This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2016-2017 (archived)

Module THEO1911: Reading Biblical Texts

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO1911: Reading Biblical Texts

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Open	1	20	Available in 2016/2017	None.	Durham

Pre-requisites

None

Corequisites

None

Excluded Combinations

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

Subject-specific Knowledge

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.

Subject-specific Skills

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.

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, 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

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours
lectures	15	MiT week 1-3, 8-10; EpT week 1-3, 7-9; Easter T 1-3	1 h	15
seminars	19	MT week 1-10; ET 1-9	1h	19
preparation				166
total				200

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
End of year exam	100%	End of year exam	3 hours	100%	yes

Formative Assessment

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.