Course Catalogue

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This course offers students the opportunity to develop a familiarity with, and understanding of, a range of interpretive approaches to a variety of ancient texts in and around the Bible (with a focus on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament). It engages students in close reading skills and in critical analysis of texts, and scrutinizes relationships between texts, readers, and communities.

1 x 2 hour seminar per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

Standard entry to Masters at College level.

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2500 word essay - 50%

10 minute presentation - 20%

1500 word report on presentation topic - 30%

This course aims to:

■ Introduce students to ancient and modern interpretive approaches to biblical and related texts

■ Trace the development of these approaches within their contexts

■ Examine the relationships between interpretive communities and the texts they read and produce

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Discuss the history of interpretation of a range of ancient literatures

■ Situate biblical interpretations in historical, ideological and theological contexts that explain their continued appeal

■ Evaluate the relationships between ancient texts and modern readers

■ Evaluate argumentative structures and identify preconceptions in various approaches

■ Communicate responses to the material studied on the course both orally and in written form through coherent and sustained argument

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.