Fall 2024 – LIT 340/Bible as Literature

LIT 340-01
1 course unit
no prerequisites
Term: Fall 2024
Time: 2:00-3:20pm TF
Room: Bliss Annex 235228		 Prof. G. Steinberg
Office: Bliss Hall 216
Office Phone: 771-2106
Office Hours: 2-4:50pm on Thursdays or by appointment
E-mail: gsteinbe@tcnj.edu

TEXTBOOKS:

    • New Oxford Annotated Bible with Aprocrypha, ed. Michael Coogan et al., 5th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2018), ISBN 9780190276089

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  The official catalogue description of this course is available in PAWS.

In this course, we read and analyze the Bible as a piece of literature. In particular, we examine the historical, cultural, and formal character of the various books of the Bible with an eye to understanding the peculiarities of Biblical narrative, imagery, genres, and style – from the Torah to the Gospels, from the historical books to the Second-Temple apocrypha, from the Prophets to the letters of St. Paul. To give us a sense of the historical development of the biblical texts, we will read them, as much as possible, in the order that they were written (or redacted) in their current form – rather than in the traditional order from Genesis to Revelation.

When the College went through a curriculum revision several years ago, the vast majority of undergraduate courses were “transformed” from 3-credit to 4-credit (1-unit) learning experiences.  While most of the classes continued to meet for only 3 academic hours per week, it was understood that the “transformed” courses offered a depth of learning with additional learning tasks unfolding in the equivalent of a fourth hour, including, sometimes, an actual additional hour of class interaction.  As the equivalent of the fourth hour in this course,

F) students are assigned additional learning tasks that make the semester’s learning experience more deeply engaged and rigorous, and no other additional classroom space is needed.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTATIONS.  The principal learning activities in this course are reading, writing, and discussion.  The readings that I have chosen to assign to you are the foundation of your learning.  If you do not do the readings, you miss out on that foundation, so keeping up with the readings is absolutely essential.  Upon the foundation of the readings, you build by writing response papers, which are more about writing-to-learn than writing-as-assessment.  Response papers are a safe, low-stress space for you to try out ideas, increase your understanding of concepts, and improve your retention of what you’re learning.  By writing, you reinforce and expand the learning that you’re gaining from your watching.

Building on your reading and writing, discussion is also very important for your learning in this class.  In general, my approach to class discussion is to begin by posing a question or problem, then to have us brainstorm lots of ideas together in response to the opening question/problem, then to move to evaluating the ideas that we’ve brainstormed, and finally to come to a consensus, as a class, about the best answers/solutions to the opening question/problem.  Your input to the discussion is absolutely critical.  Even though I may have taught the materials in this class many, many times before, no two classes have ever had exactly the same discussion about them.  Different classes come up with different ideas, different solutions, different answers.  As the professor, I’m not looking for one idea or one solution or one answer in particular.  I want us to think things through together – to throw out as many ideas as possible, to test and evaluate those ideas against the evidence of the material in front of us, and to draw the best conclusions that we can.  We all learn so much by working together in a free and open discussion to answer a question or solve a problem.  I learn so much from your fresh perspectives, and you learn so much from each other.  But this means that our class discussions always depend on your preparedness (how thoroughly and thoughtfully you’ve done your assigned homework) and on your participation (how willing you are to take risks, brainstorm, and share ideas – even when your ideas are only half-baked).  I can’t make a good discussion happen.  Only you all can do that.  I can work to create a classroom space that feels safe and pose provocative questions for us to discuss, but a good discussion – along with the incredible learning that comes from a good discussion – only happens if you all come to class prepared and willing to join in.

GOALS.  In this course, I want you to

    1. read as much of the Bible as a single semester allows,
    2. increase your understanding and appreciation of the beauty and uniqueness of the narrative, imagery, genres, and style of the ancient writings that make up the Bible,
    3. become comfortable reading the Bible as a literary text (rather than as a theological or religious text),
    4. become more conversant in the most influential images, stories, characters, and myths of the Judeo-Christian tradition,
    5. become familiar with present-day theories about how the Bible was composed and transmitted, and
    6. increase your sensitivity to the concrete historicity of texts and to the development of literary traditions, cultural values, modes of thought, and uses of language over time.

