Readings below underlined in blue can be accessed from any computer. Readings (or other media) underlined in red direct you to the Sakai site for this class; if you are logged in to Sakai, you will be taken directly to the link. If not, you will be asked to log in to Sakai, and then you will be taken to the link.

For video assignments: All videos are posted in a special Sakai forum (labeled "Video Viewing Assignments"). You must log in to Sakai and go to the forum and view the assignments for that date (there is one "topic" posting per day's assignments; some topics have a single video, some have several). The links below in the syllabus take you to the main Discussion Forum page for the class site (if you are not already logged in to Saki, you will be asked to do so).

If you have any difficulty accessing readings or videos, please contact the professor immediately.

Preliminary issues: Bible, canon, interpretation

Aug 30 (Tue): What is the Bible? What is fiction?
Reading: Riches, Bible, chs. 1-2
No biblical reading

Sep 1 (Thu): Canon, Apocrypha, Interpretation
Reading: Riches, Bible, chs. 3-4; Genesis Rabbah
Biblical Reading: Genesis 22

Sep 6 (Tue): Popular Culture and Religious Culture
Reading: Riches, Bible, ch. 7; Allene Stuart Phy, "The Bible in American Popular Culture: An Overview and Introduction," from The Bible and Popular Culture in America, ed. Allene Stuart Phy (Chico: Scholars Press, 1985), pp. 1-23
No biblical reading

Sep 8 (Thu): Adaptation and Media Criticism
Reading: Brian McFarlane, "It Wasn’t Like That in the Book!" Literature Film Quarterly 28.3 (2000): 163-69; Jane Stokes, How to Do Media and Cultural Studies, pp. 51-53 and 76-97
Biblical Reading: Genesis 6-9

Drama

Sep 13 (Tue): Passion Plays
Reading: Glenn Loney, "Oberammergau, 1634-1990: The Play and the Passions," New Theatre Quarterly 27 (1991): 203-216; George Panaghi, "Passionspiele Oberammergau 2010," Western European Stages 23.1 (2011): 67-72; Gordon R. Mark, "Christ's Passion on Stage: The Traditional Melodrama of Deicide, "Journal of Religion and Film 8.1 (2004); Frances Flannery-Dailey, "Biblical Scholarship and the Passion Surrounding The Passion of the Christ," Journal of Religion and Film 8.1 (2004)
Biblical Reading: Matt 26-28; Mark 14-16; Luke 22-24; John 18-21
Video Viewing: The Passion of the Christ (Pilate & Jesus [two clips])

Sep 15 (Thu): Salome and Decadence
Reading: Oscar Wilde, Salome
Biblical Reading: Matt 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29

Sep 20 (Tue): The Christmas Pageant
Reading: Rick Hamlin, "The Point of Christmas Pageants," Huffington Post (12.16.2010); Louise Egan, "The First Christmas: A Children’s Christmas Pageant Script" and "About the Script" (you can also browse the site for photos, costume designs, etc.)
Biblical Reading: Matt 1-2; Luke 1-3
Video Viewing: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Sep 22 (Thu): Musical Theater, 1: Joseph
Reading: PBS Great Performances, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcost: Introduction"; "Donny Osmond's Introduction to the Program," "Meet the Artists," "A Look at the Work," "Behind the Scenes"
Biblical Reading: Genesis 37-50
Video Viewing: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Prologue; Go, go, go, Joseph; Pharaoh)

Sep 27 (Tue): Musical Theater, 2: Jesus
Reading: Mark Goodacre, "Do You Think You Are Who They Say You Are? Reflections on Jesus Christ Superstar," Journal of Religion and Film 3.2 (October, 1999); "Gold Rush to Golgotha," Time Magazine (October 25, 1971) (photocopy scanned on Jeffrey Feinholt’s website; click through all pages and to cast photos, as well)
Biblical Reading: Mark 11:15-19, 14:3-9; Matt 26:6-13; Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8
Video Viewing: Jesus Christ Superstar (Magadelene scenes; Temple; Apostles)

Sep 29 (Thu): No class (Rosh Hashanah)

Interlude: Imag(in)ed Bibles

Oct 4 (Tue): Stained Glass and Ritual Art
Reading: On-line slideshow of biblical art (Power Point version); On-line slideshow of biblical art (PDF version)
Biblical reading: Read the passages attached to each on-line image

