Content

In this unit, students learn about the effects of Roman imperialism on the composition of the Gospels as well as the impact of later colonial legacies upon their interpretation. It first analyses how imperial power was negotiated in complex and often ambivalent ways by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Students then explores how the Gospels have themselves been interpreted as both a mechanism of colonial dominion as well as a resource for resistance and liberation.

Unit code: BN9075Z

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: New Testament

Proposing College: Wollaston Theological College

Show when this unit is running

Learning outcomes

1.

Describe elements of the background, structure, themes and literary forms of the four canonical Gospels

2.

Compare and contrast the different rhetorical strategies the Gospels employ in their negotiation of Empire

3.

Critically reflect upon ways selected Gospel texts have been used in modern times to advance and/or resist colonial projects

4.

Integrate aspects of decolonial theory and biblical interpretation

5.

Outline the impact of scholarly literature on decolonisation as it relates to biblical interpretation

Unit sequence

Students must have completed 24 points in BN before commencing this unit.

Pedagogy

Pre-intensive activities: asynchronous lectures and readings to be completed in the two weeks leading up to the intensive week. Intensive week: lectures and seminar-style discussions of primary and secondary readings.

Indicative Bibliography

Fernando F. Segovia, Decolonizing Biblical Studies: A View from the Margins (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2000).

Mitzi J. Smith and Jayachitra Lalitha (eds), Teaching All Nations: Interrogating the Matthean Great Commission (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014).

Warren Carter, Matthew and the Margins: A Sociopolitical and Religious Reading (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2000).

Hans Leander, Discourses of Empire: The Gospel of Mark from a Postcolonial Perspective (Atlanta: SBL, 2013).

Anne F. Elvey, Reading the Magnificat in Australia: Unsettling Engagements (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2020).

Musa W. Dube and Jeffrey L. Staley (eds), John and Postcolonialism: Travel, Space and Power (London: T&T Clark, 2002).

Fernando F. Segovia and R.S. Sugirtharajah, A Postcolonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings (London: T&T Clark, 2009).

Jione Havea (ed), Postcolonial Voices from Downunder: Indigenous Matters, Confronting Readings (Eugene: Pickwick, 2017).

R.S. Sugirtharajah, Exploring Postcolonial Biblical Criticism: History, Method, Practice (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012).

Stephen D. Moore, Empire and Apocalypse: Postcolonialism and the New Testament (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2006).

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Personal Reflection - Assessment 1: Reflective Learning Journal

Students are to keep a reflective learning journal to write about their expectations, observations, learning and personal change during the pre-intensive activities and intensive week. Students are required to consistently make links between theory (from the readings, lectures, etc) and practice (implications for biblical interpretation), ensuring all sources are correctly referenced.

The key components are:

  1. Pre-intensive: (500 words approx.) What are your expectations for this unit (goals, purpose, hopes, fears)? What do you understand decolonising the Gospels to mean and involve?
  2. Intensive week: (1200 approx.) Reflect on your observations and your learning regularly throughout the week. Identify prominent themes that emerge through the various topics and discussions.
  3. Post-intensive (800 words approx.) How have your original expectations or assumptions been confirmed or challenged? What is the significance and implications of your learning? How will you implement the insights you gained during the intensive week and from the readings beyond this unit?
2500 35.0
Oral Presentation - Assessment 2: Class Presentation

Working in groups of 2 or 3, you will be assigned a biblical text from the Gospels discussed during the unit and you will prepare a 15 minute presentation for the class on the final day of the intensive. The presentation should include a PowerPoint and cover the following points:

  1. A summary of the imperial and/or kyriarchal dynamics within the Gospel text.
  2. One or more examples from the text's reception of how it has been used to uphold and/or resist imperial and/or kyriarchal power structures.
1500 20.0
Exegetical Essay - Assessment 3: Exegetical Essay 3000 45.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 25 Aug, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-08-25 16:11:05 +1000