Department of Theology, Reinbolt Hall, One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, TX 78228
Fall 2023, Reinbolt 206, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:20–9:35am (Section A) and 9:45–11:00am (Section B)
Instructor: Dr. Todd Hanneken, thanneken@stmarytx.edu, 210-431-8050 Office hours in Zoom (https://stmarytx.zoom.us/my/thanneken) and Reinbolt 303a, Mondays 11:15-1:15, Tuesdays 11:10–1:00, Wednesdays 11:15-1:15, Thursdays 11:10–1:00, Fridays 11:15-12:15, and by appointment through RattlerNavigate or email.
The course will survey the historical contexts, literature, debates, and ideas of the Hebrew Bible, which became the Christian Old Testament. Special attention will be paid to the variety of methods of interpretation applied to the texts, including historical-critical (modern), traditional theological (pre-modern), and contemporary-critical (post-modern) methods.
By the end of the course the student should be able to:
Attendance and Engagement: Students are expected to attend every class on time and be prepared to participate. Paying attention to other tasks is incompatible with engaging with the course. You are responsible for not distracting others. If you need to respond to an emergency call or text message it is less distracting to leave the classroom and return when you are able to fully engage. There is no subjective measure of participation in the grade because engagement with the course, in preparation and in the classroom, correlates strongly with performance on quizzes and exams.
Quizzes: There will be regular quizzes to gauge comprehension, analysis, and retention of readings and lectures. There is emphasis on learning from your mistakes, so there will be opportunities to answer questions again (or modified versions). Whenever you don’t know something, go back to your notes or the reading to identify what you misunderstood and how to avoid making a similar mistake again. The typical quiz will have five questions that are multiple-choice or very short answer. The five questions will consist of one review from the previous quiz (so learn from your mistakes), three from the previous lecture, and one from the new reading for the day. Quizzes can be rescheduled if missing the regular time is unavoidable and the quiz is rescheduled as soon as possible. For planned absences this generally means taking the quiz in advance.
Exams: The midterm and final exams will be cumulative and will focus on retention, comprehension, and synthesis of points from the quizzes.
104 points (31%) quizzes (five points possible, four points expected)
90 points (27%) midterm exam (45 questions, two points each)
140 points (42%) final exam (70 questions, two points each)
What follows until the schedule should be standard for all your classes at St. Mary’s.
All university policies apply to this course, including the following.
This course adheres to the University grading scale.
https://catalog.stmarytx.edu
| Letter | Percent | Quality Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 95–100 | 4.00 |
| A- | 90–94 | 3.67 |
| B+ | 87–89 | 3.33 |
| B | 84–86 | 3.00 |
| B- | 80–83 | 2.67 |
| C+ | 77–79 | 2.33 |
| C | 70–76 | 2.00 |
| D | 60–69 | 1.00 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.00 |
This course adheres to University academic policies and procedures.
https://catalog.stmarytx.edu
This course adheres to the policies for academic dishonesty and misconduct, as described in the Student Code of Conduct.
https://catalog.stmarytx.edu
This course adheres to the University attendance policy.
https://www.stmarytx.edu
This course adheres to the University diversity statement. St. Mary’s University embodies the Marianist spirit of educating the heart and mind. The University draws on the example of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Society of Mary, to create an environment that lets students thrive and where diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential. The intersectionality of our diverse experiences and characteristics are valued in all spaces within our community. Thus, we all must be committed to building an inclusive learning environment that values the individual experiences of every student in this course and where each has an opportunity to learn, engage in dialogue, question, and contribute to their fullest potential.
This course adheres to the policies for study days and final exams.
There will be two study days, Wednesday, November 29 and Thursday, November 30, during which students prepare for final exams.
Classes do not meet during Study Days.
All major reports and assignments should be scheduled to be completed before Study Days.
Study Days are not to be used as dates on which papers are to be turned in, examinations are to be given, quizzes are to be scheduled, mandatory review sessions are to be held, or for any other class-related activities, other than office hours.
Faculty may conduct voluntary review sessions at which no new material is presented on these days.
The only exception to the study day policy is for Thursday night classes- Thursday night final exams are scheduled on day-two of Study Days (November 30).
Final exams will be held on Friday, December 1 and Monday-Wednesday, December 4-6.
The final exam schedule can be found at
https://www.stmarytx.edu
St. Mary’s University is committed to providing a safe, equitable, and fair environment where students can pursue academic excellence. Policies and procedures have been developed to foster and sustain such an environment and apply to all courses offered at the university. Students need to be aware of these policies and procedures, which can be found at https://www.stmarytx.edu/policies/.
Please become familiar with these important policies and procedures, which include:
This course adheres to the University Disability Statement. In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act, Student Accessibility Services is the designated office responsible for coordinating all accommodations and services for students with disabilities at St. Mary’s University. St. Mary’s University supports equal access of qualifying individuals with documented disabilities to all educational opportunities, programs, services and activities. If you have a documented disability, or a condition which may impact your performance and want to request disability-related accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Student Accessibility Services, located in the Student Counseling Center (in the Center for Life Directions Building) in room 139. Please stop by the Student Accessibility Services Office, call 210-431-5080 or email stmudsts@stmarytx.edu to set up an appointment to meet with the Student Accessibility Services staff.
This course adheres to all emergency adaptations declared by the University.
https://www.stmarytx.edu
Updated 7/17/2023