HomeProgramsPricesAbout UsRequest InfoApply NowContact Us

Rome, Italy - Course Descriptions - Rome and the Rise of Christianity

Course Information

Subject: History (HIST)
Number: 300
Language of Instruction: English

Contact Hours and Credits

Semester Session: 45 contact hours, 3 semester credits, 4 quarter credits

Availability

Choose a session below to view the complete description of that session.

SessionDatesPrice
Fall Semester 2008September 5 - December 19, 2008$13,495
Academic Year 2008-2009Early September 2008 - Late April 2009$26,495

Full Description

Descriptions
This course will study the emergence of the Christianity in Rome. After studying the monuments of ancient Rome (the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon), it will consider the settlements of the Jewish diaspora and the signs and symbols of the first Christians in the city. The course focus on the catacombs, the "scavi" under St. Peter's and the first "house-churches", the stories and monuments of Peter and Paul, the Christians under the Roman emperors, the  first bishops of Rome, the new situation under Constantine, the emergence of basilicas, mosaics and Christian architecture in Rome. 

In addition to these general lectures, on-site lectures at sites of interest focusing on ancient Christianity in Rome will be an intergral part of the course. 

Objectives
To familiarize students with ancient Rome as the context for the emergence of Christianity in the West. To familiarize students with the iconography and art of the first Christians in Rome. To farniliarize students with the emergence of Christian architecture in Rome. To familiarize students with the general history of early Christianity in Rome.

Course Materials
Hibbert, Christopher, Rome: The Biography of a City, Penguin Books, 1987.
MacAdam, Alta, Blue Guide: Rome, W.W. Norton, 1998.
Hibbert, Christopher, Rome: The Biography of a City, 1-80.
Chadwick, Henry, "The Early Christian Community," The Oxford History of Christianity (ed. John McManners) NY, Oxford University Press, 1991, 21-6 1.
Selections from MacAdam Alta, Blue Guide: Rome, Will. Norton, 1998 and Boyle, Leonard, A Short Guide to St. Clement's Rome, Rome, 1972.
The New Testament and Selections from earliest Christian writings. 

There is an additional course fee of 75 euros.