Syllabus for Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament

Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament

REL 310

Syllabus

Course Description

This course deals with the Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, with particular emphasis on the Book of Psalms. There will be set assignments to be completed each week, a MidTerm Project, and a Final Exam. Readings from the textbook and other library and InterNet resources will be required. It will be important for the students to keep up with all reading and written assignments.
Since a large amount and a wide range of material will be covered each week, regular completion of assignments is necessary to do well in the class.
This is a 3-credit-hour course, so when taken as a Web-based Course it is the equivalent of 3 one-hour lectures per with at least another 3 hours of individual study and class assignments per week. As a general guide, students should schedule about 6 hours per week for 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.

Objectives of the Course

To enable the student :

to gain knowledge of the characteristics of Hebrew poetry
to gain knowledge of the Poetical Literature of the Old Testament
to gain knowledge of the characteristics of Wisdom Literature
to gain knowledge of the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament
to gain knowledge of the use of the Poetic genre in the New Testament
to gain knowledge of the use of the Poetic Literature up to the present day

Student Expectations

Students are expected to read all the assignments from the Bible, the text book, and other supplemental sources. Students may choose any translation(s) of the Bible. Help in choosing Bibles for study is available on the "Bibles Page".
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. 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 weekly class assignments. 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 :

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.
Instructors are to receive an academic accommodation form within the first two weeks of classes when there is an existing disability.
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 word processing and library skills to be able to complete assignments without overstraining themselves. It will be helpful, though not essential, for students to have completed REL 101 (Old Testament Survey) and REL 103 (New Testament Survey) before entering REL 310

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 e-mail Dr. Rollinson

Grades

Grades will be based on : Exams + Assignments

Computation of Grades
90 - 100 %	= A
80 - 89 %	= B
70 - 79 %	= C
60 - 69 %	= D
0 - 59 %	= F

Texts

The BIBLE : It is recommended that each student use at least 2 different translations of the Bible which includes the Apocrypha.
If a student has facility in another language besides English, it is good to read the Bible in that language also.
Students who are learning Greek and/or Hebrew should read and translate at least a few verses each day.
and :
"The Wisdom Literature and Psalms" by James E. Smith, 0-89900-439-3, available in the ENMU Bookstore, or from general Bible Book Stores or suppliers

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 weekend.
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 or Project, 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 hours per week class, 3-4 hours per week writing & library, 1-2 hours per week InterNet

Resources

Dr. Rollinson

Station 19, ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated : August 2, 2011

REL 310

Assignments

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