Undergraduate Course: Jesus and the Gospels (BIST08021)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is the partner to Paul and his Letters (level 8). It is an introduction to the study of Jesus and the Gospels within their Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts and is aimed at students beginning their study of the New Testament. We will pay particular attention to recent work on the historical Jesus and Mark's Gospel (the earliest extant 'life of Jesus'), besides surveying a range of other gospels, both canonical and apocryphal. Finally, we will ask why some Gospels were included in the Christian canon while others were not. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course is the partner to Paul and his Letters (level 8). It is an introduction to the study of Jesus and the Gospels within their Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts and is aimed at students beginning their study of the New Testament. We will pay particular attention to recent work on the historical Jesus and Mark's Gospel (the earliest extant 'life of Jesus'), besides surveying a range of other gospels, both canonical and apocryphal. Finally, we will ask why some Gospels were included in the Christian canon while others were not.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The course begins with a survey of the Jewish and Roman contexts of Jesus's Galilee and the cities where the Gospels emerged. We'll look at what we can know about the historical Jesus, and then go on to analyse the ways in which we might approach the Gospels. Several weeks will be spent looking at Mark's Gospel, followed by a quicker look at Matthew, Luke and John. We'll also look at Gospels which didn't make it into the New Testament (for example, the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Peter), and ask what processes led to their exclusion.
Student Learning Experience Information:
The course is taught through 3 weekly lectures and a regular tutorial. Background reading is listed for each lecture, and specific tutorial tasks are assigned for each week. In addition, students will be put into small groups to work on one 'artefact' from the time of Jesus, which they will present to the rest of the class in week 11. Students will demonstrate their achievement of the intended learning outcomes through regular essays, the group 'artefact', contribution to tutorial discussion, and the final exam.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 77 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
150 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
10 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Course Work 30%. Comprising:
1) For formative feedback only: prepare an outline of your first essay (2, below), due beginning of week 4.
2) Exegetical Essay (1): apply one reading strategy to a gospel text (form criticism, redaction criticism etc). 1500 words, due beginning of week 6. (ie the week after Innovative Learning Week)
3) Exegetical Essay (2): on a passage from Mark. 1500 words, due beginning of week 9.
All the above to be marked by tutors and monitored by academic staff.
Tutorials and Omeka Project 10%. Students to prepare an A4 tutorial sheet as an aide memoir in class. Tutors will check that these are done, but will not take them in or mark them. The final score in this section of assessment will be largely determined on the basis of class participation, after consultation between the tutors as a group and the Course Manager.
Written Exam 60%
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Will be able to demonstrate an understanding of some of the issues surrounding the reconstruction of Christian Origins.
- Show a familiarity with Jewish and Graeco-Roman contexts of the early Jesus movement and the Gospels.
- Demonstrate good abilities in the interpretation of early Christian literature, particularly Mark's Gospel.
- Demonstrate the ability to evaluate secondary literature, think critically, construct an argument, and formulate a prose composition.
- Show an ability to identify key terms and their meanings, and to judge the relative importance of items on course bibliographies.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Jesus,Gospels,Mark's Gospel,canonical Gospels,apocryphal Gospels,Jewish and Graeco-Roman contex |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alison Jack
Tel: (0131 6)50 8944
Email: A.Jack@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Katrina Munro
Tel: (0131 6)50 8900
Email: Kate.Munro@ed.ac.uk |
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