IBSL  507A:  PENTATEUCH:  GENESIS   Tuesdays,  6:00  -­‐  8:40  PM   August  18  –  December  1,  2015   Room:  Classroom  Building,  Room  206     Rev.  Vanessa  Lovelace,  Ph.D.   Assistant  Professor  of  Hebrew  Bible/Old  Testament   Office:    Classroom  Building,  Room  306   Office  Telephone:  404.527.7746   Email:  [email protected]   Office  hours:    Wednesdays  8:00  -­‐  10:50  AM;  Thursdays  11:00  AM  -­‐  1:00  PM     All  other  sessions  by  appointment     ______________________________________________________________________  

ITC  MISSION  STATEMENT         The  Interdenominational  Theological  Center  (ITC)  is  primarily  a  consortium  of  denominational  seminaries   whose  mission  is  to  educate  Christian  leaders  for  ministry  and  service  in  the  Church  and  the  global  community.     The  ITC  educates  and  nurtures  women  and  men  who  commit  to  and  practice:  a  liberating  and  transforming   spirituality;  academic  discipline;  religious,  gender  and  cultural  diversity;  and  justice  and  peace.        

 

COURSE  DESCRIPTION       The  interpretation  of  scripture  involves  two  interrelated  but  separate  disciplines:  exegesis  and  hermeneutics.   Exegesis  is  the  close  reading  of  a  biblical  passage,  using  a  series  of  academic  methods  of  interpretation  including   but  not  limited  to  historical,  literary,  ideological,  gender,  racial/ethnic  and  postcolonial  criticisms.  Hermeneutics   describe  wider  principles  around  the  interpretation  of  texts,  including  but  not  limited  to  the  goals  of  the   interpreter,  the  intersection  of  race,  gender,  sexuality  and  class  and  interpretation,  the  community  for  which  the   interpreter  reads  scripture,  the  cultural  value,  social  relevance  and  ethics  of  the  reader's  stance.  In  this  course   students  will  learn  to  exegete  a  biblical  passage  from  the  book  of  Genesis  in  the  first  division  of  the  Jewish  Tanakh     (Torah)  or  the  Pentateuch  in  the  Christian  Old  Testament,  for  the  completion  of  a  biblical  exegesis  paper.  Genesis   contains  the  formative  narratives  of  the  people  of  Israel  and  the  politics  of  belonging  that  decided  who  was   included  as  a  member  of  Israel  and  who  was  excluded.  Students  will  use  a  contextual  approach  to  engage  the  text   in  order  to  educate  “Christian  leaders  for  ministry  and  service  in  the  Church  and  the  global  community,”  with   commitments  to  “a  liberating  and  transforming  spirituality;  academic  discipline;  religious,  gender,  and  cultural   diversity;  and  justice  and  peace.”     • •

The  prerequisites  for  this  course  are  IBSL  501  Introduction  to  Hebrew  Bible/Old  Testament  and  IBSL  531   Introduction  to  New  Testament   This  course  fulfills  the  Biblical  Exegetical  Requirement  for  Core  Courses  

        1     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

SATISFACTORY  ACADEMIC  PROGRESS  POLICY         In  order  to  obtain  credit  for  a  course,  students  must  attend  at  least  85  percent  of  the  contact  hours  for  a   particular  course.  A  16-­‐week,  1  day  a  week  course  requires  that  a  student  miss  no  more  than  15  percent  or  2.4   numbers  of  classes.  A  student  can  be  dropped  after  missing  three  classes.  Please  note  that  the  class  schedule   meets  this  minimum  such  that  an  unexcused  absence  of  one  session  can  severely  hinder  the  student’s  ability  to   meet  the  required  hours  and  may  consequently  affect  the  student’s  ability  to  make  satisfactory  attendance,   which  may  affect  the  student’s  satisfactory  academic  progress  for  financial  aid.  Please  see  Mandatory  Attendance   Policy  for  further  guidance.        

