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HON 2400: CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY AND MYSTICISM - Online Edition

St. John’s University, Queens Campus, Spring 2022

  • Section 15367: Online

Dr. Matthew Lewis Sutton

Associate Professor of Systematic Theology

Office: St. John’s University, Queens Campus, St. John’s Hall B20–27

Student Hours: 9:00 - 9:30am; 1:45 - 2:45pm Tue and Fri, or appt.

718.990.5052 | suttonm@stjohns.edu | doctorsutton.net

Your Course Website: doctorsutton.net/hon2400 and hon2400.slack.com

Undergraduate Bulletin: “Prerequisite: THE1000C. A study of the spiritual dimensions of humanity based on the religious nature of human beings, the Christian tradition, and modern interdisciplinary insights regarding human nature. Credit: 3 semester hours.”

This course provides an introductory encounter with Christian spirituality and mysticism. The focus will be on attaining a foundational biblical, historical, and theological literacy of the central themes of Christian Spirituality and Mysticism through the central eras of Christian history. Christian belief in the particularity of Jesus Christ as the way to the Father in the Holy Spirit affects how Christians interpret the world, the human person, the nature of God, and union with God. The course achieves greater appreciation of the historical, cultural, and theological developments of Christian spirituality to see its historic origins and its importance today.

By the conclusion of the course, the student should be able:

  • to articulate (in writing and speaking) a knowledge of the development of Christian spirituality with its foundations in the Bible and Early Church Age
  • to analyze critically scripture and other theological texts pertaining to Christian spirituality and mysticism
  • to appreciate intellectually the central and diverse saints, events, and ideas of Christian spirituality

Course Texts: Required:

  • The Ignatius Bible (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition). Second Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780898708349 Paperback, Kindle
  • Gerald Sittser. Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries. IVP Books, 2010. Paperback. ISBN: 9780830837458
  • Bernard McGinn. The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (Modern Library Classics). Modern Library, 2006 Paperback. ISBN: 9780812974218

Course Structure:

The course will be structured with three major units that are foundational for understanding Christianity Spirituality and Mysticism in its historical development. The first unit will focus on understanding the biblical and early church foundations of Christian Spirituality with particular focus on the person of Jesus Christ and themes from early Christian Spirituality. The second unit will focus on studying the Middle Ages of the Church and its fascinating developments of Christian Spirituality. The third unit will explore themes in Christian Spirituality during the Reformation, the Modern Age, and into today. In all units we will learn several central themes, persons, events, and ideas of Christian Spirituality and Mysticism. Above all, the units will help to shape the your understanding of central themes, persons, events, and ideas of Christian Spirituality and Mysticism through the Christian history and its importance today.

Learning Assessment:

In this course, you can earn 100 points. You earn these points by successfully completing the following:

  • Online Ready Worksheet = 8 points
  • Dialogue Challenges = 20 points (5 challenges for 4 points each)
  • Encountering Christian Spirituality Assignment Sheets = 17 points (1 point per sheet)
  • Occasion of Joy Exams = 30 points (3 exams)
  • Occasion of Jubilation Final Research Paper = 25 points

Grading Scale:

A = 100 - 93 points (100 - 93%); A- = 92 - 90 points (92 - 90 %); B+ = 89 - 87 points (89 - 87%); B = 86 - 83 points (86 - 83%); B- = 82 - 80 points (82 - 80%); C+ = 79 - 77 points (79 - 77%); C = 76 - 73 points (76 - 73%); C- = 72 - 70 points (72 - 70%); D+ = 69 - 67 points (69 - 67%); D = 66 - 60 points (66 - 60%); F = 59 - 0 points (59 - 0%)

We are at our best when:

  • We act with Academic Integrity, which means no plagiarism, no cheating, no damaging of other people’s work, and no assisting someone else’s dishonesty. Plagiarism is the act of appropriating and using the ideas, writings, or works of another person as your own without giving proper citation to the person who created it. I will follow the university’s procedure for plagiarism and discipline to the highest extent allowable, which can include an “F” for this course and the act of plagiarism noted in your academic file. Any further offenses entail suspension or expulsion. Additionally, the course is protected by and compliant with copyright law and intellectual property rights following university policy.
  • We are Actively Engaged with each other. As a student, you must participate in class regularly, attentively, and promptly with readings and assignments completed. As a professor, I must be available to you for encouraging and guiding you to excel in your education.
  • We are Responsible for Everything said in class. We make sure to be responsible for getting class notes and lectures from another students if we are absent. Only after we have received and read those notes can you contact me with further questions about the class.
  • We do what is Effective, not what is Popular. We do the hard and real work of growing our understanding. We do not do simple, fancy, or splashy assignments. We’re not interested in fads, but what works in growing young intellectuals that can achieve profound goals. No shortcuts.
  • We use any Digital Devices appropriately during class time such as cell phones, text messaging, smart watches, tablets, or laptops. If you do not follow this policy, you will not be able to earn participation points for the class meeting. If it continues to be a problem, your overall point total will be reduced according to the severity of your lack of engagement.
  • We turn in our Assignments and Papers promptly as directed by the professor. Even if you are absent, you are still responsible for turning in your assignments by the beginning of class or as directed. If your assignment is late, your grade for that assignment will be lowered at least by 10% for each day that it is late. Your grade will continue to be lowered to zero at my discretion until it is submitted.
  • We attend Prepared for all Exams. These should not be missed. If you cannot attend an exam, you must consult me in advance and receive clear approval from me. No make-up exams will be given unless you receive clear approval beforehand or as determined by me. Since the dates of the exams are clearly communicated, it is unlikely that you will receive approval.
  • We learn because We Are Human and we desire to know the truth about the divine, the world, and ourselves. We strive for Excellence without Excuses.