The Bible & Contemporary Issues

Prof. Mark K. George
I-110; 303-765-3168 (msgs)
mgeorge@iliff.edu
Office hours: by appointment

Meghan Johnston Aelabouni, TA
Meghan.JohnstonAelabouni@du.edu

Catalogue Course Description
Using current events and issues as a starting point, various approaches for reading the Bible are studied to see how they help interpret the Bible in light of those issues. This course helps students learn more about exegesis and become more comfortable interpreting the Bible with scholarly tools along with understanding how these tools provide a means of addressing current issues with the Bible as a theological resource.

Prerequisites
Either the breadth course in Hebrew Bible (Introduction to the Hebrew Bible) or the breadth course in New Testament.

Course Learning Outcomes
The following are the learning outcomes and goals for this course:

• To introduce students to a variety of exegetical approaches to the Bible, through readings and weekly assignments;
• To develop students’ skills in biblical exegesis, through readings and writing assignments;
• To improve students’ critical reading skills with texts, especially the Bible, through weekly readings, writing assignments, and class discussion;
• To explore and engage current events from biblical, theological, and religious perspectives, through weekly research on current events, readings, and writing assignments.

Books
Required

Judges and Method: New Approaches in Biblical Studies . Second edition. Edited by Gale A. Yee. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007. ISBN 9780800638580 (p).

Mark and Method: New Approaches in Biblical Studies . Second edition. Edited by Janice Capel Anderson and Stephen D. Moore. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008. ISBN 9780800638511 (p).

New Revised Standard Bible (NRSV). This is the translation we will use in the course for all class and written work. Digital or print format is acceptable, but please note that there are very few apps that contain the NRSV due to copyright license fees, so please make sure your chosen app includes it and you have it readily available. If you would like to purchase a print copy of the NRSV, we recommend Harold W. Attridge, ed. The HarperCollins Study Bible-Student Edition: Fully Revised and Updated . San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006. ISBN 9780060786847.

Additional readings will be made available each week.

