Orthodox Christian Studies Minor
The Orthodox Christian Studies minor is an interdisciplinary minor focusing on the faith, history, and cultural significance of the Orthodox Christian tradition.
No matter your major, critical study of the Orthodox Christian tradition offers insights and context for understanding some of the world's most significant issues:
- You'll find a rich trove of artistic, cultural, historical, literary, philosophical, and religious resources for exploring the human condition past and present.
- Orthodox Christian studies acts as a cultural bridge, connecting religious traditions from throughout Asia Minor, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Russia.
- You'll gain a greater familiarity with the range of modern Orthodox cultures—from Moscow to Baghdad —that is essential for success in today's global environment.
Students are required to take Byzantine Christianity and can choose from elective courses* across several disciplines, including art and music history, classics, history, languages and cultures, philosophy, and theology. Courses could include:
- Byzantine and Western Art
- Understanding Historical Change: Medieval
- Russian Short Fiction
- Byzantium and the West
- Hospitality and Cosmopolitanism
- The Crusades
*Courses that meet general college requirements or other major/minor requirements may be applied toward the completion of the Orthodox Studies minor. For example, THEO 3316 Byzantine Christianity, currently fulfills the sophomore theology core requirement.
Fordham University is the only university in the United States that offers a minor in Orthodox Christian Studies, supported by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center. The center's mission is to foster intellectual inquiry by supporting scholarship and teaching in a way that is relevant to the ecclesial community, public discourse, and the promotion of Christian unity. The center serves as the locus of all curricular, research, and outreach activities related to the interdisciplinary study of Orthodox Christian traditions.
The minor consists of the following six courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| THEO 3316 | Byzantine Christianity 1 | 3 |
| One course with the attribute OCAH: Art History | 4 | |
| One course with the attribute OCHS: History/Social Science | 3 to 4 | |
| Select three additional electives 2 | 9 to 12 | |
- 1
The required course, in general, is offered by the theology department every year.
- 2
No more than two electives can be from any one discipline. A list of elective courses, courses with the OCST attribute, can be found on our course listing page.
Art History courses
Courses in this group have the OCAH attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARHI 2305 | Gods, Monsters, Heroes, and Mortals: Narrative in Greek Art | 4 |
| ARHI 2315 | Roman Art | 4 |
| ARHI 2341 | Medieval Desire and Devotion | 4 |
| ARHI 2360 | Illuminated Manuscripts | 4 |
| ARHI 3316 | Art and Architecture of Rome | 4 |
| LACU 3076 | Great Russian Minds: Mikhail Bakhtin | 4 |
| LACU 3085 | The Russian Icon in Literature, Theology, Avant Garde Art, Film, Music, Museums and Politics | 4 |
| MVST 2360 | Illuminated Manuscripts | 4 |
| THEO 4420 | Early Christian Art in Context | 4 |
History/Social Science courses
Courses in this group have the OCHS attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 1300 | Understanding Historical Change: Medieval | 3 |
| HIST 1700 | Understanding Historical Change: Mideast | 3 |
| HIST 1750 | Understanding Historical Change: Islamic History and Culture | 3 |
| HIST 3270 | The Crusades | 4 |
| HIST 3614 | Revolutionary and Soviet Russia | 4 |
| HIST 3637 | Stalinism: Making the Soviet State | 4 |
| HIST 3982 | The Islamic World and the Crusades, 1099-Ca.1700 | 4 |
| HIST 3985 | Ottoman Empire/ 1300-1800 | 4 |
| HIST 3986 | Religion and Politics in Islamic History | 4 |
| MVST 3552 | Medieval Philosophy | 4 |
| MVST 3590 | Medieval Political Philosophy | 4 |
| MVST 4009 | Medieval Jerusalem | 4 |
| PHIL 3501 | Ancient Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3552 | Medieval Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 3557 | Confessions of Augustine | 4 |
| PHIL 3591 | Medieval Political Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 4408 | Hospitality and Cosmopolitanism | 4 |
| POSC 3651 | Comparative Politics of the Middle East | 4 |
| THEO 3332 | Christians, Muslims, Jews in the Medieval Period | 3 |
Students are encouraged to apply courses that meet general college requirements or other major/minor requirements towards the completion of this minor. For example, the core course Byzantine Christianity (THEO 3316) currently fulfills the sophomore theology core requirement.
Should faculty sabbaticals or other developments create a situation that limits the availability of courses, the directors of the program would have the authority to amend the guidelines regarding the distribution of electives.
Availability
The minor in Orthodox Christian studies is available at Fordham College at Rose Hill and Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Students in Fordham's School of Professional and Continuing Studies may minor in Orthodox Christian studies only if they receive the approval of their advising dean and/or department, and their schedules are sufficiently flexible to permit them to take day courses at the Rose Hill or Lincoln Center campuses.