E103 COAS TOPICS: The Bible and its Interpreters (3 cr) MW 10:10-11
WH120 (Weitzman)

The goal of this course is to explore why the Hebrew Bible/Old
Testament plays such a central role in Christianity and Judaism.  To
explore this topic, we will need to engage in three very different
kinds of investigations: 1) we will begin with the Bible itself
(particularly the books of Genesis and Exodus), examining this text to
see what it meant in the world in which it was composed.  2)  We will
then move to ancient biblical interpretation to see what the Bible
meant to early Jews and Christians.  3)  We will conclude by
considering modern (mostly American) retellings of biblical narrative
by modern authors and artists in order to better understand what the
Bible means in our culture.  Our goal is to familiarize ourselves with
the contents of the Bible, to become familiar with the major
historical periods, ideas and institutions which have shaped its
interpretation(s), and to explore interpretation itself as an act of
great cultural and religious significance.

Since the focus of this course is the act of interpretation, written
assignments and class discussions will have the following goals: to
strengthen your interpretative skills (of a variety of different
media), to heighten your appreciation of the interpretation of others,
and to enrich our sense of the act of interpretation itself; what it
involves, how it is done and who does it.

Grades are based on attendance and participation in class discussions
(10%), 3 small writing exercises (5 paragraphs each; 30% of grade),
midterm and final examination: (midterm - 15% of grade; final - 30%),
and field-investigation (15% of course grade).  Along with a group of
three or four other students, you will visit, observe, and record how
the Bible is interpreted in one of many religious communities in the
Bloomington area (if you belong to a particular religious community,
you should investigate a community different from your own).  Each
group of students will be required to interview the leaders and
participants of this community; to observe how the Bible is
interpreted or used in the rites, meetings and ceremonies of this
community; and to present the results of its research in written form
at the end of the semester.  More details will be presented later in
the semester.  Due week of November 28.  Required Texts: The
Harper-Collins Study Bible; A Course Reader (which will consist of
brief examples of biblical interpretation, ancient and modern); John
Steinbeck, East of Eden; Zora Neal Hurston, Moses, Man of the
Mountain; Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.