Instructions for Text Papers

Text paper (5-8 pages) should summarize and analyze the major interpretive issues in one Pentateuchal text assigned for class discussion (after Primary in the list of assignments). Through a close reading of the text and one or more of the listed commentaries (see syllabus), discuss the major issues that interpreters have been concerned with in this passage. Provide your own evaluation of the significance of the issue for understanding the passage and, perhaps, the Pentateuch as a whole. The paper must be e-mailed to Jim Watts by noon on the Friday before the relevant seminar, who will distribute it to the class via e-mail.

Instructions for Book Reports

Book Reports (5-8 pages) should briefly (in 3-6 pages) summarize the book's argument and conclusions, and then critically evaluate its contribution to our understanding of the Pentateuch as a whole or in part. The paper must be e-mailed to Jim Watts by noon on the Friday before the relevant seminar, who will distribute it to the class via e-mail.

Instructions for Research Papers

Research papers should address a subject related to the topic of the course, and present a creative and critical analysis. It should be modeled on academic articles published in religious studies, and in its format should follow the guidelines required by either the Journal of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, or the Journal of Biblical Literature.

The topic must be negotiated with the instructor and developed in consultation with him through the following stages:

Oct 28    Topic due
Nov 18    Thesis, bibliography, and outline due
Dec 9     Oral presentations
Dec 17    Final paper due

A variety of topics are possible, and might include:

(1) Critical evaluation of a particular interpretive method used in Pentateuchal studies with reference to its theoretical presuppositions and its effects on reading selected Pentateuchal texts.

(2) Critical summary and evaluation of a particular issue in Pentateuchal research, such as the relationship between law and narrative, the literary genre of the whole, the historical context of the Pentateuch's composition, etc.

(3) Description and critical evaluation of one or more particular moments in the Pentateuch's history of modern interpretation.