What is this course? This course surveys books of the Old Testament, with emphasis on prophetic and historical books and examines the historical and geographical setting and place of the Israelites in the ancient Middle East as background to the writings. However, this is not your father's (or your pastor's) Bible study. The course employs historical-critical methods of research and analysis of biblical texts, which it examines as a literary and cultural artifact. These methods are the product of two centuries (or more) of textual, archeological, and historical scholarship. While matters of faith are as important to many people as breathing, they are secondary matters in a scholarly, academic course. Many of this course's assertions will contradict the beliefs of some students, but students are not expected or required to "believe in" the conclusions of biblical scholars. Students are only required to understand and to explain the scholarly consensus.
Who is the professor? Dr. Thomas L. Long (Professor of English and Humanities) earned an M.A. in Theology with his thesis on narrative hermeneutics and a Ph.D. in English with a dissertation on AIDS and American apocalypticism (revised into a book currently being considered for publication by a university press). He is chairman and delegate of the Literature and Religion Division of the Modern Language Association (the MLA). He has presented lectures on literature and religion at University of Leeds and Staffordshire University (England) and the College of William and Mary (among other places). He is the author of several articles, including entries in the Encyclopedia of Millennialism.
What are the course requirements? Students will be expected to read carefully the assigned biblical scholarship, note and guide handouts, and biblical passages. Because the course does not include composition prerequisites, students will not be assigned papers or reports. Instead, students will be graded based on weekly quizzes (which will include short answer and brief paragraph items) and midterm and final exams, which will include short-answer and essay questions.
What is the textbook for the course?
Finkelstein, Israel, and Neil Asher Silberman. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. New York: The Free Press, 2001.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha. New York: Oxford UP, 1989.
How will the course grade be determined? The final course average will be computed according to the following: Average of quiz scores= 30% + midterm score=30% + final exam score=30% + attendance, participation, course engagement=10%. Essays and short answers will be graded not only on the accuracy of the content but also according to the principles of standard written English (including grammar and spelling).
What is the class attendance policy? Students must attend at least 80% of the class meetings; those who miss more (over nine class hours) will fail the course.
Can students receive an "I" if they have not completed the work at the end of the semester? Under extraordinary circumstances a student may request an incomplete for a current semester, that is the deferral of work due for the course until the end of the following term. This work due cannot constitute more than 50% of the course work; the student must otherwise be passing the course; and the circumstances prompting the request for an incomplete must be serious and beyond the student’s control.
Can students withdraw from the course later if they have to? Students may withdraw from any course on their own until the mid-term date designated in the current academic calendar. A professor may also process an administrative withdrawal of the student whose absences are excessive. If this withdrawal occurs after the mid-term date, the student receives an "F" for the course. Only under the most serious mitigating circumstances (requiring the student's providing written documentation) can a student be withdrawn without penalty after the withdrawal date.
How often may a student retake the same course? Students are permitted to take a course twice (taking a course but withdrawing from it counts as one attempt to take a course). In order to take a course a third time, students must secure the approval of the dean.
Students with disabilities should contact the Counseling Center in order to secure for the professor a statement of reasonable accommodations that will improve the students' likelihood of academic success in the course.