Christianity in Africa

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Few places on earth exhibit the dynamism of contemporary Christianity like sub-Saharan Africa. Such dynamism creates new challenges and opportunities for the Catholic Church and other ecclesial bodies, and also shapes African life in profound ways. Through novels, historical studies, social-scientific and theological works, and present-day reflections from a variety of perspectives this course will explore Christianity in Africa, beginning with the early Christian movement and with heightened attention to the more recent growth of Christianity on the continent. It will also examine Christianity's interactions with Islam and forms of African ways of being religious that predated Christianity and Islam, many of which have ongoing vitality. Attention will also be paid to African Christian theology, carried out formally and informally, as well as the implications of the spread of African Christianity for world Christianity. The shape of class meetings will depend on the size of the class, but seminar-style discussion should be anticipated on a regular basis. Ideally students will grow in capacity to participate fully in such activity, through close reading of assigned texts before class and learning the practices appropriate to advanced seminars: attentiveness to others; careful explanation of opinions; courteous and respectful criticism of others' views; disciplined connection of immediate readings and issues to larger conceptual and practical questions. Regular critical writing also will contribute to vitality in the seminar format.