Global Education Course in Switzerland
Dates: TBD (Anticipated Spring/Summer 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. 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 John Calvin by exploring key Reformation-related churches, monasteries, castles, and museums. Dr. Brown will assist the class in recounting the story of Zwingli and the persecution of Anabaptists. There will be time for reflection at sites where Reformation fugitives escaped, were imprisoned, or martyred.
Dr. Brown will further guide students in their consideration of the significant roles of marginalized groups such as women, Radical Reformers, and the Huguenots. As a professional musician, she 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. Further discussions will include reflection on the Swiss Reformation’s legacy in contemporary Christianity.
Additional highlights include the chance to live and work at the ancient Kappel Monastery for part of the course. Toward the end of the class, the group will enjoy two nights of spiritual retreat at 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, travel on high-speed Swiss trains, and enjoy such world-famous delicacies as cheese fondue and Swiss chocolates.