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The Legacy of Modern Italy
2008 Fall Semester - Course Description
The Papacy & the Roman Church
CEA Partner Institution: CEA GlobalCampus: Rome
Location: Rome, ItalyPrimary Subject Area: Religious Studies
Other Subject Area(s): History
Level(s): 300
UNH Course Code: REL362
Instruction in: English
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 45
Additional Fee Description: This course requires payment of an additional fee to cover active learning components that are above and beyond typical course costs, such as site visits, entrance fees and other expenses. Spring 2009 fee = $175; Fall 2009 fee = $175; Spring 2010 fee = $200; Fall 2010 fee = $200
Prerequisites: None
Description
Since the fourth century, Rome has been a city of the Christian Church, the center and embodiment of the Roman Catholic Church. Thus the history of this great city is inextricably tied to the history of the Church, and intimately connected with its leaders, the popes. This course allows you to study at first hand the historical circumstances that contributed to the development of the papacy and the meaning attributed to this evolution by popes and thinkers at each stage. You will critically examine the interaction between theory (the understanding and theology of the papacy) and reality (the actual lives of the men who filled this role and often fell far short of the ideal, the places they walked, and the buildings and artwork they inspired). By examining the historical development of the Holy See through a variety of textual and visual sources, and debating the most critical theological issues that have concerned it, you will gain rich insights into the sophisticated forces and ideas which have shaped the modern-day papacy.
Your analysis and progress will be greatly augmented by the anatomy of this course as many of your classes are held on site, in the lavishly-decorated churches and grand palaces that have been the setting of papal history since the time of Saint Peter, while a special "up-close" opportunity for the whole class to attend a papal audience with pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican will also reveal and underline the special characteristics and popularity of the contemporary papacy.
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