College at Brockport

Department of English

Spring 2017
ENG 353-01

Bible and Modernity: Stories of Jesus, Ancient

and Modern
Professor Austin Busch
Email: abusch@brockport.edu
Tel: 395.5396 (Holmes);
395.5829 (LAB)

Class
Meeting:
Office
Hour
s:

MWF 12:20-1:10, LAB 106A

Holmes 218: MF 10:3012:05 & M 3:35-4:50; LAB
243: MW1:25-2:25; and by
appointment

Course description:
In the first part of the course we will examine ancient literary portraits of
Jesus, especially the New Testament gospels, but some other early Christian
writings about him as well. While we will read these texts as coherent works
of literary art, we will also attend to historical issues they raise, such as the
New Testament gospels complicated relationships to one another and the
problems they present to scholars interested in reconstructing the historical
figure of Jesus. The courses second part will focus on three modern novels
which all, in one way or another, retell Jesus story. In considering how these
novels interpret and respond to the New Testament gospels, we will confront
their innovative and at times taboo portrayals of this sacred figure from
literary history. However, we will also explore the possibility that the biblical
stories of Jesus themselves anticipate some of the apparently novel ideas
about him presented in these modern literary works.
Student learning outcomes:
See
www.brockport.edu/academics/catalogs/2016/programs/english_major.html
for a complete set of English major SLOs. Within that overarching framework,
students in this course will learn to construct arguments that interpret later
literary texts as revisions or rewritings of previous ones. This will involve
becoming proficient in specific interpretive methodologies relevant to biblical
studies, including form and redaction criticism. This course also satisfies the
Contemporary Issues GE requirement, for whose SLOs see
www.brockport.edu/academics/catalogs/2016/learning_outcomes.html.
Within that framework, students will consider how these methodologies shed
light on common invocations of biblical authority in contemporary political
discourse, including in debates about racial injustice and gender identity and
about the evolving conventions determining which familial structures should
be legally sanctioned and socially supported. In particular, students will
examine examples of biblical interpretation from the intersections between
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political and religious culture in the contemporary US. They will identify and,
when appropriate, critique such examples hermeneutical presuppositions, in
order to become more critical consumers of and participants in relevant
public debate.
Course schedule:
This schedule (subject to alteration at the professors discretion) provides
only a general framework for primary reading and the due dates for formal
writing assignments. More precise reading assignments for primary texts will
be specified as the semester progresses. Primary readings will frequently be
supplemented by secondary texts (contextual materials, literary
comparanda, and scholarly essays). These will be announced orally in class
with sufficient time for completion, and will be made available online.
Informal writing assignments will be handled in the same way. (See
Assignments 3 below.)
Unit 1: Ancient Stories of Jesus
1/23
1/25
1/27

Introduction
Mark
Mark

1/30 Mark
2/1 Matthew
2/3 Matthew
2/6 Matthew
2/8 Luke
2/10 Luke
2/13 Luke; essay 1 due
2/15 John
2/17 John
2/20 John
2/22 Thomas
2/24 Thomas
2/27 Acts
3/1 Acts
3/3 Acts
Unit 2: Modern Stories of Jesus
3/6
3/8

Silence; essay 2 due

Silence
2

3/10 Silence
3/13
3/15
3/17

Spring Recess (no class)

Spring Recess (no class)
Spring Recess (no class)

3/20 The Idiot

3/22 The Idiot
3/24 The Idiot
3/27 The Idiot
3/29 The Idiot
3/31 The Idiot
4/3
4/5
4/7

The Idiot; essay 3 due

The Idiot
The Idiot

4/10 The Idiot

4/12 Scholars Day (no class)
4/14 The Idiot
4/17 The Idiot
4/19 Light in August
4/21 Light in August
4/24 Light in August
4/26 Light in August
4/28 Light in August
5/1
5/3
5/5

Light in August
Light in August
Light in August

5/8

Essay 4 due (2:40 pm)

