SC-531-Online New Testament Survey Syllabus Fall 2018

Transcription

1 SC-531-Online New Testament Survey Syllabus Fall 2018 Shanell T. Smith, Ph.D. Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins Best Form of Contact: Policy: The instructor will use the official Hartsem student addresses for all communications. Please check your Hartsem account regularly. I. Course Description What is the New Testament? Who are its authors? Why these texts? What was going on when they were written? And for whom? How are these texts read today? Does context really matter? This course, which explores the New Testament texts in a broad, survey fashion, will tackle these questions (and many more!). We will read the biblical texts closely, critically, and constructively, and engage in literary and rhetorical inquiry. We will also incorporate several types of biblical methods and lenses that are used in New Testament scholarship such as feminist, womanist, and postcolonial criticism (to name a few). II. Objectives To help students: Gain familiarity with the New Testament (NT) texts Examine biblical texts in their ancient contexts Examine one s role in biblical interpretation and the factors that influence one s reading To enhance and practice dialogue about biblical texts Critically engage and evaluate secondary scholarship (monographs, articles, essays, commentaries, etc.) by asking questions and challenging arguments based on the student s own biblical analysis Discover that context matters, and in the process, learn how to read NT texts with theological and ethical sensitivity III. Identified Seminary Learning Outcomes: To demonstrate foundational and critical knowledge of one s own religion. To demonstrate knowledge and skills for dialogical and constructive engagement with diversity. IV. Required Texts 1. Bible: New Revised Standard Version 2. Stephen L. Harris, The New Testament: A Student s Introduction (7th ed.; McGraw-Hill, 2012). [ISBN: ] 3. Free Online Synopses on NT Gateway: The Five Gospel Parallels The Three Synoptics Additional materials made available via Canvas. V. Recommended Texts The following books, all of which feed into different parts of the course, are recommended. Students may wish to purchase them for their personal libraries. These are also on reserve in the library.

2 1. Brian K. Blount et al., eds. True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007). [ISBN: ] 2. Cain Hope Felder, ed. Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991). [ISBN: ] 3. Frank J. Matera, New Testament Christology (Westminster John Knox Press, 1999). [ISBN: ] 4. Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Annotated New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011). [ISBN: ] 5. Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley eds. Women s Bible Commentary: Revised and Updated (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012). [ISBN: ] 6. Daniel Patte, ed. Global Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004). [ISBN: ] 7. Fernando F. Segovia and R. S. Sugirtharajah, eds. A Postcolonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings (New York: T & T Clark, 2007). [ISBN: ] 8. Shanell T. Smith, The Woman Babylon and the Marks of Empire: Reading Revelation with a Postcolonial Womanist Hermeneutics of Ambiveilence (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2014). [ISBN: ] VI. Course Requirements and Assessment Regular, constructive engagement in online discussions is expected. Your preparation, critical analysis, and respectful dialogue (among other things) are what will make this course successful. Please note: This. Course. Is. Not. Your. Personal. Soapbox. In other words, this is not your venue, your platform on which you will engage in negative rhetoric, aiming political, racist, sexist, religion-ist (whatever) weaponry at your colleagues or the professor. This is a collaborative learning environment, and we shall govern ourselves accordingly. Any student who takes it upon him-/herself to be offensive or derogatory especially after such an offense has been noted - will be penalized at the professor s discretion. Now that that s settled. A. Online Dialogue (60% of final grade): Students will write weekly posts (500 words; 450-word minimum) based on a prompt provided by the professor. Students will also respond substantively to two classmates posts (250 words; 200 word minimum) each week. These posts and responses will not be a recapitulation of the lecture or readings, but rather an engagement that includes critical analysis in efforts to constructively further online class dialogue. B. New Testament in Film (15% of final grade):

