**Disclaimer** This syllabus is to be used as a guideline only. The information provided is a summary of topics to be covered in the class. Information contained in this document such as assignments, grading scales, due dates, office hours, required books and materials may be from a previous semester and are subject to change. Please refer to your instructor for the most recent version of the syllabus. Dr. Tim Langille Email: timothy.langille@asu.edu Phone: 480-727-4026 Office: 4473 Lattie F. Coor Hall REL 315/JST 315: Hebrew Bible (icourse) Fall 2016 Course Description The Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament by Christians) is a foundational text of Western civilization that is ubiquitous in modern culture: films and literature invoke biblical imagery, and politicians and other public figures use biblical authority in attempts to shape political discourse, public policy, laws, and morality. But what does the Bible say? Who wrote it? In this course, we will explore how the many books that make up the Hebrew Bible were produced, interpreted, selected, and arranged over several centuries in ancient Israel and Judah. We also will consider the non-canonical texts that were written in the same period as the canonized texts. How was the Bible read in the formative period out of which Judaism and Christianity emerged? What light do non-canonical texts like those of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Josephus, and others shed on the formation of biblical texts, canons, and traditions? In what ways are ancient interpretive traditions still reflected in contemporary film and culture? How were sacred texts performed, preserved, and transformed in Jewish antiquity? How did these texts become sacred for Jewish and Christian communities and later inform and shape Islamic traditions? Course Objectives The objective of this course is to introduce students to and familiarize them with the Hebrew Scriptures and other sacred writings from antiquity, their interpretive communities, the cultural poetics of ancient Israel, the history and ethics of interpretation, and their liturgical use. How have religious and nonreligious communities alike in antiquity and modernity read and interpreted these texts, from creation to the Exodus, legal traditions, the history of ancient Israel, psalms and other poetry, and the prophets and their calls for social justice? Students also will be introduced to the basic terms, concepts, methods, and discourses of biblical studies. This course will broach methodological issues and problems historical and archaeological in studying ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible. Students will gain the ability to critically read and engage both primary and secondary sources introduced throughout the course, as well to think critically about the Bible in the media and popular culture today. No prior knowledge is required. Required Course Materials 1) John J. Collins. 2014. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. ISBN: 9781451472943. 2) Israel Finkelstein and Neal Asher Silberman. 2002. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. New York: Touchstone. ISBN: 9780684869131. 3) A Bible (please check with me about acceptable translations see Recommended Course Materials below) 1 1 of 6
Recommended Course Materials 1) Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. 2003. The Jewish Study Bible. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780195297546. *** Books are available at ASU Bookstores and online at Amazon.com. The supplementary readings listed below are for student interest and resources only and can be accessed on the course website. They are not required readings*** All other required readings (i.e., the secondary sources and supplemental readings see the Schedule and Readings section of the syllabus) will be posted on Blackboard: https://myasucourses.asu.edu/webapps/portal/execute/tabs/tabaction?tab_tab_group_id=_1_1. Please bring these readings with you to class. Please notify me immediately if there are any problems with the PDF files. If you object to printing these readings because of environmental or economic concerns, take extensive notes (with quotes and page numbers) to bring with you to class. If you experience difficulty with Blackboard, please contact the ASU Help Desk, which is available 24/7 via live chat or phone at 1-855-278-5080: https://myasucourses.asu.edu/webapps/portal/execute/tabs/tabaction?tab_tab_group_id=_66_1. Expectations, Policies, and Common Courtesy Policy on Late Assignments and Missed Exams: Assignments are to be handed in at the beginning of class. Assignments handed in after class will count as late. Late assignments will be penalized 2% per day, including weekends. If you have a problem with a due date, please