New Testament - Gordon College
Stop! Watch the video “Course Introduction” to this Syllabus & Course on blackboard.gordon.eduNew TestamentHistory, Literature and TheologyGordon CollegeDept. of Biblical Studies and Christian MinistriesCourse SyllabusBCM 103May Term (May 16-June 17, 2016)Basic Information:Instructor: Steven A. Hunt (steve.hunt@gordon.edu)Technology Support: cts@gordon.eduCommunication by E-mail:Email is the only means of communication available between professors and students.? Students are therefore responsible for checking Gordon email accounts daily.? Any information missed due to a failure to read emails is solely the responsibility of the student.Course Description: “Examines history and teachings of New Testament in political, social and religious contexts. Highlights important theological themes such as sin, grace, justification by faith, kingdom of God” (Academic Catalog). Course Objectives:1. We will concentrate on the contents of the New Testament (i.e., each of the 27 books will be read and studied in turn).2. We will become familiar with ancient world history, culture and literature, especially as they relate to the New Testament.3. We will become familiar with the geography and topography of the ancient Middle East and broader Mediterranean world. 4. We will enjoy the literary art of the New Testament, especially through the identification and analysis of genre.5. We will wrestle especially with questions of exegesis (i.e., interpretation—what the text meant then) and occasionally with questions of hermeneutics (i.e., application—what the text means now).6. We will become familiar with some of the basic tools of Bible study.Required Texts: 1. The Bible (a contemporary, committee translation—e.g., NRSV, NIV, etc.; the instructor uses the NRSV).2. Powell, Mark A., Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009). 3. Longenecker, B.W., The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story From the New Testament World (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003).Course Evaluation and Grading Procedures: 1. Three Exams related to Readings and Online Content = 50% Special Notes: ? Exams are “timed (3 hour), open-notes, open-book, open-Bible, open-web” exams (given a 12 hour “window” in which to take the exam).? Regarding the specifics of “Online Content,” see section #2 below.? Questions for the exams will be drawn primarily from the readings in Powell (roughly 90% Powell and 10% Online Content).→Exam #1—Introductory material and the Four Gospels; Powell (chs. 1-8) = 20%→Exam #2—The Letters of Paul; Powell (chs. 9-22) = 20% →Exam #3 (Final Exam)—Hebrews-Revelation; Powell (chs. 23-29); Lost Letters of Pergamum = 10%? Since these exams are primarily short answer/essay style, unlike the reading quizzes (see section #4 below), you will not see your results immediately upon submission of the exam. ? See the “Due Dates” and “Opening/Closing Times” for submission of these exams in section #8 “Course Schedule” below. 2. Online Content (“Special Topics”) = 15%? “Online content” will relate to 10 “Special Topics” and afford students the opportunity to dig deeper into a particular topic related to the NT. The content itself will come in the form of readings in Powell, “hyperlinks” found on the website designed for Powell’s textbook (on accessing these links, see p. 12 in Powell), short video clips, and short online readings from various authors (links to these videos and readings will be found in the assignments themselves). ? See section #8 “Course Schedule” below for these Special Topics.? See section #6 below on the “Due Dates” for this work. ? Submit these Special Topics assignments in Blackboard.? Budget between 2-5 hours to complete each assignment and to do it well.3. “Facebook Discussions” = 10%? Helpful terms:Groups provide a closed space for small groups of people to communicate about shared interests. Groups can be created by anyone.Members are those approved to join a particular group.Posts are an initial remark on the Facebook (FB) wall by the ments are subsequent remarks on a FB post by any member.?? Membership: BCM103 will use “Closed Groups” to convene discussions with students taking this course online. Closed groups and group members are visible to everyone on FB, but only group members can see posts in the group.To join the group, search for your section’s group on FB. Your section’s group will be titled: “BCM103 New Testament May/June 2016” Then click the “Ask to Join” button, requesting to be added as a member; the instructor will approve your membership.?? Discussions: This course is an “online course.” We will meet twice weekly for 1 hour to discuss topics related to the course. These discussions are critical and your participation in them will be graded accordingly. Very specifically, as a baseline, students will be expected to engage in the conversation by asking questions/offering comments at least four times during the hour when we meet.The quality of the student’s comments is far more important than exceeding the minimum quantity of comments. Students should feel free to discuss the ideas sparked by the questions, respond to other student comments, lectures, and/or their own reading of assigned material. Comments/questions will be graded for their thoughtfulness, insightfulness, and/or synthetic nature. Of course, disrespectful comments will not be welcome or tolerated. Be mindful