Required Texts:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford UP, 2001.
John B. Gabel, C. B. Wheeler, and A. D. York. The Bible as Literature. New York: Oxford UP, 2000.
Jack Miles. God: A Biography. New York: Vintage Books, 1996.

Recommended Texts:
John Barton. How the Bible Came to Be. Louisville: John Knox Press, 1998.
William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. New York: Prentice Hall, 2005.
Steven Lynn. Texts and Contexts. New York: Longman, 2000.

Course Description:
The Bible as Literature is a course which is meant to expose you to Bible criticism and Bible scholarship. It is not a course that is meant to indoctrinate or convert you. I am a scholar of literature and literary analysis, and I am neither interested nor qualified to teach you religion and educate you in the ways of theology. What I want to do, however, and what I expect you to do, this semester is to explore the cultural and historical context in which the two books which we commonly refer to as “the Bible” were written, analyze textual sources, and synthesize contextual circumstances. I will need you to open your minds and approach the Old and New Testament, or the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Scriptures as we will refer to them in class, with the same interpretative and analytical readiness as you would bring towards a less charged literary text. Ultimately then, our task this semester is to view the Bible as a book, written by people who lived at a certain time and in a certain geographical location, people who were culturally and politically biased, who were intimately familiar with argumentative techniques and communicative strategies, and who—as skillful writers do—never lost focus of their target audience.

Course Objectives:
The literature we will be reading this semester has been canonized for many centuries, but much of it has become a truth universally accepted and seldom questioned. In order to comprehend the literature behind the Bible, we need to regain access into a past almost forgotten. We need to see the history, understand the culture, and, most importantly, we need to trace biblical exegesis. You are strongly encouraged to bring in whatever visual aids or stories you might have discovered in preparation for class discussion or an oral report and which might help the rest of us experience the literature we are reading more fully. Our focus this semester will lie on fostering a professional environment in which we can read, discuss and write about literature freely and competently.

At the end of this course you should be able to:
1) Read and write about the Bible in a confident and competent manner.
2) Write reflective, interpretive, and critical essays about biblical texts.
3) Identify and comprehend various critical approaches to biblical literature.
4) Contextualize and historicize biblical texts.
5) Utilize and criticize scholarly articles on the Bible.

Written Assignments and Exams:
Three analytical papers (2-4 pages—see the daily schedule for due dates): Each of these written assignments will account for 10% of your final grade for a total 30%.
Three in-class exams (see daily schedule for dates): Each of these tests individually will account for 10% of your final grade for a total 30%.
A take-home final exam: This exam is comprehensive and will account for 30% of your final grade.
Participation: Active class participation will account for the remaining 10% of your final grade.


Grading:
his course and all its assignment will be graded on a standard scale from A to F, with A being greater than 90% and F being lower than 60%. Paper grades are determined by applying standards of logic, coherence, style, and mechanics. Class assignments, exams, and course projects are clearly marked with percentages; refer to the assignment section of this syllabus for assignment criteria and individual grade/percentage allotments. top

Course Policies: Read these guidelines carefully—they are crucial for your successful completion of Humanities 335:
1) All assigned readings need to be completed before class in preparation for class discussion, pop quizzes and short in-class reaction papers on the reading material.
2) All assignments must be typed and proofread.
3) No late assignments will be accepted; please plan accordingly.Remember, it is your responsibility to stay in contact with me and to ask me for help if you are experiencing difficulties following the course material or completing work on time.
4) Plagiarism is grounds for failing the assignment and this class. For further information, please consult the section on Plagiarism at the end of this syllabus.
5) Timely attendance in class is a requirement for all students in Humanities 335. Two late arrivals will count as one absence. Students with six absences will earn an F for the course; no exceptions are made. Keep track of your absences—this is one of the trickiest program policies, and no excuses count. Regular (and timely) attendance is an absolute must.
6) All students need to have an e-mail account. If you haven’t done so already, please sign up for a WSU Unix account at your earliest convenience. Everybody needs to be equipped with a WSU Unix account by the end of week two. Again, there are no exceptions made for this policy. If you prefer using a different account (Yahoo!, Hotmail, AOL, etc.), set up pop mail to forward your WSU messages to this account. You are responsible for checking your e-mail regularly. This is my way to get hold of you—make sure that I can.
NOTE: If you do not understand these policies, you must ask me for clarification or stop by my office at your earliest convenience; your success in this class is dependent on your comprehension of them. By staying in this class, you are showing your acceptance of and compliance with these guidelines.

Absences and Contact Information:
You are responsible for finding out what you missed on the days you were absent, and this should not take place by asking me at the beginning of the next class period. Call, e-mail, or swing by my office prior to our next meeting as a class. Alternatively, gather the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of at least two other students (preferably four) you can contact to find out what happened in class. I suggest that you record this information below, so you will have it handy when you need it.

Name/Phone: ______________________       Name/Phone: __________________________
E-mail:  ___________________________      E-mail: _______________________________

Name/Phone: ______________________       Name/Phone:    _________________________
E-mail:  ___________________________      E-mail: _______________________________

Campus Resources:
WritingCenter: The Writing Center is located on the third floor of the CUE. The Writing Center employs student tutors who will talk to you about your writing. The Writing Center is not a proofreading service—expect tutors to offer suggestions for the overall improvement of your paper, no more, no less. You can access Writing Center hours and resources at <http://www.wsu.edu/writingprograms>.
Holland/New Library: You will become quite familiar with the library this semester as you conduct your research for your papers. For your reference, the library catalog can be accessed at <http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu>. The reference section located inside of the library is another important resource for you, and the reference librarians are some of the most competent and helpful people working here at WSU.
DisabilityResourceCenter: I am committed to providing assistance to help you be successful in this course. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. Please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC) during the first two weeks of every semester to seek information or to qualify for accommodations. All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Ad. Annex, Rooms 205). Call 335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability counselor.
Avery 487: My door is always open. If you have questions about assignment instructions or expectations please come and see me. I can guarantee you that I will be in my office during my scheduled office hours (Monday, Wednesday & Friday noon-1 pm), but I am in my office or somewhere in or around Avery quite a bit. Feel free to stop by. Also, feel free to leave a message for me if you need me to get in touch with you—beware though, WSU phones do not support long distance calls, which disqualifies most of your cell phone numbers; leave local numbers only, please. The best way to contact me is through e-mail.
A note about e-mail communication: I am more than happy to answer questions and discuss literary or scholarly concerns via e-mail. I do trust, however, that all e-mails will be written in a respectful and professional tone and that they will be proofread before they are sent. I will not respond to unprofessional or sloppily composed e-mails, and I cannot accept assignments or drafts via e-mail. Remember that this is a University-level class—your writing needs to reflect that.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is grounds for failing an assignment and the course; you are expected to provide evidence of significant invention and revision if requested to do so. All incidents of plagiarism or collusion will result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course, and all incidents of plagiarism and collusion will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs for further university action.  Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is illegal and is not acceptable in this or any other class at Washington State University.

Note: The instructor reserves the right to change and modify schedule and syllabus. top