Courses

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

• STH TO 704: Hebrew Bible 1
  In this graduate-level introduction to the Hebrew Bible, we investigate ancient Israel’s literature within its historical, geographical, cultural, social, political, economic, and religious contexts. TO704 fulfills a Core Requirement in the “Sacred Texts & Interpretation” category for MDIV and MTS students.
• STH TO 723: Biblical Hebrew 1
  Hebrew grammar, including exercises in translation and composition, following Lambdin's Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. Prepares students to read Hebrew prose. (Credit for STH TO 723 is given only after successful completion of STH TO 724.) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 724: Biblical Hebrew II
  Graduate Prerequisites: (STHTO723) - Continues and presupposes STH TO 723. (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 802: The Prophetic Tradition
  The history of biblical prophecy in the context of ancient Near Eastern prophetic phenomena. Emphasis on reading primary texts and questions of social context, role, literary forms, rhetoric, and relation to tradition and to the present. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• STH TO 804: The Book of Ezekiel
  The book of Ezekiel is radical literature; and those who would study it seriously must be prepared for strange visions, troubling twists on traditions, weird sign acts, priestly minutiae, and almost relentless divine anger. We will read the entire book of Ezekiel, using "among other resources" Darr's commentary on the book of Ezekiel in the New Interpreter's Bible Commentary. Class sessions will include lectures and seminar-style class discussions. (Requires TO 704 or equivalent) (Cluster 1)
• 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 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 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 833: Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Old Testament Apocrypha & Pseudoepigrapha
  An examination of the setting, origin, purpose, and religious outlook of Second Temple Jewish writings usually labeled Old Testament Apocrypha/Pseudoepigrapha, with attention given to the continuity of the Biblical traditions and the background they provide for an understanding of first-century Judaism and the New Testament. 3 credit hours. Prerequisite: TO704. (Cluster 1)
• 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 837: In the Shadow of Empire: Syncretism and Resistance in Persian Period Judah and Egypt
  This course investigates how the Persian and Hellenistic imperial contexts influenced and shaped the development of the Hebrew Bible. Students will read the post-exilic biblical and extra-biblical texts from Judean communities in Persian period Judah and Elephantine. This seminar course will primarily explore how the ancient people engaged in acts of syncretism and resistance with the empires that ruled over them. (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. (cluster 1)
• STH TO 851: Akkadian 1
  Akkadian grammar, including exercises in translation and composition. (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 TO 925: The Liberated Community
  This on-line Seminar will explore the distinctiveness of the community shaped by the Exodus experience, focusing on the praxis of the liberated community and its struggle for remaining faithful to the liberating God. We will analyze also the paradigmatic character of the Exodus event for the prophetic tradition, the New Testament, and contemporary ministry. Biblical creation accounts will be explored as forms of legitimation of the liberated community.
• 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 813: Congregations and Communities
  The increasingly global and transnational work of ministry, social activism, and non-profit service often takes place within or alongside religious congregations. Such congregations function as communities, and are in turn embedded within larger communities such as neighborhoods, ethnic groups, political blocs, and countries. The purpose of this course is to help students theorize religious "community" in a sophisticated and nuanced way, as well as introduce concepts and methods for the engaged sociological study of congregations within their international contexts. From this vantage point we will then discuss current issues of racial/ethnic diversity and inclusion, globalization, and "millennial" spirituality. (Cluster 2)
• STH TR 814: Advanced Qualitative Research
  This course is for students involved or interested in independent qualitative research, including interviews, ethnographic projects, and/or content analysis. It will function much like a workshop, providing extensive guided practice with project conceptualization and design, finding funding, meeting university ethics requirements, gaining access to communities, recruiting participants, managing and storing data, creating coding schemes and using software, integrating mixed types of data to support an argument, balancing "home" and "field," being reflexive, and exercising respect and care for both oneself and one's interlocutors. Relative attention to these issues will depend on the needs and interests of the students. It can fruitfully be taken either separately or in addition to TR 800, Ethnographic Research. (Cluster 2)
• STH TR 850: Social Science Approaches to Religion and Spirituality
  The social sciences offer a robust set of paradigms, methods, and insights useful for understanding religious and spiritual lives. Whether our goal is to deepen appreciation, articulate critique, or pursue transformation of religious institutions; to become better religious leaders; or to further our spiritual growth and healing, social science approaches can help us identify and interpret the broader contexts of religion and spirituality and better reflect on our relevant experiences. They also provide methods for studying religion and spirituality that are increasingly employed in multidisciplinary fields such as practical theology, social ethics, and pastoral psychology. This course provides an overview of social science approaches and methods with a special focus on sociology. Students will learn how to digest, interpret, and employ social science research in the service of their professional goals, and will begin to develop methodological skills for use in their own scholarship.