User:ProfGray/Religions of the Hebrew Bible

Key course links

 * Assignments: see the links in the table of contents, below, or:
 * * Peer review instructions
 * * Exercise to write paragraphs on Covenant
 * * Exercise for wife-sister narratives
 * Exercise Paraphrase academic source


 * User:ProfGray/312/Key terms


 * Lesson plan week 13, Lesson plan week 11, Lesson plan week 10,Lesson plan week 9, Lesson plan week 8, Lesson plan week 7, Lesson plan week 6, Lesson plan week 5, Lesson plan week 4, Lesson plan week 3, Lesson plan week 2, Lesson plan week 1

List of students: see bottom of this page!

Team pages:
 * Nebuchadnezzar with User Talk:Dkcincy, User Talk:Grahamcrackered, and User Talk:Slfirme,
 * ExNihilo: User Talk:Sctimmons, User Talk:Kk 1291, User Talk:Sunshine619, User Talk:ZarathustraSay20
 * ibud ("Lost"): User Talk:TWloveandhonor, User Talk:Adrugby, User Talk:AL2015

Course description
Religions of the Hebrew Bible (REL 312) is an introductory survey class, requiring no prior knowledge of the Bible. In this class, students will examine selected texts from the Hebrew Bible, using tools of critical biblical scholarship, such as biblical archaeology, literary analysis, source criticism, feminist theory, socio-historical criticism. Students will be exposed to Mesopotamian myths and archaeological data that form the background to the composition of the Bible. With collaborative assignments on Wikipedia, students will cultivate key skills in unbiased writing about controversial religious scriptures (i.e., primary sources) as well as scholarly debates (i.e., secondary sources).

This Miami Plan course fulfills requirement for thematic sequences in Comparative Religion and Jewish Studies, by introducing students to a critical reading of the Hebrew Bible (aka Old Testament), a primary source for shaping the destiny of the Jewish people, Christianity, and Western culture

Goals: Competencies and learning outcomes.
This course introduces students to the historical-critical study of the Hebrew Bible.

Deeper understanding of Biblical religions
During this course, students will gain in-depth knowledge of the religions of the Hebrew Bible. Their understanding will span the themes, key concepts, sociopolitical chronology, and genres of Hebrew Bible literature. Much of the coursework will center on Coogan's textbook and selected Biblical passages for gaining knowledge of Biblical religions and texts. Besides the WP assignments, students will write a brief argumentative paper (aka Original research), with reasons and evidence to advance their own scholarly claim. Accordingly, 40% or more of the course time and assessment may have limited (passive) or no intersection with Wikipedia.

Besides this discipline-specific knowledge, the course will enable students to make progress on 4 key competencies of a liberal arts education. (For background, see AACU rubrics for learning outcomes. Here are course objectives for each learning outcome:

Critical reading

 * Reader's voice: Develop a scholarly neutral point-of-view (NPOV) and engage in structured conversations about texts
 * Identify genres and read with these in mind
 * Primary: Biblical verses and passages
 * Secondary: Academic literature on Hebrew Bible texts and religions
 * Tertiary: Encyclopedia, general and specialized
 * Analyze texts, e.g., the relations among key elements and their effectiveness
 * Comprehend readings, and make inferences, for (basic and intermediate) synopsis or paraphrase



Written communication

 * Write with a clear sense of (NPOV) voice and the audience
 * Skillfully paraphrase complex texts
 * Paraphrase academic sources, accurately and charitably (to purpose and context)
 * Paraphrase primary sources (e.g., Biblical), neutrally and effectively
 * Paraphrase contestation or controversy, with balance and restraint


 * Write with a clear sense of the genre and audience
 * Refer and cite all sources properly
 * Recognize and apply disciplinary standards for attribution
 * Consistently use...
 * … conventions of a genre or discipline
 * … reliable sources that can be verified
 * … clarity of language with correct mechanics

