2
The Catholic University of America
School of Theology and Religious Studies
TRS 200: Introduction to the Old Testament
Section 2
______
3 credit hours
Class times and places:
M W F 2:10–3:00 in Pangborn 302.
Instructors: There is a professor primarily responsible for teaching the class on Mondays and Wednesdays, and a teaching assistant primarily responsible for teaching on Fridays. Contact the teaching assistant for attendance/participation issues. You may contact either instructor for any other reason.
David Bosworth (), Asst. Professor of Old Testament
Office: Caldwell 426
Office Hours: MTWTh 8:00-9:00am; 11:00-12:00pm
Kelly Wilson: (), Teaching Assistant
Available by email and by appointment.
Course Description: An introduction to the books and theologies of the Old Testament. Will cover Priestly history, Deuteronomic history, the Prophets, and Wisdom literature. Examines methods for interpreting the Old Testament, especially in light of the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Divine Revelation.
Learning goals:
1. Demonstrate biblical literacy by recounting the biblical narrative, identifying biblical characters and events, and distinguishing structural segments of biblical literature.
2. Read biblical literature critically and closely, recognizing tensions, contradictions, repetitions, analogies, and showing sensitivity to issues of characterization, historical context, metaphor and related matters.
3. Read secondary literature, use resources for biblical study appropriately and display understanding of the material by writing abstracts and integrating sources into written work.
4. Write clearly and effectively about problems and issues involving Old Testament literature.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet and ability to use selected resources for biblical study that require this knowledge.
Important Dates:
Jan 28: Abstract of Trible article due by 12:00 noon
Feb 6: Abstract of Clark article due by 12:00 noon
Feb 18: Abstract of Cohen article due by 12:00 noon
Feb 20: Abstract of Gur-Klein article due by 12:00 noon
Feb 24: Prospectus for Paper due by 12:00 noon
March 13: Abstract of Exum article due by 12:00 noon
March 31: Paper due by 12:00 noon
April 17: Abstract of Crenshaw article due by 12:00 noon
May 6 at 1:30–3:30: Final exam
Required Resources:
1. NOAB: New Oxford Annotated Bible (3rd augmented edition). The NOAB (the abbreviation used for the text in this class) is a good study Bible with notes on the text, introductions to each biblical book, essays on such topics as biblical history and geography, and various other helps (chronological charts, etc). There are other good study Bibles, but you will need to read some of the materials unique to the NOAB (which is also available in the Theology Reference Library). Also, some exam questions concerning background to the biblical books will be based on the NOAB introductions to biblical books. Other study Bibles may or may not have the same information.
2. Internet access, including university email. Many assigned readings will be available electronically on Blackboard or from the internet, and work will typically be handed in through Blackboard.
Course Requirements:
Paper (20%): 5% prospectus; 15% paper
Homework (20%): There will be homework due for most classes. Homework must be handed in through Blackboard by 12:00pm (noon) on the day it is due. Late work will not be accepted. The homework will involve a variety of tasks. Most often, the homework will be short answers to questions related to the readings designed to help you learn to read biblical literature closely and to articulate problems.
Abstracts (15%): There will be several abstracts of scholarly articles due. All abstract combined will be worth 15% of the grade, or 2.5% each. These will allow you to practice skills in a specific kind of reading and writing.
Participation (20%): You will loose 10% of your participation points for each missed class except for the first absence (lateness is half an absence). Your participation grade depends primarily on attendance. It will also reflect whether you were inattentive or disruptive in class. Participating in discussion can improve your grade; not participating will not hurt your grade.
Quizzes (15%): There will be a two or three quizzes during the semester that will prepare you for the exam. There will also be several quizzes related to the Hebrew alphabet. The total average of all your Hebrew quizzes will count as one “regular” quiz.
Final (10%): There will be a final exam during exam week. The questions will resemble those from the quizzes. There is also a review sheet available on Blackboard from the beginning of the semester. You will be alerted when the review sheet is updated.
University Resources: The university has several resources to help you succeed at CUA. These include (but are not limited to) the following:
The Center for Academic Success (http://success.cua.edu/services/) offers a range of services to help you learn how to learn, manage your time, and generally succeed in college.
The Writing Center (O’Boyle 111, http://english.cua.edu/wc/) can offer a variety of services to help you with written work. You may find them especially useful for early stages of thinking about an assignment, but they can also help you develop editorial skills useful in the late stages of writing. Their website specifies what they can and can not do for you.
