RLBcB210 Christian Mission

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Kristýna Čižmářová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 K23, except Tue 16. 4.
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
RLBcB210/Kombi01: Fri 15. 3. 16:00–17:40 K21, Fri 26. 4. 16:00–17:40 K21, Fri 24. 5. 16:00–17:40 K21, J. Valtrová
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( RLA06 Christianity I || RLKA06 Christianity I || RLBcA006 Christianity I || RLBcKA006 Christianity I ) && ( RLA07 Christianity II || RLKA07 Christianity II || RLBcA007 Christianity II || RLBcKA007 Christianity II ) && ! RLB210 Christian Mission
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 13/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course focuses on the most important Christian missions in the Middle Ages, Early modern times, and modern times in a broad social, cultural, and political context. Christian missions represent one of the earliest social, political, and religious frameworks that have shaped the form of contact between Europeans, and non-European cultures from the Middle Ages to modern times. The colonial expansion of European powers, together with intensive missions in the modern period, changed the religious map of the world and its traces are still visible in many countries today. Contemporary Christian missions also unfold in the context of postcolonial reflection on this past. Understanding the processes and contexts of the expansion of Christianity in the world is thus crucial for understanding not only the religious but also the social and political situation in many non-European countries from South America to India and Japan. Christian missions have also been instrumental in shaping European awareness of and attitudes towards 'other' cultures. The relationship of Europeans to 'other' cultures was most often along the 'conquer-convert' axis. The missionary reports, in fact, represent the earliest European discourses of the 'other', which are followed by many ethnological, anthropological, and religious studies. The relations of non-European countries to Europe and Christianity in general are still deeply influenced by the historical legacy of the eventual missionary and colonial administration.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
- understand the complex character of missions in their historical, social and political context;
- to reflect social and cultural aspects of missions both in Europe as well as in cultures where evangelization takes place;
- to understand and apply terminology connected with missions;
- to use missionary reports as sources for research in religious studies.
Syllabus
  • 0. introductory lecture, the pespectives of the study of Christian missions.
  • 1. Medieval missions - methods and achievemnts.
  • 2. Medieval missions to Asia.
  • 3. Between mission and martyrdom - mission in confrontation with Islam.
  • 4. The conquest of America - the problem of "the Other".
  • 5. Christian missions in India - Portuguese missions and Indian Christians.
  • 6. Christian missions in India - Dalit movements.
  • 7. Christian Missions in China.
  • 8. Christian missions in Tibet and Ladakh.
  • 9. Katolické misie ve 20. století - cíle a výzvy.
  • 10. Contemporary issues of world missions / inculturation, acculturation, national churches.
  • 11. Final test.
  • Detailed sylabus is available in Study materials of the course.
Literature
    required literature
  • LIŠČÁK, Vladimír. Františkánské misie v Číně : (13.-18. století). Vydání první. Praha: Academia, 2015, 475 stran. ISBN 9788020024633. info
  • GILLMAN, Ian and Hans-Joachim KLIMKEIT. Christians in Asia before 1500. London: Routledge, 2008, xiv, 391. ISBN 0700710221. info
    recommended literature
  • VALTROVÁ, Jana. Středověká setkání s "jinými". Modloslužebníci, židé, saracéni a heretici v misionářských zprávách o Asii (Medieval Encounters with the Other. Idolatres, Jews, Saracens and Heretics in Missionary Reports about Asia). 1. vyd. Praha: Argo, 2011, 209 pp. Každodenní život 47. ISBN 978-80-257-0399-1. info
  • ROBERT, Dana Lee. Christian mission : how Christianity became a world religion. 1st pub. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, xi, 214. ISBN 9780631236207. info
  • ŽUPANOV, Ines. Disputed mission : Jesuit experiments and Brahmanical knowledge in seventeenth-century India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, xiii, 277. ISBN 0195658825. info
  • Questions of cultural identity. Edited by Stuart Hall - Paul Du Gay. 1st pub. London: SAGE Publications, 1996, viii, 198. ISBN 0-8039-7882-0. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, reading, class discussions, test.
Assessment methods
a) A paper on the assigned topic presented in the course and submitted in written form by the end of the semester. Detailed assignment and instructions in Elf. The paper is assessed with a maximum of 40 points. b) Final discussion on the common assigned text - active participation, max. 20 points. c) Final test, which is assessed with a maximum of 40 points. The test will contain 20 questions, some of which will be closed, some open. The pass mark for the test is 60%. In order to successfully complete the course, you must complete the above items and achieve at least 60 points in total.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučující.
Teacher's information
The course is administered on the Elf platform.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2024/RLBcB210