Required Texts:
Dostoevsky, The Idiot (trans. Myers; Oxford; ISBN: 978-0199536399)
Endo, Silence (trans. Johnston; Picador; ISBN: 978-1250082275)
Faulkner, Light in August (Vintage; ISBN: 978-0679732266)
HarperCollins Study Bible, fully revised and updated (HarperOne; ISBN: 9780060786847)
Throckmorton, Gospel Parallels (5th edn.;Thomas Nelson; ISBN: 9780840774842)
Assignments and grading:
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Essay 1: 15%
Essay 3: 20%
Essay 3: 20%
Essay 4: 25%
Participation: 20% (To earn an A in participation, students must earn checkpluses on at least half of the ARAs.)
Grading criteria for essays:
A range: This essay is outstanding in form and content. The thesis is clear
and insightful; it expands in a new way on ideas presented in the course that
are relevant to the text(s) it addresses. The evidence presented in support of
its argument is carefully chosen and deftly handled. The argument is not only
unified and coherent, but also complex and full of nuance.
B range: This essays thesis is clear; the argument is coherent and presents
textual evidence in support of its points. The argument shows
comprehension of the material and manifests critical thinking about issues
and ideas relevant to the text(s) it addresses. The paper is reasonably well
written and proofread. The argument, while coherent, does not have the
complexity, the insight, or the integrated structure of an A range paper.
C range: This paper has the basic components of an analytic essay (i.e.,
thesis, evidence, argument, and coherent structure), but just barely: for
example, it may offer a thesis of some kind, but present insufficient textual
evidence to support it; or it may present an incoherent thesis; or it may be
poorly organized and therefore incapable of communicating an overarching
argument, even though its individual points are comprehensible or even
strong.
D-E range: A paper will fall into this range if it demonstrates a failure to fulfill
one or more of an analytic essays fundamental requirements: e.g. thesis,
reasonable argumentation, use of text(s) as evidence supporting argument,
basic knowledge about text(s), coherent writing, etc.
Grading criteria for participation:
A range: The student is fully engaged and highly motivated. This student is
well prepared, having read the assigned texts and thought carefully about
them, as evident not only in his or her comments, but also from consistently
high performances on active reading assignments. This student's ideas and
questions are productive (either constructive or critical) and stimulate class
discussion. This student listens and responds to the contributions of
classmates and of the professor.
B range: The student attends class regularly, is well prepared for discussion,
and participates consistently. They contribute productively to the discussion
by sharing thoughts and questions that demonstrate a familiarity with the
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material, which will also be evident in solid performances on active reading

assignments. This student refers to and shows interest in the ideas of
classmates and of the professor.
C range: The student meets the basic requirement of course participation,
namely, preparedness. Their performance on active reading assignments
indicates that they have usually done the reading, even though rarely
participating in class discussion. This student may offer insightful ideas from
time to time, but these ideas do not necessarily connect well to the general
conversation and do not help to build a coherent and productive discussion.
D-E range: The student not only neglects to participate (or participates very
rarely) in class discussion, but also demonstrates a record of unpreparedness
for class, as evident in consistently poor performances on active reading
assignments. A student earning a D or E in class participation will often
demonstrate apathy toward the course readings and toward the
contributions of his or her classmates and professor.
Course policies:
Attendance
After one unexcused absence, I reserve the right to lower your final course
grade by 2/3 for every additional unexcused absence. Generally I am flexible
about excusing an occasional absence, but I require that you clear it with me
in advance. In cases of illness, an email will suffice, even one sent hours or
minutes before class starts. If you are unsure whether an absence is
excusable, ask me in person.
Since I take role at the beginning of every class, if you arrive late, you will be
considered absent. If your tardiness is rare (i.e., if you arrive late only once
or twice during the course of the semester), I invite you to see me at the end
of class and politely ask that I record your attendance. But not if your
tardiness is frequent. Attending class regularly means coming to entire class
meetings, and if you cannot manage to do that consistently, you will not earn
a good attendance record.
Since taking a class necessarily involves coming to class regularly, you will
not pass the class if you fail to attend at least 3/4 of its meetings, even if
individual absences are excused. If a situation arises that will cause you to
miss more than 1/4 of the class meetings, you must withdraw to avoid a
failing grade.
Whether you are present or not and whether your absence is excused or not,
you are responsible for all material covered in class. The syllabus is
sufficiently detailed, and I send out emails notifying the class of any
supplements or alterations to it. I encourage you consult with your
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classmates about the instructional details of a given class meeting you might
have missed.
Assignments
Graded assignments must be submitted in class by the given deadline (see
course schedule). They will be marked down 1/3 of a grade for every 24
hours (or fraction thereof) they are late. Generally, late work will only be
accepted without penalty in emergency situations (for example, in cases of
verifiable medical emergencies or of family tragedies). Incompletes will only
be granted in similar situations.
Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will result in failure of the
course, and may even result in your dismissal from the college. Ignorantia
iuris non excusat (ignorance of the law is not an excuse), so if you have
any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, you should review the
College at Brockport policy on student academic dishonesty.1 If academic
pressures (impending deadlines, puzzlement over the material you are
writing about, etc.) ever tempt you to plagiarize, stop what you are doing
and contact me: we may be able to work something out, or at least I can
convince you to turn in your own work late and accept the relatively small
penalty. Once you submit plagiarized work, my hands are tied: if I discover it,
you will fail the course, no matter what led you to cheat.
In addition to formal graded essays you will be responsible for turning in
informal active reading assignments (ARAs) at several class meetings
throughout the semester (on average, one per week). These will usually be
announced at the class before which they are due and assignment prompts
will subsequently be emailed to your Brockport account. You will receive a
check, check-minus, or check-plus on each. I will weigh your performance on
them heavily when calculating the participation component of your grade
(you will not earn an A in participation without check-plusses on at least half)
and so I encourage you to complete them with care. ARAs serve two
functions: 1) They help you to think about the texts we are reading from
perspectives that will facilitate fruitful class discussion on the day on which
they are due. 2) They give you an opportunity to practice analytic techniques
that you will be using in your formal papers. ARAs must be typed, but unlike
your formal papers, they will not receive a penalty for grammar or spelling
errors, provided such errors do not hinder comprehension. I am looking for
thoughtful responses to the prompt, which leverage it for insightful and
1 See
http://www.brockport.edu/policies/docs/policy_on_student_academic_dishone
sty.pdf.
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imaginative interpretive analysis of the text or issue under consideration. (If

