Theology 011: Introduction To Biblical Literature

RESEARCH TERM PAPER

NOT A REFLECTION PAPER.

NOT A FAITH STATEMENT!

SAMPLE PAPERS

Three Steps in Writing a Term Paper

Do NOT select a topic from the gospel of JOHN or REVELATION.

A "theme" is NOT an acceptable topic. If a theme interests you, identify a text-segment in which the so-called "theme" appears. E.g., the theme of homosexuality is sometimes thought to be found in Gen 19; the theme of suicide appears in seven places in the Bible and in no case is it condemned, see the death of Judas in Matt 27:3-10 and Acts 1:15-20.

3. Write a research paper on your text segment: DUE April 6, 2009 (do not forget to include your final annotated bibliography)

PART ONE: COMPILE AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (due February 29, 2009 or earlier if completed sooner).

   A common undergraduate question: "how many sources do I need?"  Read this story about a healthy subject in a medical experiment who died because the researcher apparently did not investigate the literature earlier than 1966 where the dangers of the drug he was testing were already known.  What do you think of this medical researcher's use of  " Google, Yahoo!, LookSmart, and GoTo.com" for scientific research????  So,
"how many sources" do you think you need?????

Step One due  FEBRUARY 2nd, 2009

A. Biblical Commentaries. Consult at least FIVE. (A "Commentary" is a specialized book that presents extensive information about a book or books in the Bible.)  A Commentary usually has the word "Comentary" in the title or sub-titles.  Consulting commentaries constitutes a "first step" in your research. They will help you identify other trustworthy commentaries, studies, and periodical articles that will start you in the right direction.  If a commentary published in 2008 includes books or articles published earlier than 1990, it is clear that the commentator believes such articles are very good and retain value even to the present. Don't overlook the information commentaries can provide, especially in their "introductions." 
 

    There are different kinds of commentaries:
        Single Volume: e.g., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary; Harper's Bible Commentary.
         An excellent place to begin. Become familiar with the entire volume; notice the topical articles.

        Volume in a Series: e.g., Anchor Bible; International Critical Commentary; Hermeneia, Sacra Pagina.
        The format in these commentaries is a good one to imitate in your term paper.

Individual Commentary:  Sometimes an author writes a commentary that is not part of a series.

Individual studies on books, a book or part of a book (E.g., Roland Murphy, The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature [Doubleday, 1990]. Or Bernard Brandon Scott, Hear Then the Parable [Fortress, 1989]).

Here is a list of reliable commentaries.  If Woodstock does not have them, at least go to the appropriate section in the library and see, visually, first-hand, what it does have. You might be surprised.

Old  Testament Commentaries

New Testament Commentaries

    Here are some excellent sources to consult:

        Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 volumes)
        Jewish Encyclopedia
        Harper's Bible Dictionary
        The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology

        February 2nd, 2009: hand in a list of FIVE commentaries you have consulted on your topic or a specific Book of the Bible; and FIVE articles you have consulted in these dictionaries or encyclopedias.

Become familiar with these periodicals: Biblical Theology Bulletin; Journal for Old Testament Studies; Journal for New Testament Studies; Biblical Interpretation.

Old Testament Abstracts/New Testament Abstracts  will be especially helpful. The can be consulted on-line.

    Go to www.library.georgetown.edu
    click on "Databases" and go down to "Humanities."
    click on A--Z list.
    From that list check especially:  ATLA
                                                          JSTOR
                                                          New Testament Abstracts
                                                          Old Testament Abstracts

Periodical articles will be a key source of information for you. They supplement the information in a Commentary which is often "dated" by the time it's published. Any very recent, excellent article can help you identify additional key books, articles, and scholars that are relevant to your text-segment.  

Unless you have a good reason (e.g., up-to-date commentaries cite it), don't go back beyound 1900.  In fact, try to limit your sources to the last twenty years (1988--2008).

     You are not obliged to consult these sources. You may skip them entirely. BUT if you elect to use sources from the Web, please submit them to me for review. Here are some trustworthy "url's" that will be especially helpful:

http://www.kchanson.com   

Prof. K.C. Hanson's web-site is an excellent place to begin. Consult his bibliographies (e.g., Context Group Bibliographies) and his articles, as well as the leads he offers. An outstanding resource is his Ancient World on the Web.   He is currently Editor in Chief for Wipf & Stock  Press, Oregon.

Prof. Douglas E. Oakman (Pacific Lutheran University, Takoma, WA) is another excellent source. See his link to The Context Group for particularly pertinent information.

Check bibliographical resources  located on my web-page, in the section +Jean Peters Pilch. Click on "Religious Education."

Here is a collection of texts, translations, and other resources that can prove helpful in writing your paper.

Another good source that includes texts (e.g., the Apocrypha) and resources.

The annotation should be a brief assessment of the article or book.  For this deadline, a provisional annotation is acceptable. "Looks promising." "Highly regarded by all the commentaries I consulted." "It is a convincing argument" (presuming you read and studied the article). The final paper should contain your final critical  assessment of each item.

HINT: if you have questions about the value of significance of books you find, look for a book-review (e.g., in Catholic Biblical Quarterly; Journal of Biblical Literature). If you are curious about articles, search for assessments in other articles or in books. Ultimately, however, the judgment I am looking for is yours. On the basis of what we will be learning in class, each student will be able to make adequate, critical evaluations of resources consulted.

PART TWO:  WRITE THE TERM PAPER (due April 6, 2009  or earlier if completed sooner)

After you have (1) studied your text-segment and (2) read all your sources critically, you will be ready to write your paper. The length of the paper will depend on how well you can present your research and its conclusion, namely, a critical, historical and cultural presentation of the text you selected. It should be no less than 10 pages of text, not counting the cover page and bibliography  but can be longer.

1. Documentation: Use the style required in your major (Chicago; Turabian; MLA; Social Science; or whatever). If you use footnotes, they must be in proper form. If you use the social science method, the bibliography must be in proper form.

2. If you work in the gospels, be sure to examine the meaning your passage had to the original audience of the author in question (Level III), the meaning it had in the tradition (Level II), and the meaning it had in the career of Jesus -- if it can be dated back that far (Level I).

Note on Grading:

The purpose of a term paper is to help the student develop the skills of:

- close and careful reading of texts (biblical and modern)

- critical thinking (present reasons; supportive evidence)

- polished writing.

        --evidence of critical thinking and critical judgment
        --clarity and richness in reporting views

--cogency of reasoning when giving your own views. (You will not be downgraded for holding views contrary to the instructor when such views are supported with reasons and authoritative resources.)

--logical organization of material
--fluency of style
--depth of insights and reflections

Instructions:  Theta Alpha Kappa Awards