3 Masters/Certificate Students will post a video, documentary clip, short film, sitcom, cartoon, etc. that represents, suggests, or illustrates an aspect of a New Testament text. (No videos should exceed 7 minutes in length.) Students will also write a 500 word (450 word minimum) post to describe the clip, and how it relates to the selected New Testament passage. PhD/DMin Students will post a 7-10 minute video presentation on a scholarly examination of (a text of) the New Testament. (#bookreview) It will include: an examination of the text s title (Is it accurate? Does it match the content?); an overview of the text s main argument(s) and how the author arrived there; and her or his own overall assessment of the work. Two questions to facilitate dialogue should also be included. Books must be approved by the professor in advance. Due date: Week 12: Nov (Wed., Nov. 28 original posts; Fri,. Nov. 30 responses to colleagues due.) C. Midterm Paper (25% of Final Grade) Students will write a critical, interpretive essay on a New Testament text or theme that has been pre-approved by the professor. A preliminary thesis and working bibliography shall be submitted two weeks prior on Monday, October 8, Essay specifications: Length: between 1,250 (word minimum) and 1,600 (word maximum) for Masters/Certificate students; between 2,000 and 2,500 words for PhD/DMin students. (Word limits exclude bibliography.) Please note: Once word limit is reached, I will stop reading, and students will be penalized for what s missing. Double-spaced, 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, NO justification, 1 inch margins Due date: Monday, October 22, 2018 by midnight. **Students will their papers to me at ssmith@hartsem.edu. They are NOT to be posted on Canvas. VII. Attendance and Timing of Course: A post (the required assignment) equals a class session. If you are unable to post or need an extension, please notify the professor in advance or at the earliest opportunity via . Missing two posts without a legitimate excuse will result in an automatic lowering of your final grade by 10%. Missing three or more posts without explanation or permission will result in automatic failure of the course. This course is asynchronous. There is no specific time in which you have to log in; however, you are expected to log into the course site several times per week in order to take part in discussions and to access readings, videos, mini lectures and other course materials. Due dates for assignments are fixed.

4 The assignment for the upcoming week will be posted by 5pm on the previous Wednesday. Students are expected to post their original response to the assignment by the following Wednesday by 5pm, and respond substantively to two of their colleagues by that Friday. E.g. If I post the assignment on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, your original response to the assignment is due on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, and your responses to two colleagues is due on Friday, September 21, VIII. Learning Resources and Expectations Hartford Seminary Grading Scale Master s Students: A (95-100) Demonstrates excellent mastery of the subject matter, a superior ability to articulate this, and provides helpful connections to daily life or contemporary issues. Exceeds expectations of the course. A- (90-94) Demonstrates mastery of the subject matter, ability to articulate this well, and makes connections to daily life or contemporary issues. Exceeds expectations of the course. B+(87-89) B (83-86) B-(80-82) C+(77-79) C (70-76) Demonstrates a very good understanding of the subject matter, able to articulate lessons learned in the assignment well. Meets expectations of the course. Demonstrates an understanding of the subject matter and the ability to articulate lessons learned. Meets expectations of the course. Demonstrates an understanding of the material at hand, has some difficulty articulating this, and basic connection of the material to daily life or contemporary issues/life. Meets basic expectations for the course. Demonstrates a basic comprehension of the subject matter, weak articulation and connections. Does not meet expectations for the course. Demonstrates a minimal comprehension of the subject matter and has difficulty making connections. Does not meet expectations of the course. F (below 70) Unable to meet the basic requirements of the course. Grades range from A to C and F; A+ s and C- s are not part of the grading system. On a 4.0 GPA scale A (4.00), A-(3.66), B+(3.33), B(3.00), B-(2.66), C+(2.33), C(2.00) and F(0.00). A grade point average of no less than B- (2.66) is required to maintain good standing. The minimum G.P.A. required for graduation is DMin students: High Pass (95-100), Pass (83-94), Low Pass (70-82), and Fail (below 70) Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Academic honesty and integrity are expected of all students. Plagiarism exists when: a) the work submitted was done, in whole or in part, by anyone other than the one submitting the work, b) parts of the work, whether direct quotations, ideas, or data, are taken from another source without acknowledgement, c) the whole work is copied from another source [especially a web based source], or d) significant portions of one s own previous work used in another course. See Plagiarism at Inclusive Language: Hartford Seminary is committed to a policy of inclusion in its academic life and mission. All members of the community are expected to communicate in language that reflects the equality of

