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Assignments
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There
are three assignments for this course that require work outside
of class. They are weekly theological reflections, a single in-class
exegetical exercise (oral presentation), and an exegetical research
paper. Directions for all three follow.
Theological Reflection
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- Seven 3-5 page theological reflection papers will be required
during the quarter. The method of reflection that you will be asked to use will be one of those proposed by Patricia O'Connell Killen and John DeBeer in their book, The Art of Theological Reflection (required text).
After reading
the scriptural texts for a given class, choose one of those texts on which to reflect. Then select either one of the following methods outlined in Killen and DeBeer:
Clicking on either one of these here will take you to an abbreviated online summary of the method. These summaries are also available from the "Theological Reflection" tab to the left. While Killen and DeBeer provide several steps and suggestions, do not try to answer all of these as if doing an academic assignment (with evaluations, judgments, summaries, and footnotes). The method at its core should simply be a conversation between the text, an image it suggests, a situation in your life to which it leads you, and some insight or ethical commitment that the reflection yields. This is a spiritual exercise, not an academic one, and after an initial try or two can easily be done without the book.
The paper you produce out of this reflection should be typed and
double-spaced. Further directions for written work
can be found online through the course web site at the Style
Sheet, available here and from the Research tab to the
left. Please be prepared to discuss the process (not
the content, necessarily) of your reflection in class, and to
submit your paper at the end of each class session. 35%
of grade.
Exegetical Exercise
- Exegesis refers to a critical reading of scripture. One
chooses a particular method of interpretation, with its
own range of questions, and applies these questions to the
text. For example, questions can be about the literary shape
and role of the passage in its context, the rhetorical function
of it, or the socio-historical conditions behind it. This
critical reading requires research, using tools such as
concordances, biblical dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias,
and commentaries.
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- Since you will later be required to do one major exegetical
paper for the course, this short and partnered exercise
affords you the opportunity to practice and receive feedback
during one of our regular class sessions. We will learn
this skill from each other, and you will be better prepared
to do an extended exegesis of your own. Your exegesis will
be delivered orally in class; you will not have to turn
anything in (though if you would like to receive feedback,
you are most welcome).
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- To prepare for your presentation, first choose a partner and
one of the scripture passages assigned for the class/topic you
would like to present. Then, in consulation with the
professor, determine which exegetical method you would like to
explore. Several methods are outlined at the "Exegesis"
tab to the left (n.b., the same Exegesis link appears at the top
of all the research pages). Each page introduces the
goals and steps of the method, and provides bibliography for both
the method itself and for some books and articles which apply
the method to specific scriptural texts. You will also find the Research tab to the left extremely helpful; it provides research tips for locating sources and a Scripture Tools link for further research aids, as well as writing and formatting guidelines.
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- During the week you present your exegesis on one of that week's
assigned readings, you are not required to turn in a theological
reflection paper. 5% of grade.
Exegetical
Paper
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- After practicing exegesis with a partner for your in-class exegetical
exercise, you will research and write a 10-15 page exegetical
paper of your own for the course, due a week after the last day
of class. The purpose of this paper is to reinforce the following
insights:
- that every reading of scripture is an interpretation;
- that the questions you pose to a text shape what you discover,
and so you should be aware of them; and
- that the religious experiences of scripture's original
authors and audiences are worthy of respect and disciplined
inquiry, and serve as a kind of control on our own independent
interpretations.
The emphasis in this exercise, unlike the theological reflections,
is on the ancient experience and culture that generated the text
rather than your own contemporary experience and culture which
interprets the text-though of course your paper is the interpretation. Unlike the theological reflections, this is an academic paper, which means that you will apply a method, develop an argument, and render some judgments and evaluations about the passage you are studying.
The only restriction on the passage and method is that one or both must differ from those examined in your paired in-class exegetical exercise.
Once again, use the outlines of different exegetical methods found
at the "Exegesis" tab to the left, and the Research
tools available from the Research tab to the left. 30%
of grade.
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