Critical thinking

 * Explain the question or problem at stake, in context
 * Cultivate NPOV and critical distance
 * Analyze (and synthesize) evidence in coherent manner
 * Observe and evaluate point-of-views, even of experts, with reasonable skepticism
 * Assess the reliability sources
 * Verify sources and evidence
 * Imagine claims or hypotheses that are not obvious to readers   
 * Support claims with logical reasoning and evidence, narrowly, yet related to broader questions and implications

Intercultural learning

 * Recognizes other cultures and, increasingly, understands the complex elements they value
 * Cultures reflected in Biblical texts, both the dominant and the marginalized
 * Cultures within the class and encountered online, ditto
 * Be aware of communication differences and begin to adjust in a shared manner
 * Cultivate curiosity! Ask deeper questions… and listen.
 * Welcome, initiate, and carry out an interactional practice that fosters a nonjudgmental and open attitude


 * Note: Intercultural engagement with other learners will include both student teamwork, in pairs or small groups, and active student conversation and collaboration with the diverse community of WP volunteer users and support staff, who help maintain the integrity of both their schoolwork and of Wikipedia itself. Their respect and support for college students is crucial to this course and greatly appreciated.

Relation of assignments to learning outcomes. Assignments in Wikipedia will support each of the 4 major learning outcomes, above. With its emphasis on a neutral point-of-view, Wikipedia can inform and reinforce students growth in their academic and professional approach. Since so many of us have religious or anti-religious biases about the Bible, one of the key learning outcomes is for students to consistently read, analyze, and discuss Biblical texts from an academic, neutral point of view (NPOV). It is hoped that student engagement with Wikipedia will improve their development of a neutral eye when reading and, when writing or discussing Biblical material, a neutral voice. Whether students "merely" add needed citations, improve stubs with a few sentences, or write substantive article sections, it will be instructive for us to discuss Wikipedia principles and critique their implementation in Bible-related articles and editorial debates.


 * See: Details on learning outcomes by assignment

WP assignments
Building upon pedagogy developed at the Education program, REL 314 students will work gradually through assignments that methodically develop and challenge their reading, critical thinking, writing, and interactional competencies. These assignments include:

Stage Zero: Baseline essay
This baseline exercise assumes no prior knowledge about the study of the Hebrew Bible. The student's essay will be compared to the final essay, which has the same prompt. See the specific instructions here. The benchmark and final essays share the same prompt:

Write a brief argumentative essay about two of the best known document collections in Western society: the Hebrew Bible and Wikipedia.

Stage One. Training modules
Students will be trained through Wikipedia's modules on WP essentials, e.g., WP principles, technical editing skills, and social collaboration.

Students will create accounts, practice on Talk pages, and start a sandbox. See: this Exercise on account basics


 * Tip: Click the link above to go to the modules''

Stage Two. Introductory editing tasks and the exercise for wife-sister narratives
Working pairs or teams, student will do collaborative editing through these incremental steps:Click here or heading for instructions page


 * 1) Do initial bibliographic citations on Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis or similar WP articles,
 * 2) Raise questions or proposing editing improvements on Talk pages,
 * 3) Evaluate existing WP article sections in comparison to selected scholarship:
 * 4) * Students would examine a WP article against a small section of the Coogan textbook, the JSB critical apparatus, or academic research then
 * 5) * Identify WP article omissions, missing references, potential mistakes, or POV discrepancies, then
 * 6) * Propose improvements on the article Talk page, else boldly move to direct editing:
 * 7) Undertake low stakes WP editing, such as inserting sentences with verifiable citations.



