The Bible as Literature
FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE!

Mary Adams, Instructor
Office phone: x3921 (but email works better)

Use this email address to contact me: madams@email.wcu.edu
Do not use WebCT, as I do not check it.

390.01
MW 2:30-4 Coulter 103



- Go to Discussion Board -
- Download Reading Sheet -
- RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS -

Course Objectives

Students will learn to :

1. Read, discuss, and understand the bible from a non-sectarian literary perspective
2. Identify, analyze, and interpret the literary devices used
3. Identify, analyze, and interpret major themes in specific books of the Bible
4. Recognize the Bible's rich contribution to other major literary works and integrate this knowledge with that for other course work in the humanities
5. understand important historical and cultural influences on the Bible
6. Produce thoughtful written work demonstrating the abilities learned in 1-5 above
   

Class Policies and Assumptions

Attendance and Lateness

• Absences: You may miss three classes for any reason. These absences include excused or unexcused absences, family tragedies, medical emergencies, or other unforseeable circumstances. After the third absence, I will lower your grade a letter for each additional absence. After the sixth absence, you will fail the course.
  • The only exceptions to this policy: school activities, such as musical performances or athletics, if you have a note from the instructor, and absences because of storms or winter weather, if you live off campus and can demonstrate that you were unable to get here. Please budget carefully.
• Tardiness: Once I close the door, you are tardy. After three tardies, I will mark you down for one absence. If you arrive 15 or more minutes late, or leave early, I will mark you absent. Please arrange your schedule accordingly.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the inaccurate or unacknowledged use of another's material. One plagiarized assignment will result in a 0 for the assignment; a second instance will result in failure of the course and may result in legal action.

• The university's policy can be found in the faculty handbook.
  The university procedure includes the following language:

  "Instructors have the right to determine the appropriate sanction or sanctions for academic dishonesty within their courses up to and including a final grade of "F" in the course. Within 5 calendar days of the event, the instructor will inform his or her department head in writing of the academic dishonesty charge and sanction."

Electronic Devices in Class

Unless you have a documented disability which requires you to have a laptop in class, you may not use one during class time. Unfortunately, too many students have abused laptops in class for me to permit their use. The same is true for cell phones, ipods, gameboys, or any device that requires headphones. If you must keep your cell phone on, please turn off the ringer. First-time abuses of this policy will result in the student being warned. Future abuses will result in an absence.

My assumptions in this course

For the purposes of this course, we will discuss the bible as a human document. This means we will discuss different theories of authorship and chronology, investigate different translations, and discuss the cultural context of its composition. We will read and discuss some biblical and archeological scholarship. You do not have to agree with this scholarship, but you will be responsible for reading it.

Even devout Christians differ about how to interpret the Bible. I expect disagreement as long as it is respectful, I will not tolerate rudeness or disrespect to others—or to me!

For more about this class, please read this statement.

Conventions and Abbreviations

• To refer to periods before the year 0, we use "BCE" which means "before the comman era," rather than BC ("before Christ.") "CE" is used, of course, to refer to events after the year 0.
• To discuss the first half of the bible, we use the tern Hebrew Bible rather than Old Testament, which implies that there is a newer testament, a contention that not everyone accepts.

Texts

• Rental: Harris, Stephen. Understanding the Bible. 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill Humanities, ISBN: 0072965487,
• Purchase: Coogan, Michael, et al. eds. New Oxford Annotated Bible With the Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version College Edition--Oxford UP.(Buy used on Amazon) Note: This edition of the bible is required--Why?? (source: Wikipedia. But see a more complicated discussion in our textbook)
• Purchase: Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent. Picador.

Assignments

• Reading Sheets, Film Viewing Sheets (25%)
• Quizzes 20% (If I think more are needed, I will adjust this figure)
• Participation (10%)
• Research paper and brief handout with bibliography (15%)
• Midterm -- Take home(10%)
• Final -- In Class (20%)
  

The Reading Sheet/ Viewing Sheet Assignment

These assignments comprise 25% of your grade. Your goal in them is to show me that you've done the assignment. I grade them based on detail and specificity, not grammar.

NOTE: I DO NOT RECORD THE GRADES at the time I return the assignment. You are responsible for keeping the graded assignments in a folder, and I will assign a grade of all the assignments at the end of the semester. DON'T THROW AWAY ANY GRADED ASSIGNMENTS!

Quizzes

I will frequently give unannounced, 5-minutes quizzes at the beginning of class. Quizzes are multiple choice or short answer questions based on the reading due that day. They may cover the Bible Reading, the Harris background reading, and/ or the Oxford Bible's Introduction to the bible reading. They may also include vocabulary or terms covered for that class. You may use your notes for the quizzes, but you cannot use the textbook.

Papers

I will assign 1 research paper (15%). The research paper will cover a historical or cultural issue relevant to the bible. This paper will be factual in nature; it will not involve personal beliefs or opinions. You must use three articles or books in addition to the Harris text, and no more than one Internet site. You should look for sources in the bibliographies in Harris and the Oxford NRSV. I must approve the sources that you use. You may quote briefly from the bible, but neither the Harris textbook nor the bible will count as a source.

Exams

The midterm and final exams in this class will be written. They will combine short answer and essay questions. The midterm exam will be take-home. Before the final exam, I will give you a study guide that contains a list of short answer questions and essay questions, and I will pick the exam questions from that list.

Other Required Information

WCU Statement on Accommodations for students with disabilities:

Western Carolina University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities. Students who require disability services or reasonable accommodations must identify themselves as having a disability and provide current diagnostic documentation to Disability Services. All information is confidential. Please contact Kimberly Marcus for more information. Phone: (828) 227-7234; E-mail:kmarcus@email.wcu.edu.