UCL - Introduction to History

[THEO1130]

[60h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st & 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Jean-Marie Auwers, Luc Courtois, Jean-Pierre Delville

Language: French

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

By the end of this course, the student:
- should be able to correctly articulate historical step and the theological speeches; to control a systematic critical step with regard to a source of information, whatever it may be; to collect all documentation necessary for research through a rigorous heuristic step and adequate work in library; to conclude a work properly, from the choice of the subject to the drafting of a synthesis;
- should have a general overview of the history of Christianity and be able to locate the events which marked this history.

Main themes

To achieve these goals, the course is divided into two distinct modules. The first (critical history) systematically traverses all the essential stages of the historical step: the choice of the subject and the definition of problems; the retrieval of information; the recourse to "auxiliary sciences"; the critical analysis itself and the synthesis: data processing and written presentation. This course goes over historiography, epistemology and the encyclopaedia of history. The second module (panorama of history of Christianity) gives the students an overall picture of the history of Christianity from the origins to our days. It also aims to raise student awareness of the various standards of living connected with the Church, from the lived daily standard of the Christians to institutional dimensions and the relationship between the Churches and the political power.

Content and teaching methods

Critical history: The course combines lecturing and personal training by problem/project. At side of the theoretical talks, the students are invited to implement the principles through the realization of a small research task in history on a topic of contemporary history of the Church. Concretely, the formation is organized in 8 modules including each one (except the introduction) three jobs: theoretical course and presentation of the referents (2h.), individual work of application in library (4h.), and run practical of collective correction and evaluation of the trainings (2h.). The final evaluation is done on the basis of written work and, in the event of insufficient work, an oral examination. The modules are as follows: Modulate 1. general information (2h. theoretical); Modulate 2. choices of the subject and definition of problems (2h. theoretical + 4h. application + 2h. correction); Modulate 3. information retrieval or heuristic (id.); Modulate 4. auxiliary sciences (id.); Modulate 5. critical of the witness. First part: external criticism. The concrete document (id.); Modulate 6. critical of the witness. Second part: internal criticism. The author who expresses himself in the document (id.) Modulate 7. Criticism of deposition: confrontation and " argument a priori " (id.) ; Modulate 8. synthesis and presentation of the results (id.).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

without object