Stage Three. Paragraph-level writing on Covenant
Having successfully engaged with WP editors and made acceptable edits, student teams will edit short article units, such as paragraphs or subsections. The instructor will give students a specific editing methodology and write their paragraphs in new or existing articles (or stubs). Assigned topics will include the Mosaic covenant, compared to ANE data, based on research by George Mendenhall and Moshe Weinfeld. See the instructions: User:ProfGray/Exercise_Write_Paragraphs

Stage Four. Paraphrase academic sourceson Gentile impurity
With their improved understanding of Biblical scholarship, and WP editing, student teams will paraphrase a scholarly debate over the historical-critical understanding of the Hebrew Bible. The topic will include purity ("Tumah and taharah") on moral or genealogical grounds, especially in Ezra-Nehemiah, per Profs. Jonathan Klawans and Christine Hayes. Students might create articles on Moral impurity (Bible) and Genealogical impurity (if notable), and possibly on Foreign wives in Ezra (see vv.10:10,17,18,44). See these assignment instructions: Paraphrase academic source.

Alternatively, students can select their own topic if they have made adequate progress in previous exercises, explored a WP article that needs substantial improvement, and found suitable reliable sources on a scholarly dispute.

Stage Five. Final essay
The final essay is a partly a WP assignment because the student will utilize their understanding of Wikipedia in comparison to the Hebrew Bible.

However, final essays should be a well-reasoned argument. Academic arguments are known on Wikipedia as original research and excluded from the encyclopedia. Hence, the essay will be submitted off-line to the instructor, as stapled printouts and in electronic form (checked by TurnItIn). See the instructions: User:ProfGray/REL312/Benchmark and Final essay. Low stakes, interim exercises will be added as needed to ensure continuous progress toward the deadline of May 4th.

Peer-review exercises
Peer-review by students will be built into Stages Two, Three, and Four. Review may also include:
 * Evaluative comments by WP editors.
 * Interventions, on an ad hoc basis, by any student, the instructor, or WP editors.
 * Final essay peer-review by students

Non-WP assignments

 * (draft, see separate instructions)

Readings and exercises

 * Readings in the Hebrew Bible, Coogan, and selected academic secondary sources.
 * Exercises, a few short writing assignments to develop skills in critically analyzing Biblical texts. Such writing (aka Original Research) would be done off-line.

Tests
Tests will focus on the required textbook, selected academic sources, and Biblical readings (30% of grade). If needed, knowledge of Wikipedia may be tested.
 * interim test(s).
 * Final exam.

Contributions to Wikipedia are voluntary and access is revocable
Here are some rules and disclaimers about this course. (As with the entire syllabus, these are subject to modification by the instructor.)


 * 1) All students are expected to create an anonymous WP UserID, "enroll" in the course page on Wikipedia, and create their User pages.
 * 2) No student is required to write on Wikipedia articles (main namespace) in order to participate in this 2015s Miami University course.
 * 3) There will be alternative (paper) assignments for any students who decline or discontinue writing on WP.

Our Mission: Miami University "is deeply committed to student success, builds great student and alumni loyalty, and empowers its students, faculty, and staff to become engaged citizens who use their knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of our global society." This course will enable students to build publicly-accessible knowledge through WP, "The Free Encyclopedia." Nonetheless...

Public access disclaimer: Students should be aware that their writing on Wikipedia will be fully accessible to the public. Student edits and writing may be deleted from public view, with or without their consent, yet persist in the wiki "history." Student writing is protected by special copyright rules, not exclusively owned by the individual author, and so it can be fairly said that no student or Wikipedia author actually owns their voluntary contributions to Wikipedia.

Caution: Prohibited conduct: Students may lose their access to Wikipedia if they (allegedly) vandalize Wikipedia, violate copyright laws, or engage in plagiarism. Since allegations are time-consuming, and the instructor is not expected to defend students, it is best to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Furthermore, whether on Wikipedia or not, academic dishonesty and other improper student conduct may be disciplined at the discretion of the instructor, in line with university regulations (MUPIM).''

Required course materials
Note: Be sure that you have the correct edition of Coogan and this specific JSB Bible.

Coogan, Michael D. The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Oxford University Press, USA, 2011. 019557840-5

Berlin, Adele, Marc Zvi Brettler, and Michael Fishbane, eds. The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. Oxford University Press, USA, 2003. 0195297547

Selected articles and readings will be posted on Niihka > Resources.

Wikipedia provides training materials and help pages, etc.