Academic Tutoring and Learning Assistance Service (ATLAS, O’Boyle 101, http://counseling.cua.edu/atlas/FAQs.cfm) offers a range of counseling services including free workshops (e.g., help with study skills), peer tutoring, and psychological counseling (free and confidential, in O’Boyle 127, http://counseling.cua.edu/about/).
The Mullen Library is the most useful library for researching the paper topics and includes a Theology Reference Library of non-circulating materials (including the NOAB). You can also access online an extraordinary collection of online databases. For this class, ATLA is the most significant, but for some topics involving research beyond biblical studies you should explore other databases which are organized both alphabetically and by discipline (see “find databases” at http://libraries.cua.edu/welcome.html). For information on how to use the library for biblical research, see the handout “On Writing” available on Blackboard. Note also the links at the top of the page at the link given above.
Disability Support Services: Any student with a documented disability should contact the instructor and Disability Support Services (at 202-319-5211, room 207 Pryzbyla Center) to coordinate reasonable accommodations. To read about the services and accommodations, visit the website at http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu.
You probably have Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference (6th ed), which is required for several classes including freshman composition (among other classes). It is a useful reference for writing in general, including for this class. It is available in the bookstore.
Classroom Expectations: Students and instructors should be on time and prepared with readings and assignments completed before class. All cell phones and similarly distracting devices should be turned off or set to vibrate. Everyone should be attentive to the presentation or discussion and respectful of one another.
Class will typically be discussion with occasional short presentations by instructors. The professor will lead the discussion and track its evolution on the chalkboard. On tests and quizzes, students will be responsible for readings as well as the class discussions and presentations. All quizzes will be announced in advance, but the instructor may employ “pop quizzes” if necessary.
Academic Honesty: Students are sometimes confused about what constitutes plagiarism. The English Department has a convenient clarifying handout at http://libraries.cua.edu/instruct/AvPlagiarism.pdf. See also http://success.cua.edu/services/paper-writing.cfm and follow the first two links. Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Guide (6th ed.) also has useful guidelines on pp. 344-57, 358-61, 420-21, and 463-66.
Academic honesty is required of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a student’s own work, cheating, and fabrication. The University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty state in part:
The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student’s past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be appropriate.
See the University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty (http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityprocedures.cfm).
Mechanics of Citing Scripture
There are several systems for briefly indicating the location of a text that is quoted or referred to in the Bible. First, the titles of biblical books may be abbreviated in various ways (no need to italicize). Do not invent your own abbreviations. In your writing for this class, use a previously established system (such as the abbreviations listed in the front of your Bible), or spell out the full titles.
To indicate the chapter and verse(s) of a passage, simply note the title, then the chapter number, then a colon, then the verse number(s). This is the most widely used system in the United States. It is the system used for this syllabus and Blackboard. Here are some examples:
Gen 6:1-4 (Genesis chapter 6 verses 1 through 4)
Gen 6:4 (Genesis chapter 6 verse 4)
Gen 6:1, 4 (Genesis chapter 6 verses one and four, but not two and three)
Genesis 6–9 (Genesis chapters 6 through 9; chapter separations employ a longer dash [called an “m-dash”]. You can make the longer dash by holding the control button and pressing the minus sign on the number pad on a PC or hold command and press the minus sign on a Mac)
Some systems (mostly used in Europe) use a comma or period instead of a colon to separate chapter and verse numbers.
Gen 6.1-4 (This is the system used by the New Oxford Annotated Bible)
Gen 6, 1-4 (This system is used by some editions of the New American Bible)
If a comma is used to separate chapter and verse, then a period is used to separate verses when they are not inclusive:
Gen 6, 1.4 (Genesis chapter 6 verses one and four [but not two and three], in the style of some editions of the New American Bible)
In addition to this syllabus, students should be familiar with the University policies in the current catalogue and undergraduate student handbook. This syllabus is subject to change. Pay attention to Blackboard. Whenever Blackboard is updated (normally once per week), the instructor will send an email to all students.
Calendar of Readings and Major Due Dates
NOTE: The readings from the Bible are listed first, followed by supplementary materials in the NOAB, followed by other materials that will be available on Blackboard. The announcements on Blackboard for each week will also indicate the readings for each day and where to find them (always in the NOAB or on Blackboard).
Week 1: (Jan 12) Creation
M: Introduction, Genesis 1
W: Genesis 1–3; Dei Verbum; Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy; Course Syllabus
F: “Translations of the Bible into English” in NOAB pp. 466-71; handouts on translating Genesis 1:1.
Week 2: (Jan 19) Creation
M: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no class
W: “Science, Evolution, and Creationism” by Nat. Acad. of Sciences
F: Psalm 8; “Textual Criticism” in NOAB pp. 460-66.
