Course Outline : Biblical Studies 3212-Q (Portraits of Jesus)

Instructor: The Rev’d Robert Cooke

Contact : rcooke@stmarksanglican.ca or 743 7804

Course Description

This course provides an introductory overview into the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as seen in the canonical Gospels, church tradition, scholarly quests and popular culture.

Course Goals

- To help students acquire the critical skills necessary for responsible research and reading of New Testament accounts of the life of Jesus, especially the Synoptic Gospels.

-  To help students engage with the important ecclesiological significance of Jesus for Christians and Christianity.

- To help students make connections with the Jesus, the gospels and contemporary ethical and theological issues impacting society beyond the institutional church.

Methodology

- While this is an introductory course on Jesus, it is nonetheless an advanced course in theology. The course will take for granted a foundational understanding of the origins and development of the New Testament and the history and development of Christian theology. The workload and reading will reflect this advanced nature.

- While there will be lectures, the predominant methodology of this course is that of seminar. Students are expected to complete all the required readings and other supplemental readings given by the instructor. Students are also expected to engage critically with the readings and biblical materials.

- Students will be exposed to a variety of theological and ideological perspectives on Jesus and the Gospels from the traditional to the contemporary, encompassing both conservative, liberal, post-modern and post-Christian perspectives.

- We will also explore ways to connect the complex theological issues discussed in class to the wider Christian community and the wider society via social media, technology and public engagement.

- This course is divided into three sections. The first section of the semester is dedicated to the portraits of Jesus presented in the Gospels. We will examine the cultural, religious and historical worlds that shaped the Gospel writers and early Christian communities.  The second section of the semester will focus on the scholarly quest for the historical Jesus, focusing on a selection of scholarly reconstructions. Our final section will take a contemporary view of Jesus as viewed through the lens of pop-culture, films, television and the emerging world of social media.

- One of the guides for our conversations will be the questions that arise from the reading of Borg, Powell and the gospels. Remember this is a graduate level course and we are all adult learners so students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, meaning that questions and disagreement are welcome and necessary in the learning process.

- There is no consensus on Jesus, his life, teachings and significance. The point of this course is not to give you all the right answers when it comes to Jesus but to equip students with the right questions and best methodologies. With that in mind conversation should proceed with humility, respect and openness to the opinions of other students and the scholarly community.  

 

Text Books

Marcus Borg, Jesus: The Life, Teachings and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary (New York: Harper One, 2006).

 

Mark Allan Powell, Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee – Second Edition (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013).

 

NRSV Bible

 

Other readings provided by instructor.

 

Course Requirements

It is expected that students will complete all readings and be prepared to participate in informed and meaningful conversation as part of class lectures. 20%

 

Students will complete a major paper  (12-15 pages) on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. Students must submit a proposal containing topic, thesis statement, and 5 research sources.

Proposal = 10% due February 2

Paper = 40% due March 16

 

Students will present a sermon(s), blog/vlog post(s), public lecture, or other creative project in consultation with the instructor. This project can flow out of the research paper or from some other aspect of the course materials. This assignment is worth 30% and is due March 30.  

 

Guidelines

Students should follow the Turabian guidelines for paper writing. Students should be familiar with the academic policies as found in the current Queen’s College Calendar.  

 

Course Outline

Section One: Jesus According to the Gospels

January 5: Week One – Introduction

Readings: Borg chps 1-3

 

January 12: Week Two – The Teachings & Miracles of Jesus

Readings: Borg chps 4-6; Mark 1-10; Matthew 1-20; Luke 1-19:27; John 1-11

 

January 19: Week Three – The Crucifixion of Jesus

Readings: Borg chps 7-8; Mark 11-15; Matthew 21-27; Luke 19:28-23; John 12-19

 

January 26: Week Four – The Resurrection of Jesus

Readings: Borg chps 9-10; Mark 16; Matthew 28; Luke 24; John 20-21

 

Section Two: Jesus According to the Historians

February 2: Week Five – The Quest for the Historical Jesus

Readings: Powell Intro, chps 1-2

February 9: Week Six – The Jesus Seminar

Readings: Powell Chp 4;

 

February 16: Week Seven – John Dominic Crossan

Readings: Powell Chp 5;

 

February 23: Week Eight – Reading Week – No Class

 

March 2: Week NIne – N.T. Wright

Readings: Powell Chp 9

 

Section Three: Jesus According to Pop Culture

March 9: Week Ten – Jesus Goes to the Movies Pt. 1

Readings: Jeffrey Mahan, “Celluloid Saviour: Jesus in the Movies,” http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1772&context=jrf  

Jesus Christ Superstar, The Passion of the Christ, Jesus of Montreal

 

March 16: Week Eleven – Jesus Goes to the Movies Pt. 2

Readings: Anton Karl Kozlovic, “The Christ Figure in Popular Films,” http://www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca/article.php?id=264&feature 

Dead Man Walking, Cool Hand Luke, Star Wars, the Hunger Games, Calvary

 

March 23: Week Twelve – Jesus on the Small Screen

Readings: Review readings from the last two weeks

Jesus (1999 mini-series), A.D., The Book of Daniel, American Gods, The Simpsons

 

March 30: Week Thirteen – @JesusofNazareth and the Future of Jesus

Readings: Powell chp 10; Borg epilogue

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Plagiarism is "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his/her writing, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of his/her own mind"  (from H. C. Black, Black's Law Dictionary, (5th ed.;  West Publishing Co., 1979).

Plagiarism is a form of cheating, a serious academic offence and is also a moral offence.  Any “catchphrase”, idea or thesis unique to a particular author, along with anything more than 3-5 consecutive words, must be cited.