Assessment of student work
Student progress will be assessed through WP-related assignments, two tests, and a final essay. , There are grading rubrics for each assignment. These take into account knowledge and understanding of religions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., through tests) and the learning outcomes (described above).

Students will be evaluated for their contributions to WP, whether in sandboxes, subpages, or article space. Nonetheless, grades for assignments will be based on paper printouts or a student portfolio of WP work. The grading of WP assignments will NOT be based on their status within Wikipedia nor by WP "Grading" standards. Why?
 * Because the assessed objectives of the course do not exactly match Wikipedia's assessment goals
 * Because students should not be subject to the vagaries of Wikipedia status, which are negotiable, inconsistent, and rather unstable, (no offense!). The time frame for more accurate and stable WP assessments are beyond the scope of this course
 * Because it makes sense to avoid a kind of conflict of interest for WP editors, such that they would assess edits or goals with the student's fated grade in mind and, likewise,
 * Because students should not be motivated by grades to exert any undue pressure on WP editors (or vice versa)
 * Because students might otherwise hastily and unprofessionally inject mediocre, unpolished drafts into WP.

Instead, the WP assignments will be graded for completion and quality, by the instructor. Significant deductions can be for WP:POV and WP:Reference problems. See chart, t/b/d.

Academic dishonesty, incivility, or other serious misconduct, whether in the classroom or online, may have consequences beyond grading.


 * The benchmark and final essays will be graded by the rubric in the instruction sheet.


 * Tests will contain a variety of questions, see the preparation worksheets.


 * Students will be asked to report on their interactional process, e.g., article discussions with WP users, but I do not have an evaluation rubric at this time.

See the syllabus supplement for the current plan for graded assignments, which may be modified at the instructor's discretion. (Thus, if specific tasks or assignments are dropped, the points will be reallocated.)


 * WP assignments are worth 42% of the course grade, with the baseline and final essays worth 18%.

Week 1 (2015-01-26): Introducing the academic study of the Hebrew Bible
See: User:ProfGray/312/Lesson plan week 1


 * Overview: Critical thinking and perspectives


 * What are points-of-view and critical thinking?
 * What is the Hebrew Bible? What are its religions?
 * Timelines and perspectives:
 * Sacred history
 * Academic history
 * Composition of the text


 * Illustrative texts


 * Benchmark essay, a 1 page argument that compares the Hebrew Bible and Wikipedia
 * Readings as assigned


 * All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
 * Introductory exercises on historical context, timelines, and points-of-view

Week 2 (2015-02-02):  Uncovering the Bible and Wikipedia
See: User:ProfGray/312/Lesson plan week 2


 * Formation of the Hebrew Bible
 * Who wrote the Bible? Uncovering the sources
 * When were Biblical sources composed?


 * Overview of the Wikipedia assignments
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)


 * Readings


 * Genesis passages and Coogan textbook

Week 3 (2015-02-09):  Creation in six steps: Biblical and Wikipedian

 * Comparing creation in the Biblical and Wikipedia worlds


 * When, when, and when does the Bible begin? Why Creation?
 * How were biblical documents created? Next week…


 * Discuss initial WP tasks


 * Basics of editing and social collaboration
 * Compare writing for conventional courses vs, Wikipedia assignments
 * WP:Consensus and WP:OWN
 * Plagiarism and WP:Copyvio

Go to these instructions for the six steps! User:ProfGray/ExerciseAccountBasics


 * Initial WP set-up in Six Steps


 * 1) Create an account and then complete the online training for students.
 * 2) Create a sandbox during this training. You will also edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
 * 3) Create a User page, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
 * 4) Create the User Talk page of another student,  to practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia
 * 5) Create a welcome template for another student
 * 6) Create a User subpage (advanced option)
 * 7) Rest


 * Readings


 * See course schedule of readings on Niihka

Week 4 (2015-02-16):  The Early Stages: Ancestors and articles

 * Narratives and key concepts in Genesis


 * Basics of editing


 * Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
 * Learn to browse articles for studying, research, or class assignments
 * Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure


 * Readings


 * Exodus (with carryover from Genesis) and Coogan
 * Key concepts review


 * Incremental editing tasks


 * Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
 * Sandbox proposed edits, at least one sentence and one WP:reliable source, with correct WP:reference
 * Team exercises, such as peer review of sandboxed edits


 * All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
 * All students have set up and conversed on Talk pages

Week 5 (2015-02-23):  Exodus: Leaving your comfort zone

 * Liberation: "With great power comes great responsibility."


