Welcome to the strange and curious world of the study of biblical writings and readers! Whether or not you have any religious interest in biblical writings, an understanding of history, literature, music, film, conflicts, and politics (among many other things) virtually requires some basic knowledge of the Bible and its readers. This course is, therefore, fundamental to your overall liberal arts training. I'm excited to journey with you all as we encounter together the diverse ways that folk relate to an ancient (textual/cultural) past in the service of understanding their present(s) and imagining different futures. What are some of the categories used to appraise how we situate biblical texts in relation to their ancient (Israelite, Jewish, Greco-Roman and beyond) cultural backgrounds? What discourses and relations of power are at work in contemporary biblical and related scholarship? More broadly, how might we imagine the relationships we have with (any/all) texts, while growing in (self-)critical awareness of the ideological/contextual nature of engaging with the past? Come and discover!
| Distribution Area | Prerequisites | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities- or -Global Learning | 1 course |