Requirements REL 320
Attendance is required and is an important part of your grade.
Attendance sheets will be circulated. Since class meetings consist of lectures
and discussion, students find it very difficult to do well on my tests without
attending faithfully, taking good notes and reviewing them at least weekly
throughout the semester. To
paraphrase the Undergraduate Catalog, you may be excused from class without
penalty 1) for University sanctioned activities, 2) for severe illness as
evidenced by a written doctor’s excuse, and 3) for a death in your immediate
family. Just let me know. According to my own liberal policy, you also have three
"personal leave" days to do with as you please without penalty.
Use them wisely. If you miss more than these three days--a weeks worth of
class!--and these absences are not covered under the excused absences as
described in the catalog, you are required to schedule a conference with me to
discuss your attendance problem. Also, do not make a habit of arriving
late, leaving early, or talking in class. Being a frequent distraction could
adversely affect your grade in borderline cases.
The reading assignments are very important. I have chosen a recent
and critically acclaimed
introductory textbook that will serve as the historical-critical and
literary-critical backbone of the course. Each assigned reading will
overlap with the mini-lecture of the day to make sure we are getting the
basics. Additionally, you will often have a more topical assignment chosen to introduce you to a variety of types of contemporary
Jesus scholarship and generate debate about controversial interpretive issues. But
don’t forget that the main texts are the "primary sources," i.e.,
the early Gospels (both canonical and non-canonical), and the meager scraps of
early information about Jesus outside them.
Your single most involved assignment will be a ten to twelve page book
summary and critical review of a book on some aspect of Jesus scholarship. Suggested books will
be posted along with detailed instructions on the course web site. A
draft of at least half of the review will be submitted shortly after midterm.
There will be two exams (Midterm and Final). The final will test your comprehension
of the overall content of the course.
There will be six position papers. Most are two to three page,
low-stress written assignments that will prepare you for class discussions on
the dates they are due. (Paper two is longer, more involved, and worth more
points.) They must be typed double-spaced. Directions for each
assignment will appear on the schedule. Late papers will not be accepted, but
a make up assignment will be made available to those with a legitimate
excuse. If you know you must miss the class session at which a paper is
due you should turn the assigned paper in early instead of opting for a make up
assignment.
Each student will participate in one debate towards the end of the
course. Three will be held. Detailed instructions for the debates as
regards both individual and team responsibilities will be provided.
Everyone should plan to have finished reading their book chosen for review by
the week before the debate.
An email account and web surfing are required in this course.
You can earn 2 extra pts. right off the bat by completing the email assignment
found on the first day of the calendar page within two weeks.
Textbooks
Required:
Aland, Kurt, Synopsis of the Four Gospels in English
Cartlidge, David R. & David Dungan, Documents for the Study of the
Gospels (revised and enlarged edition)
Hedrick, Charles W., When History and Faith Collide: Studying Jesus
Online Links and Reserve Readings
