mriedel@div.duke.edu
Teaching
Courses
Spring 2018Heresies and Heretics - advanced graduate seminar
This course traces attempts to enforce orthodoxy from the days of Constantine to the present. Driving questions are: what constitutes heresy, how has the Church historically responded to it, and what is the best way to handle heresy today?
Byzantium and Islam: Eastern Perspectives - intermediate graduate seminar
Current geopolitical tensions between Christendom and Islam are not new. These interactions have a long and sometimes violent history, saturated with ideological commitments on both sides. For reasons of geography, the eastern Byzantine empire confronted Islam for far longer than did Europe, from the time of Muhammad (d. 632) until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 at the hands of the Ottomans. What did Muslims and their Christian neighbors in the pre-Crusader era consider worth dying for? What compelled military conflict between adherents of these faiths, how was it resolved, and how was it remembered? The history of this troubled relationship will be investigated through study of the rise of Islam, its reception by Christians and Jews, political and military conflicts as well as more irenic interreligious and cultural connections between the caliphate and the Byzantine empire.
Theological differences and similarities will be highlighted. The terms 'holy war', 'crusade' and 'jihad' will be explored in their various definitions, with special attention to memorials of sacrifice and death. A survey of original sources will be conducted, with particular attention to the ecclesial and historiographical texts, in an attempt to understand discrepancies and contradictions in modern interpretations of the historical record. Byzantine, Islamic and European attitudes to war and peace in the early medieval era will be compared, with some discussion of how these complemented and contradicted religious tenets.
Fall 2017Becoming Divine: History and Theology of Eastern Orthodoxy - introductory graduate seminar
This course is designed to provide students with an historical framework within which to understand the theology, doctrine, and praxis of the Eastern Orthodox Church from the patristic era to the end of the Byzantine empire. It is organized roughly chronologically, but because the Orthodox church views its doctrine as essentially changeless from the beginning (and therefore without a history), some topics will be examined synthetically rather than sequentially. for example, the relation between Orthodox thinking and other religions like Islam, Judaism, and Latin Christianity was often accompanied by awesome political cataclysms such as iconoclasm, the sack of Constantinople in 1204 by the Fourth Crusade, and the end of the empire itself in 1453 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The special place of the emperor in Byzantine ecclesiology, the institutional history of Eastern monasticism, and the development of schismatic doctrines will receive particular attention. Driving questions for this course will consider the differences with Western Christianity, unique aspects of worship, and the relation between believing, teaching, and confessing.
History and Theology of Byzantine Iconography - advanced graduate seminar
The role of icons and iconography in the Eastern Orthodox tradition is inextricably linked to Byzantine Christian theology and belief. In Byzantium and in the world of Greek Christianity from late antiquity up to the present day, icons serve as intercessors, liturgical items, palladia, vessels of healing, sources of divine favor, representations of theological truth, media for artistic expression and inspiration, and objects of beauty. They were influenced by Byzantine learning and in turn influenced Greek ideas of theology and reality. As important cultural products, icons and their Christian iconography are worthy of study for their theological authority as well as their historical significance in the development of Eastern Orthodox thought and praxis. This course aims to expose students to the sensory world of Byzantine worship through deep study of its iconography and history.
Spring 2017The Church in Italy - travel course to Italy, co-taught with Dr. Beth Sheppard
Spring 2016Heresies and Heretics - advanced graduate seminar
Modern European Christianity - required/core lecture course
As a survey of Christian church history from the fourteenth century CE to the present, this course is divided into three parts. In the first part, we focus on the demographic shift of the critical mass of the Church from east to west by considering the failure of the Crusades, the transformation of Europe wrought by the Black Death, and the fall of Constantinople. The central part of the course deals with the theological changes of the Reformation and its offspring, including the Enlightenment and the rise of European empires. The last part of the course examines ideological developments in Europe and their impact on the Church, particularly in relation to the state.
War in the Land of Shalom - travel course to Israel, co-taught with Dr. Beth Sheppard
Fall 2015Becoming Divine: History and Theology of Eastern Orthodoxy - introductory graduate seminar
Byzantium and Islam: Eastern Perspectives - intermediate graduate seminar
Spring 2015Heresies and Heretics - advanced graduate seminar
The Ecumenical Councils and the Churches of Revelation - travel course to Turkey, co-taught with Dr. Beth Sheppard
Fall 2014Becoming Divine: History and Theology of Eastern Orthodoxy - introductory graduate seminar
History of the Crusades - introductory graduate seminar
The combination of war and religion is common to all human civilizations. The Crusades, distinctive to western European culture from the late eleventh century, are one example of this phenomenon. Crusading reflected a social mentality grounded in war as a central force of protection, arbitration, social discipline, political expression and material gain. Understood by participants at once as a statement of Christian charity, religious devotion and godly savagery, the `wars of the cross¿ created a shared sense of belonging to a Christian society, to Christendom itself, and helped define the nature of Europe. The Crusades were and are controversial and contentious far beyond the academic community. More than any other incident of medieval European history they have entered the sphere of public history, where the past is captured in abiding cultural myths of inheritance, self-image, and identity. The massacres of Palestinian Muslims and Jews at Jerusalem in 1099 and of Greek Christians at Constantinople in 1204 have left a residue of pain, anger, guilt and pride, depending on which legacy, if any, modern observers wish to claim for themselves. This course will thoroughly examine the historical record of the Crusades and grapple with their legacy for Western Christians today.
