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Guidelines

This assignment is based on your in-class screening of part 4 ("Apocalypse") of the PBS Bill Moyers special Genesis: A Living Conversation. You will be watching this episode in class on Friday, January 16. The assignment will be due at the beginning of class the next week (Friday, January 23).

If for some reason you cannot be in class for this screenings, it is your responsibility to view the documentary. You can find it at some video rental places or through online video services such as Netflix.

It is also found in the UCR Media Library (you will have to view the episodes on-site). If you do decide to view the episodes on your own, make sure you watch the second half of tape #2, called "Apocalypse," concerning Noah and the Flood: this is the episode you will be screening in class.

Additional resources to help you complete this assignment can be found on the Genesis, A Living Conversation website:

• a synopsis of the episode

• "highlights" of the episode

• biographies of the participants in the discussion

• viewer forums on the episode

You do not need to consult these resources, but you may find them useful (especially in spelling names and referring back to what you've seen).

Format:  Your response should be at least one page long, typed (means one full page), and no longer than three pages. You do not have to worry so much about structure, organization, or a thesis: I want your thoughts and reactions, as clearly expressed as possible.

Assignment

Genesis, A Living Conversation places a variety of people in discussion on specific biblical stories. Some of the participants are scholars or writers (novelists, journalists, nonfiction authors) and some are religious specialists (theologians, members of the clergy); the discussion is moderated by Bill Moyers, a journalist with a longstanding interest in religion and ethics. After viewing the conversation, write an analytical response that addresses the ways that the panelists engage with the Flood narrative (Genesis 6-10). In preparing your response, you may choose to answer some of the following questions (you do not need to answer all of these questions; these are merely guidelines for your response):

What problems do some of the panelists have with the Flood story, and how do they deal with these problems?

How do the panelists choose to read the narrative: from a historical perspective? a literary perspective? a psychological perspective? a personal perspective?

How and why do some panelists choose to blame God for the events of the Flood? How and why do some panelists choose to excuse God for the events of the Flood?

How and why do some panelists choose to blame humanity (or Noah) for the events fo the Flood? How and why do some panelists choose to excuse humanity (or Noah) for the events of the Flood?

Were any of the metaphors, analogies, or comparisons (especially historical comparisons) made by the panelists surprising to you?

What elements--historical, literary, psychological, and so forth--do the panelists choose to "read into" the Flood narrative? Does this "reading into" show respect for the Bible or disrespect for the Bible (or is it simply a necessity)?

There are no right or wrong answers. The point of this assignment is to respond to the ways that public intellectuals discuss with and interact with the Bible.

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