Module THEO2641: Decolonising the Bible

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2641: Decolonising the Bible

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To explore ways in which marginalized/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 marginalized/minoritized scholars interpret biblical texts. They can expect to be exposed to approaches such as those developed by feminist, African, queer, Asian, and Latin American biblical scholars.
• 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 discipline’s mainstream and margins.
• Students will put this theoretical knowledge to use in their own readings of biblical texts that draw upon marginalized biblical hermeneutics.

Learning Outcomes

• Principles and methods of marginalized/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 marginalized scholars.

• 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.
• Roughly half of the lectures will be run more like workshops, allowing 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, 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.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Class work in close reading of texts and analysis of scholarly arguments.