REL 464 - The Inter-Testamental Era

 

Syllabus

Contact Information

I am available to meet with any student regarding any matter.
I will be available at the office hours posted, and at other times by appointment.
Students may contact me by phone 9 am to 9 pm. Office phone 575-562-2519, Home phone 575-763-0101, with answering machines to leave messages, or send an email to me, or send a message via the BlackBoard link.
For my bio., go to http://www.drshirley.org/sjr/bio.html
For my spiritual journey, go to http://www.drshirley.org/sjr/salvation.html

Feedback

I try to respond to phone and email messages within a day of receiving them.
Discussion Boards - I try to start grading Discussion Boards on the Monday after they were due. For large classes this may take me more than one day.
Reports - I try to start grading these on the Wednesday after they were due. This may take me several days.
On some weekends during the semester I will be traveling and will have limited access to the InterNet - at such times feedback and grading may be delayed until Monday.

Office Hours

My Office is in JWLA 127-T.
Office hours during the 2019 Spring semester are 2pm-3pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at other times by appointment.

Required Materials

Textbooks

• 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 Hebrew and/or Greek should read and translate at least a few verses each day.
• Text Book - The Holman Bible Atlas, ISBN 1-55819-709-5, available in the ENMU Bookstore

Technology

• Computer with basic audio/video output equipment. For students on the ENMU campus, there are computers available in the Computer Labs, and in the Golden Student Success Center and the Campus Union Building.
• Internet access (broadband recommended)
• The Browser recommended for work with BlackBoard is Firefox, available for free download from Mozilla.
  Chrome and Explorer have some compatibility issues with BlackBoard.
• Word-processing software capable of producing .doc .docx or .txt files

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the History, Civilizations, and Literature of the Inter-Testamental Era. There will be set assignments and Discussion Boards to be completed each week, and a Final Paper. Readings from the textbook and other library and InterNet resources will be required. It will be important for 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 week 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.

Learning Outcomes - Objectives of the Course

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to :

1. Describe and discuss the history of the Mediterranean, the Levant, and the Middle East, for the period 400 BC to AD 100.
2. Describe and discuss the civilizations of the Mediterranean, the Levant, and the Middle East during the period 400 BC to AD 100.
3. Describe and discuss the literature associated with the Mediterranean, the Levant, and the Middle East during the period 400 BC to AD 100.
4. Describe and discuss the cultural settings of the Mediterranean, the Levant, and the Middle East (economic, political, social, and religious)

Course Prerequisites : None

Suggested Background Knowledge/Skills : Students should be comfortable with reading and writing at an upper-division College level, and should have sufficient computing, word processing and library skills to be able to complete assignments without over-straining themselves.
It will be helpful, though not essential, for students to have completed REL 101 (Old Testament Survey) before entering REL 464
Those who wish to improve their writing skills may wish to take advantage of the Writing Lab and Workshop which is offered free to all students at ENMU.
Check out the Proficiency Levels Page and the Edited Standard Written English Page for further details.

Grades

See the ENMU Catalog, pages 29-30 for the Grading System at ENMU.

Grades will be based on : Reports + Discussion Boards + Final Exam

Student Expectations - Attendance / Participation

Students are expected to read the whole of the Apocrypha (the Deuterocanonical books of the Bible), and the assignments from the text book and other sources. Students may choose any translation of the Bible which contains the Apocrypha. Help in choosing Bibles for study is available on the "Bibles Page".
Students are expected to complete the weekly assignments on time.

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 the Final Exam and weekly class assignments (reports and discussion boards).
The Final Exam will be due during Finals' Week at the end of the semester.

Course Organization

The course is divided into 15 Modules corresponding to the weeks of the semester.
Each "weekly Module" will include a Discussion Board and will conclude with a Report which is to be completed and submitted to the relevant SafeAssign box on BlackBoard by 9 am on the following Monday.

• Discussion Boards - In each module/week of the course, by 9am Wednesday, students should post a thread that addresses the topic provided by the instructor. They should also respond with meaningful replies to at least 2 classmates' threads by 9am Friday. Discussion Board threads and replies will count towards the Course Grade.
• Reports - The Reports for each Module 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.
• Exam - There will be a Final Exam, due 9am on the Monday of Finals Week, which will count towards the Course Grade.
• Late Work - For work to be eligible for an "A" Grade, it must be submitted on time. Students may send their reports in early, and are advised to do so whenever possible.
  Reports may be sent in up to 2 weeks late, but will drop a letter Grade per week that they are overdue.
  Discussion Board Threads and Replies must be posted by their due dates - late postings will not be eligible for a grade except in the case of students who enter the course during the Drop-Add period.
• 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.
• 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.

ENMU Academic Integrity Policy

Plagiarism and Cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
See the Student Handbook for further information.
I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of this University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.
Plagiarism is a serious offense.
When in doubt, please cite your sources!
Please refer to the Catalog for information concerning plagiarism; action can include, but is not limited to failure of the assignment; failure of or a reduced grade for the course; suspension or dismissal from your program of study.

Disability Statement

If you have, or believe you have a disability, you may contact the Accessibility Resources and Testing Center to coordinate reasonable classroom accommodations, access to technology, or other academic assistance.
The Accessibility Resources and Testing Center serves students with a wide range of disabilities including but not limited to medical or health impairment, vision or hearing disability, physical disability, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, or mental health impairment.
All information will be treated confidentially.

Accommodations are not retroactive. They begin only after :

• Appropriate documentation has been received and accepted by the Coordinator of Disability Services
• Letters of Accommodation (LOA) have been prepared
• You have delivered your Letters of Accommodation to your instructors

Appropriate academic accommodations may then be provided for you.
You may contact the Accessibility Resources and Testing Center in room 186 Student Academic Services building, phone 575.562.2280

FERPA and Privacy

As a student, your educational records are considered confidential. Under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), your records are confidential and protected. Under most circumstances your records will not be released without your written and signed consent. However, some directory information may be released to third parties without your prior consent unless a written request to restrict this is on file.
You can learn more about student rights to privacy at https://www.enmu.edu/academics/academic-resources-services/registrar/ferpa
In this course, we may be working with third party applications online (i.e. wikis, blogs and other Web 2.0 applications). The different proprietors of these sites may or may not have privacy guarantees and the FERPA policy at ENMU does not apply to these sites. It will be your responsibility to read the privacy documentation at each site. There are many other options to protecting your information at these sites. If you have filed the paperwork and are classified as protected under the ENMU FERPA qualifications, it will be acceptable for you to use an alias when using the Web 2.0 sites required for this course. If you still have concerns, please e-mail me as soon as possible to discuss your options.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are either linked to or are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Title IX

ENMU is committed to fostering a safe, productive learning environment and we comply with all aspects related to Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and 34 C.F.R. Part 106. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination to include sexual misconduct defined as harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Incidents of harassment or assault can be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at 575.562.2991 or titleix.coordinator@enmu.edu
Reports can also go to the ENMU Police Department by calling 575.562.2392.
If you wish to receive fully confidential support and victim's advocacy you can contact Arise Sexual Assault Services at 575.226.7263.

Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus.
I also have a mandatory reporting responsibility. I am required to share information regarding sexual misconduct or information about a crime that may have occurred on ENMU's campus with the Title IX Coordinator and/or the ENMU Police.
Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting Arise at 575.226.7263

Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

Station 19, ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated : January 6, 2019

REL 464				Syllabus
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