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THEO2641: Decolonising the Bible

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Type Open
Level 2
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2025/2026
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Theology and Religion

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To explore ways in which minoritized scholars read biblical texts.
  • To contrast such approaches with those of the mainstream of the modern field of biblical studies.
  • To study the hermeneutical rationales and goals of minoritized biblical study.
  • To develop skills in the close reading of biblical texts.

Content

  • Students will study the ways in which different groups of minoritized scholars interpret biblical texts. They can expect to be exposed to approaches such as those developed in feminist, postcolonial, Africana/Black, queer, disability, Asian, and Latin American biblical theory.
  • Students will be exposed to hermeneutical theory that undergirds and guides these minoritized approaches to biblical study, as well as to hermeneutical discussions in the field that highlight the contrast between the disciplines mainstream and margins.
  • Students will put this theoretical knowledge to use in their own readings of biblical texts that draw upon minoritized biblical hermeneutics.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Principles and methods of minoritized approaches to the study of the Bible.
  • A basic knowledge of key hermeneutical debates in the field of biblical studies, specifically ones that involve the hermeneutical questions and approaches raised by minoritized scholars.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Developing skills in the close reading of biblical texts.

Key Skills:

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

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

  • Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information.
  • Seminars allow the students to engage with the instructor and each other as they discuss specific issues, especially the close reading of texts, in detail, enhancing student knowledge and writing skills and preparing for summative assignments.
  • Summative essays assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, the analysis of biblical texts and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures101 per week s1 hour10Yes
Seminars101 per week1 hour10Yes
Preparation and Reading1180 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: Essay 1Component Weighting: 40%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Essay2,000 words100
Component: Essay 2Component Weighting: 60%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Essay2,500 words100

Formative Assessment

Close reading of texts and analysis of scholarly arguments in seminars

More information

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