Website: http://webserver1.oneonta.edu/faculty/thomasa/

Course Description & Objectives

This course will discuss the ancient religions of the Near East that led to the development of the western religious tradition.  The ancient religion of Mesopotamia, the Canaanites, the development of Judaism and early Christianity will be discussed in archeological and anthropological perspective. 

Course Format & Policies

1.       You are expected to attend all classes and read all assigned materials.  Participation is mandatory.

2. In the event that you miss one of your presentations, you will be assigned a grade of zero (0), regardless of any circumstances or notification of the instructor.  Any changes to the seminar presentation schedule must be addressed in class at least one week prior to the class at issue.  This can be mitigated by finding a replacement to present your material, but full credit will not be granted.

3. Assignments are considered due at the beginning of class.  Late assignments are lowered a grade for every class period late.  Missing a class and turning in an assignment later the same day is still late. 

4. Always save a copy of any work submitted for your own records.

Grading

Required Materials

BOOKS

1: Reading Packet: download here

2: Williams, David & David Pearce.  Inside the Neolithic Mind.  Thames & Hudson.

3. Bottero, Jean.  Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia.  U. Chicago Press.

4. Dever, William.  Did God have a Wife?  Eerdsman.

5. Mikalson, Jon D.  Ancient Greek Religion.  Blackwell.

6. Wilken, Robert Louis.  The Christians as the Romans Saw Them.  Yale U. Press.

Course Schedule

Class Participation

This is a discussion-oriented class that is only as effective as it is lively.  As such, please note that participation is a sizable portion of the grade.  I will be keeping notes during each class.  The grade will be determined by your overall participation in class during the semester as well as your performance on weekly questions as noted below.  As life is life, you can miss one week – that is, one class – before penalty.  Illness and domestic issues are not legal excuses for missing more than one class, and the various points garnered through class participation cannot be made up.  You can earn up to three points toward participation per class, but you are not guaranteed two points – you need to fully participate in class to get the full credit.

            Weekly Questions:  Each week, every member of the class will prepare a one-paragraph question based on that week’s reading.  The question should relate to the current assignment, and preferably will seek to integrate topics discussed earlier in the course as well.  The question should be typed and will be turned in to the instructor every week.  This assignment is worth an additional point toward your class participation grade.

Your grade will be based on the points earned as a percentage of the points you are eligible to earn.

Presentations

Each student will participate in a group presentation.  The group may decide on any topic of their choice relating to one of the religious traditions discussed in class.  Topics maybe comparative (for example, comparing goddesses in Mesopotamia and Canaan), literary (e.g., comparing creation myths in Mesoptamia and Canaan), or otherwise.  Presentations should last about 30 to 45 minutes.

Textual Criticism Papers

There will be two textual criticism papers.  Each paper should be about 5 to 7 pages in length, double spaced.  Choose one or more readings from the packet discussed in class.  Do a detailed analysis of the writing (writings).  What problem or issue does the work address?  How does it do so?  What is the basic narrative of the work?  Specifically, how does the work relate to what has been discussed in class?

NOTE: You should consider a final paper topic before you write these papers.

Final Paper

A final paper will be due the last day of class.  In it, you should consider:

            What features seem to define ancient religions?

            How have those features developed over time?

            Do these relate to the modern religious experience, and how?

You should incorporate the textual criticism papers in your final paper.

Length: 15-20 pages, double-spaced