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ENGL 3325: Bible as Literature
Spring 1998
MWF 10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Irby 316		Dr. R.-J. Frontain
Office: Irby 421
Hours:MWF 9-10, 11-12
TR 10:45-12:15, 1:30-2:30

Text


Course Description

The Judeo-Christian Bible is one of the seminal texts of Western culture and an extraordinary literary accomplishment in its own right. Focus this semester will be upon how gender is represented in the Bible, upon how the Bible has been used to construct gender, and upon how the Bible has influenced later literary and artistic depictions of gender.


Schedule of Readings and Assignments

Introduction: Conflicting Traditions of Sexuality
Monday, January 12Introduction to course
Wednesday, January 14The Song of Solomon
Friday, January 16
Monday, January 19The Book of Hosea
Wednesday, January 21
Friday, January 23
Unit I: Narratives of Sexuality (Genesis and Judges)
Monday, January 26Genesis: Adam, Eve, and the Fall
Wednesday, January 28Genesis: Noah; Tamar and Judah
Friday, January 30Genesis: Dinah and Schechem
Monday, February 2Genesis: Patriarchical Circumcision, Trickery, and Miraculous Births
Wednesday, February 4Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis); Levite and concubine (Judges)
Friday, February 6Judges: Jael and Sisera; Samson and Delilah
Unit II: Constructing Femininity
Monday, February 9Proverbs: The Virtuous Woman
Wednesday, February 11Book of Ruth
Friday, February 13
Monday, February 16Book of Esther
Wednesday, February 18
Friday, February 20Book of Judith
Monday, February 23
Wednesday, February 25Susannah and the Elders
Friday, February 27Examination #1
Unit III: Constructing Masculinity
Monday, March 2Genesis: Joseph story
Wednesday, March 4
Friday, March 6I and II Samuel: David
Monday, March 9
Wednesday, March 11
Friday, March 13Film: "King David"
Monday, March 16
Wednesday, March 18
Friday, March 20
Spring Recess
Unit IV: Constructing Jesus Sexually
Monday, March 30Gospel of John
Wednesday, April 1
Friday, April 3Examination #2
Monday, April 6Gospel of John (continued)
Wednesday, April 8
Friday, April 10
Monday, April 13Mosaic Law and Its Application
Wednesday, April 15
Friday, April 17Pauline Imprecations
Monday, April 20
Wednesday, April 22
Friday, April 24Paper Due
Monday, April 27Book of Revelation: The Woman Clothed with the Sun vs.
The Whore of Babylon
Wednesday, April 29
Friday, May 1
Monday, May 4Discussion of paper topics
Wednesday, May 6
Friday, May 8
Wednesday, May 11Final Examination (8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.)


Course Policies

  1. The final grade will be computed as follows: Exam #1 (20%), Exam #2 (20%), final exam (25%), and paper (35%). Any penalties for excessive absence or tardiness will be deducted from the final average.

  2. Be in class, be on time, and be prepared. Stone cold sober, the instructor finds this material absolutely fascinating, and his feelings will be hurt by students who do not rise to meet his level of enthusiasm. Two tardies equal one absence; after five absences a student may be dropped for non-attendence or see his/her final grade penalized two points for every absence beyond the fifth.

  3. Examinations will combine passages to be identified and analyzed with essay questions that ask the student to consider the larger cultural issues offered by the literature of this period. Always write legibly and grammatically: the grader cannot award credit for what he cannot make out or understand. The syllabus allows you to know the dates of exams in advance, so schedule other activities accordingly. Because of the difficulty of the instructor's framing multiple questions from a limited amount of material, missed examinations cannot be made up except under the most pressing of circumstances (e.g., emergency hospitalization) and with the instructor's prior consent. In the event of an emergency, phone the instructor at 450-5122 where voice mail picks up after the fourth ring if he is out of the office or on another line.

  4. An automatic WP will be awarded students until the day after the first exam has been graded and returned. After the first exam has been returned, the withdrawal grade will reflect the student's average as of the date on the withdrawal card. It is always wise to speak with an instructor before withdrawing from a course to make certain that both you and the instructor fully understand your circumstances.

  5. A paper of 1,250 to 2,250 words (5-7 typewritten pages), using MLA documentation format, is required for the course. The paper will offer a reading of a later work of literature that has been influenced by the Bible in a way related to the larger issues raised by the course. Students should discuss their paper topic with the instructor well in advance of the paper due date.

  6. Plagiarism, which is any unacknowledged linguistic or ideational indebtedness, will result in failure of the paper and a zero (0) being averaged in for that 35% of the final grade. Protect yourself by keeping all drafts of your paper; when using a word processor, print out the paper in its various stages of development.

  7. Cheating on an examination--whether by taking advantage of inappropriate assistance or by assisting a fellow student--will result in the failure of the complete examination and a zero (0) being averaged in for that portion of the final grade. Avoid even the appearance of impropriety: do not talk with anyone during the exam, do not look idly at someone else's paper, and keep all books and notes closed and out of both your and anyone else's view under your seat until all papers have been collected.

  8. Keep track of your absences and tardies. Likewise, keep all graded exams and papers in a safe place just in case you need to challenge the instructor's record of your grades. You can compute your average by using the following conversion charts.

    A=90-99
    B=80-89
    C=70-79
    D=60-69
    F=00-59
    Sample unit numerical conversion:
    C+/B-=79
    C+=78
    C+/C=77
    C/C+=76
    C=75
    C/C-=74
    C-/C=73
    C-=72
    C--=71
    C-/D+=70

  9. "The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need accommodation under this act due to a disability, contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 450-3135."