1. Class participation and discussion. A significant portion of the work we do involves class discussion, so every student is expected to come to class having read all assigned materials.
   1. Students are expected to be ready to explain the primary concerns or goals of each approach, theory, or method, and to explain how the interpretation of the biblical text used as an example of it is created. Questions about each approach that arise from the readings also should be brought to class.
   2. Your participation grade includes being ready to discuss the week’s current events, especially news stories about the theme for the week. Minimally two different news sources are to be consulted, each with a different political perspective.
   3. Preparation of any biblical materials discussed in the readings (Judges & Method, Mark & Method). This includes reading the main biblical passage being discussed in each essay, noting questions you have of your own about the passages, following the interpretation being discussed to see if it makes sense of all the details in the passages, pointing out how you might use the approach in a different way, and asking whether another approach might not produce similar results.
2. Short exegesis assignments. Because exegesis involves careful reading and thinking about biblical texts, writing is used to help us sharpen our thinking and our abilities in trying out and learning to use some of the approaches, theories, and methods studied in the course. Each student will write 2 (two) short exegesis assignments of 750–900 words, approximately 2–3 typed, double-spaced pages (please note word count at end of each assignment). The first assignment is due in weeks 3–5 (students may pick which week they will submit their work) and the second in weeks 7–9. The focus of each assignment is to be the theme of the week chosen by the student and is to use the approach, theory, or method assigned for that week (if more than one is assigned, students may select among them) or a previous week (but not a subsequent week).
   1. These short exegetical assignments are to be a critical and carefully reasoned reflection on the contemporary issue that draws upon a biblical text (of the student’s choice) and the chosen approach, theory or method as a means of reading that text.
   2. For each assignment the objectives are: a) to demonstrate your careful, thoughtful reading of the biblical text; b) to use your chosen approach in interpreting the biblical text; c) to show how your exegetical work helps you think about the contemporary issue. Each of these objectives are elements on which the assignment will be graded.
   3. State your intended audience. This might be an academic audience, a parish community, friends and family, staff or other leaders in a community agency or NGO, or another of your choice. Consider the best way to address that audience: blog post, newspaper column, church newsletter contribution, exegetical portion for a weekly preacher’s publication, short homily (5–6 minute), or the like.
   4. This assignment is likely to be more of a challenge than you expect. Arguments about the Bible and issue must be clear and succinctly stated. It might be best to make only one argument about the biblical text and contemporary issue.
   5. Assignments are to be double-spaced, in 12-point font, with one (1) inch margins on all sides with the word count noted at the end of the assignment.
3. Exegesis papers.
   1. Two (2) exegesis papers are required. The first paper is due on Thursday, 2 May no later than 1:00 p.m. The second paper is due on Friday, 31 May, no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon).
   2. Each paper is to be 1400–1600 words (approximately 4–5 pages) on a contemporary issue and biblical text of the student’s choice with the exception of any text from Judges or Mark or either of the student’s two short exegesis assignments. Students are advised to consult with the professor about their topics well in advance of the due dates, and to meet with the GTA to discuss their project, outline, and working bibliography. Students also are encouraged to make use of the Iliff Writing Lab resources.
   3. Expectations for the two exegesis papers:
      1. Each student is to formulate a critical, analytical argument about the chosen contemporary issue and the biblical text that uses a particular approach, theory, or method as part of the exegesis. A clear thesis or central argument is to be made and then logically and carefully argued throughout the paper with the help of that approach. To put this somewhat differently, your thesis and method should be clearly and explicitly stated in the paper: what are you going to say, and how will you say it?
      2. Because these are scholarly papers, engagement with the work of other scholars is required and expected and normally will be demonstrated through citations in footnotes that include minimally 1 monograph and 2 peer reviewed journal articles. (Commentaries, dictionaries, encyclopedias, websites, and other reference works are not monographs.) These sources are to be recent, by which I mean they were published within the last 20 years. Older sources may be included, but participation in the current scholarly discussion is expected in these papers.
      3. Papers are to be double-spaced (including notes), in 12-point font, with one (1) inch margins on all sides. They are to follow the style guidelines for The Chicago Manual of Style, 17^thedition (this resource is available through Taylor library [see the list of databses here] after you log in with your user credentials; please contact the library staff or support@iliff.edu for assistance if you do not know how to do this), as well as the guidelines for papers in biblical studies provided by The SBL Handbook of Style, 2^nd edition (library access here). Also, please make use of the resources of the Iliff Writing Center as a way of improving your skills at writing, organizing your thinking, refining ideas and organization, finding research help, and the other ways the Writing Center staff can help you.
      4. Please note the word count at the end of the paper, placed before the bibliography (the bibliography does not need to be included in the word count).

Participation and discussions...............................................................................................30%
Short writing assignments....................................................................................................20% (10% each)
Exegesis Paper 1.....................................................................................................................25%
Exegesis Paper 2.....................................................................................................................25%

Pass/Fail requests must be submitted to the instructor by e-mail no later than Sunday, 31 March 2019.

Incompletes will be granted only in the rarest of cases and solely at the discretion of the professor. If an incomplete is granted, it will follow the policy in the 2018–19 Masters Student Handbook, which is online.

Late work is unacceptable. Late work for any assignment or for class will be graded down one full letter grade for every 24 hour period (or portion thereof) it is late. Work more than two days late (48 hours) may be graded a zero, at the professor's discretion.

Attendance Policy: This course is an upper-level seminar-style course. This means class participation and discussion are central elements of our work together. Students may miss one (1) class session without penalty to the participation grade as long as they provide the professor with prior written notification (mgeorge@iliff.edu). Missing more than one (1) session for any reason will adversely impact your course grade, including the possibility of failure of the course.

Please see the Policy and Services page for additional information related to the course.

Participation and discussions...............................................................................................30%
Short writing assignments....................................................................................................20% (10% each)
Exegesis Paper 1.....................................................................................................................25%
Exegesis Paper 2.....................................................................................................................25%

Pass/Fail requests must be submitted to the instructor by e-mail no later than Sunday, 31 March 2019.

Incompletes will be granted only in the rarest of cases and solely at the discretion of the professor. If an incomplete is granted, it will follow the policy in the 2018–19 Masters Student Handbook, which is online.

