Week 1 (Jan 10-14)
Week 2 (Jan 17-21) | Week 3 (Jan 24-28) | Week 4 (Jan 31-Feb 4)
Week 5 (Feb 7-11) | Week 6 (Feb 14-18) | Week 7 (Feb 21-25)
Week 8 (Feb 28-Mar 4) | Week 9 (Mar 7-11)
Week 10 (Mar 14-18) | Week 11 (Mar 21-25) | Week 12 (Mar 28-Apr 1)
Week 13 (Apr 4-8) | Week 14 (Apr 11-15) | Week 15 (Apr 18-22)
Weeks 16-17 (Apr 25-May 6)

Getting Started | Week 1

Tues., Jan 11: Intros & Orientation Register! Review the syllabus! Attend the Zoom call! After class (and no later than the end of this week), if you haven’t already done so, please complete the following:

Thurs., Jan 13: Readers & Texts As prep for our class meeting, please complete the following (before our class meeting on Zoom):

Ancient Contexts | Week 2

Tues, Jan 18: Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) Contexts As prep for our class meeting, please read the following (before our class meeting), consulting at least two translations of the biblical texts as time permits:

Thurs., Jan 20: Kingdoms, Prophets, and Scribes As prep for our class meeting, please read the following (before our class meeting). Feel free to use whichever translation of the biblical texts you have easiest access to, whether in print or digital via Sefaria, Oremus, Alter, the NOAB, or Slavitt (pp. 39-58 for Amos):

  • Graves Lecture Notes: Kingdoms, Prophets, and Scribes
  • Background (albeit with an anti-northern bias): 2 Kings 16-25 | Jeremiah 40-43
  • Sampling of prophets: Amos | Isaiah 1-12 & 29-31 | Jeremiah 1-7, 29, & 36

Initial Responses to Crisis & Loss | Week 3

Tues., Jan 25: Songs of Lament As prep for our class meeting, please read the following, the biblical texts if possible in at least two translations:

Thurs., Jan 27: A Hopeful Prophetic Imagination As prep for our class meeting, please read (or complete) the following, considering the biblical texts (if possible) in at least two translations:

Reading the Torah | Weeks 4-8

Tues., Feb 1: Torah as response to exile: demythologizing or remythologizing? As prep for our class meeting, please read Genesis 1-11 (Alter’s or Fox’s translations both highly recommended), plus a sampling of one or more of the following, for a sense of the range of both ancient and contemporary questions and interpretations:

Thurs., Feb. 3: Contemporary Perspectives with Prof. Diamond Forde As prep for our class meeting, please read the following:

Week 5

Tues., Feb. 8: Ancestors & origin stories (I): Avraham, Sarah, and Hagar As prep for our class meeting, read Genesis 11:27-25:11 (Alter’s or Fox’s translations highly recommended), plus a sampling of one or more of the following:

Thurs., Feb 10: Ancestors & origin stories (II): Yaaqov & a bunch of other people | As prep for our class meeting, please complete the following:

  • Read Genesis 25:12-35:28, plus a sampling, per your interests, from Gafney, Kugel, Drinkwater, or other resources you’re finding.
  • Post at least one work submission (DRP proposal, initial CP, etc.), with target assessment criteria, to your folder & update your work log

Week 6

Tues, Feb 15: Ancestors & origin stories (III): Yosef & his brothers | As prep for our class meeting, read Genesis 37-50. I also recommend this 6-minute excerpt from Bill Moyers’ PBS “Genesis” series, and if you have time, Robert Alter’s discussion of an under-appreciated story (Genesis 38) in “A Literary Approach to the Bible,” the first chapter (or at least pp. 1-13) of The Art of Biblical Narrative.

Thurs., Feb 17: Ancestors & origin stories (IV): Moshe & the exodus | As prep for our class meeting, read these overview notes and Shemot/Exodus 1-15. OPTIONAL: Relevant discussions that may appear in Gafney, Kugel, Drinkwater, or other resources you’re finding.

Week 7

Tues., Feb 22: Torah: Why and How? The Sinai Covenant | As prep for our class meeting, read Shemot/Exodus 16-24, 32-34, and 40. OPTIONAL: Relevant discussions that may appear in Gafney, Kugel, Drinkwater, or other resources you’re finding.