DISABILITY  ACCOMMODATION  POLICY         The  Office  of  Student  Services  provides  services  for  qualified  students  with  verified  physical  or  mental  disabilities   in  accordance  with  Section  504  of  the  Rehabilitation  Act  and  the  Americans  with  Disabilities  Act.  (ADA).  Services   provided  include,  but  are  not  limited  to:  readers,  note  takers,  equipment  loan,  interpreters,  adaptive  computer   software,  large  print  copying,  test  proctoring,  community  referral,  and  advocacy.  The  mission  of  the  Abilities   office  is  “empowerment  through  education,”  These  services  provide  disabled  students  with  equal  access  to   education  and  an  opportunity  to  fully  participate  in  activities  related  to  the  academic  pursuits.  Students  with   disabilities  must  identify  themselves  in  order  to  receive  support  from  the  Student  Services  office.  All   documentation  related  to  the  existence  of  a  disability  is  treated  as  confidential  information.  For  further   information  contact  the  Office  of  Student  Services  at  [email protected].    

ACADEMIC  INTEGRITY  POLICY  (abbreviated):   The  ITC  is  actively  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  academic  excellence.  In  keeping  with  this  endeavor,  the  Board  of   Trustees  of  the  ITC  has  ruled,  in  the  case  of  academic  misconduct  (plagiarism,  cheating,  and  other  acts  of   inappropriate  behavior  laid  out  in  Student  Handbook  4.2):   That  all  members  of  the  ITC  faculty  notify  the  Provost,  who  shall  notify  the  President,  of  all  incidents  of   cheating  by  students  and  further  that  the  President  be  authorized  to  take  such  action(s)  that  may  be   appropriate,  including  reprimand,  suspension,  and  termination  in  line  with  the  institution’s  policy;  and   the  student  fails  the  class.   Once  an  instructor  reports  a  student’s  work  for  academic  misconduct  to  the  Provost,  after  notifying  the   department/area  chair,  it  is  out  of  the  hand  of  the  instructor  and  cannot  be  reversed.  All  appeals  must  be  made   to  the  Provost’s  office.      

Course  Learning  Outcomes       Upon  completing  this  exegetical  course,  as  evidence  of  their  commitment  to  academic  discipline  and  scholarship,   students  must  demonstrate  the  ability:   1. To  interpret  ancient  biblical  texts  and  evaluate  the  arguments  of  ancient  biblical  writers  through  the   employment  of  primary  critical  skills  in  methods  of  historical,  literary,  ideological,  gender,  racial/ethnic   and/or  postcolonial  critical  methods   2. To  evaluate  contemporary  biblical  interpreters   3. To  develop  exegetical  and  hermeneutical  arguments  about  a  biblical  text   4. To  apply  this  analysis  to  the  academy,  the  church  and/or  the  wider  community     2     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

 

COURSE  OUTCOMES  EVIDENCE  OF  PROGRAM  AND  STUDENT  LEARNING  OUTCOMES       The  course  outcomes  are  evidence  of  the  Master  of  Divinity  and  Master  of  Arts  in  Christian  Education  degree   program  outcomes  in  the  following  competencies:           M.Div.  SLO  Competencies     M.Div.  PLOs     MACE  PLOs     Measured  by     (Indicate  Specific  Course  Assignment)     Story  Linking     Use  Storytelling/Linking  Skills  –   Students  apply  Biblical   Interpretation,  historical  accounts,   and/or  ethical  and  philosophical   Ideas  to  contemporary  realities  to   address  moral/social  dilemmas    

PLO-­‐1.  Develop  and   express  the  basic  tenets  of   faith,  religion,  and   denominational  traditions   for  ministerial  vocation  and   leadership        

   

Define  and  describe  biblical,   theological,  philosophical,   historical,  sociocultural,  and   psychological  tenets  that  under-­‐ gird  the  socio-­‐cultural   experiences  of  the  African   diaspora  as  they  relate  to  the   concrete  practices  of  teaching   learning.      

   

Methodological  Papers,   Exegesis  assignment,   Group  projects    

   

Critical  Thinking     Use  Thinking  Skills  –  students   decode  Significance,  clarify   Meaning  (Interpret);  Examine   Ideas,  Detect,  Analyze  Arguments   (Analyze);  Assess  Claims,  or   Arguments  (Evaluate)      

PLO-­‐2.  Execute  sermons,   liturgies,  programs,  and   performances  that   demonstrate  their  religion,   faith,  and  commitment  to   live  out  a  liberating  and   transforming  spirituality    

Employ  oral  and  ocular   worldviews  to  illustrate,   compare,  contrast,  and  critique   the  various  theories  supporting   core  courses.      

