The Bible in Music and Poetry (BS9061W)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

On the 2007 album, Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave asks: “Does Jesus only love a man who loses?” This unit introduces students to ways in which the language, themes, motifs, and characters of the Bible have an enduring presence in music and poetry. The reception of biblical texts in popular music and poetry will be examined, with special attention given to Australian and Asia-Pacific contexts. Students will explore how the Bible is understood and portrayed in music and poetry and explore the intertextual dialogue between these texts.

Unit code: BS9061W

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Biblical Studies

Delivery Mode: Online

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Identify significant examples of biblical language, themes, motifs, and characters used in music and poetry;
2.

Discuss the historical, social, cultural, and literary contexts that influence the formation of relevant Bible texts;
3.

Analyse the reception of the Bible in music or poetry in specific contexts and cultures;
4.

Examine the intertextual connections between biblical texts and examples of music and poetry;
5.

Appraise the role of culture in how biblical texts are creatively interpreted;
6.

Evaluate how biblical texts and examples of music and poetry mutually complement and critique each other.

Pedagogy

Online flipped classroom; videos, internet sites, ARK resources, activities. Synchronous tutorials.

Indicative Bibliography

  • Beal, Timothy K, ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015
  • Cone, James H. The Spirituals and the Blues: An Interpretation. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1991
  • England, Emma, and William John Lyons, eds. Reception History and Biblical Studies: Theory and Practice. Scriptural Traces: Critical Perspectives on the Reception and Influence of the Bible, 6. London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2015.
  • Exum, J. Cheryl. Retelling: The Bible in Literature, Music, Art and Film. Leiden: Brill, 2007.
  • Gilmour, Michael J. Gods and Guitars: Seeking the Sacred in Post-1960s Popular Music. Waco, Tex.: Baylor University Press, 2009.
  • Goroncy, Jason and Rod Pattenden, eds. Imagination in an Age of Crisis: Soundings from the Arts and Theology. Eugene: Pickwick, 2022.
  • Grohmann, Marianne, and Hyun Chul Paul Kim, eds. Second Wave Intertextuality and the Hebrew Bible. Resources for Biblical Study, Number 93. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2019.
  • Hart, Kevin, ed. Oxford Book of Australian Religious Verse. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1994.
  • Lake, Meredith. The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History. Updated Edition. Sydney: NewSouth Publishing, 2020.
  • Murray, Les, ed. Anthology of Australian Religious Poetry. North Blackburn, Vic: CollinsDove, 1986.
  • Sionhán Dowling Long and John F.A Sawyer. The Bible in Music: A Dictionary of Songs, Works, and More. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015.
  • Wainwright, Elaine Mary, and Philip Leroy Culbertson. The Bible in/and Popular Culture: A Creative Encounter. Society of Biblical Literature : Semeia Studies, 65.. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Exegetical Essay 2500 35.0
Personal Reflection

Reflective journal on content and readings

 2000 30.0
Essay

An essay question based upon the usage of biblical language, themes, motifs, and characters in the work of a particular artist or poet;

or

An essay question focussed on specific examples of reoccurring biblical language, themes, motifs, and characters across different songs or poems.

 2500 35.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 30 Oct, 2023

Unit record last updated: 2023-11-02 10:07:11 +1100