SAS 461 Gospel of John Spring 2016 Joan Morris Gilbert, S.T.D. Email: jgilbert@holyapostles.edu Telephone: 203-266-7709 (Home); 203-217-3343 (Cell) 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the Fourth Gospel. Topics include the unique character of the Gospel of John in relation to the Synoptics, theories of authorship, specifics of Johannine spirituality as highlighted by patristic commentators and in liturgy. 2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will demonstrate familiarity with the Gospel of John in its entirety, with its various themes, with the interpretation of this Gospel as it has been handed down in the Tradition of the Church, and with some of the questions which remain open about the Gospel. Students will demonstrate familiarity with different types of Scripture commentary. Students will demonstrate the development of skills in giving clear summary of written commentary. 3. COURSE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND REQUIRED READINGS This schedule below carries the student through a close study of the Gospel of Saint John, recognizing its literal and its spiritual sense, striving to apply the three criteria for biblical study given in the Second Vatican Council s Apostolic Constitution Dei Verbum: being attentive to the content and unity of the whole Scripture in relation to this Gospel, reading this Gospel within the living Tradition of the whole Church, and being attentive to the analogy of faith in its interpretation. Week 1 Jan 12 Introduction to Course and Review of Syllabus Jan 14 Introduction and Outline of John, Text Pages 15-30 Week 2 Jan 19 The Prologue (1:1-18), 31-41 Jan 21 John the Baptist, and the Calling of the Disciples (1:19-51), 42-52
Week 3 Jan 26 Wedding at Cana (2:1-12), 53-61 Jan 28 Jesus First Trip to Jerusalem (4:1-54), 62-79 Week 4 Feb 2 Encounters with Jesus in Samaria and Galilee (5:1-47), 80 95\ 1 st Summary Due Feb 4 The Obedient Son, Lord of the Sabbath (5:1-47), 96-112 Week 5 Feb 9 Jesus and Passover: Food for Eternal Life (6:1-30), 113-121 Feb 11 The Bread of Life (6:30-71), 121-134 Week 6 Feb 16 Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles I (7:1-52), 135-49 Feb 18 Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles II, (7:53-8:30) 150-60 Week 7 Feb 23 The Jerusalem Debate I-III, (8:31-59), 160-70 2 nd Summary Due Feb 25 Light of the World: Illumination & Judgment (9:1-41), 171-185 Week 8 Mar 1 The Good Shepherd; Festival of Dedication (10:1-42), 186-199 SPRING BREAK Mar 3-13 Mar 3 The Resurrection and the Life (11:1-54), 200-214 Week 9 Mar 15 Jesus Goes to Jerusalem for His Passover (11:55-12:50), 215-231 Mar 17 On the Night before He Died (13:1-30), 232-239 Week 10 Mar 22 Farewell Discourse I (13:31-14:31), 240-253 3 rd Summary Due Mar 24 Holy Thursday: No Class Week 11 Mar 29 Farewell Discourse II (15:1-16:4a), 254-254 Mar 31 Farewell Discourse III (16:4b-33), 265-275 Week 12 Apr 5 Jesus Prayer of Communion (17:1-26), 276-288 Apr 7 The Hour Begins (18:1-27), 289-297 Week 13 Apr 12 The Trial before Pilate (18:28-19:16a), 298-314 4 th Summary Due Apr 14 No Greater Love (19:16b-42), 315-330
Week 14 Apr 19 Encountering the Risen Lord (20:1-31), 331-346 Apr 21 The Church s Witness to the Risen Lord (21:1-25), 347-357 Week 15 Apr 26 Apr 28 Summary and Review 5 th Summary and Due 4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Attend class (see HAC attendance policy below). Read weekly assigned readings before the class for which they are assigned. Answer 12 sets of weekly study questions, which will be handed out in class. (1 page each, printed, double-spaced, 12 pt font) Read five articles or commentaries and write a 2-3 page written summary of each: ---One from Commentary by St Augustine on a passage from the Gospel of John. ---One from Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas on a passage from the Gospel of John. One from another (approved) Commentary on a passage from the Gospel of John. ---One from an (approved) exegetical article referenced in the text or by the professor. ---One from the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (on one Gospel word). Any order of the above is acceptable. Summaries must be printed, double-spaced, 12 pt font. Dates for handing in summaries: Feb 2, Feb 23, Mar 22, Apr 12, Apr 28 Extra Credit: Read an additional article or commentary, approved by professor, and write a 2-3 page summary (printed, double-spaced, 12-pt font). 5. REQUIRED TEXTS: Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015. The Holy Bible 6. EVALUATION: Grades will be calculated on the following basis: Class attendance and participation: 10% Weekly study questions: 40% Written summaries: 50% GRADING SCALE: A 94-100; A- 90-93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86; B- 80-83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73; D 60-69; F 59 or below
7. DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATION POLICY: Holy Apostles College & Seminary is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities who qualify for admission to the College. Students enrolled in oncampus courses who have documented disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Bob Mish, the Disability Resource Center ADA Coordinator, at rmish@holyapostles.edu or 860-632-3015. In all cases, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that all students with disabilities have access to course materials in a mode in which they can receive them. 8. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty. Avoiding Plagiarism In its broadest sense, plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas, presented or claimed as your own. At this stage in your academic career, you should be fully conscious of what it means to plagiarize. This is an inherently unethical activity because it entails the uncredited use of someone else's expression of ideas for another's personal advancement; that is, it entails the use of a person merely as a means to another person s ends. Students, where applicable: ---Should identify the title, author, page number/webpage address, and publication date of works when directly quoting small portions of texts, articles, interviews, or websites. ---Students should not copy more than two paragraphs from any source as a major component of papers or projects. ---Should appropriately identify the source of information when paraphrasing (restating) ideas from texts, interviews, articles, or websites. ---Should follow the Holy Apostles College & Seminary Stylesheet (available on the Online Writing Lab s website at http://www.holyapostles.edu/owl/resources). Consequences of Academic Dishonesty Because of the nature of this class, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Students participating in academic dishonesty may be removed from the course and from the program. 9. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students are expected to attend class unless illness or a true emergency prevents them from doing so. Students are asked to communicate by phone or e-mail directly with the instructor in advance of an absence, and to speak to the professor upon return to class regarding any makeup work.
10. INCOMPLETE POLICY An Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the faculty member. It is typically allowed in situations in which the student has satisfactorily completed major components of the course and has the ability to finish the remaining work without re-enrolling, but has encountered extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent his or her doing so prior to the last day of class. To request an incomplete, students must first download a copy of the Incomplete Request Form. This document is located within the Shared folder of the Files tab in Populi. Secondly, students must fill in any necessary information directly within the PDF document. Lastly, students must send their form to their professor via email for approval. Approval should be understood as the professor responding to the student s email in favor of granting the Incomplete status of the student. Students receiving an Incomplete must submit the missing course work by the end of the sixth week following the semester in which they were enrolled. An incomplete grade (I) automatically turns into the grade of F if the course work is not completed. Students who have completed little or no work are ineligible for an incomplete. Students who feel they are in danger of failing the course due to an inability to complete course assignments should withdraw from the course. A W (Withdrawal) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the first week of a semester to the end of the third week. A WF (Withdrawal/Fail) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the third week of a semester and on or before the Friday before the last week of the semester. 11. ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR Joan Morris Gilbert received the Doctorate in Sacred Theology, as well as the Licentiate in Sacred Theology, from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, through the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (Washington, D.C. Session). She received the M.A. in Theology and the B.A. in Humanities from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. She is sacramentally married, and has seven children and seven grandchildren. She is a lifecommitted Benedictine Oblate.