Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• STH TO 813: Proverbs
  A study of ancient Israel's proverbs as poetry, as strategies for dealing with a variety of social interactions, and as compact exemplars of ancient wisdom. We will examine both the sayings of Israel's sages and the popular proverbs everyone "performed," assisted not only by critical biblical scholarship, but also by the fields of paremiology (the study of proverbs), folklore studies, and anthropology. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 814: The Cultural Background of the Hebrew Bible
  Investigation of the cultural background and presuppositions of the biblical writers by interpretation of biblical texts and archeological remains and by comparison with materials from other ancient Near Eastern cultures. Implications for understanding and use of the Bible. (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 815: Hebrew Reading and Exegesis I
  Reading of selected prose texts, with some general grammatical review. Emphasis on precise exegesis and translation into fluent current English. Half course. (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 816: Hebrew Wisdom
  Hebrew wisdom as found in the Book of Proverbs, selected psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Attention to similar themes in contemporary literature. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 819: Hebrew Reading and Exegesis II
  Readings of poetic passages from the Hebrew Bible, selected from various genres and periods. Introduction to the forms of Hebrew poetry, especially parallelism. Students should expect to continue to consolidate and extend knowledge of classical Hebrew grammar, to build vocabulary, to become sensitive to different kinds of Hebrew literature and its piety or theology, to learn to recognize different literary and cultural presuppositions, and to practice imaginative reading and translation. (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 821: The Book of Psalms
  The Psalter, its development, organization, and content. The Psalms interpreted in their worship setting. Attention given to literary and devotional values of these lyrical classics of Israel. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 823: The Book of Jeremiah
  The course will involve a reading of the complete book of Jeremiah with attention to the two different text types; the different kinds of literature in the book (narrative prose, sermonic prose, and the various kinds of poetry); the rhetoric and its cultural, social, and religious context; the character, meaning, and purpose of individual pericopes; and the structure and purpose of the whole book. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 827: Violence in the Hebrew Bible
  TBA (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 829: Genesis
  A study of the Book of Genesis in the context of other ancient Near Eastern creation myths and stories. The course covers the Primeval Cycle, the Abraham Cycle, the Jacob Cycle and the Joseph Narrative with special attention to their reception and relevance for contemporary religious audiences. Prerequisite: STH TO 704: Hebrew Bible I. (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 831: Gender and Dominance in the Hebrew Bible
  TBA
• STH TO 835: Current Issues in Biblical Interpretation
  Examination and evaluation of several current methods and approaches. Students are encouraged to develop a generally valid and fruitful approach. Emphasis on working with specific biblical texts. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 838: Biblical Interpretation from Hispanic and Latin American Perspectives
  This course provides an introduction to the contexts, assumptions, and methods of Hispanic and Latin American Biblical exegesis and its major contributions to Biblical and Religious Studies. The course's objectives are: 1. To develop an awareness of the Hispanic and Latin American approaches to the Bible, their differences and points of contact.; 2. To understand the different assumptions of the Hispanic and Latin American interpretation of the Bible; 3. To develop intercultural exegetical skills and cross-cultural sensitivity; 4. To experience and develop an understanding of the reality of US Hispanics and Latin Americans through learning about its history, economy, political, social, and religious context. Selected passages from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament will be analyzed in terms of the cultural and historical situation of Latin Americans and Hispanic peoples in the United States. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Clusters 1 and 2)
• STH TO 841: The Book of the Twelve
  Expositional overview of the Book of the Twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). The goal of the course is to promote a deeper awareness of the various trends of interpretation of the Book and of its relevance for the personal and communal life. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 844: Ancient Egyptian Magic and Religion
  A survey of the religion and magical practices of ancient Egyptians from the time of the pyramids through the Greco-Roman period (ca. 2600 BCE -- 400 CE). The course offers an insight into the ancient Egyptian gods, religious thought, and ideas through the analysis of texts, iconography, and objects used in religious / magical practices. A special focus is on the role of popular magic and religion in everyday life and in the temple. No prerequisites. Undergraduate students are welcome to register. The course also requires approximately six additional hours of class at the Museum of Fine Arts where students read/study pieces of the MFA Egyptian Collection.
• STH TO 846: Middle Egyptian 1
  An introduction to the classical stage of the Egyptian script and language spoken in Ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom which became the standard hieroglyphic language until the Graeco-Roman Period. (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 847: Middle Egyptian 2
  An introduction to the classical stage of the Egyptian script and language spoken in Ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom which became the standard hieroglyphic language until the Graeco-Roman Period.(Cluster 1)
• STH TO 851: Akkadian 1
  Akkadian grammar, including exercises in translation and composition. (Credit for STH TO 851 is given only after successful completion of STH TO 852.) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 852: Akkadian 2
  Akkadian grammar, including exercises in translation and composition. (Credit for STH TO 851 is given only after successful completion of STH TO 852.) (Cluster 1)
• STH TR 802: The Sociology of Religion
  This course will introduce students to the basic ideas and methods with which sociologists have analyzed the relationship between religion and society. It will explore what it means to think about religious language, symbols, communities, and practices a social phenomenon. We will also explore the social processes at work in congregations and denominations, new religious movements and conversion, religious communal identity and ethnic conflict. (Cluster 2)
• STH TR 820: Narrating Black Church Studies from the Margins
  This course will examine trajectories of intellectual thought that have been missing, silenced, or marginalized in standard narratives of black church studies. Using critical race theory, we will explore counter-narratives that challenge prevailing ways of thinking about black church origins, theological and philosophical foundations, liberating discourses, and its representation in the public sphere. At the conclusion of the course, students will be equipped to reflect on the history, necessity, and trajectory of black church studies through the counter-narratives.

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