Dr. Shirley's Web Courses

REL 101 - Old Testament Survey

Syllabus

Course Description

This course is a survey of the history, literature, and teachings of the Old Testament.
The course will consist of reading and studying the whole of the Old Testament, with additional readings from the textbook and other library and World Wide Web resources. It will be important for the student to keep up with all reading and written assignments.
This is a 3-credit-hour course, so is the equivalent of 3 one-hour lectures per week with at least another 3 hours of individual study and class assignments per week. As a general guide, students should devote about 6 hours per week to this course, i.e. about an hour a day, Monday through Saturday, with Sunday for a brief review of the past week's work. Students who work steadily for an hour-or-so each day on this course should have no difficulty in getting a good Grade. Students who make a habit of leaving the week's work for an overnighter on Sundays will probably not do very well.
Those who have difficulty keeping to an orderly routine of study, or who lack self-discipline when faced with conflicting priorities, will probably do better to attend a lecture-based course rather than the Web-based course, and should register for one of the other sections of REL 101 offered at ENMU.

Objectives of the Course

To enable the student :

1. To gain knowledge of the contents and identifying characteristics of the various books of the OT (Old Testament).
2. To gain knowledge of the main people and events described in the OT.
3. To gain knowledge of the cultural settings of the Old Testament World (economic, political, social, and religious)
4. To gain knowledge of the chronology of OT writings and events.
5. To gain knowledge of the various types of literature in the OT.
6. To gain knowledge of the basic theology of the OT.

Student Expectations

Students are expected to read the Old Testament and the assignments from the text book and other sources. Students may choose any modern translation of the Bible.
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. The penalty for a "Breach of Academic Integrity" will be a grade of "F" for the Course. Other penalties may also apply. Students should refer to the University catalogue for a definition of academic dishonesty and its penalties, or they should go to this Web Page and familiarize themselves with the relevant material.
Grades will be based on exams, and class assignments (weekly reports and essays). The Final Exam will be given during Finals' Week at the end of the semester. Students are expected to take exams at the times scheduled. Students who cannot take an exam at the scheduled time are expected to take the exam at an earlier time.
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible so that necessary accommodations may be made.
ENMU Reasonable Accommodation statements:

1. Any student eligible for and requesting academic accommodations due to a disability is requested to provide an academic accommodation form from Services for Students with Disabilities within the first two weeks of the beginning of classes.
2. Instructors are to receive an academic accommodation form within the first two weeks of classes when there is an existing disability.
3. If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please provide an academic accommodation form from Services for Students with Disabilities within the first two weeks of the semester.

Course Prerequisites : None

Suggested Background Knowledge/Skills : Students should be comfortable with reading and writing at College level, and should have sufficient computing,word processing and library skills to be able to complete assignments without overstraining themselves. Those who wish to improve their writing skills may wish to take advantage of the Writing Workshop which is offerred free to all students at ENMU.
Check out the Proficiency Levels Page
and the Edited Standard Written English Page for further details.

The Instructor and Office Hours

The instructor is available to meet with any student regarding any matter. The instructor will be available at the office hours posted, and at other times by appointment. Students may contact the instructor by phone 9 am to 9 pm. Home phone 763-0101, with an answering machine to leave messages, or send an email

Grades

Grades will be based on : Reports + Essays + Exams

Further information is available on the "How to get an A" Page,
the Proficiencey Levels Page,
and the Grading of Reports and Essays Page.

Texts

Course Organization

The course is divided into 15 units corresponding roughly to the weeks of the semester.
Each "weekly Unit" will conclude with an assignment, which is to be completed and e-mailed to the instructor by 9 am on the following Monday.

• Assignments - The Assignments for each week are due by 9 am on the Monday of the next week. It is recommended that students try to send in their assignments a few days ahead of time in case there are problems with the computers over the week-end.
• Late Work - For work to be eligible for an "A" Grade, it must be e-mailed to the instructor on time. Students may send their assignments in early, and are advised to do so whenever possible. Work may be sent in up to 2 weeks late, but will drop a letter Grade per week that it is overdue.
• Makeup - Because of the nature of this course, in which students do not have to attend classes at particular times on particular days, there is no provision for "make-up" work.
• Exams - There will be a Mid-term Exam, and a Final Exam, both of which will count towards the Course Grade.
• Extensions - extensions will only be granted under grave extenuating circumstances and at the discretion of the instructor. If you think that you may need an extension, you should contact the instructor ahead of time with your request, and explain the situation.

Anticipated Student Workload

3 - 5 hours per week reading, 2 - 4 hours per week writing, 1 - 2 hours per week library.

Resources

Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

Department of Religion
ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated: April 6, 2008

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