INTRODUCTION
The Level I religion course introduces students to the dialogue between the biblical tradition and the cultures and communities related to it. Study of the biblical storyline, major biblical texts and their interaction with (e.g.) theology, religious practice, ethics, and social values. Consideration of methods and fields in the study of religion in a liberal arts setting.
The course is taught in multiple sections. Every section will cover a core list of biblical texts, but in each case distinctive approaches and themes will be emphasized. For details see below.
121 A: RIPLEY, 800-855, MWF
THE BIBLE AND SALVATION. Like the Philippian jailer, who cries out for salvation while his life crumbles around him, people for millennia have turned to the God of scripture for hope in the midst of brokenness. From images of personal healing to cosmic renewal, the Bible employs a surprising variety of metaphors to speak of God’s care and faithfulness toward God’s creation and covenant people. Employing both literary and historical approaches to reading, we will explore the rich diversity of biblical images of salvation. We will also delve into ways select theologians, artists, and filmmakers have utilized these biblical motifs to address specific cultures and contexts, with an eye toward exploring metaphors of salvation appropriate to our contemporary situations.
121 B: BOOTH, 905-1000 MWF
THE BIBLE AND THE IDEA OF NATURE. In this section we are studying whether the Bible has anything to say about the modern politics of “environmentalism.” Some argue the Bible offers timeless spiritual lessons unrelated to specific political concerns, like environmentalism. But others argue the Bible testifies to God’s loving care for creation, and consequently lays down a religious obligation for modern people to protect the environment. What does the Bible say about the natural world? Using the imagery of gardens and wilderness as a way of thinking about the natural world, we are trying to determine what Biblical authors thought about nature. And we are trying to understand how modern people employ the Bible in arguments about the environment.
121 C: ODELL, 905-1000, MWF
LOVE AND JUSTICE IN THE BIBLE. All too often, it is assumed that the Old Testament develops the theme of justice, while the New Testament introduces the theme of love, as if God’s character and strategy for dealing with the world abruptly change with the turn of the page. This course challenges that assumption by asking what love and justice have in common in biblical writings stretching across Old and New Testaments. Some of the questions we’ll consider include: How do different settings, such as family, clan and community, national and international relations, affect biblical perspectives on justice? How are these differing perspectives reflected in the various genres of biblical writing such as narrative, law, prophecy, wisdom, and apocalyptic? Where do we see biblical writers wrestling with problems posed by the apparent lack of justice? Is there any point at which love and justice part company? Finally, how might these perspectives help us reflect on contemporary problems?
121 D: JOTHEN, 905-1000, MWF
GENDER IMAGININGS. Debates about the Bible’s role in defining “male” and “female” as well as the marital, sexual and social roles that flow out of gender are a lively part of contemporary culture. This section will think about the Bible in relationship to such debates. In particular, two questions will inform our conversations: 1) How is gender presented within the biblical world? 2) How does the Bible shape how we “imagine” gender? In order to ask these questions, we will examine a variety of ways contemporary thinkers understand gender within the biblical canon, ideas about the moral and social authority of the Bible and how the Bible is employed within contemporary debates about gender.
121 E: BARBOUR, 1045-1140, MWF
JOURNEYS AND THE BIBLE: TRAVEL AND TRANSFORMATION. This section focuses on geographical movements in the Bible, for instance, exodus, exile, diaspora, and the journeys of Jesus and Paul, and their relationships to religious meaning. “Journey” is also a metaphor for inward change and spiritual development, and we will also look at the ways the Bible depicts such changes. The course also examines recent literary narratives that depict travel and transformation.
121 F: SANTURRI, 1045-1140 MWF
IS THE BIBLE IMMORAL? Some atheists and agnostics say, yes, it is, but, interestingly enough, so do some Christians. The reason given is that the Bible seems to commend or depict without obvious criticism actions, policies and attitudes that many would regard today as immoral (e.g., genocide, child sacrifice, slavery, holy war, gender discrimination, heterosexism, ethnocentrism, anti-Semitism, masochism, destructive self-denial, or harmfully restrictive views of marriage, divorce and sexuality). But how can the Bible be “immoral” if, as the Christian tradition insists, scripture is supposed to serve as a source of moral wisdom (e.g., with the Ten Commandments or Jesus’ command to love the neighbor or the Sermon on the Mount)? In this section we address (among other things) the Bible as moral problem. Caveat emptor: Not for the religiously fainthearted.