This course also contributes to the following Middle States goals for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences and the English Department:

#1 Written Communication,
#5 Critical Analysis and Reasoning: Ability to critique the arguments of others in the discipline and the construction of one’s own arguments in the discipline, using data/evidence are a focus of instruction and/or the ability to analyze linguistic and cultural patterns,
#7 Interpret Language and Symbol,
#8 Intercultural Competence: The development of understanding of other cultures and/or subcultures (practices, perspectives, behavior patterns, etc.),
#12 Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with a range of critical, generic, and literary traditions (including recent theoretical approaches) that shape – and are shaped by – literary discourses and texts of particular periods or movements,
#14 Students will be able to identify historically specific elements relevant to a particular text, and
#15 Students will be able to read a literary work and characterize its main aesthetic, structural, and rhetorical strategies in an argumentative, thesis-driven essay or in a writing workshop.

REQUIREMENTS.  For this course, you must complete the following graded assignments:

    1. eight two-page response papers (together worth 20% of your final grade),
    2. a midterm exam (worth 15%),
    3. a cumulative, comprehensive final exam (worth 25%), and
    4. two of the “P” papers (together worth 40%).

Your final grade will be based on the following scale:  A = 93%-100%, A- = 90%-92%, B+ = 87%-89%, B = 83%-86%, B- = 80%-82%, C+ = 77%-79%, C = 73%-76%, C- = 70%-72%, D+ = 67%-69%, D = 60%-66%, and F = below 60%.  This scale is absolute.  Because the response papers are in a sense a form of extra credit built into this course from the start, I do not give extra credit at the end of the semester to help students raise their grade even a whisker.  So, even if, at the end of the semester, you are just .0001 points away from an A-, your final grade will be a B+.

RESPONSE PAPERS.  In the course of the term, you are required to submit eight short, informal papers (about 2 pages each) on the readings from the Bible assigned for class.  You may choose for which days you want to write a response paper, as long as you have completed eight response papers by the end of the term.  For each response paper, choose one of the following topics and analyze the assigned reading for the day with respect to the topic you’ve chosen:

    1. Narrative.  Biblical narrative is not linear like most narrative today.  It’s more like a collection of short stories than like a single, coherent novel.  So, imagine that someone put together a book by asking a bunch of different writers to write short stories with some of the same characters (famous people from our past) but without reading each other’s stories.  The characters might have the same names and even sometimes similar characteristics, but the stories about the characters wouldn’t be consistent with one another.  In one story, two characters might meet each other, but in the next story, they may not have met each other yet.  This is what biblical narrative is like.  As you read, you can’t assume that what happened in one story is relevant to the next one.  Stories don’t move neatly from point to point in chronological order across the whole of a book.  Instead, one story starts and then suddenly starts over again; or a story is told once and then is told all over again later in a different context; or two or more stories cover the same basic ground but don’t relate or refer to one another (such as the multiple versions of King David’s introduction to Saul or of God’s promise to Abraham that he will have many descendants).  Choose a story that gets repeated, that covers the same ground as another story, or that starts and restarts.  What effect does the repetition have on readers?  Is the repeated story exactly like the original?  If not, how does the repetition vary from the original?  What do we learn from the repetition and variation?  Do the repetition and variation cause ambivalence (a feeling of uncertainty about how to evaluate the stories and their message) or add layers of meaning (providing multiple perspectives on the same topic that enrich our understanding) or constitute a corrective (with one version of the story “correcting” the other)?
    2. Typology.  Many plot motifs are repeated again and again throughout the Bible (e.g., the story of a barren woman who miraculously has a child in her old age).  This kind of repetition is called typology by biblical scholars.  It differs from the narrative repetition in #1 above in that it doesn’t involve the same characters.  It’s not the same story (with the same characters) being repeated but different stories (with different characters) that nonetheless follow the same basic storyline or pattern.  The first instance of a motif is called a type (like a prototype or archetype) and it prefigures later appearances of the same motif.  Sometimes a type will even be turned on its head (in an anti-type).  Many of these types have their origin in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible).  So, do any plot motifs seem familiar?  Are they a type or the repetition of a type?  Why would the biblical author choose to reuse this type?  What was the meaning of the earlier type?  What does its earlier meaning add to the repetition?  How does the repetition reflect anything new back on the original type?
    3. Imagery.  Biblical texts often repeat the same or similar images over and over again – e.g., vines, flocks of sheep and shepherds, ravening lions, flowing rivers, prostitutes, and so on.  How does the reading assignment use one or more of these common images?  What meaning does the common image seem to convey?  Is it the same meaning as in previous reading assignments, or has the meaning of the image changed?  Does the author use the image differently or give it a different cast or flavor?  Why would the author resort to the same tried-and-true images as other texts (rather than create new and original images)?  Does the text create some new and original images, not common to other texts?
    4. Genre.  Biblical texts come in a number of different genres (e.g., prophetic writing, “historical” narrative, complaint poetry, royal/patriotic songs, liturgical psalms, letters, sayings, miracle stories, apocalyptic literature), each with their own very particular conventions and expectations.  In most cases these genres are foreign to us today.  What seem to be the main characteristics or conventions of the reading assignment’s genre?  What seem to be the most important elements required by the genre in terms of narrative components, style, and/or imagery?  How does the reading assignment’s use of generic conventions and expectations relate to that of previous reading assignments from the same or other genres?
    5. History and Values.  In ancient times, the writing of history was not so much about trying to capture the objective truth of the past as it was about seeing and telling events in a way that separated and defined different social and political groups – i.e., that distinguished us from them.  In Genesis, for example, we hear lots of stories about Abraham, because Abraham is considered the father of the Hebrew people.  We want to know about and remember Abraham as our forefather, but we also want to think of ourselves as getting something from Abraham that separates us from other peoples.  The stories about Abraham (and other similar figures, both positive and negative) are there to emphasize who we are and what separates us from other peoples, especially in terms of our values.  Other peoples are usually figured in the negative characters in our histories; we are figured in the positive characters.  So, given the historical tales that they tell, how did the Hebrew people perceive themselves?  What did they see as distinguishing them from other peoples?  What values do they embrace?  Do the Hebrews seem to value hard work, honesty, innocence, wealth, generosity, breeding, loyalty, religious ritual, physical prowess, beauty, love, intelligence, humility, learning, cleverness, action, duty, honor, (self-)discipline, individual freedom, family, class, nation, and/or community?  How and where do the characters manifest such values?  How does the Hebrew people’s perception of themselves in this reading assignment relate to previous reading assignments in class?
    6. World View and Human Nature.  What kind of world does the text portray?  What are the fundamental elements or principles of the text’s fictive world?  Is the world a benevolent place or a dark, dangerous hell-hole without hope?  How does the text portray humanity?  What are the fundamental nature and characteristics of humanity in the text’s world?  Are human beings seen as basically good or fundamentally flawed or evil?  Does the text seem to view/portray the world and humanity in a basically positive or a basically negative light?  How does the text’s portrayal of the world and humanity relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
    7. Gender.  How are men and women portrayed in the reading assignment?  What seems to be the attitude of the author toward men and women?  What makes a good man or a good woman?  What makes a man masculine in the text?  What makes a woman feminine?  What does the text imply or say about the roles that are appropriate for each gender?  What seems to be each gender’s place in society?  Does the text seem to favor, criticize, or attack either gender?  How does the text’s treatment of gender relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
    8. Audience and Social Agenda.  Who seems to be the intended audience of the text?  To whom is the writer writing or speaking?  How do you know?  How does the text portray different social classes?  What centers of power or social class(es) does the text seem to address, criticize, support, and/or depend upon?  What seems to be the social and political agenda of the text – centralization of power, decentralization of power, increase of wealth at the top, populism, engagement in international politics, disengagement from international politics (i.e., isolationism), national aggrandizement in the international sphere, national/religious renewal within the domestic sphere?  How do the text’s audience and/or social agenda relate to those of previous reading assignments in class?  Check Canvas for a document with brief descriptions of the most important social groups and centers of power in biblical times.

Please note that, when you do a response paper, you are writing about the reading assigned for the day on which you’re submitting the paper. So, you’re writing about the reading before we discuss it in class and submitting the paper before the class meeting for which that reading is assigned. You can’t submit a response paper about a past day’s assignment.  You should submit each response paper by “sharing” it with me as a Google Doc before class on the assigned day.  Be sure to grant me “editing” or “suggesting” status when you share the Google Doc with me (so that I can comment directly on the paper).

The purpose of the response papers is

    1. to help you in your preparation for class discussion,
    2. to allow you to try out new and different ideas in a safe, low-stress space,
    3. to help me see where you’re struggling with the concepts in class,
    4. to help you reinforce and expand on what you’re learning in class, and
    5. to help you develop your intellectual independence and confidence.