Oct 6 (Thu): The Brick Testament
Reading: "About The Brick Testament"; "Christ was Plastic, Amen," East Bay Express (Oct. 26, 2005); (be sure to click through all pages) Moses: "The Burning Bush"; "God Attacks Moses"; "Moses and Aaron Convince the People"; Samson: "Samson is Born"; "Samson Commits Mass Murder"; "Samson Commits Arson"; "Samson Slaughters 1000"; "Samson and the Prostitute"; "Samson and Delilah"; "Samson’s Final Mass Murder"; Paul: "On Women"; Revelation: "God Tortures a Whore"
Biblical Reading: Exod 3-4; Judges 13-15; 1 Corinthians 11, 14; Revelation 17-18

Prose

Oct 11 (Tue): Pseudepigrapha: Ancient Fiction?
Reading: "The Tale of Joseph and Aseneth" (chapters I-IX and XXI-XXIX); Susan Docherty, "Joseph and Aseneth: Rewritten Bible or Narrative Expansion?" Journal for the Study of Judaism 35 (2004): 27-48
Biblical Reading: Gen 41:38-54

Oct 13 (Thu): Satire and Humor
Reading: Mark Twain, Diaries of Adam and Eve; The Testament of Abraham
Biblical Reading: Gen 2-4, 25:1-11

Oct 18 (Tue): No class (Fall Break)

Oct 20 (Thu): Graphic Novel
Reading: R. Crumb, The Book of Genesis: Illustrated
Biblical Reading: Any parts of Genesis you haven’t read yet

Oct 25 (Tue): Pious Paperbacks
Reading: Leo Scott Theisen, "'My God, Did I Set All of This in Motion?' General Lew Wallace and Ben-Hur," Journal of Popular Culture 18 (1984): 33-41; Excerpts from: Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ (1880); The Last Temptation of Christ (1960); The Great Lion of God (1970); Kingdom of the Wicked (1985)
Biblical Reading: John 1:19-51, John 11; Matt 26:36-56; Acts 9:1-19

Oct 27 (Thu): Vampire Theology: The Case of Anne Rice
Reading: Excerpt from Anne Rice, Memnoch the Devil; excerpts from Anne Rice, Christ our Lord: The Road to Cana
No biblical reading

Nov 1 (Tue): Forgotten Figures: Women, Slaves, "Extras"
Reading: Anita Diamant, The Red Tent
Biblical Reading: Gen 29-50

Cinema

Nov 3 (Thu): Christ on Screen
Readings: Adele Reinharz, "Jesus in Film: Hollywood Perspectives in the Jewishness of Jesus," Journal of Religion and Film 2.2 (1998); Bruce Babbington and Peter William Evans, Biblical Epics, 93-109
Biblical Readings: John 1-2, John 8:1-11, John 11; Matt 5, Luke 6
Video viewing: Kings of Kings, 1927 (Magdalene 1 and Magdalane 2); The Greatest Story Ever Told, 1965 (Lazarus); The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988 (Stoning & Sermon on the Mount); The Gospel of John, 2003 (Prologue)

Nov 8 (Tue): Swords and Sandals
Reading: Bruce Babbington and Peter William Evans, Biblical Epics, 1-24 and 171-205
Biblical Reading: Acts 25-28; Acts of Peter excerpt
Video Viewing: Quo Vadis?, 1951 (Roman legions; Apostle Paul; Christians gather; Quo vadis?)

Nov 10 (Thu): Three Moseses
Reading: G. Andrew Tooze, "Moses and the Reel Exodus," Journal of Religion and Film; Bruce Babbington and Peter William Evans, Biblical Epics, 27-41
Biblical reading: Exodus 1-12
Video Viewing: The Ten Commandments, 1956 (Opening monologue; Revelation; Moses the Slave; The Burning Bush; The Red Sea; Death of Moses); The Prince of Egypt, 1998 (Opening card; Revelation; The Burning Bush; The Red Sea)

Nov 15 (Tue): The Little Screen: The Bible
Reading: Mark Pinsky, The Gospel According to the Simpsons, 112-19
Biblical Reading: Genesis 2-3 (review); Exodus 1-12 (review); 1 Kings 3:16-18; 1 Samuel 17
Video Viewing: The Simpsons (Bible Stories)

Nov 17-22 (Thu-Tue): No class (Professor at conference)

Nov 24 (Thu): No class (Thanksgiving)

Nov 29 (Tue): Class presentations

Megan S.

Kate

Lisa

Quinn

Hannah

Dec 1 (Thu): Class presentations

Firdaus

Allison

Laurie

Megan R.

Megan P.

Dec 6 (Tue): Class presentations

Emily

Jessica

Brianne

Jackie

Katrina

+ Course evaluations!

Final projects/papers due Monday, December 12, 2011, at 2pm to Vita Nova 110.