   

PLO-­‐3.  Construct  worship   services,  educational   sessions,  forums  in  the   community,  church,  and   academy  to  evidence  their   leadership  and   administrative  skills    

Demonstrate  the  capacity  to   implement  teaching-­‐learning   practices  that  reflect   denominational  traditions,   religious  heritages,  and  a   liberating  and  transforming   spirituality.    

   

PLO-­‐4.  Contribute  to  the   advancement  of  research   and  creative  projects  that   substantiate  the   contribution,  role,  and   function  of  the  African  and   African  American   experience    

Research,  design  and  administer   curriculums  that  relate  oral  and   ocular  worldviews  as  operative   in  contemporary  communities   of  the  African  Diaspora    

   

Exegesis  Assignment    

   

    Intrapersonal     Demonstrate  Intrapersonal  Skills  -­‐   Self-­‐articulation;  Self-­‐ examination;  and/or  Self-­‐ correction        

   

Community     Demonstrate  Community  Building   Skills  -­‐  Design;  Organize;  Plan;   Advocate;  Use  Collaborate   Strategies  (in  the  Church  and  the   Academy  Communities)    

   

   

   

 

   

   

        3     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

GRADING  POLICY  –  EVALUATION  AND  GRADING  SYSTEM        

Course  Evaluation  Assignment  Rubrics     The  evaluation  criteria  applied  to  all  course  requirements  for  this  course  are  listed  in  the  assignment  rubrics  on   the  Moodle  page.  The  intent  of  rubrics  is  to  enable  you  to  evaluate  your  own  work  on  the  class  assignments,   cluster  work,  and/or  individual  assignments  by  the  same  standards  as  the  course  facilitator.  Completing  the   assignment  is  not  evidence  of  excellent  (A)  work.  The  following  criteria  are  assigned  to  all  components  of  this   course  and,  (specific)  rubric  for  each  assignment.        

Course  Evaluation  Scale  (points  or  percent)  of  Assignment       Methodological  Papers  –  30  points  (see  rubric  on  Moodle)   Exegesis  Paper  –  50  points  (see  rubric  on  Moodle)   Group  Projects  –  20  points  (see  rubric  on  Moodle)    

NOTE:         All  written  work  is  to  be  typed,  double-­‐spaced,  with  page  numbers.  An  average  typed  page  is  roughly  300-­‐350   words.  While  dialogue  with  other  students  will  be  an  important  element  of  this  class,  all  written  work  is  to  be  in   your  own  words,  without  plagiarism.  Please  consult  the  ITC  catalogue  to  reference  school  policies.  All  direct   quotes  and  paraphrasing  must  be  cited!!!  Please  follow  the  Kate  L.  Turabian  Manual  for  Writers.  Refer  to  the  ITC   catalogue  for  a  detailed  description  of  the  grading  scale.  The  Vice  President  for  Academic  Services  will   immediately  address  all  cases  of  cheating.         Therefore  “A”  work  is:       A  very  clear,  insightful  assignment  that  includes:       • Some  original  thinking     • An  excellent  grasp  of  the  subject  matter     • Clear  evidence  of  personal  engagement  with  course  material  and  critical  thinking     • Goes  beyond  the  minimum     • Thorough  and  timely  preparation  of  the  assignment       • Willingness  to  be  changed  by  new  insights  and  discoveries     • Correct  spelling  and  grammar        

ITC  Grading  Scale     Grade       Quality       Points       Value     A           4.0           A-­‐           3.7           B+           3.3           B           3.0           B-­‐           2.7           C+           2.3           C           2.0           C-­‐           1.7           D+         1.3           D           1.0           F           0.0          

   

Numerical    

                                           

96-­‐100     90-­‐95     87-­‐89     83-­‐86     80-­‐82     77-­‐79     73-­‐76     70-­‐72     67-­‐69     63-­‐66     60-­‐62     4    

