About the Course
Here's a quick look at the course
It's Internet-Only
The course is fully virtual. We have no classroom. To participate, you need only an Internet connection and a web browser.
It's Asynchronous
There are no scheduled online times, no chat rooms, no meeting rooms. There are assignment deadlines, but you will have a good deal of flexibility in how you schedule your time.
It's About the Protestant Reformation
The course covers European history (mainly western Europe) from 1500 to 1700. The Protestant Reformation is the topic, with political and social history addressed mainly as they relate to and help explain the principal topic.
Lots of Reading, Lots of Writing
Two books are required, plus quite a bit of online reading--roughly the equivalent of another book or two. This does not count the additional reading you will do in connection with your term paper.
The writing will be the participation in the online discussion (which comes to about fifty messages over the semester, though that's a minimum), plus the term paper.
No, Seriously
The above may not sound like much, but years of student feedback has told me that this online course is at least as difficult as any live course, requiring at least as much time. The general consensus is, in fact, that the course is if anything a little bit harder than the usual. Students also say they learn much more and that the workload is not excessive.
Those who take the course because they "don't have enough time" for a campus class are the ones who usually either drop the course or who don't do as well as they'd hoped. Devote as much commitment and energy to this course as you would to any other, and you will find it quite rewarding.