Module THEO1911: Reading Biblical Texts

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO1911: Reading Biblical Texts

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To train students to read, understand, and analyse biblical texts as literary wholes.
• To teach students the skills required for the close reading and analysis of biblical texts.
• To teach students the principles and procedures of literary analysis.

Content

• This module explores two biblical or apocryphal texts as independent literary unities, with a focus on reading them in their own right in terms of genre, structure, language, motifs, and other standard literary topics. Different styles of commentary and analysis will also be explored, and students introduced to a range of exegetical and analytical skills and tools.

Learning Outcomes

• An understanding of techniques employed by scholars in the close reading and analysis of biblical texts.
• An understanding of the principles and procedures of literary analysis.
• An understanding of the content and literary design of biblical texts.

• Skills in the close reading and critical analysis of ancient texts.
• Skills in the critical analysis of biblical texts and their theological content.
• Skills required for appreciating the relationship between literary form and content.

• 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, concepts and arguments.

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 evaluating information.
• Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
• Formative exercises in commentary (“gobbets”) develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in close reading and critical analysis, in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• Summative essays and dissertations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• Examinations and closed-book tests assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

<enter text as appropriate for the module>

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University