What are biblical values? Can the Bible contribute meaningfully to contemporary discussions about a range of ethical or moral issues? This unit will examine how the Bible might inform ethical thinking about a range of issues such as family and marriage, health and (dis)ability, war, violence, decisions about the beginning and end of life, the environment, family and marriage, wealth, and social justice. We will consider how the biblical texts might have spoken about such issues in their ancient contexts and the hermeneutical complexities and constraints when it comes to applying biblical teachings to the modern context.
Unit code: BS9100P
Unit status: Approved (New unit)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Biblical Studies
Delivery Mode: Intensive
Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Demonstrate an informed, critical perspective on the manner in which a range of ethical issues are presented in the Bible. |
| 2. | Analyze and elucidate the type of use of the Bible in contemporary discourse. |
| 3. | Critically interrogate recent and classical literature on the Bible in relation to a particular ethical issue. |
| 4. | Demonstrate the ability to apply advanced critical thinking, research skills, and methodologies appropriate to the discipline |
| 5. | Plan and execute a substantial research project on a chosen topic |
Lectures, panels, discussion, debates, reading analysis. Students will work progressively on one major project on a chosen topic, presenting material as they go with options for the final presentation of research (assessment variatians).
Barton, John, Ethics in Ancient Israel. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Bauckham, Richard, The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation. Waco: Baylor, 2010.
Brawley, Robert L. (ed), The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Clark-Soles, Jaime, Women in the Bible. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2020.
Collins, John J., What Are Biblical Values? What the Bible Says on Key Ethical Issues. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
Habel, N. and Trudinger, P. (eds), Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2008
Lee, Dorothy, The Ministry of Women in the New Testament. Michigan: Baker Academic, 2021
Loader, William, Sex, Then and Now: Sexualities and the Bible. Eugene: Cascade, 2022.
Zimmerman, Ruben and van der Watt, Jan G. (eds.), Moral Language in the New Testament: The Interrelatedness of Language and Ethics in Early Christian Writings. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variant 1 | ||||||||
| Oral Presentation - Oral Presentation on topic | Students give an in-class oral presentation on the topic or issue of their choosing presenting initial research, a working thesis, and their mode of final delivery (see variations for final project). This is the first part of the assessment which is designed as progressive steps on a major project. |
1000 | 20.0 | |||||
| Essay - Thematic Essay | A research essay on the chosen topic. |
6000 | 80.0 | |||||
Variant 2 | ||||||||
| Oral Presentation - Oral Presentation on topic | Students give an in-class oral presentation on the topic or issue of their choosing presenting initial research, a working thesis, and their mode of final delivery (see variations for final project). This is the first part of the assessment which is designed as progressive steps on a major project. |
1000 | 20.0 | |||||
| Audio recording or Podcast - Podcast | Students present their findings in podcast format. Audio files must be accompanied by a story-board (plan), transcripts, and bibliography. |
6000 | 80.0 | |||||
Variant 3 | ||||||||
| Oral Presentation - Oral Presentation on topic | Students give an in-class oral presentation on the topic or issue of their choosing presenting initial research, a working thesis, and their mode of final delivery (see variations for final project). This is the first part of the assessment which is designed as progressive steps on a major project. |
1000 | 20.0 | |||||
| Learning Resource - Learning Resource | Students present their final project as a learning resource (e.g. a bible study or multi-part study guide) that gives evidence of critical engagement with the biblical text, literature, and chosen issue in a way that teaches others and invites them into the conversation. The submitted resource should be accompanied by a bibliography and relevant notations to explain choices and pedagogy. |
6000 | 80.0 | |||||
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 24 Aug, 2022
Unit record last updated: 2022-08-24 18:00:43 +1000