you have an unexcused absence on the day on which an ARA is due, you will
receive no credit for it, even if you turn it in. If your absence is excused, you
may turn in the missed ARA(s) for credit at the next class you attend or via
email before.)
Participation
Participation constitutes a large component of your course grade (15%). I
expect you to earn it. You should come to class prepared (having completed
the required reading and writing assignments thoughtfully) and you should
remain engaged throughout the entire class meeting, by actively listening to
your classmates and to me; by willingly sharing your own questions,
observations, and ideas; and by productively contributing to small group
assignments. If you fail to meet those expectations in a substantive way, you
will certainly not earn a strong participation grade. In addition I may require
you to leave class and mark you as absent. You should expect to be asked to
leave if, for instance, you fail to bring the assigned reading to class,2 if you
repeatedly make it clear that you have not done the required reading or that
you are not attending to what your classmates or I have said, or if you show
disdain for anyone in the class. On the other hand, if you come to class
prepared and remain engaged with the course material, with your
classmates, and with me for the three 50-minute sessions we have each
week, you will have gone some way toward ensuring a strong participation
score.
Email
Check your Brockport email regularly. If I deem any alterations to the course
schedule or to course policies necessary, you will receive notification via
your Brockport email account. You will also receive crucial information about
formal papers, exams, and ARAs via email. You may email me with questions,
comments, etc., but keep in mind, I have many students and my
responsibilities as a professor at Brockport include far more than just
teaching, so I may not be able to respond promptly. Also, when emailing, be
sure to identify yourself and the class you are in.
The College at Brockports Disability Statement
Students with documented disabilities may be entitled to specific
accommodations. The College at Brockports Office for Students with
Disabilities makes this determination. Please contact the Office for Students
2 Nota bene: required texts are precisely that: required. You may not attend
if you do not have the reading, unless you receive special permission from
me.
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with Disabilities at (585) 395-5409 or osdoffic@brockport.edu to inquire

about obtaining an official letter to the course instructor detailing any
approved accommodations. The student is responsible for providing the
course instructor with an official letter. Faculty work as a team with the Office
for Students with Disabilities to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Title IX Compliance Statement
Gender discrimination and sexual harassment are prohibited in class. Title IX
legislation requires the College to provide gender equity in all areas of
campus life. If you or someone you know has experienced gender
discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual assault, we encourage you to
seek assistance and to report the incident through resources available at
www.brockport.edu/titleix/index.html. Confidential assistance is available at
Hazen Center for Integrated Care. For these and other regulations governing
campus life, please see all of our Student Polices at
www.brockport.edu/policies/index.php.