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- There are four assignments for this course that require work outside
of class: an autobiographical paper, an analytical paper, seminar leadership (a
group project you will do twice), and the final research paper. Directions for
these follow; identical directions for the seminar leadership presentations are
available from the Leadership tab to the left , and topic ideas for the research
paper are available at the Research tab to the left.
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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.
Perspectives and Evaluation Papers
To help stimulate class discussion, on four Tuesdays you will type a two-page, single-spaced paper that focuses on a single biblical text we have read in the prior week, identifies one difference between various readings of the text (e.g., between various feminist views, or feminist and queer views, or queer and transgender readings), evaluates the ethical merits of these perspectives from your own vantage point, and incorporates at least one identified technique from They Say/I Say. Your paper and your grade are stronger the better you:
- discuss a biblical text and effectively identify and compare a feminist and a queer perspective on it,
- demonstrate comprehension of the course readings on that material,
- choose one technique you've learned from They Say/I Say and use it, identifying it in pencil in the margin after printing your paper and including the pages from the book where it is described,
- maintain control of the argument in your own voice and express it clearly,
- follow the style sheet (though this paper should be single-spaced), and
- turn the paper in on time.
The paper should be typed and single-spaced.
For formatting directions (margins, heading, typeface, pagination, footnote format), please
refer to the Style Sheet (available from this link, and on every page of the website from the
tab to the left). Or if it's easier, download one of these templates with all the required styles built in (Word, Pages, Google Docs). In these short papers, you do not need a title page or bibliography; but do
integrate and footnote a representative sample of our course readings, following the conventions on our course Style
Sheet. No outside reading or research is required.
The separate grades for these four papers will be tallied as part of your class participation score (2 points each).
These papers are due in hard copy in class (not on Camino).
Autobiographical
Paper
"Your Voice and the Voice of the Bible"
In this first 5-page paper, interact with Anne Clifford’s description of feminism(s) in light of your own experience. She describes why feminism arose and persists; do you have any personal experience of any of the problems she mentions? For example, on the basis of your gender or sexuality, have you ever:
- been evaluated or told who you are
- been denied access to something, or given more or less power in a situation
- felt boxed in by a dualism that someone presumes to define you
- received career advice based on expected gender roles in society
- seen unfair privilege on the basis of gender or sexuality
- witnessed class, social status or race affect the experience of gender and power
- observed any of the four major types of second-wave feminism Clifford lists on p. 23
Begin this reflective paper in any way you wish, but come around by the end to the matter of religion and the Bible. How have they played a part in the identities you construct or that are constructed for you? Which of Clifford’s three types of feminist theology do you resonate with or appreciate the most, given your experience (pp. 32-38)? If you have not had a lot of exposure to religion or the Bible, you might consider the way the Bible is invoked in our culture around matters of gender or sexuality. Here are a couple of recent stories you could read to prompt your thinking:
- Debra Nussbaum Cohen, What's Changed in the Jewish World After #MeToo?, Hadassah Magazine (July 2019).
- Campbell Robertson and Elizabeth Dias, United Methodist Church Announces Plan to Split Over Same-Sex Marriage, The New York Times (3 January 2020).
- Julie Beck and Ashley Fetters, Faced with an Ongoing Sexual-Abuse Crisis, What Are Catholic Parents to Do?, The Atlantic (17 March 2019).
- Mark Galli, Editorial: Trump Should Be Removed from Office, Christianity Today (19 December 2019).
- Bernard Schweizer, Updated: Netflix's Gay Jesus Upsetting Brazilian Christians Has a Centuries-Old History Religion Dispatches (22 December 2019).
You will
share this paper with another student of your choosing for the purpose of peer
review, and with the professor (submit the paper to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Thursday, January 16, rewrite Thursday, January 30). 10% of grade. (learning objectives a, d, e)
Format
The paper should be typed and double-spaced.
For formatting directions (margins, footnote format), please
refer to the Style Sheet (available from this link, and on every page of the website from the
tab to the left). Or if it's easier, download one of these templates with all the required styles built in (Word, Pages, Google Docs). In these short papers, you do not need a bibliography or a separate title page; but do
use footnotes to reference the course readings. No outside reading is required,
but if would like to include references to other material you've studied, just
follow the standard footnote conventions on the Style
Sheet.
Evaluation
For the grading rubric, which shows the evaluation criteria and what would constitute exemplary, acceptable, marginal and unacceptable performance for each, click here.
Analytical Paper
"Feminist and Queer Theory"
In
this 6-7 page paper, discuss the chief characteristics and aims of feminist and
queer theory, based on the course secondary readings (thus, not the biblical texts themselves but our authors discussing feminist and queer theory in biblical interpretation). After introducing their characteristics
and aims, analyze them in comparison to each other: are they compatible? in what
ways do they overlap? in what ways do they conflict? do you find any flaws in
one or both?