Response papers are graded Pass/Fail, so they need not be a perfect, polished product.  Rather, response papers should be just what their name says – a response.  Think about one of the topics  that I have asked you to consider; then write a response.  Don’t worry about typos or comma splices or organization.  Don’t worry about answering every question I ask under a particular topic.  In fact, focus on the one question that seems most interesting to you, and be as specific as you can, getting down as much as you can, as quickly as you can.  Treat response papers more like a journal entry than like a formal paper.  I don’t want a five-paragraph theme.  Rather, I want an exploration – as detailed and specific as possible – of the assigned reading for the day.  But don’t focus too narrowly on just one passage from the assigned reading.  Try to generalize about the reading and then look at specific examples from multiple passages to support your generalization.

Normally, as long as you submit a response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you submit it before class on the assigned day), you will receive all the points that the response paper is worth.  You may submit more than eight response papers in the course of the semester (to make up for any response papers that do not pass), but no matter how many extra response papers you turn in, you will not receive credit for more than eight total.  You may not submit more than one response paper on a single day’s reading, nor may you submit a response paper for a day that you are absent from class.  (NOTE: Even if you do not submit a response paper on a particular day, you should still come to class prepared to discuss the response paper topics in relation to the assigned reading, since we will focus on these topics in our in-class discussions all semester; in other words, the response paper topics above are a great guide for your class prep every day.)

EXAMS.  The exams in this course are an assessment of how well you are learning, understanding, and retaining the material in class.  The exams include quotations from our course readings for you to identify and analyze, based on what we’ve learned and discussed in class.  The quotations are usually ones that we discuss at length together, although some quotations may be less discussed in class but still central to the plot and themes of the work from which they come (and therefore reasonable passages for you to be able to identify).  In addition, the exams assess your retention of important character names, settings, critical terms, and concepts by asking you to identify and describe them.  Finally, the exams offer you the opportunity to draw together the different strands of what you’ve been learning in class in an essay that asks you to look broadly at overarching themes and ideas.

THE “P” PAPERS.  You are required to choose and complete two of the following three paper options:

    1. Prophet Paper.  Choose a prophetic book other than Jonah, Lamentations, or Daniel (which really aren’t prophetic books at all, even though they appear among them).  You also may not choose any of the prophetic books that we have read and discussed in class (Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel).  Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific, and interesting thesis about how your chosen prophetic book uses the elements of the prophetic genre to orient and characterize itself.  How does the book use the elements of the prophetic genre to characterize its authority and message?  How do the book’s authority and message differ from those of other prophets (e.g., Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and/or Ezekiel)?  How is your chosen prophetic book similar to the other books?  Is it a significant departure from them?  What do the specific ways in which it employs and manipulates the conventions of prophetic writing draw attention to its specific outlook and purpose – its particular world view, values, and/or style?  Do not simply list similarities and differences between your prophetic book and other prophets.  Focus on describing the fundamental character of your chosen book and on using the conventions of prophetic writing (and the writings of other prophets) as a way to illustrate and support your claim about the book’s central essence and/or agenda.  Also, remember to pay attention to chronology (i.e., whether your book was written before or after other books).  If you compare your prophetic book to later prophets, for example, recognize that your book cannot be responding to or manipulating what those later prophets wrote (since they hadn’t written their prophetic books yet when your book was written).  Any comparisons that you make between your book and later prophets can only be comparisons that help to clarify the differing ways that the various prophets conceived of their authority and purpose.
    2. Pentateuch Paper.  Analyze the doublet of Exodus 16 (P strand) and Numbers 11 (J or E strand – it’s disputed which).  Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific, and interesting thesis about the doublet and its significance.  Focus on what effect having both stories in the Bible has on biblical readers.  What does having both stories accomplish?  Why include both?  What do we understand about God, Moses, and/or the Hebrew people from having both stories?  How are God, Moses, and/or the Hebrew people the same in the two stories?  Do the stories differ in perspective or share continuities?  How do the different perspectives or the shared continuities between the stories enrich our understanding?  Do the differences/continuities between the stories cause ambivalence, add layers of meaning, reinforce commonalities, and/or “correct” each other?
    3. Pericope Paper.  Analyze the pericope of Luke 5:17-26, Luke 10:25-37, or Luke 18:18-30 in comparison with its counterpart(s) in at least one of the other Gospels.  Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific, and interesting thesis about the pericope and its significance in characterizing Luke’s Gospel.  Focus on what the details of Luke’s version of the pericope, as compared to those of the other Gospel writer(s), tell us about Luke’s interests, concerns, values, style, and/or technique.  In order to do a good job, you should probably read (and use) more of Luke’s Gospel than just your chosen pericope (to get a sense of what is characteristic or distinctive about Luke and then to describe and illustrate that distinctive character in your paper).  If you go to an outside source to learn more about what’s characteristic of Luke’s Gospel, be sure to cite that source (or you will be guilty of academic dishonesty).