5 genders, openness to diverse cultural and theological perspectives, and sensitivity to one another s images of God. Extensions: Extensions for papers will be given for illnesses or family emergencies only in consultation with the instructor. Official Handbooks: For all other questions you might have regarding policies or procedures, please check the student handbook and seminary policies at Academic policies are listed at CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS ** Please note that all readings are subject to change. Students will be notified in advance.** Week 1: Sept. 4-7 Course Introduction Colleagues introductions Documents Overview Rules of Engagement Reading Ambiveilently Questionnaire Critical Reading of Early Christian Texts Week 2: Sept The New Testament, The New Testament World and Modern Scholarship Harris, The New Testament, pp. 2-22, Kwok Pui-lan, Reading the Christian New Testament in the Contemporary World in The New Testament: Fortress Commentary on the Bible, eds. Margaret Aymer, Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, and David A. Sánchez (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014), pp Week 3: Sept The Gospel of Mark Read the entire Gospel of Mark (preferably in one sitting). It s the shortest gospel! As you read, pay special attention to the unfolding relationship between Jesus and his disciples how it begins, how it develops, how it ends. (Please take notes on your findings.) Harris, The New Testament, pp Mitzi J. Smith, Race, Gender, and the Politics of Sass : Reading Mark 7:24-30 through a Womanist Lens of Intersectionality and Inter(con)textuality, in Womanist Interpretations of the Bible: Expanding the Discourse, eds. Gay L. Byron and Vanessa Lovelace (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2016), pp Week 4: Sept The Gospel of Matthew & The Synoptic Problem Read the entire Gospel of Matthew (preferably in one sitting)

6 Harris, The New Testament, pp Anthony J. Saldarini, Reading Matthew without Anti-Semitism, in The Gospel of Matthew in Current Study (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman s, 2001), pp Week 5: Oct. 1-5 The Gospel of Luke & Acts Read the Gospel of Luke and skim Acts As you read both texts, please pay attention to the following topics: The radical teaching on wealth and poverty The prominent role played by the Holy Spirit The striking emphasis on prayer Harris, The New Testament, pp and pp (thoroughly skim). René Krüger, Luke s God and Mammon, A Latin American Perspective, in Global Bible Commentary, ed. Daniel Patte (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2004), pp (Furthermore GBC) Week 6: Oct Midterm Paper Collegial Dialogue Students will begin critical Midterm Paper conversations. Post scripture text, topic and working thesis for final paper (500 words; 450 word minimum), along with 5 questions that you want your colleague to engage in efforts to help you further explore, contemplate, or better your paper. Week 7: Oct An Introduction to Paul s Letters, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians Read both letters. Harris, The New Testament, pp , , ( The Problem of Pseudonymity ), Victor Paul Furnish, The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues (Nashville: Abingdon, 2009 [3rd ed., rev.]), pp Week 8: Oct Galatians and Romans **MIDTERM PAPERS DUE MONDAY, OCT. 22 by midnight!** Read Paul s brief Letter to the Galatians in its entirety. If possible, also read Romans 3:21-8:39. Harris, The New Testament, pp Caroline Johnson Hodge, Apostle to the Gentiles: Constructions of Paul s Identity, Biblical Interpretation 13 (2005):

7 Week 9: Oct. 29-Nov. 2 1 Corinthians Read 1 Corinthians Harris, The New Testament, pp Antoinette Wire, Women Prophets in the Corinthian Church in Conflict and Community in the Corinthian Church, ed. J. Shannon Clarkson (New York: United Methodist Church Women s Division, 2000), pp Week 10: Nov Paul and (Anti-)Judaism / The New Perspective on Paul / Paul and Women Mark D. Nanos, Paul and Judaism, in The Jewish Annotated New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), Sandra Polaski, A Feminist Introduction to Paul (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2005), pp Week 11: Nov Colossians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Peter, & The Haustafeln (Household Codes) Read Colossians, Ephesians, and 1 and 2 Peter Harris, The New Testament, pp , , Clarice J. Martin, The Haustafeln (Household Codes) in African American Biblical Interpretation: Free Slaves and Subordinate Women, in Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation, ed. Cain Hope Felder (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991), pp Reading Days and Thanksgiving Break! Nov Week 12: Nov New Testament in Film! See description of assignment above under Course Requirements and Assessments. Week 13: Dec The Gospel of John and the Letters of John Read the entire Gospel of John (preferably in one sitting), and 1, 2, and 3 John. Harris, The New Testament, pp Week 14: Dec Revelation and Course Conclusion Read Revelation (paying special attention to chapters 1-7; 12-13; and 17-22). Jot down some of Revelation s principal imagery. Harris, The New Testament, pp ,

8 Tina Pippin, The Heroine and the Whore: The Apocalypse of John in Feminist Perspective, in From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective, ed. David Rhoads (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), pp Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, The Power of the Word: Scripture and the Rhetoric of Empire (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007), pp Shanell T. Smith, The Woman Babylon and the Marks of Empire: Reading Revelation with a Postcolonial Womanist Hermeneutics of Ambiveilence (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2014), pp