ITC  Syllabus  Template    

REQUIRED  TEXTS,  MEDIA,  OR  FIELD  EXPERIENCES         Attridge,  Harold,  et  al.  HarperCollins  Study  Bible-­‐Student  Edition,  NRSV.  Fully  Revised  and  Updated.  San  Francisco:   HarperCollins,  2006.  9780061228407.     Brenner,  Athalya,  Lee,  Archie  Chi-­‐Chung,  Gail  Yee,  eds.  Genesis.  Texts  @  Contexts  Series.  Minneapolis:  Fortress,   2010.  9780800659998.  (LR)*     De  La  Torre,  Miguel.  Genesis.  Belief:  A  Theological  Commentary  on  the  Bible.  Louisville:  Westminister  John  Knox,   2011.  9780664232528  (LR)*     Gorman,  Michael.  Elements  of  Biblical  Exegesis:  A  Basic  Guide  for  Students  and  Ministers.  Revised  and  expanded   edition.  Peabody,  Mass.:  Baker  Press,  2010.  9781598563115.     Towner,  W.  Sibley.  Genesis.  Louisville:  Westminster  John  Knox  Press,  2012.  9780664252564.*       *Read  all  corresponding  biblical  texts  and  Genesis  Commentary  to  each  week’s  assigned  readings.    

RECOMMENDED  TEXTS  

Felder,  Cain  Hope.  Stony  the  Road  We  Trod:  African  American  Biblical  Interpretation.  Minneapolis:  Augsburg   Fortress,  1991.  (LR)     Newsom,  Carol,  Sharon  Ringe,  and  Jacqueline  Lapsley,  eds.  Women’s  Bible  Commentary,  3rd  ed.,  revised  &   updated.  Louisville:  Westminister  John  Knox,  2011.     Page  Jr,  Hugh  R.,  Randall  C.  Bailey,  and  Valerie  Bridgeman,  Et  al,  eds.  The  Africana  Bible:  Reading  Israel’s   Scriptures  from  Africa  and  the  African  Diaspora.  Minneapolis:  Fortress,  2009.  (LR)      

CLASS  SESSION  FORMAT     This  course  uses  inquiry-­‐based  learning  and  collaborative  learning  that  promotes  critical  thinking  by  encouraging   students  to  question,  evaluate,  and  revise  their  conclusions,  collaborative  problem  solving,  and  community   building.      

COURSE  ASSIGNMENTS  –  DESCRIPTION  AND  INSTRUCTIONS     Embedded  Measure  (Assignment)  –  Students  are  required  to  upload  a  graded  copy  of  this  assignment  into  their   eFolio  at  the  end  of  the  course.       In  demonstration  of  this  outcome,  students  will  write  a  12  page  exegesis  paper  worth  50%  of  their  grade  in  which   they  interpret  an  ancient  biblical  text,  evaluate  the  arguments  of  (an)  ancient  biblical  writer(s),  describe  and   defend  their  interpretations  of  particular  biblical  passages  using  methods  of  Historical,  Literary,  Ideological,   Gender,  Racial/Ethnic,  and/or  Postcolonial  Critical  Methods;  and  apply  this  analysis  to  the  academy,  the  church   and/or  the  wider  community.  A  draft  version  of  the  paper  will  be  submitted  for  feedback  prior  to  the  final  paper’s   submission.  Due  Tuesday,  December  1.      

      5     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

Additional  Assignments       Methodological  Analysis  Papers  (30  points)   Students  will  write  three  papers  (10  points  each),  250-­‐500  words  in  length,  to  assist  them  with  thinking  critically   about  the  historical,  sociopolitical,  literary  and  canonical  context  within  which  the  biblical  texts  are  written,  as   well  as  prepare  to  write  the  exegetical  paper.  Students  will  select  a  passage  (it  may  or  may  not  be  the  passage   selected  to  write  the  exegetical  paper  on)  to  use  for  all  three  papers.  The  first  paper  is  the  Contextual  Analysis   Paper,  where  you  will  describe  the  passage’s  historical  situation,  the  sociopolitical  context  and  cultural  conditions   of  the  writer  and  recipients  (due  Tuesday,  September  8);  the  second  paper  is  the  Formal  Analysis  Paper,  where   you  will  describe  the  form  of  the  passage,  how  the  passage  is  structured,  and  how  the  text  moves  from  the  first  to   the  last  verse  (due  Tuesday,  September  29);  the  third  paper  is  a  Character  Analysis  Paper,  where  you  will   describe  the  characterization  of  each  character  in  the  passage,  his  or  her  role,  and  his  or  her  power  dynamic   relationship  to  the  other  characters,  especially  in  relation  to  gender,  ethnicity,  class,  etc.  (due  Tuesday,  October   27).  Each  paper  will  refer  to  the  corresponding  section  of  Gorman.  All  written  assignments  are  to  be  uploaded  to   Moodle  by  11:55  PM  the  date  due.  See  Moodle  for  further  directions.   Group  Project  (20  points)   Students  will  work  in  groups  on  a  methodological  approach  to  exegesis.  Students  will  be  assigned  one  of  the   three  methodological  approaches  described  in  Gorman  (synchronic,  diachronic  and  existential)  and  select  a   passage  and  demonstrate  the  approach.  The  presentation  should  describe  the  approach,  its  strengths  and   weaknesses,  questions  raised,  its  social  and  cultural  relevance,  and  ethical  and  religious  implications.  Due   Tuesday,  October  13.   ALL  DUE  DATES  FOR  ASSIGNMENTS  ARE  TO  BE  STRICTLY  ADHERED  TO.   COURSE  WEEKLY  SCHEDULE      