 * Academic integrity and WIkipedia


 * Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia
 * Charles Lipson. Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success University of Chicago Press


 * Readings


 * Exodus chs. 19-­‐20, Deut. chs. 4:44-­‐49. 5; 6; 27-­‐30
 * Coogan, Ch. 8, focus on 115-­‐123
 * Weinfeld, M. “The covenant of grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East.” Journal of the American Oriental Society (1970): 184–203.
 * Mendenhall, George E. “Covenant Forms in Israelite Tradition.” The Biblical Archaeologist 17, no. 3 (1954): 50-­‐67


 * Incremental editing tasks


 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to an assigned Wikipedia article.
 * Optional: Once added sentences are given a green light review, add more sentences


 * Individually or in teams, choose a paragraph-level assignment and begin research on secondary sources

Week 6 (2015-03-02):  Revealed writing: the Mosaic covenant
Academic views of the Mosaic covenant
 * Discuss Mendenhall and Weinfeld, their evidence and inferences


 * Incremental editing: Review and wrap-up
 * Next stage: Paragraph-level writing about ANE covenants
 * Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.

Readings for next week
 * Niditch, Susan. “The Wronged Woman Righted: An Analysis fo Genesis 38: in HTR 72:1 (1979): 143-­‐9
 * (Optional) Van Wolde, Ellen. “Texts in Dialogue With Texts: Intertextuality in the Ruth and Tamar Narratives.” Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches 5, no. 1 (1997): 1-­‐28.
 * (Optional) Aschkenasy, N. “Language as Female Empowerment in Ruth.” Reading Ruth: Contemporary Women Reclaim a Sacred Story. Ed. Judith A. Kates and Gail Twersky Reimer. New York: Ballantine (1994): 11–24.
 * Inter-­biblical, JSB. 1829-­‐1934

Start paragraph-level exercises on Covenant structures
 * Mark your article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. Add this code in the top section of the talk page:


 * Prepare references to Mendenhall and Weinfeld (optionally, other sources) and post it to the Talk page of the relevant article(s)


 * Students have submitted incremental editing exercises for grading



Week 7 (2015-03-09):  Intertextuality and hyperlinks: The Davidic Covenant

 * Monday discussion: Tamar (Genesis 28) and The Book of Ruth


 * Wednesday discussion: Niditch, Van Wolde, and Biblical hyperlinks


 * WP reflections


 * Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
 * Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.


 * Review for midterm exam


 * Joshua 1‐2; 23-­24. I Kings 3:16-­‐28
 * Campbell, K. M. “Rahab’s Covenant: A Short Note on Joshua II 9-­‐21.” Vetus Testamentum 22, no. 2 (April 1, 1972): 243-­‐244.


 * Incremental editing: Review and wrap-up


 * All students have started writing paragraph-level units on Wikipedia.

Week 8 (2015-03-16): Moving articles to the main space

 * Handout: Moving out of your sandbox

Readings
 * Judges 17-­21
 * Phyllis Trible, "An Unnamed Woman: The Extravagance of Violence: Judges 19:1-­‐30" http://fontes.lstc.edu/~rklein/Documents/trible.htm

Paragraph-level writing (Covenant)
 * Peer review 1-2 of your classmates’ paragraphs. Leave suggestions on the sandbox or article talk pages.
 * Move sandbox paragraph into main space, after peer-review.
 * Place the review(s) in portfolio for grading.


