THBS562 - Introducing the Scriptures

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Incompatible

THEO562 Introducing the Scriptures, THBS501 Biblical Studies

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit lays the foundation for an appreciation of the Bible in the life of the Catholic Church. It explores the Bible's cultural. geographical and historical contexts. The unit introduces course participants to the principles of biblical interpretation and the different types of writings of the First and Second Testaments. The course also invites participants to explore the links between the Bible and their professional world and the relevance which the Bible has for them today. 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Give an account of the nature and origins of the Bible and its place in the life of the Church, with reference to the historical, geographical, social and cultural contexts of biblical literature (GA4, GA5);  

LO2 - Demonstrate skills in interpreting the Bible, applying the basic principles and processes of Catholic biblical interpretation (GA4, GA5); 

LO3 - Assess the implications of a critically informed reading of the Bible for its use within various professional and liturgical contexts (GA2, GA4). 

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

Content

Topics will include: 

• The Bible as literature and the “Word of God”; 
• An overview of the biblical canon 
• Introduction to the key principles of Catholic biblical interpretation; 
• The historical, geographical, social and cultural contexts of biblical literature 
• Introduction to the Law, the Prophets and the Writings of the First Testament 
• Introduction to the Gospels and other writings, especially of Paul, in the Second Testament;  
• Implications of the Bible for professional and liturgical settings.  

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, online learning, video-conferencing, or supervision. The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment. 

The unit is offered in two modes, online and multi-mode. In both modes, students learn through formally structured and sequenced learning activities that support the achievement of the learning outcomes. Students are asked to reflect critically, analyse, and integrate new information with existing knowledge, draw meaningful new connections, and then apply what they have learned to their professional contexts. Collaborative and peer learning is also emphasized to assist in the acquisition and assimilation of biblical insights. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.. 

These assessments are appropriate for the online and multi-mode of student engagement. 

• Assessment Task 1: A Paper that seeks to articulate some of the key principles of Catholic biblical Interpretation. This task will address Learning Outcomes 1 and 2, and develop Graduate Attributes 4 and 5.  

• Assessment Task 2: A Critical Analysis of a Biblical Text that applies the principles of biblical interpretation. This task will address Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 3, and develop Graduate Attributes 2, 4 and 5. 

• Assessment Task 3: A portfolio of resources drawn from the course and in dialogue with other students that will assist the student in their professional context. This task will address Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 3, and develop Graduate Attributes 2, 4 and 5. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Aymer, M., Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, D. A. Sanchez, editors. The New Testament: Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.  

Carter, W., & Levine, A. The New Testament : Methods and meanings. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013. 

Chapman, S., & Sweeney, M. The Cambridge companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. 

Culpepper, R., Parsons, M., Malbon, E., & Anderson, P. Anatomies of the Gospels and beyond. Leiden: Brill, 2018. 

Letellier, R. Creation, sin and reconciliation : Reading primordial and patriarchal narrative in the Book of Genesis. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016. 

Maier, H. New Testament Christianity in the Roman world. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 

Porter, S., & Land, C. Paul and Scripture. Leiden: Brill, 2019.  

Yee, G. A., H. Page, M. Comber, editors. The Old Testament and Apocrypha: Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.