I. Course Description OT101 Old Testament 1 (Genesis Deuteronomy) Syllabus In this course, the students will familiarize themselves with the text of Torah/Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in order to understand its foundation for the rest of scripture. (Prerequisite: BH101) II. Course Objectives A. Cognitive 1. The student will identify the foundational elements of the Torah for the rest of scripture. (Bloom s: Remembering) 2. The student will analyze the text of Torah in conjunction with the rest of scripture for greater contextual understanding of the word of God. (Bloom s: Analyzing) 3. The student will compose personal formal introductions to all the texts of Torah for later personal study and leading in the scriptures. (Bloom s: Creating) B. Affective 1. The student will demonstrate the need for the Torah to provide context for the scriptures. (Bloom s: Valuing) 2. The student will synthesize his learning of the texts into helpful contextual products. (Bloom s: Organization) 3. The student will display the need for Torah as the foundation for genuinely knowing God and making him known. (Bloom s: Internalizing Values)
III. Course Textbooks A. Required Hamilton, Victor P. Handbook on the Pentateuch. 2 nd Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005. (This text is a reference text and will not be read from cover to cover.) Longman III, Tremper and Raymond B. Dillard. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. (This text is another reference text which you will use throughout your Old Testament studies.) Bible, NASB Genesis Deuteronomy * Other short readings will be assigned in the notes. B. Suggested Ferry, David. Gilgamesh: A New Rendering in English Verse. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1992. (You will be reading several texts which parallel the Genesis narrative. This one is too long for our class requirements but I highly suggest you read it.) Kitchen, K. A. On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2000. Zuck, Roy B. and Eugene H. Merril, eds. A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991. IV. Course Requirements A. Reading Assignments Students are required to complete all readings before the class day on which they are due. Be aware that this does mean that certain readings are due before the first day of classes. Please check the course schedule for those due dates. Students will keep a reading log of when readings are complete. See the reading log on the final page of the syllabus. Also, each of the five books (Genesis Deuteronomy) being studied in this course must be read in their entirety before they day they are discussed in class.
B. Course Projects Students will complete two sets of projects for this course. The first is a presentation on a selected portion of the texts from Exodus-Deuteronomy chosen by the student from the available text portions provided by the instructor. The second is a correlation study between Torah and the rest of scripture. The due date for each of these projects is listed here: Scripture Presentations 1 & 2: September 30, 2017 Scripture Presentations 3 & 4: October 28, 2017 Scripture Presentations 5 & 6: December 2, 2017 Correlation Study: December 23, 2017 You will need to submit the correlation project via e-mail to: dillon@cypressdicsipleship.org The Scripture Presentations to be presented by each student will be from a preselected list of passages from Exodus through Deuteronomy. The purpose of this assignment is to help the student engage in the process of text preparation and presentation in a discipleship context. The following are the required components for this project: 1. Each presentation must be between 20 30 minutes long. 2. The presentation must include: 1. An introduction to the context of the section being taught (a formal introduction is not needed, just enough for us to orient to your passage) 2. Any relevant background information needed 3. An explanation of any difficult issues in the text 4. An explanation of how the portion fits into the whole book 5. An explanation of the discipleship relevance of the text Bear in mind, these do not have to be in any particular order, just make sure these components are clear. 3. Please remember, every student in the class will have read your portion prior to coming and asking them questions as part of your pedagogical approach is completely acceptable and encouraged.
4. The instructor and students will ask questions of you during your presentation and afterwards as we all engage in a discussion of the text and its relevance in a discipleship context. 5. These are the portions which may be selected for each student to work through: Section 1: Section 2: Section 3: Section 4: Section 5: Section 6: Exodus Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Deuteronomy The Correlation Study paper will be a project focused on connecting components of the law of Torah to the rest of scripture. A template format will be provided to write on. The following are the required components for this project: 1. Each project must be 12 point Times New Roman or Calibri font and double spaced. 2. All citations should use the NASB. 3. Each project must include an explanation of the initial passage selected from Torah and an explanation of the implications of the aforementioned passage in the second scripture citation. A couple of examples are provided in the template. 4. This assignment is intended to be very straightforward but does require time. Please plan accordingly. C. Course Exam The course exam for OT101 will be a take home, open book, open resource, open notes exam with short answer questions. The exam will be due on December 9, 2017 (a week after the final class). The exam will be given to you on the last day of class. You will need to submit this exam via e-mail. dillon@cypressdiscipleship.org
V. Course Policy The intent of this exam is to determine whether the student can explain the principles discussed in the course with a reasonable level of competence. Further direction on the exam will come over the course of the semester. A. Grading Reading: 30% Scripture Presentation: 20% Correlation Study: 20% Final Exam: 20% Participation: 10% B. Late Work Per CDI policy, reading that is not completed on time but is in fact completed before the end of the semester will receive half the credit of its normal value per the syllabus. Reading not completed by the time the reading report is due will receive no credit. All semester projects will receive a 5% reduction in grade per day past the due date per the CDI handbook. C. Attendance Policy Per CDI policy, all CDI courses are held on Saturdays and consist of five 75 minute sessions for a total of twenty 75 minute sessions for the semester. A student is permitted to miss a total of three 75 minute sessions without penalty. All absences beyond this point will result in a reduction of the student's overall grade by 5% per session missed. Extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis. D. Class Participation All students are expected to participate in class discussions and engage intentionally with the material presented in class. Questions are welcomed but may not be able to be answered in full during the class session. Feel free to interact with the teacher by phone, text, or e-mail during the semester concerning the material or the course as well.
E. Electronics Usage Per CDI policy, all students are welcome to take notes on their personal computers. However, students should refrain from using cell phones, laptop computers, or other devices in a manner that distracts others in the class. Playing games, browsing the Internet, using email, instant messaging, or text messaging, etc., are considered unacceptable when class is in session. VI. Course Lectures and Assignment Schedule Date Lecture Reading to Be Done Beforehand Assignment Due 8/26,2017 Class Intro, Genesis Genesis; Longman/Dillard Chapters 1-2; Egyptian Creation Story None Due 9/30/2017 Exodus Exodus; Longman/Dillard Chapter 3 Personal Formal Introduction Exodus Due 10/28/2017 Leviticus, Numbers Leviticus; Numbers; Longman/Dillard Personal Formal Chapters 4-5 Introduction Leviticus & Numbers Due 12/2/2017 Deuteronomy Deuteronomy; Longman/Dillard Chapter 6; Treaty of Bar-gayah with Matiel Personal Formal Introduction Deuteronomy Due 12/9/2017 No Class Final Exam Due 12/23/2017 No Class Correlation Study Due
STUDENT READING REPORT (Please Print to Submit or Keep to Attach as E-mail to Teacher) Student Name: Date Reading Selection Completed On Time 8/26/2017 9/30/2017 10/28/2017 12/2/2017 Genesis; Longman/Dillard Chapters 1-2; Egyptian Creation Story Exodus; Longman/Dillard Chapter 3 Leviticus; Numbers; Longman/Dillard Chapters 4-5 Deuteronomy; Longman/Dillard Chapter 6; Treaty of Bar-gayah with Matiel Completed By Course End Not Completed Total Grade For teacher use only