HUM 202: The Human Narrative II
Religious, philosophical, and cultural advancements between the birth of Christ and 1650 — Augustine to Descartes.
Course Description
HUM 202 picks up where HUM 201 leaves off, covering roughly 1,650 years of religious, philosophical, and cultural development — from the birth of Christ through the early modern period. Students work through the writings of Augustine, Boethius, Milton, Shakespeare, Donne, and Descartes to trace recurring themes like human responsibility, divine action, and ultimate meaning.
Along the way, the course investigates the political, scientific, and religious developments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with attention to musical, architectural, and artistic artifacts that shaped how people understood themselves. Students consider differing conceptions of the relationship between faith and reason — and engage the precursors to modern thought that emerged in this period.
Paired with BIB 222 Image Bearers in the degree pathway, the course keeps both the human and biblical stories in view at once.
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Learning Outcomes
Engage Major Christian and Modern Thinkers
Read Augustine, Boethius, Milton, Shakespeare, Donne, and Descartes in context.
Trace Recurring Themes
Follow questions of human responsibility, divine action, and ultimate meaning across the period.
Examine Medieval Developments
Understand the political, scientific, and religious shifts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Engage the Arts of the Period
Study the music, architecture, and visual art that shaped how people understood themselves.
Wrestle With Faith and Reason
Examine differing conceptions of how faith and reason relate, and trace precursors to modern thought.
Biblical Worldview Connection
The fifteen centuries between the birth of Christ and 1650 are when much of the Christian intellectual tradition took shape. A Biblical Worldview treats that history as a live conversation — one worth knowing, learning from, and continuing. HUM 202 reads the period that way, alongside BIB 222 in the standard degree pathway.
Explore Programs With This Course
HUM 202 carries ACU's humanities sequence into the Christian and early modern world. Explore the programs that include it.
