A Course on Line

Spring 2012

This is a graduate course in Unitarian Universalist (UU) History.  The course will cover the history of liberal religion from its origins in the Renaissance and Radical Reformation and its development in Europe, to its history in the United States and Canada.  The course will also critically examine contemporary issues.

UU History is a three-credit, semester-long course designed for Unitarian Universalist seminarians who do not have access to courses in denominational history at or near their seminaries.  The short course is designed for members of congregations Dr. Forsey serves, and is intended to increase awareness of Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist history, help to create an opportunity for members to get to know each other and provide a forum for Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists who simply love learning.

The short version of the course is not graded and there are no papers due.  However, everyone in the class is expected to read as much of the material as possible, post a page or less once a week on responses to what is read and respond to the postings of one or two colleagues in the class once a week.  Postings may be as brief as one paragraph, especially when responding to a posting of another student.

The primary text for the course is Earl Morse Wilbur’s Our Unitarian Heritage.  It will provide the narrative throughout most of our class.  Wilbur’s text will be supplemented by scholarly articles, helpful bibliographies, and links to the growing body of historical material on the World Wide Web.  The course is divided into fourteen units.  We will cover one unit per week.  To successfully complete each unit, students are required to complete all of the assigned readings and to post a weekly one-page reflection paper to the “Discussion” forum to share with other students.  Students and instructors are in ongoing conversation throughout the semester.  In addition, a final paper (printed copy) will be mailed to the professor at the end of the course.

Below, you will find course expectations, a brief syllabus, and instructions about how to register for the course.  You may also follow a link to sample a typical unit of the course on the topic of Transcendentalism.  All other parts of the course are protected by a password which you will receive upon full payment.

If you would like to sample a typical unit of the course (on Transcendentalism), click here.