This course intends to introduce students to the state of research of the study of Christianity in the Middle East in the pre-modern and modern period (roughly from around 1600 till the present; the main focus will be on the 19th and early 20th centuries). This introduction includes detailed discussion of the methods and sources that are used for such research.
In the 16th to 19th centuries, Middle Eastern Christianity underwent profound changes. The changes in the Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire resulted from the complex interaction of internal developments with the introduction of western forms of religion introduced by Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries, leading to a thorough modernization of these communities. The close reading and class discussions of a number of recent studies will bring the student to the level where he or she will be able to place his or her research interests in the wider field of studies.
The course can be extended with a paper on a specialist subject, which qualifies the student for independent research in this field. Such a paper is obligatory if the student intends to write a MA-thesis in this field.
Seminar overview and assignments
weekly meetings (12 × 2 hrs): 24 hrs
weekly reading assignments and presentations (12 × 4 hrs): 36 hrs
two summaries of literature: 40 hrs
Total: 140 hrs
Extra Paper: +140 hrs
Total: 280 hrs
Assigned readings
- Bruce Masters, Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World. The Roots of Sectarianism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001) and further articles.
Admission
Master students with a basic knowledge of the history of Christianity, preferably also some knowledge of the history of Eastern Christianity
Time table
See time table Master Religious Studies
Opmerkingen
This course will be taught in English. Please contact prof.dr. Murre-van den Berg before signing up for this course: h.l.murre@let.leidenuniv.nl