Module THEO2191: DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2191: DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to the Jewish community which preserved the Dead Sea scrolls, to explore the beliefs, practices, and community organisation presented in those scrolls, and to evaluate, with the help of modern scholarship, the kind of Judaism portrayed in the scrolls.
• to prepare students for the skills and knowledge needed to undertake a dissertation in the final year.

Content

• The course will examine the impact of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls on our knowledge of ancient Judaism, its political and religious institutions and its sense of identity. Particular attention will be paid to the identification of Jews who lived at Qumran in accordance with rules laid down in key Dead Sea documents. Students will encounter primary written sources (in translation) found in the dead sea caves, and confront and engage with modern scholarly debate on the date, provenance, and setting within Judaism of those sources.

Learning Outcomes

• A knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of study and main methods of enquiry in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, along with an understanding of the way in which those principles have developed, and an ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches.
• A knowledge and critical understanding of the significance of the Scrolls for the study of early Judaism.

• 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 enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
• Formative essays develop 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 assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.
• Summative essays both develop (through feedback) and assess subject-specific understanding, cognitive and interpretative skills, and key skills of written communication and acquisition of information.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One formative essay (2500 words).

■ 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