Week 3: (Jan 26) Creation
M: Genesis 1–11; “Canons of the Bible” in NOAB; Immanuel Kant, “What is Enlightenment” and “Conjectures on the Beginning of Human History”; handout on Original Sin
W: Genesis 2:4–3:24; Ancient Interpretation of Genesis 2–3; Phyllis Trible, “Eve and Adam: Genesis 2–3 Reread”; Abstract of Trible article due by 12:00 noon.
F: Genesis 4:1-16; two midrashim on Genesis 4; “Literary Approaches” NOAB
Week 4: (Feb 2) Ancestors of Israel
M: Genesis 12:1–25:11; “The Geography of the Bible” in NOAB pp. 505-507.
W: Genesis 25:12–36:43; Ancient Christian commentary on Genesis 22
F: Genesis 34; Ron Clark, “The Silence in Dinah’s Cry”; Abstract of Clark article due by 12:00 noon
Week 5: (Feb 9) In and Out of Egypt
M: Genesis 37–50; “The New Testament Interprets the Jewish Scriptures” and “Christian Interpretation in the Premodern Era” in NOAB.
W: Exodus 1–18
F: Exodus 13:17-15:21; “Source Criticism” in NOAB; Robert Allen Warrior, “A Native American Perspective: Canaanites, Cowboys, and Indians”
Week 6: (Feb 16) Law and Wilderness
M: Exodus 19–24; 32–34; Numbers 9–17; 20–25; “The Hebrew Bible’s Interpretation of Itself” and “Jewish Interpretation in the Premodern Era” in NOAB.
W: Leviticus 11–20; Martin Cohen, “The Biblical Prohibition of Homosexual Intercourse”; Abstract of Cohen article due by 12:00 noon.
F: Genesis 18–19; Judges 19; Thalia Gur-Klein, “Sexual Hospitality in the Hebrew Bible”; Abstract of Isherwood article due
Week 7: (Feb 23) Law and Wilderness
M: Deuteronomy 1–26; 2 Kings 22–23
T: PROSPECTUS DUE by 12:00 noon
W: Deuteronomy 27–34
F: Deuteronomy 20; Joshua 6–7
Week 8: (March 2) Spring Break
M: No class
W: No class
F: No class
Week 9: (March 9) Conquest and Land
M: Joshua 1–11 and 23–24; Origen’s Homilies on Joshua (selections)
W: Judges 1–16; 19–21; 1 Samuel 1–8
F: Judges 4–5, 11, 13–16, 19; J. Cheryl Exum, “Feminist Criticism: Whose Interests Are Being Served?”; Abstract of Exum article due by 12:00 noon.
Week 10: (March 16) Monarchy
M: 1 Samuel 8–31 and 2 Samuel 1–5; “Interpretation of the Bible: From the 19th Century to the Mid-twentieth Centuries” in NOAB pp. 491-497.
W: 2 Samuel 5–28; Handout on rape
F: Genesis 34; Judges 19; 2 Samuel 11–13; John L. Thompson, “Reading Sex and Violence”
Week 11: (March 23) Monarchy
M: 1 Kings; “Contemporary Methods in Biblical Study” in NOAB
W: 2 Kings
F: 1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 14–16; John J. Collins, “The Crisis in Historiography”
Week 12: (March 30) Prophecy
M: Amos; “Economic Justice for All” by US Catholic Bishops (selections)
T: PAPER DUE by 12:00 noon.
W: Isaiah 1–12; 40-54; Justin Martyr, “First Apology” (selection)
F: Micah; “Form Criticism” in NOAB
Week 13: (April 6) Prophecy
M: Hosea 1–3; Jeremiah 1–7; 13; Ezekiel 1–3; 16; 23; Renita Weems, Battered Love (selection)
W: Lamentations 1–2 and 5; Song of Songs; Origin on Song of Songs (selection)
F: Good Friday, no class
Week 14: (April 13) Wisdom
M: Easter Monday, no class
W: Proverbs 1–9; 25–31 “The value of a College Degree” by Kathleen Porter
F: Proverbs 31; James L. Crenshaw, “Poverty and Punishment in the Book of Proverbs”; Abstract of Crenshaw article due
Week 15: (April 20) Wisdom
M: Job 1–24
W: Job 38–42
F: Psalms 8, 58, 150; Adele Berlin, “Introduction to Hebrew Poetry”
Week 16: (April 27) Psalms
M: Psalms 1–23; 40–42
W: Psalms 120–139
F: Ruth; Jonah
Week 16: (May 1?) FINAL EXAM WEEK
Final Exam on Wed. May 6 at 1:30–3:30