Course Requirements for English 252

English 252: The Bible as Literature

Joe Ryan
(323) 953-4000, x 2709
e-mail: ryanjm@lacitycollege.edu


Nature and Purpose of the Course:

This course provides an overview of the Old (aka the Hebrew Bible) and New Testaments. Students will be expected to read representative books from the scriptures, in addition to assignments from the couse text books. The course introduces students to the historical-critical literary method of biblical study and illustrates a number of ways this method helps us to understand the Old and New Testament documents in their original contexts. The course also links the individual texts of the Old Testament to past and current literature (for example, to the poetry of William Blake, the prose of Hemingway, to popular music, etc.). In addition, the final weeks of the course will cover the typology of the New Testament, the teaching methods of Jesus Christ, and the book of Revelations.
Students will bring to the course varying backgrounds and expectations about the Bible, in general, and the Old Testament, in particular. It is not the aim of the course either to convert the unbeliever nor to subvert the faith of the believer. The course aims at helping students to read biblical texts with the same care and intelligent analysis as they would use to read any piece of literature, historical document, philosophical essay, or legal contract. (By the way, all these sorts of writings can be found in the Old Testament.)

A guiding assumption behind this course is that biblical texts are best apprehended when one critically examines them in the context of their original languages, social setting, history, and purpose. To do so means putting aside many theological assumptions in order to allow the texts to speak to us with the same sort of freshness as they did to their first readers. Thus, a guiding rule-of-thumb for reading and interpreting texts in this course is to ask, "What were the intentions of the authors of the books, and how might the first readers of this text have understood it?"
A
s we begin this course, let me suggest a meditation, "For the Spirit of Truth," to guide all of us:

From the cowardice that dares not face new truth,
From the laziness that is contented with half truth,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me. (United Methodist Hymnal #597)
Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
apply critical thinking skills to the reading of biblical texts by learning to discriminate among the historical, literary, and theological dimensions of selected biblical passages;
interpret biblical texts using literary, historical-critical, and other critical methodologies;
understand what a powerful influence biblical text has on the creation of later literary works

Requirements:

Students will be expected to complete all reading assignments on time, take all exams, keep a journal, and write two 4-5 page papers on biblical books books or passages not covered in class. It is important for students to keep in mind that the college requires all students to turn in their own work. If students have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, they should read the MLA Handbook’s discussion of plagiarism and consult with someone in the writing lab or with me prior to turning in the paper.
Attendance:

Attendance at all classes is mandatory (this means required). You may miss only one class without penalty. The second class you miss—for any reason—will lower your grade. I am strict about attendance for the following reasons: literature classes require participation, and participation demands that you come to class prepared and receptive to the professor, your classmates, and the material we are studying; people respect each other more if they can count on seeing each other every week. This class has a specific set of materials that you must master, and you cannot learn those materials at home—or anywhere else, for that matter.

Lateness:

Late students lower the morale of all the members of the class. Therefore, you will be warned once and start acquiring absences for each subsequent late arrival. In addition, if you have not done the reading for the day’s class, you will be considered absent for the day. If you do not have the written material with you on the day it is due, it goes without saying that you should drop the class. Leaving class early will be treated as an absence.

Required Books for the Course:

Gabel, John and Charles Wheeler. The Bible as Literature: An Introduction. 5th edition. New York: Oxford University Press.

The King James Study Bible, Nelson.

King James Bible Commentary. (I will say something about this in class, and show you what I mean.)

We will be using the King James version of the Bible. You must have that version to write papers and journals.

E-JOURNALS: Students will keep an e-mail journal throughout the course, writing at least one full page (250 words discussing what has been covered in class and the readings for the course-- what they mean, how they relate to our understanding of ourselves today, asking questions about concepts that are not clear from class discussions. You will submit your e-journal online as directed. These will be staggered throughout the class. By this I mean that a group will be appointed to share their journals on an appointed week. Then another group will submit its journals. Finally, all students will submit their journals at the end of the semester. These should be submitted via e-mail to ryanjm@lacitycollege.edu.

EXAMS and Papers: There will be two exams,: a midterm and a final, and two papers for this class. Each has a specific due date and time--there are no late submissions. Grades will be weighted as follows:

Exam #1
15%

Exam#2
20%

Paper #1
20%

Paper #2
20%

E-mail Journal
15%

Attendance, Class Participation
10%


Grading Scale: A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=0-59

A website that will really be helpful is http://www.biblegateway.com/. This excellent website will provide you with both written and oral forms of the Bible. In other words you can read or have read to you any of the many versions of the Bible that exist. In addition there are valuable links to study guides you may find interesting. Other websites will be e-mailed to you.