval periods, and will finish with the Reformation of the sixteenth century and its immediate aftermath.

The emphasis is on relations between different religious cultures, and the ways in which both conflict and tolerance shaped their identities. Broad themes include the impact of changing economic and social forms, the role of authority and government in regulating religious interaction, and the place of gender and sexuality in both moderating and exacerbating conflict.

Although we focus largely on quite distant pasts, most of the topics we will discuss have strong relevance and resonance in the present day. World politics and both western and middle eastern cultures are still shaped by the religious movements which had their beginnings many centuries ago.

We hope that through taking the course students will come to a better understanding of modern religious cultures and conflicts.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage II in History and 60 points passed Restriction: HISTORY 243

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of of the origins and development of the three major monotheisms in global history, their interactions and conflicts. (Capability 1.1)
Analyse and evaluate primary sources in order to gain critical insights into historical religious claims to truth and authority. (Capability 2.1)
Critically evaluate the claims of secondary scholarship in order to explore interpretative problems in religious histories.
Communicate discussion of questions in religious history using a high level of academic expression (Capability 4.1)
Demonstrate understanding of the principles of academic integrity through adherence to the University's academic integrity policies. (Capability 5.1)
Develop appreciation and understanding of diverse religious faiths and their histories. (Capability 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Assignments	20%	Individual Coursework
Essay	40%	Individual Coursework
Essay	40%	Individual Coursework
3 types	100%

Next offered

2021

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including lectorials to receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including lectorials will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events including group discussions.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 4:	Communication and Engagement
Capability 5:	Independence and Integrity
Capability 6:	Social and Environmental Responsibilities

HISTORY 356 : Body and Blood: Religious Cultures and Conflicts c.50-1650

Arts

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)