Thurs., Feb. 24: Torah: Why and How? Holiness, justice, and the priestly imagination | As prep for our class meeting, read these overview notes and Vayikra/Leviticus 8-10, 16, 18-20, 23, 25, and 26. OPTIONAL: Relevant discussions that may appear in Gafney, Kugel, Drinkwater, or other resources you’re finding.

Week 8

Tues., Mar 1: How to Manage the Meantime: In the Wilderness, These are the Words | As prep for our class meeting, read each of the following:

Thurs., Mar 3: No class meeting, but please sign up for an individual meeting with Brian, and complete this linked Midterm Feedback survey by March 4.

Spring Break | Week 9

Tues., Mar 8: SPRING BREAK | NO CLASS

Thurs., Mar 10: SPRING BREAK | NO CLASS

Counter-Texts and Diverse Perspectives | Weeks 10-15

Tues., Mar. 15: Midterm Check-In (on ZOOM) | As prep for our class meeting, please complete this midterm self-assessment questionnaire. If you haven’t already, I also recommend you read the brief introduction to Alicia Ostriker’s For the Love of God (pp. 1-8), which will be our guide for the biblical “countertexts” we’ll focus on for the next four weeks.

Thurs., Mar. 17 (PURIM): Reading Ruth & Esther | As prep for our class meeting, read the books of Ruth and Esther, plus Alicia Ostriker, “The Book of Ruth and the Love of the Land,” in For the Love of God (pp. 34-54) and Marc Brettler’s brief “Why Are You So Kind . . . When I Am a Foreigner?” in How to Read the Bible (pp. 267-272).

Week 11

Tues, Mar 22: Reading the Song of Songs | As prep for our class meeting, read the Song of Songs (Shir ha-Shirim), plus Alicia Ostriker, “The Song of Songs: A Holy of Holies,” in For the Love of God (pp. 9-33). OPTIONAL: Graves’ Notes on Reading the Song of Songs

Thurs., Mar 24: Contemporary Perspectives on the Song, with Prof. Ayelet Even-Nur | As prep for our class meeting, read the introduction to Ilana Pardes’ Song of Songs: A Biography (“Draw Me After You, Let Us Run,” pp. 1-21). OPTIONAL: From the same book, Pardes’ discussion of Toni Morrison’s use of the Song in her novels Song of Solomon (1977) and Beloved (1987), pp. 195-218.

Week 12

Tues., Mar 29: Reading Ecclesiastes/Qoheleth | As prep for our class meeting, read the book of Qoheleth, plus Alicia Ostriker, “Ecclesiastes as Witness,” in For the Love of God (pp. 76-98). OPTIONAL: Graves’ notes on Wisdom Literature

Thurs, Mar 31: Reading Jonah/Yona | As prep for our class meeting, read the book of Jonah, plus Alicia Ostriker, “Jonah: The Book of the Question,” in For the Love of God (pp. 99-119). OPTIONAL: Graves’ notes on Jonah (pp. 4-5)

Week 13

Tues., Apr 5: Reading Job/’Iyyob (I) | As prep for our class meeting, read Job 1-27, plus Edward Greenstein’s introduction to his 2019 translation. (In Greenstein, pp. xvii-xxxvii (intro) and 3-120.)

Thurs., Apr. 7: Reading Job/’Iyyob (II) | As prep for our class meeting, read Job 28-42 (in Greenstein, pp. 121-188), plus Alicia Ostriker, “Job: The Open Book,” in For the Love of God (pp. 120-142). For a brief snapshot of the range of possible translations of Job 42:6, see these linked notes.

Week 14

Tues., Apr. 12: DRP sharing | Come prepared to share briefly about the work you chose to do for the Diverse Readings Project — your approach, your topic(s) or question(s), and your discoveries. (You might even think of this as leaning into your final reflection and self-assessment!)

Thurs., Apr. 14: Optional Conference with Brian (sign up here!) | NO CLASS MEETING

Week 15

Tues., Apr. 19: Undergraduate Research Symposium | NO CLASS MEETING

Thurs., Apr. 21:  Optional Conference with Brian (sign up here!) | NO CLASS MEETING

Wrapping Up | Weeks 16-17

Tues., Apr 26: DUE: Final self-assessment | IN CLASS: Final conversation!

Thurs, Apr 28 – Wed, May 4: Final conferences to review your final self-assessment and determine your final course grade (sign up here)