POLICY RELATING TO PLAGIARISM

1.  For most first offences, depending on the severity or degree, students will be required to rewrite the paper, with late penalties assessed at the discretion of the instructor.

2.  For a subsequent offence, depending on its severity, the student will receive a failing grade for the course and may be required to withdraw from the program.

PROCEDURES RELATING TO PLAGIARISM

1.  Minor offences will be handled between the instructor and the student.

2.  Serious (or repeated) offences in a given course will be reported to the Provost, who may consult with Faculty regarding circumstances and proposed penalty. A decision with respect to the penalty will be communicated to the student within five working days of the Provost receiving the report.

3.  Normal appeal procedures apply.

4.  Students may be required to seek academic assistance. The student may also request other appropriate support services.

5.  All serious offences will also be addressed in the normal evaluation process for those students sponsored for ordination or other forms of ministerial training.

EVALUATION OF PAPERS

Again the following is taken directly from the College Calendar and offers insight into what constitutes a good research paper. In addition to the information here, it is also important to pay close attention to the requirements for the paper in your syllabus. Also if you are uncertain about expectations always reach out to your instructor for clarification.

A well-written paper is a combination of an accurate, succinct exposition of the hypothesis formed on the basis of relevant data, and balanced and plausible arguments supporting the hypothesis. What is essential is evidence of:

(i)      care in reading and analyzing the issues and data

(ii)     a critical assessment of the data and any hypotheses that have been advanced on that data

(iii)    a creative and thoughtful interaction between the issues and the student.

Assignments vary as do instructors and courses. It is imperative that students understand what is permitted and required of them for any given assignment (i.e., primary sources, secondary sources, commentaries, personal reflection) and adhere strictly to the specific instructions. It is the student’s responsibility to clarify the task with their instructor beforehand, if they are at all unclear. A portion of any grade (10-15%) will be awarded for proper presentation (i.e., style, referencing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).

A+ 90-100   Exceptional. Evidence of original thought; material entirely relevant; critical analysis; critical and comprehensive account of material; hypotheses plausibly and clearly presented and defended; mastering of pertinent and appropriate issues as pertaining to the various disciplines, impeccable style, referencing and presentation.

A 85-89   Outstanding. Concise and precise account of the issues; critical and careful analysis; hypotheses plausibly and clearly presented and defended; firm grasp of pertinent and appropriate issues as pertaining to the various disciplines.

A- 80-84    Excellent. Accurate account of issues; careful analysis; critical reasoning in evidence; good grasp of pertinent and appropriate issues as pertaining to the various disciplines. Improvements: more precision in argumentation and more attention to fine detail and nuance.

B+ 77-79    Superior. Generally accurate account of issues; good analysis; some critical reasoning in evidence. Improvements: a more concise or precise discussion of issues; more attention to detail; better use of arguments.

 B 74-76    Very Good. Generally accurate account of issues and details; acceptable analysis with some critical reasoning in evidence. Improvements: more concise or precise discussion of issues; more attention to detail; better use of arguments.

B- 70-73    Good. Generally accurate description of the data and an adequate grasp of the critical issues involved. Improvements: more attention of detail, greater precision of argumentation, better use of critical data.

C+ 67-69    Fair. Generally acceptable treatment of the data; some grasp of the issues, but imprecise or unclear at points; some evidence of critical reflection on issues and data. Improvements: clarity in expression; better use of critical data; greater attention to detail.

C 64-66    Adequate. Generally acceptable treatment of the data and issues, but impressionistic and vague at points; lack of clarity in the elucidation of arguments; little or no evidence of critical reflection on the issues or data. Improvements: clarity in expression; better use of critical data; greater attention to detail.

C- 60-63    Minimally Acceptable. Adequate treatment of the data and issues, but imprecise, impressionistic or vague; serious lack of clarity in the expression of issues; no evidence of critical thinking on the issues or data. Improvements: evidence of critical thinking; clarity in expression; better use of critical data; greater attention to detail.

D 50-59    Inadequate. Sloppy, imprecise or careless discussion of the issues with little or no evidence of critical thinking. Improvements: more discussion of the issues; evidence of critical thinking; clarity in expression; better use of critical data; greater attention to detail.

F 49 and below    Failure. Does not meet the minimum requirements.

MUN Library

Another great resource in your research, and also in your writing, is the MUN Library. It is tempting to take the path of least resistance when it comes to research. Simply using resources from you own personal library may not always give you the credible academic sources that this level of research requires. The library, especially its journal holdings, are your friend. Take the time to thoroughly go through their site to help you get a feel for what they have to offer. Try not to get overwhelmed. There is no way to master the library on your first try. If you live in the St. John’s area it would be a very wise idea to go to the library and look around. The staff there are very helpful. Also check with the Queen’s College office to make sure you have all you need to gain access to MUN Library.

Time Management and Editing

One of the greatest challenges for students at all levels of learning is time management. It can be extremely difficult to balance required reading, attendance at class, and research for small and larger research projects. Add in work commitments and keeping up some semblance of a social life with family and friends and it’s easy to see how students can get burned out. In this regard, scheduling is of paramount importance. Plot in your personal calendar all due dates for assignments, then set aside designated times for reading, research and writing. If you’re worried about work-life balance then schedule time for quiet, rest, exercise and personal time. Remember, procrastination is not your friend!

It’s a good idea to finish your writing a research a minimum of one week in advance of your due date. This allows time to take a step back from your work and then return with fresh eyes for the editing process. Editing is an important set in the research process. Many a well-researched and well-argued paper has suffered the consequences of lazy editing. A great resource in editing papers is the MUN Writing Centre. I encourage all students to make use of this service. It will be a huge help to you and also a great learning experience.