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- There
are two assignments for this course that require work outside of
class, your Dig Site Project (15%) and your Final Paper on "The Quest for the Historical Jesus: Methods & Results" (25%).
Directions follow for these two assignments.
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- If you are interested in writing an extra credit report, use
the link to the left for directions and a list of eligible events and projects.
Dig Site
Project
During the second
week of class, you will be asked to choose an archaeological site
that tells us something about the Jewish world at the time of Jesus. Your task is to prepare together a Camino page and make an accompanying in-class presentation
that orients the class to the site (location, history of the occupation of the site, excavation history, and site plan), and that then presents and interprets the evidence from the site (archaeological features and inscriptions from the first century CE, contemporary literary references, and an interpretation of the significance of the site for the study of the historical Jesus. (n.b. "inscriptions," also known as epigraphic evidence, refes to lettering, words or testimonials carved in stone, painted in frescoes, or pressed in clay or stucco.)
Keep in mind that, unless the archaeologists are
unearthing regular people's homes, the monumental buildings, funerary reliefs
and dedicatory inscriptions lauding benefactors of particular buildings/events,
as well as most of the literature that has survived, all reflect an elite stratum
at the top of ancient society, and might not tell us how everyone thought and
lived.
These directions, a schedule of presentations, and a link to a map of Palestine in the Time of Jesus with all the sites are all available from the Dig Sites tab on every course web page.
Breaking Down the Work
There are three areas of content you need to address: orientation, evidence, and your evaluation of the significance of the site for appreciating Jesus in his historical context. The orientation section provides background descriptive information about the site, while the evidence section outlines archaeological and inscriptional features and literary references to the site. The final section is your evaluation of all your evidence indicating its relevance for the study of the historical Jesus in his world.
You'll
find a complete bibliography for your site at the Dig Sites page—just scroll down to your date and site. Many of the articles, essays and chapters listed there have been scanned and posted on our course Camino page: Go to Files > 1. Required Readings > Dig Teams, and find your site folder. This has been done to spare you the time to order material and to allow you to concentrate on reading, analysis and interpretation. The library has several of the books listed, as well; some may be on reserve for our class (use the library reserve tab above to access the list).
Select 6 articles from the list, with no more than one coming from a popular magazine. Popular magazines usually have more color photos, sidebars, and graphic elements, and are published more frequently and with less peer review. The ones listed on the site pages have been written by reputable scholars and can provide a helpful and accessible overview, but some of them are "popular." Popular magazines include:
- Archaeology
- Biblical Archaeologist
- Biblical Archaeology Review
- Le Monde de la Bible
- Near Eastern Archaeology (a continuation of Biblical Archaeologist)
Preparing
Your Camino Page
When
you've prepared your report, type it up, and then cut and paste it into Camino (or type it directly into Camino, but save frequently).
- On our course Camino page, select the "Pages" link in the left sidebar
- Find your date and site, and click on it
- Click the edit button on your wiki page and paste your content in the appropriate places. Be sure to cite the sources you used, even for images.
Be sure so save the page frequently and when you're done (there's
a save button at the bottom of the page). Complete your writing by 5:00 p.m. the night before class, so that the other students in the class have time to read what you wrote and draft their questions for you.
Preparing
Your In-Class Presentation
Prepare a PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides presentation for your presentation date, and load it the Google Drive folder for our class by midnight the night before your presentation. Here are some tips for effective slides:
- Select good images of the excavation site plan, the surrounding area, and important artifacts; they should be clear and fill the slide
- Avoid a lot of text on a slide; limit yourself to key ideas only
- Include a slide listing your print sources and a final slide listing your picture sources
Plan to spend about 3 minutes on the orientation section, 6 minutes on the evidence section, and at least 3 minutes on evaluating the significance of the evidence for reconstructing Jesus and his world. Please include some reference to the particular literary evidence that we're reading in class on your day. After you present the material you've prepared, field questions from the class.
Here are some tips for an effective presentation:
- dress professionally
- practice your presentation so that you know your notes and don't have to reference them often; time yourself and ask a friend to watch and give feedback
- in class, try to look at the class as much as possible, rather than at your notes or slides; this helps the audience to focus
- modulate your voice (avoid a monotone); this can be easier if you're more confident with your material
- speak slowly and clearly; do not interrupt yourself with "ums"
Evaluation
The
project counts for 15% of your grade. Click here for a copy of the grading rubric.
Final Paper. The Quest for the Historical Jesus: Methods & Results
- This 10-page paper asks you to reflect on archaeological and literary methods to reconstruct Jesus’ life. You will focus on two archaeological data points: (1) your dig site and (2) an artifact that is related geographically or topically to that site. Plan to read at least 4 more sources on your site than you read for your initial presentation to the class, and at least 3 on your artifact. The paper should include the following sections:
- Start with an introductory paragraph that orients the reader to the topic, structure and purpose of your paper.
- Introduce the site and artifact, and discuss briefly how they are related (roughly 2 pages)
- Reprise the archaeological evidence for the site's first-century CE occupation and then also for your artifact (4 pages). Be sure to address at least the following topics:
- a description of the history of the site during the period, its chief architectural and archaeological features to date
- a description of the discovery, history, and reliability of the related artifact
- a discussion of how the archaeological evidence has been interpreted (or ignored) by scholars when they discuss Jesus (2 pages)
- Integrate and compare this evidence to the picture one gets of the place and artifact (and of Jesus’ relation to them) in the scriptural texts and in biblical scholarship on them (2 pages). Note that biblical scholars operate with different methods themselves: some focus on the terms used in the biblical texts (a philological method); some focus on the history behind texts (historical method); some focus on literary records of the site rather than archaeological evidence; others allow theological questions and categories to govern their inquiry. Each of these is a different method for approaching the material; try to identify the ones your authors use. Do your authors use several methods to enhance the picture, or only one?
- Analyze the assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses of various methods to one another (archaeological, literary, and theological). In the case of your site and artifact, what does each reveal and conceal? Here, you should not be introducing any new evidence, but rather considering the capacities and limitations of each method. Spend about 3 pages on this comparison.
- Conclude with one page of reflection on how your own beliefs (such as analytical perspectives, religious beliefs, or prior assumptions) have been affected by this exercise and the overall course. Please keep this section honest; there is no expectation of a "right" answer, only an expectation that you will put some thought into your response.
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All papers are due by 12:10 pm on Tuesday, June 13, which is the end of our final exam period (this paper replaces a final exam). Upload the paper in Microsoft Word format to the assignment drop box on Camino. Feel free to turn it in earlier than the deadline. Format the paper according to the Style
Sheet. Use one of the following templates, with styles set for proper spacing, margins, pagination, footnotes, bibliography, and blockquote styles (Word, Pages, Google Docs). If you use Pages or Google Docs, be sure to export the paper to Microsoft Word when finished and upload THAT document to Camino (File > Export to > Word).
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- Evaluation
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- Because this paper is cumulative of much
of your work in the course, it replaces a final exam. It counts for 25% of grade. Click here for a copy of the rubric that will be used to assess your performance.
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