The course is suitable for students of religion and biblical studies wishing to engage contemporary topics in tandem with ancient sources and for those engaged in questions of sustainable development wishing to explore the role and potential of religious worldviews with regard to this.
Biblical Interpretation in the Context of Sustainable Development
Course Description
Course Objective
The goals of this course entail:
- gaining insight into the relationship between contextuality and biblical interpretation and how biblical texts can be catalysts for transformation
- understanding how themes relevant to the sustainable development goals play a role in biblical texts and their interpretations and applications
- being alble to analyze the relationship between the production and reception of biblical texts independently
- being placed in a position to evaluate the production and reception of text and to pinpoint continuities and discontinuities in processes of meaning making and to understand the socio-economic, religious and political implications of them.
- working towards a personal research output.
Course Content
Sustainable development is a key context of biblical interpretation in the 21st century. Hence, this course focuses on the trajectories of interpretation of key texts from the second part of the Christian Bible: the New Testament. In doing so, it will be asked how themes that play a role in contemorary discussions about sustainable development play a role in them and in their receptions. Topics will include ecology, economics, gender, social equality, race, and much more. The course is suitable for students of religion and biblical studies wishing to engage contemporary topics in tandem with ancient sources and for those engaged in questions of sustainable development wishing to explore the role and potential of religious worldviews with regard to this.
Additional Information Teaching Methods
The course is taught by means of a combination of lectures and interactive formats.
Study Characteristics
- Name of teacher: prof. dr. P.B.A. Smit (P.B.A.smit@vu.nl)
- Language: english
- ECTS: 6
- Academic skill: Discipline related
- Graduate School: FRT
- Discipline: Religion and Theology
- In class/online: In class
- Start date: Period 1
- End date: Period 1
- Including assessment: yes
- Assessment type: Students write a publishable 5000 word paper on a chosen topic (English). The papers will be evaluated in analogy to the evaluation of MA theses, bearing in mind their more limited scope. The classroom presentation is graded on a pass/fail basis.
- Admission criteria: None (knowledge of ancient languages is an asset, but not a requirement).
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Course Description & Study Characteristics
Course Description
Course Objective
The goals of this course entail:
- gaining insight into the relationship between contextuality and biblical interpretation and how biblical texts can be catalysts for transformation
- understanding how themes relevant to the sustainable development goals play a role in biblical texts and their interpretations and applications
- being alble to analyze the relationship between the production and reception of biblical texts independently
- being placed in a position to evaluate the production and reception of text and to pinpoint continuities and discontinuities in processes of meaning making and to understand the socio-economic, religious and political implications of them.
- working towards a personal research output.
Course Content
Sustainable development is a key context of biblical interpretation in the 21st century. Hence, this course focuses on the trajectories of interpretation of key texts from the second part of the Christian Bible: the New Testament. In doing so, it will be asked how themes that play a role in contemorary discussions about sustainable development play a role in them and in their receptions. Topics will include ecology, economics, gender, social equality, race, and much more. The course is suitable for students of religion and biblical studies wishing to engage contemporary topics in tandem with ancient sources and for those engaged in questions of sustainable development wishing to explore the role and potential of religious worldviews with regard to this.
Additional Information Teaching Methods
The course is taught by means of a combination of lectures and interactive formats.
Study Characteristics
- Name of teacher: prof. dr. P.B.A. Smit (P.B.A.smit@vu.nl)
- Language: english
- ECTS: 6
- Academic skill: Discipline related
- Graduate School: FRT
- Discipline: Religion and Theology
- In class/online: In class
- Start date: Period 1
- End date: Period 1
- Including assessment: yes
- Assessment type: Students write a publishable 5000 word paper on a chosen topic (English). The papers will be evaluated in analogy to the evaluation of MA theses, bearing in mind their more limited scope. The classroom presentation is graded on a pass/fail basis.
- Admission criteria: None (knowledge of ancient languages is an asset, but not a requirement).