Five resources that might be particularly helpful for your paper are:
- Peeling the Androcentric “Onion” - a handout picturing the layers of androcentrism that feminist and queer theorists are trying to tackle
- Kroløkke, Charlotte and Anne Scott Sørensen. "Three Waves of Feminism: From Suffragettes to Grrls." In Contemporary Gender Communication Theories and Analyses: From Silence to Performance (Thousand Oaks, California: Sage, 2005) 1-23.
- Setzer, Claudia. "Feminist Interpretation of the Bible." In The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America (ed. Paul C. Gutjahr; New York: Oxford University Press, 2017) 163-75.
- Schneider, Laurel C. "Queer Theory." In Handbook of Postmodern Biblical Interpretation (ed. A. K. M. Adam; St. Louis: Chalice, 2000) 206-212. See Camino syllabus class 3a for the link
- Guest, Deryn. "Que(e)rying the Agenda: The Impact of Queer Perspectives for Feminist Scholarship." In Beyond Feminist Biblical Studies (BMW 47; Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2012) 42-76. See Camino syllabus class 3a for the link
You will share this paper with another student (chosen by the professor) for the purpose
of peer review, and with the professor. Submit the paper to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Tuesday, March 3. If you did not rewrite the autobiographical paper, you are required to rewrite this one based on feedback from peer review and from the professor; that rewrite is due on Thursday, March 12 by 3:50 pm. 10% of grade.
Format
The paper should be typed and double-spaced.
For formatting directions (margins, footnote format, title page format), please
refer to the Style Sheet (available from this link, and on every page of the website from the
tab to the left). Or if it's easier, download one of these templates with all the required styles built in (Word, Pages, Google Docs). In these short papers, you do not need a bibliography; just
use footnotes to reference the course readings. No outside reading is required,
but if would like to include references to other material you've studied, just
follow the standard footnote conventions on the Style
Sheet.
Evaluation
Click here for the grading rubric.
Seminar Leadership
Working
with one other person, you will be responsible for presenting a critical analysis of the secondary readings for two separate meetings during the quarter. You will select your partner
and topics in the third week of class (a list of groups and a schedule of leadership
presentations will be available from the Leadership tab to the left once you've made your selections).
Your
task will be to summarize the thesis and argument briefly, outline the key theoretical insights, and lead the class in a discussion of these ideas and their application to our biblical texts for the day. You will prepare a 2-page google doc that lists your names, your topic, and the day’s readings. A link to the Google doc for your class will be available from the Camino syllabus—just click on the class title for your days. As for the body of the handout, the following organization is recommended:
- brief summary of each reading to orient and focus class; this is the only part that should be broken down in terms of the separate readings (all other sections should reflect your joint decisions about which issues and questions are most pertinent for all your readings); this summary should NOT exceed one page
- 5-8 discussion questions (with subordinate questions) that require us all to consider what theoretical insights or perspectives are at play, or how these insights are applied to the reading of the Bible, or that probe the author's social location and its impact on their interpretation, or that prompt us to work through implications for people today; avoid questions that ask people to speculate without reference to the readings
For a sample of what the handout should look like, click here. Complete your document by 5:00 p.m. the night before your presentation; the class will review it there in advance, and the professor will bring hard copies to class.
Since the other class members will each have prepared the readings, you should spend no more than five minutes on summarizing the readings; just refresh our memory about the key points of each secondary author. Plan to lead at least 50 minutes of discussion with no more than 10 of those minutes for group work, and leave some time after your discussion to field questions “from the floor”—questions that others in the class might have had from the reading.
Each leadership event
is worth 10% of your total grade, thus 20% total. Your grade will be based partly
on your individual performance and partly on group performance, following this
rubric. (learning objectives a, b, f)
Research Paper
You will prepare a 15-20 page research paper on feminist or queer theory and
biblical interpretation. Some of the various types of papers you might write are
listed below, while specific ideas from past papers are offered at the Research
tab. But no matter what type of paper you do, one of the questions you will be required to address is how the positions of the interpreters you are examining influences their interpretation ("position" refers to factors like gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religious affiliation, national origin, ability, socio-economic status, immigration status, etc.).
Here are some ideas about the type of paper that you could write
(if you can think of another sort of paper, by all means feel free to propose
it):
- Exegesis: You could analyze a biblical
passage in terms of feminist or queer theory. Here, the focus of the paper is
a particular text, such as the creation/fall story, Jesus' teaching on divorce,
or the characterization of evil as "whore Babylon" in the Book of Revelation.
Such a paper might include some attention to the social, economic and political
circumstances of the original author.
- History of Interpretation:
This sort of paper is good if you're more interested in how people at various
times or at a particular time and social location have interpreted a passage.
For example, the "sin" of Sodom was not always identified as a sexual
matter at all, and you might want to explore how and why the interpretation changed.
Alternatively, you could select a major biblical scholar who employs feminist
or queer theory and analyze their work, or examine how scripture is interpreted
in a particular faith tradition on an issue related to the LGBTQ community or
to the construction of men's and women's roles. However you choose to approach
the question, this sort of paper will require some careful, critical attention
to the way your chosen interpreter is constructing meaning or knowledge.
