Contents

ENGL-217 The English Bible as Literature

Students will study the King James version of the English Bible as literature, learning the necessary background to understand the books of the Bible in historical and cultural context, including the questions of authorship, canonization, and translation. Students will read the types of literature found in the Bible, including narrative, poetry, biography, history, epistolary writing, wisdom literature, prophetic literature, and apocalyptic literature. Students will also explore the influence the Bible has had on other literature and on different disciplines, such as art, music, film, and contemporary popular culture. This course is writing intensive.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENGL-121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Identify and apply literary terms, concepts, critical strategies and stylistic characters in the texts studied.
  2. 2. Demonstrate critical and independent thinking in the interpretation of texts.
  3. 3. Write analytically about literary works, using appropriate research and documentation.
  4. 4. Demonstrate an understanding of ways the literature studied reflects its intellectual, social, historical and
    cultural contexts.
  5. 5. Evaluate the power of literature to address personal values and goals and to challenge human endeavors.
  6. 6. Describe the impact of the English Bible on different fields, such as other literature, art, music, and
    popular culture.
  7. 7. Apply critical judgment and aesthetic standards in evaluating works of art, music, and film as reflections
    of biblical influence.

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Identify and apply literary terms, concepts, critical strategies and stylistic characters in the texts studied.
  2. 2. Demonstrate critical and independent thinking in the interpretation of texts.
  3. 3. Write analytically about literary works, using appropriate research and documentation.
  4. 4. Demonstrate an understanding of ways the literature studied reflects its intellectual, social, historical and
    cultural contexts.
  5. 5. Evaluate the power of literature to address personal values and goals and to challenge human endeavors.
  6. 6. Describe the impact of the English Bible on different fields, such as other literature, art, music, and
    popular culture.
  7. 7. Apply critical judgment and aesthetic standards in evaluating works of art, music, and film as reflections
    of biblical influence.