see me in advance. Please inform me in the case of an emergency. Students who miss an exam or assignment due to illness must present me with a doctor s note. In the case of a death of a family member or friend, documentation (such as an obituary) is required. When work is submitted late, I reserve the right to return the assignment to the student with only the grade and no additional feedback. Punctuality: Please arrive on time and plan to remain for the entire class. If you know that you are going to be late or have to leave early, please let me know in advance. Chronic lateness will affect participation grades. Courtesy on Blackboard: This class requires participation, and I expect students to be respectful and engage in civil discourse. Email, Blackboard, and Other Online Communication: Students are expected to write courteously and coherently (no text-messaging abbreviations or slang). All individual communication with the professor should be through asu.edu email addresses. Always use your asu.edu email address and include an appropriate subject line. I try to respond to student emails as soon as possible. Students can expect a response to their emails within 48 hours, including on weekends. Discussing Grades: You are welcome to discuss your grades with me, but I require a 24hr cooling-off period. In other words, please wait at least 24 hrs after having received your grade before you approach me to discuss it. I return assignments as soon as possible. You can expect a two week turnaround from the date that you submit a paper or assignment to the date that it will be returned. I do not return assignments electronically, so you must come to class to pick up assignments or make an appointment with me. 2 2 of 6
Turnitin.com: Normally, students will be required to submit their course materials to Turnitin.com for a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com web site. http://turnitin.com/static/index.html. Academic Integrity Under the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy (https://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity) each student must act with honesty and integrity, and must respect the rights of others in carrying out all academic assignments. This policy also defines academic dishonesty and sets a process for faculty members and colleges to sanction dishonesty. Violations of this policy fall into five broad areas that include, but are not limited to: Cheating on an academic evaluation or assignment Plagiarizing Academic deceit, such as fabricating data or information Aiding Academic Integrity Policy violations and inappropriately collaborating Falsifying academic records I welcome any questions you may have concerning academic integrity and will do my best to help you understand the standards of academic scholarship. I also sanction any incidents of academic dishonesty in my courses using University and CLAS guidelines. Plagiarism Plagiarism is stealing. Whenever you borrow a phrase, sentence, paragraph even an idea stated in your own words from any outside source (news writing, magazine, TV show, book) without giving credit to that source, you have plagiarized. Plagiarism is cheating yourself and someone else. The consequences are severe including failure for the assignment, probable failure for the course, disciplinary referral to the Dean and possible expulsion from the University. Academic integrity is expected of every individual: https://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity Importantly, plagiarism includes the following: Submitting someone s work in whole in or part in your name whether or not you know that person or not, and whether you paid for the material or not. Submitting your own work from another course without disclosure (and instructor permission in advance). Copying pages verbatim or in close paraphrase from published or unpublished material written by someone else without properly using quotation marks and/or citing your source. Disability Accommodations Qualified students with disabilities who will require disability accommodations in this class are encouraged to make their requests to me at the beginning of the semester either during office hours or by appointment. Note: Prior to receiving disability accommodations, verification of eligibility from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) is required. Disability information is confidential. 3 3 of 6