Late work is unacceptable. Late work for any assignment or for class will be graded down one full letter grade for every 24 hour period (or portion thereof) it is late. Work more than two days late (48 hours) may be graded a zero, at the professor's discretion.

Attendance Policy: This course is an upper-level seminar-style course. This means class participation and discussion are central elements of our work together. Students may miss one (1) class session without penalty to the participation grade as long as they provide the professor with prior written notification (mgeorge@iliff.edu). Missing more than one (1) session for any reason will adversely impact your course grade, including the possibility of failure of the course.

Please see the Policy and Services page for additional information related to the course.

A...................94–100
A-..................91–93
B+.................88–90 (NB: a 90 is a B+)
B...................83–87
B-..................80–82
C+.................78–79
C...................73–77
C-..................70–72
D+..................68–69
D....................60–67
F.....................59 or below

Please note that an average grade in my courses is a C, as you might expect given the standard grading scale. A B+ extends to 90, making the “B” range a bit wider than usual.

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Pass/Fail: Please see the policy for P/F for this course, as described on the Grading page.

Incompletes: Please see the policy for Incompletes for this course, as described on the Grading page.

Credit Hours: For each graduate credit awarded by a course at the Iliff School of Theology, students should be spending approximately one hour (50 minutes) in contact with the instructor and three hours (150 minutes) on course work outside of class per week over the equivalent of a 10-week quarter. This applies to residential, intensive, online and hybrid classes alike. For more details see Iliff's Credit Hour Policy Links to an external site..

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant: All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook. All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Core Values: As a community, Iliff strives to live by this set of Core Values.

Title IX Mandatory Reporting Policy: As a professor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I also have ory reporting responsibility related to my role as a professor. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share with the Title IX coordinator information regarding instances of sex/gender-based harassment, discrimination, and sexual misconduct in the Iliff community. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting our Confidential Reporters: the Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Formation, the Associate Dean of Admissions, and the Director of Consultation and Formation (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Information on our Title IX Policy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. can be found on Iliff’s website.

Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146.

Writing Lab: Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments. Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft.

Inclusive Language: It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.

1. Electronic devices. Except for the purpose of listening to lectures, I strongly suggest you turn off all electronic devices while studying. Research indicates students learn more when they take notes with pen and paper rather than taking notes on a computer. There is a lot of material to learn in this course, so do whatever you can to improve your learning and retention of it. Turning off electronic devices is a big step in this direction. In my research practice, I read with pen and paper at my side so I can take notes (source, page, quotations [if really needed], observations I have, ideas I have). Once I’m done reading, I summarize the main point of the reading in my notes. Only once I’ve done all this do I turn on my computer and transcribe my notes into it so I have them. This practice gives me two opportunities at learning the material: when I take notes (which requires me to put ideas from the reading into my own words, thereby aiding me in learning it and making sure I understand it), and again when entering them on my computer (I use the Evernote app [for use on Apple products] for this purpose; PC-based apps also are available).
2. Reading. Be an active reader. When you begin, read through the section headers so you can see the structure of the argument. Then read through the material with a pencil, noting and underlining important information and elements of the argument. If you are underlining everything, it’s too much. Stop, put down the pencil, and read through the material quickly. When you finish, articulate out loud the central argument of claim being made in the reading. Then pick up your pencil and go back and read more slowly, noting and underlining the important elements of the argument.
3. Review and summarize readings. When you are finished reading, step back and ask yourself what is the central argument or claim being made in it. What is the one claim the author(s) want you, as reader, to understand? Can you find this articulated in the piece? In articles, this usually appears before the first header. To ensure you understand that claim, can you paraphrase it, using your own words and terms? Is your paraphrase expressing the same point as in the article (you may need to ask about this in class). Once you identify the central claim and can paraphrase it in your own words, summarize the rest of the reading. This work will help you be ready for class and our discussions, and also will help you later, once the quarter ends, since your summary of the reading will be useful in other contexts--as will the skills you are developing in reading and summarizing!

The syllabus and materials posted on this Canvas site are subject to change at the sole discretion of the professor.