Global Education Course in Switzerland
Dates: June 19-30, 2027
CH-637: The Swiss Reformation
Professor: Dr. Carolynne Hitter Brown
Course Fee: TBD *
Relive the watershed events of the Protestant Reformation by taking The Swiss Reformation class in Calvin’s and Zwingli’s backyard. This 3-credit course can serve as an elective for the majority of Gordon-Conwell students.
The faculty leader for the course, Dr. Carolynne Hitter Brown, teaches Church History at Gordon-Conwell. As a social historian, Dr. Hitter Brown will guide students in exploring the historical, cultural, and political landscape that helped shape the Swiss Reformation. The class will retrace the steps of major Swiss Reformers like Heinrich Bullinger, Ulrich Zwingli, William Farel, and John Calvin by exploring key Reformation-related churches, monasteries, battle fields, lecture halls, and museums. Dr. Hitter Brown will assist the class in recounting the story of humanism and its influence on Bible translation and printing, the origins and persecution of Anabaptists, what earned Geneva its nickname: the “Protestant Vatican,” and much more.
As a professional musician, Dr. Hitter Brown will also highlight the role of music and the arts during the Reformation, with a particular look into iconoclasm and its enduring social and cultural influences. Dr. Hitter Brown will further guide students in their consideration of the significant roles of marginalized groups such as women, Radical Reformers, and the Huguenots and will guide reflection and discussion on the Swiss Reformation’s legacy in contemporary Christianity.
Participants will have the opportunity to live and work at the ancient Kappel Monastery for part of the course. A time of spiritual retreat is planned during a day trip to the world-renowned L’Abri Fellowship in the Swiss Alps. Interspersed with Reformation visits and lectures will be opportunities to worship in local Swiss churches like Hillsong Zurich, visit the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Center, travel on high-speed Swiss trains, and enjoy such world-famous delicacies as cheese fondue and Swiss chocolate.
