Module description
This module introduces students to key religious texts that have been foundational in shaping religious traditions. This module is intended for students who may or may not have some prior knowledge of the religious texts in question, but who have no prior knowledge of the critical methodologies used in academic study.
Assessment details
90-minute examination (70%); 600-word gobbet coursework (30%) (For Semester 2/Spring & Full Year students)
Educational aims & objectives
- To introduce students to a variety of religious texts of different genres and to the variety of critical issues that arise in interpreting those texts and their function.
- To help students to examine these texts by applying the major critical methods - e.g. historical-critical, theological, literary, ideological, and sociological perspectives.
- To explore theoretical models that underpin reading and interpretation.
Learning outcomes
Generic skills • Ability to read critically and interpret ancient texts in translation • Ability to analyse and evaluate secondary literature. • Ability to think cross-culturally yet with sensitivity to historical and social differences.• Ability to write critical examination essays on primary and secondary source material. Module specific skills • General familiarity with the content of the religious text under discussion and the basic characteristics of their various genres. • Ability to explore, from a variety of methodological and theoretical perspectives, aspects of the religious texts such as narrative, legal, and poetic material in its own socio-historical context.• Ability to evaluate critical interpretations of texts in order to determine their utility to answering a particular research question.
Teaching pattern
1 two hour lecture weekly