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THEO1931: Introduction to the Bible: Texts, History, Culture

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Type Open
Level 1
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Theology and Religion

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To examine a range of important Old Testament texts and genres and their relationship with their historical and cultural backgrounds.
  • To examine the theological and religious ideas of OT literature within their original context.
  • To discuss important historical and literary approaches to OT literature.
  • To equip students with skills and knowledge for further study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament.

Content

  • This module offers a selective introduction to the content of both the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament, and to representative issues of their interpretation, and introduces students to the close reading and analysis of biblical texts.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • A knowledge of the characteristic interpretative challenges posed by the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament.
  • A knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with the study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament, and an ability to evaluate and interpret these within their contexts.
  • An introduction to the close reading and analysis of selected biblical texts.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Skills in the close reading of biblical texts, and of related ancient texts.

Key Skills:

  • Skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
  • Skills in the analysis of texts.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Through lectures the teachers will exemplify an engaged and engaging approach to the biblical subject-matter, which will enable students to develop a clear understanding of the Bible and biblical interpretation, and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating issues of both method and content.
  • About half of the lectures will run more like workshops, allowing students to improve their critical reading skills and prepare for summative assignments.
  • Summative essays assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
  • Examinations will assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with skills in the structured presentation of information and the making of reflective judgements in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures, about half of which function like workshops 402 per week in the first two terms 1 hour40 
Preparation160 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: Text AnalysisComponent Weighting: 20%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Text Analysis1000 words100 
Component: EssayComponent Weighting: 30%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Essay2000 words100 
Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 50%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Written Examination2 hours100

Formative Assessment

Class work in reading and analysis of texts.

More information

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