Spring 2014Modern European Christianity - required/core lecture course
Byzantium and the Bible - advanced graduate seminar
This course examines how the Byzantines thought about and employed the Christian scriptures in various contexts. It is intended to be an exploration into previously uncharted territory, a first foray toward thinking the thoughts of Eastern Christians who lived centuries before us, and identifying the historical significance of their neglected contribution. Although the Byzantines inevitably gave preeminence to the early Church Fathers, this class will focus largely on post-patristic to early medieval evidence (ca. sixth-twelfth centuries).
Fall 2013Becoming Divine: History and Theology of Eastern Orthodoxy - introductory graduate seminar
History and Theology of Byzantine Iconography - advanced graduate seminar
Spring 2013History of the Crusades - introductory graduate seminar
Byzantium and Islam: Eastern Perspectives - intermediate graduate seminar
Fall 2012History of Eastern Orthodoxy - introductory graduate seminar
History and Theology of Byzantine Iconography - advanced graduate seminar
Spring 2012HIST 105-2
World History: 1500 to the present
Independent survey course of my design.
HIST 105-S
World History: ca. 1300-2000
Three seminars and six lectures for team-taught lecture-based survey course in world history.
HIST 111
World History: Ancient to Modern
Independent survey course designed primarily for students seeking secondary teacher certification.
HIST 494
Independent Study: Christians, Romans and Just War
Bespoke course for one history major on the topic of his choice.
HIST 495
Independent Study: Education in the Byzantine Empire
Bespoke course for one history major on the topic of his choice.
Fall 2011HIST 105-2, HIST 105-3
World History: 1500 to the present
Two independent survey courses of my design.
HIST 105-S
World History: ca. 1300-2000
One seminar and three lectures for team-taught lecture-based survey course in world history.
Spring 2011'Crusade and jihad: holy war in east and west during the tenth to early twelfth centuries' (GH IV)
Lecture for the Faculty of History, Exam Schools, University of Oxford
‘The Byzantine World, 1071-1204’
Centre for Medieval & Renaissance Studies, University of Oxford
‘Gods, Men and Power: An introduction to the ancient world from Homer to Mohammed’
(Augustus to Mohammed)
Royal Holloway University London
Fall 2010‘History and Theology of the Byzantine Church, 1000-1453’
Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford
‘Gods, Men and Power: An introduction to the ancient world from Homer to Mohammed’
(Homer to Julius Caesar)
Royal Holloway University London
Teaching PhilosophyTeaching is more than telling, and learning is more than listening. I have found this to be true regardless of the subject matter. History is often regarded by students as merely a litany of dates and events. In an introductory level survey course, where students may be taking the class only because they have to, I see it as the teacher’s job to whet students’ intellectual appetite for the delights and curiosities of history, as well as its lifelong benefits. To show students that history is not boring, the teacher herself must not only be fascinated by her subject, but also able to articulate this in a clear and engaging manner.
My philosophy of teaching is built around the integrity of the student-teacher relationship, because learning is an organic process that requires a real commitment on the part of the teacher as mentor to maximize each student’s intellectual development.Learning requires curiosity, discipline, and humility, in my opinion. To teach well requires even more curiosity, discipline and humility on the part of the instructor – curiosity about my students, so that the lessons are shaped in a way that reaches them where they are; discipline to return written work promptly and with helpful comments, because a lack of feedback is one of the major complaints of students generally; and humility to realize that no one knows everything, and it is better to admit it than attempt to convince students of one’s omniscience.
As an historian, I emphasize the necessity of grappling with primary sources, to train each student to develop the critical thinking and analytical skills that will enable him or her to interpret various kinds of data. For example, I prefer to lead a discussion rather than simply deliver lectures, because students become more engaged when they are required to articulate their own opinions. To do this, I ask open-ended questions to help my students figure things out on their own, without being spoon-fed. I want to hear their voices, their opinions, and their questions. I often tell my students that asking good questions leads to the best answers. I want them to learn to think critically, to write clearly, and to understand the larger issues at stake.
It is important to teach the budding historian to handle sources deftly, without forcing them to bear undue weight, and to articulate one’s analysis with clarity, precision, and grace. It is crucial to give the students context for the sources that they read, so that they understand the particular political commitments, educational level, or literary goals of each historical author. One favorite technique for assessing my students’ grasp of their reading is to ask them to summarize the contents and approach of an author in their own words, ‘translated’ as it were for the 21st century. This helps to bring the personalities of historical writers alive, and can sometimes be hugely entertaining as well.
Although lecturing is sometimes necessary, I have found that one learns in conversation with others, as part of a community marked by intellectual curiosity and mutual respect. History, like life, is not dry but peopled with fascinating ideas and events designed by human beings, and a good teacher must understand and appreciate other perspectives. I am delighted when a student chooses to write an essay on a topic that challenges, rather than staying within the comfort zone. If students can argue successfully for a viewpoint that they do not personally share, then that is measurable progress in the development of their ability to articulate another’s perspective.
Teaching is an all-absorbing endeavor that is difficult to master. I do not consider myself to have mastered it, but I very much enjoy the process, and consider it a great privilege to be entrusted with the education of the young.