 * All students have written at least one paragraph-level unit on Covenant, edited it on Wikipedia, and submitted for peer review and grading

Week 9 (2015-03-30):  Injustice then and now

 * Monday: * Injustice: Biblical authors and Trible's "Extravagance of Violence"
 * Discuss Judges 17-21 and Trible


 * Wednesday: * Inquiry: Are there injustices re: Wikipedia authors?
 * Continue discuss of Trible


 * Share experiences and discuss problems.
 * Handouts: "Evaluating Wikipedia article quality" (handed out originally earlier in the course)


 * Readings


 * Coogan Ch. 20, pp. 327-­‐ 331, Box 20.3 (cp. 336), 335-­‐ 342
 * 2 Kings 17-­‐20 (Assyria, Hezekiah), *21-­‐24 (Manasseh, Josiah) & Isaiah 36-­‐38. 2 Samuel 5:6-­‐10
 * Poirier, John. “David’s ‘Hatred’ for the Lame and the Blind (2 Sam. 5.8A).” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 138, no. 1 (April 1, 2006): 27-­‐33.
 * Joines, Karen Randolph. “The Bronze Serpent in the Israelite Cult.” Journal of Biblical Literature 87, no. 3 (1968): 245-­‐256.


 * Students have finished paragraph-level editing (Covenant) and submit these for grading

Week 10 (2015-04-06): Research, resistance, and reform

 * Readings


 * Kings: Hezekiah's health and reforms
 * Coogan on Assyria and Babylonia


 * In-class or on-line exercises and test (t/b/d)


 * Next steps: Paraphrasing academic sources on Wikipedia


 * Guest speaker: Research librarian
 * Guest speaker: Campus ambassador from Wikipedia''' (not confirmed)
 * As a group, students will discuss improving one or two of the students' works-in-progress, setting the example for what is expected from a solid article.


 * Readings


 * Book of Ezra: Biblical passages and Coogan


 * Carefully read and outline Hayes and Klawans, gleaning both evidence and argumentation


 * Start to paraphrase academic source


 * Mark your article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. Add this code in the top section of the talk page:


 * Prepare references to Hayes and Klawans (optionally, other sources) and post it to the Talk page of the relevant article(s)


 * In teams, students have started paraphrasing academic sources for selected WP articles



Week 11 (2015-04-13):  Exile and the impurity of Others

 * Monday: Book of Ezra: Biblical passages and Coogan


 * Wednesday: Collaborative analysis of Hayes and Klawans


 * Discuss how the purity-related Tumah and taharah article(s) can be improved, using Hayes and Klawans,
 * Allocate Tumah and taharah editing tasks to teams, with goals for next week.


 * Tumah and taharah editing tasks, per teams, with goals for next week.


 * Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.


 * Students have collaborated on editing and reviewing articles, based on academic Hayes and Klawans

Week 12 (2015-04-20):  Presenting Purity

 * Students give in-class presentations about Moral Purity and their experiences editing Wikipedia.


 * Tumah and taharah editing tasks, per teams, with goals for next week.


 * Brainstorm for your final paper that will compare and contrast Wikipedia and the Hebrew Bible


 * All paraphrases of academic arguments on moral and genealogical purity have been reviewed.
 * All students have reviewed these purity-related edits for their classmates.

Week 13 (2015-04-27):  Encountering Others: Persians and Peer-Reviewers

 * Readings


 * Esther and the diaspora in ancient Persia


 * Complete your Wikipedia portfolio.
 * Outline for your final essay to compare Wikipedia and the religions of the Hebrew Bible
 * Study guide Q&A for the final exam review


 * Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

Week 14 (2015-05-4):  From hypothesis to synthesis: Hebrew Bible vs. Wikipedia

 * Synthesis: Discussion of final essays outlines and ideas
 * Review for final exam
 * Readings (t/b/d)


 * Students are finishing their final essay, a 4-page argument that compares the Hebrew Bible and Wikipedia
 * Optional reflections on the student's experience with WP and this course