Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Genesis

Unit Code: 
BV324
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This unit is an introduction to the book of Genesis. Topics covered are: its major sections and unity; discussion of its historical and social context, its major theological themes; exegesis of selected texts with consideration of artistic interpretations of a number of these.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate a critical engagement with the scholarly debates over the understanding of the book of Genesis as a whole;
  2. demonstrate advanced skills in the interpretation of biblical texts;
  3. demonstrate a sophisticated ability to reflect theologically on the text of Genesis and relate that to other biblical studies and theological disciplines;
  4. demonstrate an ability to make an informed theological critique of visual works of art interpreting texts or themes in Genesis.
Lecturer/s: 
Megan Warner
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 2
Day: 
Tuesday
Time: 
2:15 - 5:15
Location: 
Trinity College Theological School
Unit Frequency: 
Biennial
Years Offered: 
2010
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2014
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Bachelor of Theology
Field: 
Field B Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Old Testament
Department Name: 
Department of Biblical Studies
Unit Level
Undergraduate Level: 
3
Prerequisites: 

Level three students must have completed units in Biblical Studies at level one and level two.

Mode of Teaching: 
Semester
Teaching Methods: 

3 hours of lectures, seminars, and discussion of set readings weekly for 12 weeks

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
3
Expected personal study hours per week: 
6
Total workload hours per week: 
9
Total workload hours for unit: 
108
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

1 x 3000 word exegesis

Weighting: 
50%
Assessment Type: 

1 x 3000 word essay

Weighting: 
50%
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

  • Brenner, A., ed. Genesis. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.
  • Brett, M. Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity. London: Routledge, 2000.
  • *Brueggemann, W. Genesis. Atlanta: John Knox, 1982.
  • Carr, D. M. Reading the Fractures of Genesis: Historical and Literary Approaches. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996.
  • Habel, N. C. and S. Wurst, eds. The Earth Story in Genesis. Earth Bible 2. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
  • Hess, R. S. and D. T. Tsumura, eds. “I Studied Inscriptions from before the Flood”: Ancient Near Eastern, Literary and Linguistic Approaches to Genesis 1-11. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1994.
  • Morris, P. and D. Sawyer, eds. A Walk in the Garden: Biblical, Iconographical and Literary Images of Eden. JSOTSup 136. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992.
  • Turner, L. A. Announcements of Plot in Genesis. JSOTSup 96. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1990.
  • *Wenham, G. J. Genesis 1-15. Waco: Word, 1987.
  • *Wenham, G. J. Genesis 16-50. Waco: Word, 1993. 

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.