Week    

Date      8/18  

Topic     Introduction  to  the  Course   and  the  book  of  Genesis  

1    

Readings      The  book  of  Genesis  

Assignment        

“Introduction:  Why   Genesis?  Why  Now?”  De  La   Torre   Sadler,  “Genesis”  (AB)   Niditch,  “Genesis”  (WBC)  

 8/25  

 The  Story  of  Beginnings  

Gorman,  Chapters  1  &  2     De  La  Torre,  11-­‐63  

2    

Lead  interlocutor  on   Brenner  essay  

Select/approve  passage  for   Select/assigned  one  essay   exegesis   from  Brenner,  Et  al.,  13-­‐80,   107-­‐127  

6     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

 9/1  

The  Story  of  Rebellion  

3  

Gorman,  Chapters  3  &  4;   Appendix  B    

 

De  La  Torre,  64-­‐86   Brenner,  Et  al,  81-­‐106    9/8  

Rebellion,  continued.  

4    

Gorman,  Chapter  5  

Contextual  Analysis  Paper  

De  La  Torre,  87-­‐138  

(PLO  1)  

 

 9/15  

The  Story  of  Abraham  and   Sarah  

De  La  Torre,  139-­‐205  

The  Story  of  Ishmael  and   Isaac  

Gorman,  Chapter  6  

5    

 9/22   6    

 

 9/29  

Sarah  and  Hagar  

Midterm   7    

Week  

   

 

   

De  La  Torre,  206-­‐242    

Lovelace,  “This  Woman’s   Formal  Analysis  Paper   Child  Shall  Not  Inherit  with   (PLO  1)   Mine”   James,  “Sarah,  Hagar,  and   their  Interpreters”  (WBC)   Waters,  “Who  Was  Hagar?”   (Felder)  

 10/6   8    

Abraham  and  Hagar    

Gorman,  Chapter  7;   Appendix  A  

 Thesis  Statement  Due  

Brenner,  Et  al.,  247-­‐292    

7     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

 10/13  

The  Story  of  Esau  and  Jacob      De  La  Torre,  243-­‐254    

9  

Group  Projects   (PLO  1)  

   10/20  

Trickster  Images  

De  La  Torre,  255-­‐299  

 

 

10    

 10/27  

The  Story  of  the  Twelve   Sons  

11    

Gorman,  Chapter  8;   Appendix  C  

Character  Analysis  Paper   (PLO  1)  

De  La  Torre,  300-­‐346   Brenner,  Et  al.,  221-­‐246   11/3  

Formation  Stories  

De  La  Torre,  347-­‐350  

 

 

12  

11/10  

Redreaming  with  Joseph    

Gorman,  Chapter  9  

Draft  Exegesis  Paper  Due  

Brenner,  Et  al.,  131-­‐174  

13  

 11/17  

Redreaming  with  Others  

Gorman,  Chapter  10  

 

Brenner,  Et  al.,  175-­‐212  

14  

 11/24  

Intersections  of  Gender  and   Brenner,  Et  al.,  213-­‐246   Ethnicity  

   

15    

8     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

 12/1   16  

 Finals  Week  

NO  CLASSES  

Final  Exegesis  Paper  Due   (PLO  1,  2)  

 

9     ITC  Syllabus  Template    

  OTHER  PERTINENT  INFORMATION      

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