You may only complete and submit two of these options (i.e., no going for best two out of three).  Depending on which options you choose, the due dates for the papers are different.  See the course schedule below for the due dates.  You may not write on one option and submit the paper on the due date for one of the other options.  You must submit your paper on the due date specified for the option that you’ve chosen.

You need not use outside sources for these papers (that is, sources other than the text of the Bible); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I’d rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks).  But if you do use any outside sources, you must cite them appropriately (or you will be guilty of academic dishonesty).

I encourage you, by the date noted in the course schedule below, to submit a thesis paragraph (a draft first paragraph of your paper or just a paragraph that describes what you plan to write about) to me by sharing it as a Google Doc (making sure to give me “editing” or “commenting” status so that I can comment directly on the paragraph).  If you do so, I will give you feedback on your proposed thesis before you submit your final paper.

Your papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria (in order of relative importance):

    1. Does the paper have a clear, specific thesis?  Does the thesis offer an interesting perspective or “hook” that is provocative without being gimmicky or offensive?
    2. Does the paper’s argument progress logically?  Does the paper have a clear and consistent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the paper together in support of the thesis with appropriate transitions to aid the reader (rather than simply being a list of random observations without relation to one another or to the thesis)?  Does the paper have appropriate transitions to aid the reader in following the paper’s logic (rather than weak transitions, such as “The first…,” “Another…,” and “…also…”)?
    3. Are the paper’s paragraphs properly developed – neither too long and wandering nor too short and deficient?  Are the topics of the individual paragraphs suitably narrow and focused rather than vague and broad?  Once a paragraph gets specific about anything, does it stay focused on that topic to the end?
    4. Does the paper provide relevant, concrete evidence and logically persuasive reasons for every assertion?
    5. Does the paper show sensitivity to the concrete historicity of the texts under consideration (rather than treat them as timeless museum pieces or reflect on them anachronistically)?
    6. Does the paper exhibit confidence and insight when analyzing texts or passages not discussed in class?
    7. Does the introduction to the paper offer an interesting, helpful preview of the content, logic, and organization of the paper?
    8. Is factual information in the paper accurate?
    9. Is the writing in the paper clear, effective, and appropriate to an academic setting?

LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM.  A quarter-unit (one-credit) Languages Across the Curriculum independent study may be added to this course for students who have intermediate level proficiency in ancient Latin or Greek and who wish to complement the work in this course by utilizing their language skills. Students should complete this google form (https://forms.gle/ztyranBCUjhxrU4m7) by Thursday, September 5 to be enrolled in the LAC independent study. Please contact LAC Program Director Dr. Holly Didi-Ogren (holly.didi-ogren@tcnj.edu) with any questions.

PROFESSOR’S AVAILABILITY.  My office is Bliss Hall 216.  My in-person office hours this term are 2-4:50pm on Thursdays.  If you have questions about class (or just want to talk about stuff), feel free to stop by during these hours (no appointment necessary).  I can also meet over Zoom if that’s more convenient for you.  If you cannot come during my scheduled office hours, talk to me about meeting at another time, and we can set up an appointment.  You may contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu) or by calling my office phone (609-771-2106) and leaving a message (if I do not answer), but email is usually the best way to get in touch with me.  You may also leave a written message for me in my box at the English Department offices in Bliss Hall 124.

ATTENDANCE.  Regular attendance is a virtual necessity for successful completion of this class.  Class discussion constitutes important, useful preparation for your graded work.  If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day’s contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of information for a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone).  If, however, you positively must miss a class, I expect you to find out what you missed and to come fully prepared – without excuses – to the next class meeting.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.  Academic dishonesty is any attempt by a student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as your own, work which has not been done by you or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to, submitting as your own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether the source is AI-generated, printed, under copyright, or another student’s work). Credit must always be given for words quoted or paraphrased and even for ideas or information taken from a source. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral.

