Write a 10–15 page (double-spaced) paper on a passage from one of the texts that we have discussed in the course. (You may choose a biblical text that we did not discuss in class, but email me with the passage beforehand.)
You should choose a passage or section within a biblical book, but note that if you feel you do not have enough material, you can expand the passage, or draw in comparisons with other texts. What this means is that you don’t have to choose your section precisely until you are close to finishing your paper.
Many writers (including myself) find it easier to draft too much material and then edit it down to the required size. This allows you to think creatively and then adapt it to what you want. But don’t go over 15 pages for the paper you turn in.
Art images are welcome, but you should end up with 10–15 pages of text. If you are not sure how to insert art images in your document, you can name the art object (for example, Rembrandt, Esther) and I can Google it to see it.
To write this paper, you should begin by describing (briefly!) the place of your passage in the larger text, and then analyze it in terms of literary aspects. The important thing is to describe how the passage works as a literary creation, that is, how does the passage affect you. How does the passage relate to the issues of the course?
YOU MUST FIND SCHOLARLY RESOURCES TO HELP YOU IN UNDERSTANDING THE PASSAGE. THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. The readings in the syllabus are a good place to start, as are the introductions and notes in the Study Bible. You should also use the library databases to find articles, and especially note the library libguides. JSTOR is a good database, but also ATLA Catholic Periodical and Literature Index and others. You can enter a Bible passage (for example, Mark 6:1-6) or words in the title (Mark, gender, race), but note that the search may retrieve modern authors named Mark or passages other than 6:1-6. It requires some experimentation.
You may have to check out a large number of possible articles to find two that are helpful. But the “hunt” is important. The articles should be scholarly, historical articles and not from websites that are simply religion discussion sites hosted by non-scholars. Provide brief references when you make use of scholarly resources. Classic footnote style or author/date style are both fine.
Also, note that you can easily find books in the library on the biblical book that you are studying. Books on the Bible begin at about BS 1200 in the library, and are arranged IN THE ORDER OF THE BOOKS IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE, WITH APOCRYPHA BETWEEN OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT. So you can start with Genesis at about BS 1200 and walk down the aisle until you reach Ruth, Job, and so on, then Judith in Apocrypha, then Mark and 1 Corinthians in New Testament, etc. (Note that Susanna is part of the “Additions to Daniel” in the Apocryhpa.)
