All courses numbered 500 and above are graduate courses.
Undergraduates need to submit a course permit to enroll.
HIST 720 Lay Christianity 900 - 1600
Goldberg and Matter
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
What does it mean to live a Christian life? Who should or can do the work of Christianity in European society? Is it possible to be Christian or do the work of religion while fulfilling other roles, and doing other jobs? What are the roles and authority of such Christians in relation to the "professional" religious? We will trace the changing answers to these questions through readings that explore definitions, roles, and expressions of lay Christianity, equally from the clerical, monastic, and lay perspective. Attention will be given to themes of penance, donation, heresy, preaching, and popular devotion as well as to the history of Gregorian reform, the Crusades, and mass lay movements.