that religion in general can cause people great anxiety and that not everyone in the group will share your perspective, much less the ease with which you share it. Please be sensitive to the views of others. Your comments should foster a positive learning community that helps everyone attain a greater understanding of the topic at hand.? Preparation: Students should come to each meeting with several prepared questions related to recent readings/online content, etc. These questions may be used as posts to start our conversations; students may be chosen at random to begin the discussion with such a post. ? Notifications: You are strongly encouraged to turn off all notifications for the group. If you do not, your email inbox or mobile device may be overrun with notices during group discussions.? Attendance Policy: Attendance at the “Facebook Discussions” on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00 pm EDT is required. Any unexcused absences over 1 will negatively affect your final grade. 4. Quizzes: “Open-book, open-Bible, Blackboard” reading quizzes = 25%? There are 29 Quizzes on Powell, one for each chapter. ? Special Note: we do not always read these chapters in order; therefore, quiz numbers do not necessarily correspond to Powell chapter numbers. ? When you have finished reading Powell carefully (perhaps outline the chapter, taking notes for reference during the quiz), take the appropriate quiz as indicated in the Schedule below (see section #8). Quizzes for Powell are posted on the Blackboard site. Remember, it is “open book.” Once you begin each quiz, you must complete it in one sitting (do not leave the quiz to do something else) and in 1 hour. When you have completed the quiz in Blackboard, remember to “save and submit.” Also, Firefox is the recommended browser for Blackboard.? There are 21 Quizzes related to all 27 books of the New Testament (NT)There are two steps when completing these NT quizzes:1) The NT quizzes are available as a “Word document” in Blackboard (see “course documents”). Print them out right away. You should do the quizzes on these hard copies first while you are reading. Follow the schedule below (see section #8). Again, they are “Open Bible.” This work is not timed, so take your time as you read. Enjoy reading the New Testament! 2) In addition to the “hard copy”, these quizzes, like the Powell quizzes, are also posted on the Blackboard site. When you have finished the “hard copy” simply transfer your answers into the same Blackboard quiz. Once you begin each quiz in Blackboard, you must complete it in one sitting and in 15 minutes (since you are only transferring these answers, 15 minutes will be more than enough time—still, transfer them carefully). We will not grade hard copies. When you have completed the quiz in Blackboard, remember to “save and submit.” Again, use Firefox. ? Because these are Blackboard quizzes, you will be able to view your results upon submission. Grades will be displayed for each quiz in your Grade book. On these grades, there may be times when you feel you could make a good case for the answer you gave, or you hit the wrong answer by mistake, or you simply didn't know the correct answer. “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” You can get up to 30 points back on your quizzes by doing some short extra-credit assignments (see "Extra-Credit Quiz Points" in the Course Documents folder in Blackboard.)? Relationship of Powell Quizzes/NT Quizzes to Exams:? Questions directly from the Powell quizzes will not re-occur on Exams.? Questions directly from the NT quizzes will not re-occur on Exams.? Short answer/essay questions, however, related to Powell and the NT will be developed in light of these readings.? Questions about technological issues related to Blackboard should be addressed in an email to CTS@gordon.edu5. Extra Credit Class Journal = 5%--Your journal should relate to your Readings (Bible or Textbook), Special Topics work, or to our discussions on Facebook. There should be one dated entry for each day of the course in your completed journal. While there is no page limit, each entry should be at least 1 substantial paragraph showing clarity of thought and depth of insight.--Unlike the due dates for other work in this course (see section #6 below), your completed Journal must be submitted to the instructor as a Word document via email on the final day before the final exam.6. Regarding “Due Date Thursdays”:? The course is scheduled on a daily basis—over 24 days!—to help you stay on track and to keep the work load more manageable. Still, due dates are Thursdays. If you wait to do all the work for the week on Thursday, however, you will never get it done on time. As with any “condensed course,” this course demands a lot of your time. ? The relevant “Special Topics” and “Reading Quizzes” are “open” from the first day of the course. You are free to work ahead, taking quizzes and submitting assignments at your own pace during the course. ? All relevant assignments during each week will “close” on Blackboard 30 minutes before “Facebook discussions” meet on Thursdays (see section #7 “course schedule” below). You will not be able to access them after this time, or finish them if you were in the middle of your work and did not leave enough time. ? Schedule your time throughout the weeks accordingly.? No late work will be accepted. ? NB: While such a decision would never be