- Theory:
You might prefer to dive more deeply into feminist or queer theory itself, to
examine questions of method and practice rather than specific conclusions about
a particular biblical passage. This sort of paper might remain focused on feminist
or queer theory and its implications for the Bible. Alternatively, it might branch
out to explore the battles going on between feminist/queer readers and those who
read the Bible more literally. You'd explore the very different assumptions, practices,
and conclusions that these two types of readers reach.
- Activism:
This research project explores agencies or institutions that are doing work on
behalf of historically marginalized groups within or with faith communities in
the biblical tradition. Examples include the Human
Rights Campaign, various local Christian churches and Jewish congregations,
the Women's Ordination
Conference, and Dignity/USA.
You would design a research and fieldwork project that analyzes the way scripture
is interpreted by the group and the practical applications of that in the group's
work. You should be open to shaping your project in conversation with a representative
of the group so that, if possible, the project assists the group in their work.Congregation
Sha'ar Zahav (San Francisco).
After you submit your general topic
of interest and bibliographies, the list of projects will be posted at the Research
tab to the left, and the professor will make further bibliographic recommendations
there.
This paper will be due in the stages listed below, which include
a required draft and rewrite. The final paper will be submitted with all prior
stages in a folder. 15-20 pages, 30% of grade total. (learning objectives c-d)
| Topic statement and sources |
5th week |
Tuesday, February 4 |
| Annotated bibliography |
7th week |
Thursday, February 18 |
| Outline |
8th week |
Thursday, February 27 |
| Required draft of entire paper |
10th week |
Tuesday, March 10 |
| Final Research Paper submitted to assignment drop box on Camino by 9:30 p.m. |
Exam week |
Thursday, March 19 |
Here
are some specific directions for the various stages of the paper:
- Topic Statement and Initial Plan for Sources
- A 1-page typed, single-spaced assignment that includes
a one- or two-sentence definition of your general topic and eight professional
or academic sources that you've found that you believe will help you examine
that topic. To see a sample of what this assignment should look like, click here. For the format of a short assignment (header, title, margins, etc.)
and for proper bibliographic format, see the Style
Sheet, or if it's easier, download one of these templates with all the required styles built in (Word, Pages, Google Docs). Submit to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Tuesday, February 4.
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- Annotated Bibliography
- A 2- to 4-page typed, single-spaced assignment.
By this point, you will have read your eight professional sources. For each, you will
offer its full bibliographic citation in bold, flush left margin, followed by
a précis or summary of the thesis and argument of the piece. You may choose to indicate for your own reference whether and in what way the source is useful for your research. For a sample of what it should look like, click here. For formatting directions (margins, heading, typeface, pagination, footnote format), please refer to the Style Sheet (available from this link, and on every page of the course website). Or, if it's easier, download one of these templates to start the assignment (Word, Pages, Google Docs). Submit to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Tuesday, February 18.
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- Outline
- A 1- to 2-page typed, single-spaced assignment
that breaks down your argument. Think of this document as the strategic plan of
your paper: what do you want to demonstrate, and how will you demonstrate it?
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- Choose some logical framework for the presentation, so that the presentation builds
upon itself. For example, if you choose an exegetical paper, a common outline
would include some historical background, an introduction of the theoretical concept
you will use to "read" your evidence (e.g., feminist or queer theory
or a particular concept from one of those discourses), and then an application
of your concept to your biblical passage, which is the core of your paper and
so should have several subsections itself. Include references to the "proofs"
or warrants for your claims, whether these be primary texts (like the New Testament
or a feminist or queer theorist's reading), secondary source citations, or established
facts.
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- Don't type in entire quotes at this point; it wastes too much space. Just
use some notation system to remind yourself of the particular source you will
need at that point in your argument. If you include chapter:verse and page references
for your proofs here, it will save you looking them up all over again later.
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- There are no requirements for how you choose to outline (I.A.1 or bulleted lists
are fine), but all normal formatting styles apply (see Style
Sheet). For a sample of what the outline could look like, click here. For this single-spaced, typed paper, you are welcome to download one of these templates with all the required styles built in (Word, Pages, Google Docs). Submit to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Thursday, February 27.
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- Draft
- This is your complete 15-20 page paper,
including title page, footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography. Consider this due
date the date your completed paper is due. Check the paper in advance for spelling and grammar
errors, and ask a friend to review it for coherence of argument and clarity of
style before you submit it. All of the formatting expectations at the Style
Sheet should be observed, and you can start with one of these templates (Word, Pages, Google Docs). Submit to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Tuesday, March 10.
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- Because this paper will be checked by TurnItIn.com, your peer reviewer will not be able to use Camino to review your work. Therefore, please bring a hard copy of your paper to class for your partner on the due date (as well as submitting it electronically on Camino for the professor). For this paper, the professor will assign peer reviewers.
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- Final Paper
- A clean, corrected
copy of the final paper should be prepared based on feedback from your peer reviewer
and the professor on the draft version. Submit to the assignment drop box on Camino before class on Thursday, March 19 by 9:30 p.m.
Evaluation
Click here for the grading rubric.
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