121 G: BARBOUR, 1150-1245 MWF
For a description of this section, see the description for Section E.
121 H: SANTURRI, 1150-1245 MWF
For a description of this section, see the description for Section F.
121 I: WILSON, 1255-150, MWF
JESUS AT THE MOVIES. This section of Religion 121 will study core biblical texts in light of a series of thoughtful films, with special attention to the way in which filmmakers have portrayed the figure of Jesus or employed symbolic references to the Christ in non-biblical films. Special emphasis on writing essays that bring film and biblical text into conversation. Only open to students who can attend film screenings on many Thursday nights.
121J: REED, 1255-150 MWF
THE BIBLE AND OTHER SACRED TEXTS OF THE WORLD. What is the place of the Bible in our religiously diverse world? In this section of Religion 121 we will study the Bibles of Judaism and Christianity together with scriptures of other religious traditions. We will consider the following questions: What is scripture? What kinds of literature are found in scriptures? What kinds of questions do scriptures address? How are scriptures used by religious people around the world? What is the relevance of scripture in the 21st century? What, if anything, do scriptures have in common? We will carefully read and discuss selections from the Hebrew Bible of Judaism, the Old and New Testaments of Christianity, the Qur’an of Islam, the Vedas and other sacred texts of Hinduism, various sutras of Buddhism, and other scriptures.
121 K: REED, 200-255 MWF
For a description of this section, see the description for Section J.
121 L: HANSON, 800-925 T, 800-920 TH
THE BIBLE AS SCREEN PLAY. Movies have become our common language, one of the principal means by which we communicate and interpret our experiences and ideas (not to mention our primary form of entertainment). Biblical stories and themes have been a central source for filmmakers from the very beginning of the medium. What happens to those stories and themes in the process? What does the process of filmmaking teach us about how the Biblical authors may have brought their stories to life in their time? How do films illuminate the Biblical text, and how are contemporary perspectives, values, and prejudices reflected in the filmmakers’ work? The balcony is open. Please note that the films will be screened outside of class; there will be a weekly scheduled screening, and the films will be available on library reserve for those unable to attend.
121 M: ALEXANDER, 935-1100 T, 930-1050 TH
AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE BIBLE. From the Africans first encounter with the absurdity that was chattel slavery in the New World, they and their descendants had to struggle with issues of identity and their sense of self. One of the most important sources for African Americans in their efforts to understand themselves as a people as well as their place in the world has been the Bible. This section will examine 1) the manner in which African Americans first encountered the Bible 2) how African Americans came to use the Bible 3) the dominant Biblical themes that developed – and in many respects persist – in African American culture; e.g. Exodus, the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrew people, and justice for the downtrodden and the dispossessed.
121 N: BECKMAN, 935-1100 T, 930-1050 TH
WOMEN AND/IN THE BIBLE. We will study the Bible and the way in which women are portrayed in and have responded to it. You will know your way around the Bible by the time we are through, knowing when, why, where, how and from which perspective biblical texts were written. You will strive for biblical literacy. We will know the classic “proof texts” for and against women. In addition, we will look at the use of these selections in religious traditions to shape attitudes toward and treatment of women, focusing especially on women in different social locations; as harlots and manipulators; as victims of violence through rape, torture, silencing, marginalizing, and exclusion; and as active religious leaders as mothers, queens, judges, and ministers.
121 O: SCHILLINGER, 1145-110 T, 1245-205 TH
ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN. Daily news reports regarding violence between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, make remembering these religions share common roots difficult. Yet, all three trace their lineage back to Abraham. This section explores the common roots of these religions by introducing students to the Bible and the Qur’an, and examining the parallel characters and narratives found in each. At the same time, the individual beliefs and practices of each religion will be investigated in order to better understand what makes these religions distinct despite their similarities. In our multicultural world, a basic understanding of the relationship between these three monotheistic religions is perhaps more valuable now than ever before.