Global Catholicism from the French Revolution to Pope Francis

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course traces the history of Catholicism in the modern era. It is self-consciously global in its approach, examining how Catholic people, ideas, devotional practices and architectural drawings circulate around the world. Topics investigated include: Catholicism during the democratic revolutions of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, religion and nationalism, the "social" question and Catholic ideas about the family and the economy, the crisis of fascism in the 1930s, decolonization and the cold war, liberation theology and the global South, the first (1869-70) and second (1962-65) Vatican councils and the current sexual abuse crisis. Students will read and interpret a variety of sources, including memoirs, short stories, papal encyclicals, art works and accounts by contemporary historians. Assignments will include short essays and quizzes. The final assignment will be a report, using materials from the course and working as an historian, written for Pope Francis.