Student Assessment 20%: Participation Participation is required. Students are expected to participate in weekly online discussions. The discussions will be in response to questions posted by the professor on Blackboard. 20%: Midterm Exam (Week of November 7) The midterm exam will presuppose that all readings have been completed and all lectures have been attended. Material up until the end of Week 4 may be included. Review sheets will be posted on Blackboard the week prior to the test. 20%: Book Review (Due Week of November 14): Students will read and review Israel Finkelstein and Neal Asher Silberman s The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. Dr. Langille will provide detailed instructions and expectations, as well as handouts about how to review a book. The final breakdown of this grade is 10% for the written component of the book review itself and 10% for the digital component (i.e., for mapping the dates of major events and empires on Timeline), for which Dr. Langille will provide further instructions and details closer to the due date. For step-by-step instructions for making a Timeline, see https://timeline.knightlab.com/ 5%: Film Assignment (Due Week of November 28) When Dr. Langille is away in San Antonio for the AAR/SBL, class on Tuesday, November 22. Students will watch the Coen brothers film A Serious Man, which will be made available on Blackboard. Dr. Langille will circulate guidelines for the assignment the week prior to the viewing of the film. The written component of the assignment will be a one-to-two page comparison and contrast of the film and the Book of Job. 35%: Final Exam (TBA) The final exam will be scheduled during the university s designated exam period. Review sheets will be circulated by the professor during final week of classes. Grading Scale % 60% to 64% A 90% to 94% B- % % A- 85 to 89% % E 0% to 54% B+ % 4 4 of 6
Schedule and Readings Week 1 (October 12-14): Introduction to the Course and Syllabus Week 2: (October 17-21): Introduction to the Bible and Biblical Studies; Canonization and the World of Ancient Interpreters; Ancient Near Eastern Context; Genesis Primeval Myth Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: Its Books, Themes, Geography, and Scholarship (Collins 1-13; Finkelstein and Silberman 1-24) Canonization and Ancient Interpretive Communities (Collins 365-69) Primary Sources: Qohelet 12:9-14; Jubilees 45:14-15; 2 Maccabees 2:13-15; 4 Ezra 14:37-48; Josephus, Against Apion 1.37-43 (Blackboard) The Ancient Near Eastern Context (Collins 17-29) Primary Sources: Excerpts from Atrahasis; Epic of Gilgamesh (Blackboard) Documentary Hypothesis and Primeval History (Collins 31-49) Primary Sources: Genesis 1-11 Week 3 (October 24-28): The Patriarchs, Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Joshua The Patriarchs (Collins 51-62) Primary Sources: Genesis 12-22 Exodus (Collins 63-83) Primary Sources: Exodus 1-20 Deuteronomy (Collins 85-108) Primary Sources: Deuteronomy 12-26, 29-34 Joshua (Collins 111-27) Primary Sources: Joshua 1, 5-15 Week 4 (October 31-November 4): Judges, David and Solomon, the Emergence of the Northern Kingdom and Omrides Judges (Collins 129-38; Finkelstein and Silberman 97-122) Primary Sources: Judges 1-5, 13-16 1-2 Samuel (Collins 139-57) Primary Sources: 1 Samuel 1, 8, 13-16; 2 Samuel 7-20 Reign of Solomon and Emergence of the Northern Kingdom: 1 Kings 1-16 (Collins 159-69) Primary Sources: 1 Kings 1-11 The Omrides (Collins 173-80) Primary Sources: 1 Kings 17-22 Week 5 (November 7-11): The Destruction of the Samaria and Judah, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles Midterm Exam Destruction of Samaria (Collins 179-80; Finkelstein and Silberman 196-225) Primary Sources: 2 Kings 10-17 The Kingdom of Judah and the Destruction of the First Temple (Collins 180-84) Primary Sources: 2 Kings 18-25 Ezra-Nehemiah (Collins 273-82) Primary Sources: Ezra 1-6, 9-10; Nehemiah 8-13 1-2 Chronicles (Collins 283-91) 5 5 of 6
Primary Sources: 1 Chronicles 22-29; 2 Chronicles 1-9, 29-36 Week 6 (November 14-18): Prophecy Introduction to Prophecy: Amos, Hosea, and First Isaiah (Collins 187-212, 248-50) Primary Sources: Amos 1-5; Hosea 1-4; Isaiah 1, 6-9, 24-27, 36-38 Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and Lamentations (Collins 213-23, 293-302) Primary Sources: Habakkuk; Jeremiah 1-12, 25, 39-40; Lamentations; Psalm 137 Ezekiel, Second Isaiah, Third Isaiah (Collins 225-48) Primary Sources: Ezekiel 1, 5, 8, 16-18, 37; Isaiah 40-45, 51-52, 65-66 Haggai, Zechariah, Jonah (Collins 253-67) Primary Sources: Haggai; Zechariah 1-6; 9-11; Jonah Week 7 (November 21-25): Wisdom and A Serious Man Wisdom Literature (Collins 307-27, 355-64) Primary Sources: Proverbs 1, 8-9, 31; Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes 1-4; Job (excerpts); Ben Sira/Sirach 24; Wisdom of Solomon 1-5 Film: A Serious Man Week 8: Maccabean Revolt and Apocalyptic Literature 1-2 Maccabees (Collins 348-53) Primary Sources: 1 Maccabees 1-3; 2 Maccabees 1-10 Apocalyptic Literature (Collins 343-48) Primary Sources: Daniel 7-12; 1 Enoch 1-36 (Book of the Watchers); 4Q Instruction (excerpts); Pesher Habakkuk (excerpts) (Blackboard) 6 6 of 6