Fall 2016/Sacramento
OT500
Ramos
OT500: OLD TESTAMENT INTRODUCTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Melissa D. Ramos
DESCRIPTION: This course orients students to the literature of the Old Testament in its various literary, historical, and theological contexts and to Old Testament interpretation in service of Christian practice. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel will be the focus of study.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete this course will have demonstrated that they: (1) have a basic grasp of the contents of Israel’s Scriptures, history, and geography; (2) can use interpretive approaches that explore both the literary features of the Old Testament and the historical and cultural contexts in which it came into being; (3) can assess hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers; (4) can relate the Old Testament as Scripture to Christian theology, mission, and discipleship; and (5) have used this knowledge and these abilities to interpret some key Old Testament texts.
COURSE FORMAT: This is a hybrid+ course, meaning that it is a ten-week course with nine weeks of online instruction and one week of classroom instruction during week six of the quarter. The week of classroom instruction will include four hours daily of lecture and discussion, as well as additional lunch meetings and evening sessions (required in hybrid+ courses). Classroom and online instruction will include lecture and discussion for a total of 40 instructional hours.
REQUIRED READING: 1,050 total pages required
Passages from Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Deuteronomy; 1 & 2 Samuel; Joshua; Judges; 1 & 2 Kings; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel; Daniel; Amos; Micah; Haggai; Ezra; Nehemiah; Psalms; Song of Songs; Ecclesiastes; Esther; Ruth (NRSV, TNIV, or CEB) [375 pp. assigned].
Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 2nd ed. Fortress, 2014. ISBN: 978- 1451472943, Pub. Price $45.00 [233 pp. assigned].
Available on eReserves:
Brenner, Athalya, Archie Chi-chung Lee, and Gale A. Yee, eds. Genesis: Texts and Contexts. Augsburg Fortress, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800659998, Pub. Price $40.00 [20 pp. assigned].
Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN: 978-0199538362, Pub. Price $13.95 [20 pp. assigned].
Day, Linda and Carolyn Pressler. Engaging the Bible in a Gendered World: An Introduction to Feminist Biblical Interpretation in Honor of Katharine Doob Sakenfeld. Westminster John Knox, 2006. [44 pp. assigned].
Hallo, William and K. Lawson Younger. The Context of Scripture, vol. 1. Brill, 2003 [8 pages assigned.]
Schniedewind, William M. How the Bible Became a Book: The Textualization of Ancient Israel. Cambridge, 2005. ISBN: 978-0521536226, Pub. Price $29.00 [50 pp. assigned].
Additional articles and chapters including works by the following authors: John Barton, Jon Berquist, Mordechai Cogan, Mercedes García-Bachmann, Gustavo Gutiérez, John Holloday, Christiane Karrer-Grube, Kyung Sook Lee, Yan Lin, William Moran, Itumelang Mosala, Anna May Say Pay, and Renita Weems [300 pp. assigned].
Lectures and other resources indicated on the course website.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199830114, Pub. Price $64.95
Miller, J. Maxwell, and John H. Hayes. A History of Ancient Israel and Judah. 2nd edition. Westminster John Knox, 2006. ISBN: 978-0664223588, Pub. Price $42.00
Lapsley, Jacqueline. Whispering the Word, Hearing Women’s Stories in the OT. Westminster John Knox, 2005. ISBN: 978-0664224356, Pub. Price $25.00.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Active participation at all in-class instructional meetings. [20 hours].
Class activities, including short video lectures, visual and audio presentations. [10 hours].
250-word weekly posts (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [8 hours].
175-word weekly replies (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [6 hours].
1,050 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-6]. [70 hours].
Quizzes based on close readings of biblical passages, course reading, and other materials presented on the course website (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [6 hours].
Completion of a project: learner-centered choice of either, a) movie review and reflection, or b) creative expression) (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #3-6]. [10 hours].
An interpretive assignment focused on an Old Testament text [2,500-3,500 words] (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2-6]. [30 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core requirement in the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, 80 MATM, and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTC requirement in the 144 MDiv. Option to meet requirement in the MAT Program (Winter 2010) and a core requirement for the MATM, MAICS, and MACL Programs (Winter 2010).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.