Erly Mod Rel: Historian’s Prob

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course introduces students to the changing world of early modern Christianity (1450-1800), a period that ranges from the Reformation to the Enlightenment and the transatlantic worlds of the eighteenth century. This era saw the expansion of Christianity beyond Europe to Africa, Asia, and the Americas; and the course explores the global nature of the early modern world. Students are exposed to a range of primary sources and historical methods to examine rival interpretations and perspectives. The colloquium is inspired by AHA surveys that show that “religious history” has doubled as a primary specialization among professional historians in the last four decades and that “religious history” is claimed as a specific “field of interest” more than any other, including social history, women’s history, and even cultural history. On account of the historiographical problems it covers, the colloquium may thus also be of use to graduate students not otherwise directly dealing with European cultures and religions.