ACCOMMODATIONS.  The College of New Jersey prohibits discrimination against any student on the basis of physical or mental disability or perceived disability. The College will also provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to enable students with disabilities to participate in the life of the campus community. If you require special accommodations, I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities are respected.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. We are all enriched by greater diversity, and we all bring different perspectives to this class. I want to create a learning environment that supports diversity and honors your identities and perspectives (including your race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, mental and physical health, differing abilities, politics, etc.). If you go by a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official records, please let me know. If you feel that your performance in class is being impacted outside of class by a hostile environment related to your identity, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. If something is said or posted in class (by anyone, including me) that you consider hostile or offensive to your identity, please talk to me about it. I will expect our whole class (including me) to strive always to honor every form of diversity.

SCREENS.  Unless required as an accommodation for a physical or mental disability, you may not use screens (laptops, phones, ipads) in this class.  In the last ten years, there has been a ton of research that shows that screens are bad for learning – that you are less likely to remember what happens in class if you take notes on an electronic device rather than with pen and paper, that you are less likely to comprehend and remember what you read if you read it on a screen rather than in a printed format, that you are more likely to be distracted and miss things in class if you use an electronic device during class time.  I am not a Luddite (someone who despises all technology); I love my screens and use them a lot.  But I have watched a lot of students over the last few years perform much worse in my classes than they could (or should) have performed, because they used screens for taking notes and reading.  And my anecdotal experience with students over the years is nothing in comparison with the towering tsunami of research that shows just how bad screens are for learning in the classroom.

For that reason, you may not use any electronic devices in class.

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING.  The TCNJ community is dedicated to the success, safety, and well-being of each student. TCNJ strictly follows key policies that govern all TCNJ community members’ rights and responsibilities in and out of the classroom. In addition, TCNJ has established several student support offices that can provide the support and resources to help students achieve their personal and professional goals and to promote health and well-being. You can find more information about these policies and resources at the “TCNJ Student Support Resources and Classroom Policies” webpage here:  https://academicaffairs.tcnj.edu/tcnj-syllabus-resources/.

Students who anticipate and/or experience barriers in this course are encouraged to contact the instructor as early in the semester as possible. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) is available to facilitate the removal of barriers and to ensure reasonable accommodations. For more information about ARC, please visit:  https://arc.tcnj.edu/.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  The schedule below is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor.  Changes in the schedule made after the first day of class will be shown in red.

Dates Assignments
T Aug 27 Introductions
F Aug 30 Amos; Genesis 1-2
T Sep 3 NO CLASS (Monday schedule instead)
F Sep 6 Genesis 3-4, 12-13, 15-16, 18-19, 24-27, 29, 34
T Sep 10 Isaiah 1-23
F Sep 13 Isaiah 24-39; Genesis 20-22, 31, 33
T Sep 17 Judges
F Sep 20 1 Samuel
T Sep 24 2 Samuel
F Sep 27 1 Kings
T Sep 30 Oct 1
 2 Kings
F Oct 4 Jeremiah 1-25
T Oct 8 NO CLASS (Fall Break)
F Oct 11 Jeremiah 26-52
T Oct 15 MIDTERM EXAM
F Oct 18 Ezekiel 1-24
T Oct 22 Ezekiel 25-48
Thesis paragraph for the PROPHET PAPER DUE as a shared Google Doc by 11:59pm
F Oct 25 Isaiah 40-66
M Oct 28 PROPHET PAPER DUE in Canvas by 11:59pm
T Oct 29 Genesis 1-24
last day to withdraw with a W or to request ungraded option
F Nov 1 Genesis 25-50
T Nov 5 Exodus 1-25, 32-35, 40
W Nov 6 Thesis paragraph for the PENTATEUCH PAPER DUE as a shared Google Doc by 11:59pm
F Nov 8 Psalms 1-3, 107-147
T Nov 12 Ecclesiastes and Daniel
W Nov 13 PENTATEUCH PAPER DUE in Canvas by 11:59pm
F Nov 15 Ruth and Judith
T Nov 19 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Philemon
F Nov 22 Mark
T Nov 26 Matthew
Thesis paragraph for the PERICOPE PAPER DUE as a shared Google Doc by 11:59pm
F Nov 29 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
T Dec 3 Revelation
M Th Dec 2 5
 PERICOPE PAPER DUE in Canvas by 11:59pm
F Dec 6 John
FINAL EXAM PERIOD FINAL EXAM