Spring 2019/Pasadena

OT550

Lee

OT550: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE OLD TESTAMENT (4 Units: 180 Hours). Kyong-Jin Lee.

DESCRIPTION: This PhD seminar is open to a limited number of master’s level students. This seminar constitutes an inquiry into the Old Testament’s view of human rights. The course will reflect on the mechanisms and degree to which the Biblical material may have influenced ideas of human rights. The question of whether human rights proceed primarily from secular humanist moral principles or a Biblical doctrine will be explored through a comparative study of the ancient Israelite creation theology and modern intellectual discourse.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who pass the course will have demonstrated that they have (1) read a number of select Old Testament passages in Hebrew and reflected on their theological relevance to the question of human rights; (2) considered key questions concerning human rights in the Old Testament; (3) reflected on Old Testament political theology and secular doctrine of human rights; and (4) the capacity to produce sound research reflecting critical abilities.

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 (including reading of the Old Testament text in Hebrew) and 10 hours of weekly posting on Canvas (of answers, comments, and reflections on the instructor’s and other participants’ questions and writings) for a total of 40 instructional hours. The instructor will comment on the material to open seminar discussion.

REQUIRED READING: 1,000 pp. required.

NRSV, TNIV or CEB Bible. [200 pages approximately]

Elliger, K., and W. Rudolph. Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 5th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1997. ISBN: 9783438052223, Pub. Price $39.99.

Brown, Francis, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers, 1994. ISBN: 9781565632066, Pub. Price $34.95.

Cronin, Kieran.Rights and Christian Ethics. Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780521092944, Pub. Price $51.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library. [300 pages assigned].

Moltmann, Jurgen.On Human Dignity: Political Theology and Ethics. Fortress Press, 1984. ISBN: 9780800662448, Pub. Price $19.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library. [200 pages assigned].

Witte Jr., John, and Frank S. Alexander, eds.Christianity and Human Rights: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0521143745, Pub. Price $34.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library. [200 pages assigned].

ADDITIONAL READING:

See course Canvas.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Attendance at and participation in all seminar meetings. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [30 hours].
100 pp. of weekly assigned readings in the Old Testament and secondary literature. [This assignment relates to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [90 hours].
Weekly postings on Canvas in connection with assigned reading (25%). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [10 hours].
Critical response paper to a selected week’s readings (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #3 and 4]. [10 hours].
5,000-6,000 word research paper on issues in the study of Old Testament ethics in the context of faith in Christ, written in light of the assigned reading and the classes (60%). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [40 hours].

PREREQUISITES: BI500, OT500, LG502 and completion of MAT or M.Div. Old Testament requirements with an average grade of at least A-. (Only a maximum of 5 Master’s students will be admitted.)

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.