Course content and requirements change frequently. Syllabi from past years can give you a sense of how a course may be taught, but are not meant as a promise of any given professor's plan for a future semester.

English 207: Bible as Literature

Dr. Melissa Bloom (mbloom@sjfc.edu)
2006 Summer I
MW 6-10, Basil 118
Office hours B-115 MW 4-6

Bible as literature – what does that mean? Among other things, it means reading this huge and amazing book like an anthology. It has many different genres of literature in it – love poetry, law, myth, parable, battle tales, rhetoric, sacred odes, and pedagogical fables. It means reading these pieces for how they tell their tales, as much as what they say in them. It means reading with a sense of culture, of readerships, of classes of editors, of circumstances. This is a book compiled over the course of about a thousand years – years of dramatic changes and enormous influences, all of which can be seen in the text.

Learning Goals

1. Students will become familiar and conversant with the central narratives of the bible
2. Students will employ textual evidence to develop literary interpretations and applications of texts
3. Students will explore a variety of historical and cultural perspectives on the writing and reading of the bible

Each 4-hour class will be treated as 2 2-hour classes. We will take a break at about 7:50 for about 15 minutes, so you can eat dinner or make phone calls. You’ll notice that most of the time you’re assigned two (at least) readings for each class. Some of these are very long – I strongly suggest you do as much of your reading over the weekend as you can, rather than waiting until Tuesdays.

In addition to a great deal of reading, you’ll write one response paper for each class meeting. I will post suggested topics or questions on Blackboard, though you are not required to stick to them. Of the 10 responses, I will count your grades only on the top 8 (40%). You will also write a longer paper, 5-6 pages, which will be due on June 19 (25%). There will be occasional quizzes, and a final exam (20%).

Policies

• You are welcome to bring beverages to class, but no food.
• Please turn your cell phone off, or to vibrate—if your phone disturbs the class, you bring snacks for everyone to the next class.
• On-time attendance is mandatory. This class will be lecture, discussion, and group work in equal measure, and you must be here and prepared. Three latenesses will count as one absence, and absences bring your grade down. (Remember that each 2-hour counts separately. Returning late from the break counts as being late, and showing up at 8 means you’re on-time for the “second” class.)

Policy on Plagiarism : Plagiarism is the undocumented use of another person’s ideas, organization, or research on a written assignment. It is plagiarism to turn in a paper written by another student or to copy or paraphrase any portion of your text from another source (study guides, articles, books, another student’s paper or the Internet) without proper documentation. Any case of plagiarism will be prosecuted according to the guidelines in the SJFC handbook. Students who plagiarize will receive an F for the course.

Policy on Disabilities: In compliance with St. John Fisher College policy and applicable laws, appropriate academic accommodations are available to you if you are a student with a disability. All requests for accommodations must be supported by appropriate documentation/diagnosis and determined reasonable by St. John Fisher College. Students with documented disabilities (physical, learning, psychological) who may need academic accommodations are advised to make an appointment with the Coordinator of Services for students with disabilities in the Office of Academic Affairs, Kearney 202. Late notification will delay requested accommodations.

Reading Schedule

May 22 Myth: Jonah, Genesis 1-11

May 24 Patriarchs: Genesis 12-36, 37-50

May 29 Memorial Day – no class

May 31 Growth of a nation: Exodus 1-26, 32-34, Numbers 1, 11-16, 20-25, 27

June 5 Government: Judges, Samuel I

June 7 Samuel II, Kings 1-11

June 12 Exile, Policy, Prophesy: Isaiah

June 14 Hosea, Obadiah, Habakkuk

June 19 Women/Sex: Ruth, Esther, Song of Songs

ESSAY DUE

June 21 Trial and Doubt: Job (HS), Gospel of John (NT)

June 26 Parables: Gospel of Matthew (NT)

June 28 Apocalyptic Visions (end of days): Daniel (HS), Revelation (NT)

RETURN TO LIST