made arbitrarily, the Instructor reserves the right to change the schedule/requirements as necessary. ? Final Exam is due on Friday, June 17th before 8:00 pm EDT.7. Regarding Disabilities: Course AccommodationGordon College is committed to assisting students with documented disabilities (See Academic Catalog Appendix C for documentation guidelines). A student with a disability who may need academic accommodations should follow this procedure:?1. ????Meet with a staff person from the Academic Support Center (Jenks 412, X4746) to:a) ????make sure documentation of your disability is on file in the ASC,b) ???discuss the accommodations for which you are eligible,c) ????discuss the procedures for obtaining the accommodations, andd) ???obtain a Faculty Notification Form.?2. ????Deliver a Faculty Notification Form to each course professor within the first full week of the semester; at that time make an appointment to discuss your needs with each professor.?Failure to register in time with your professor may compromise our ability to provide the accommodations. Questions or disputes about accommodations should be immediately referred to the Academic Support Center. See Grievance Procedures available from the ASC.8. Course Schedule:DateTopic(s)Readings/Assignments DueMayM161) Intro to Course2) Presuppositions 3) Background to the NTView: Video Introduction to CourseRead: Powell, ch. 1 (quiz 1) Powell, ch 2 (quiz 2)Special Topic #1: “Herod the Great”FB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTT171) Intro to Jesus 2) Intro to GospelsRead: Powell, ch. 3 (quiz 3) Powell, ch. 4 (quiz 4)Special Topic #2: “Synoptic Gospels, Redaction Criticism, and a Test Case Related to the ‘New Moses’ in Matthew”W18MatthewRead: Powell, ch. 5 (quiz 5)Read: Gospel of MatthewR19Due: Powell Quizzes #1, 2, 3, 4, 5Due: NT Reading Quiz #1Due: Special Topics #1, 2FB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTF20MarkRead: Powell, ch. 6 (quiz 6)Read: Gospel of Mark M23FB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTT24LukeRead: Powell, ch. 7 (quiz 7)Read: Gospel of LukeW25JohnRead: Powell, ch. 8 (quiz 8)Read: Gospel of JohnSpecial Topic #3A and B: “The Beloved Disciple: A Literary Mystery” and “The Beloved Disciple as a Character and Water as a Symbol in John”DateTopic(s)Readings/Assignments DueMayR26Due: Powell Quiz #6, 7, 8Due: NT Reading Quiz #2, 3, 4Due: Special Topics #3A, BFB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTF27Exam #1Exam will be available at 8:00 am EDT and must be completed by 8:00 pm EDT. Once you open the exam, do your best to complete it in three hours.M301) Acts of the Apostles2) New Testament Letters3) PaulRead: Powell, ch. 9 (quiz 9) Powell, ch 10 (quiz 10) Powell, ch. 11 (quiz 11)Read: Acts of the ApostlesSpecial Topic #4: Holy Spirit in Luke-ActsFB Discussion Group—Cancelled “Memorial Day”T31GalatiansRead: Powell, ch. 15 (quiz 12)Read: GalatiansSpecial Topic #5: “Paul’s Gospel”JuneW11-2 ThessaloniansRead: Powell, ch. 19 (quiz 13) Powell, ch. 20 (quiz 14)Read: 1-2 ThessaloniansR21-2 CorinthiansRead: Powell, ch. 13 (quiz 15) Powell, ch. 14 (quiz 16)Read: 1-2 CorinthiansSpecial Topic #6: “Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in 1 Corinthians 7”Due: Powell Quizzes #9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16Due: NT Reading Quiz #5, 6, 7, 8, 9Due: Special Topics #4, 5, 6FB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTF3RomansRead: Powell, ch. 12 (quiz 17)Read: RomansSpecial Topic #7: “Phoebe in Romans 16”M6FB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTT7ColossiansPhilemonRead: Powell, ch. 18 (quiz 18) Powell, ch. 22 (quiz 19)Read: Colossians, PhilemonSpecial Topic #8: “Household Codes” W8EphesiansPhilippiansRead: Powell, ch. 16 (quiz 20) Powell, ch. 17 (quiz 21)Read: Ephesians, PhilippiansR91-2 TimothyTitusRead: Powell, ch. 21 (quiz 22)Read: 1-2 Timothy, TitusDue: Powell Quiz #17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22Due: NT Reading Quiz # 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15Due: Special Topics #7, 8FB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTDateTopic(s)Readings/Assignments DueJuneF10Exam #2Exam will be available at 8:00 am EDT and must be completed by 8:00 pm EDT. Once you open the exam, do your best to complete it in three hours.M13HebrewsRead: Powell, ch. 23 (quiz 23)Read: HebrewsSpecial Note: Read the novel Lost Letters of Pergamum before the final examSpecial Note: Memorize the books of the NT in canonical order before the final examFB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTT14JamesRead: Powell, ch. 24 (quiz 24)Read: JamesSpecial Topic #9: “Faith and Works in James and in Paul”W151-2 Peter, Jude, 1-2-3 JohnRead: Powell, ch. 25 (quiz 25) Powell, ch. 26 (quiz 26) Powell, ch. 28 (quiz 27) Powell, ch. 27 (quiz 28)Read: 1-2 Peter, Jude, 1-2-3 JohnJuneR16RevelationRead: Powell, ch. 29 (quiz 29)Read: RevelationSpecial Topic #10: “The Beast in Revelation”Due: Powell Quiz #23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29Due: NT Reading Quiz #16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21Due: Special Topics #9, 10Due: Extra Credit JournalFB Discussion Group—7:00-8:00 pm EDTF17Exam #3—Final Exam Exam will be available at 8:00 am EDT and must be completed by 8:00 pm EDT. Once you open the exam, do your best to complete it in three hours. ................
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