Fall 2017/Pasadena
OT517
Smoak
OT517: OLD TESTAMENT BOOK STUDY: PSALMS (4 Units: 160 Hours). Jeremy D. Smoak.
DESCRIPTION: This course is a study of the English text of the book of Psalms. The course will familiarize students with the book’s overall structure and literary development as well as the major themes found therein. The course will give specific focus to a study of the different types of Psalms preserved in the book and how those types inform ongoing theological reflection. The course will also give emphasis to the development of exegetical skills through a focus upon the literary characteristics of the Psalms and the application of new approaches (feminist, reception history, post-colonial, etc.) to their interpretation.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated that they (1) have read the book carefully and are familiar with its contents and themes; (2) can interpret passages within it in their own right and in their socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (3) have identified central issues in the critical study of it; (4) can articulate its primary theological and ethical concerns; (5) can use English-based tools for interpreting it; (6) can recognize hermeneutical issues arising from the diverse contexts of contemporary readers; and (7) can interpret it faithfully and creatively in the context of their congregation, of the contemporary world and of their own lives.
COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.
REQUIRED READING: 900 pages of reading required.
NRSV, TNIV, or CEB Bible (50 pages, including the book of Psalms and selections of other biblical texts).
Brown, William. Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor. Westminster John Knox, 2002. ISBN: 978-0664225025, Pub. Price $30.00 [200 pages].
Brueggemann, Walter. The Psalms and the Life of Faith. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800627331, Pub. Price $26.00. [250 pages].
Reid, Stephen Breck. Listening In: A Multicultural Reading of the Psalms. Abingdon Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0687011940, Pub. Price $22.99 [100 pages].
Westermann, Claus. Praise and Lament in the Psalms. Westminster John Knox, 1987. ISBN: 978-0804217927, Pub. Price $35.00 [200 pages].
Selected articles placed on E-Reserves, Gerald Wilson, “The Shape of the Book of Psalms,” Interpretation 46 (1992) 129–142; Jon Berquist, “Psalms, Postcolonialism, and the Construction of the Self” Approaching Yehud, 195-202; Ellen Davis, “Maximal Speech: Preaching the Psalms,” Wondrous Depths, 17–32; Melody Knowles, “Feminist Interpretation of the Psalms,” The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms [100 pages online].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Davis, Ellen. Wondrous Depths: Preaching the Old Testament. John Knox, 2005. ISBN: 978-0664228590, Pub. Price $26.00.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Class instruction (lectures, PowerPoints, etc.) [30 hours].
250-word weekly forum posts (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-4] [20 hours, including 10 hours of DLAs].
Two 4–5 page, 1000-word “close reading” assignments on selected Psalms (40%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1-4] [30 hours].
A 1,500- to 2000-word study of a text of about ten to thirty verses, chosen with the agreement of the professor (30%). [It relates to learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.] [20 hours].
PREREQUISITES: BI500 or NE502; OT500 or OT501 or OT502.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Counts as a biblical elective for the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTBK requirement for the MAT Program (Winter 2010).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.