Goal: To demonstrate your own intellectual engagement with the week’s texts and discussions, usually through an imaginative exercise that asks you to view those texts and discussions through the lens of your own ideas and experience.

Every week, beginning on September 18, you will submit a response to some aspect of that week's readings. All responses are due by 5pm on Friday of that week. You must turn in at least eight (8) of the ten (8) weekly responses; at the end of the semester you will choose two of your responses to revise and submit; revised responses are due by 5pm on the last day of final exams (December 21).

The list of responses can be found each week only the course syllabus, and are also listed below. Take a look through them to see which ones you may feel more interested in responding to (you can, of course, respond to all ten!).

Responses should be typed (although see creative clause below). Responses must be at least 100 words but no more than 500 words. You may use any format you want, depending on the response prompt: a list, a narrative, a standard "essay format" (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion). Every response should refer to at least one reading for that week.

Creative clause: You may, for at least half of your responses, choose a non- or part-verbal format, such as: a drawing with a caption; a cartoon (with or without text); a collage using found images from the internet; a series of memes or brief video. You must still turn in your creative response via Blackboard, so keep that in mind when choosing a creative format.

Revision: The goal of revision is to engage more closely with your own writing processes: how do you choose words, structure, format, and what other choices might convey your ideas more clearly?

Choose any two of your responses for revision; revisions may be minor (focused on word choice, grammar, syntax); somewhat substantive (changing your answer to question prompts which using roughly the same writing format; keeping your answer but choosing different examples from the readings to illuminate; keeping answers and examples but changing your justifications or reasons); or very substantive (a complete change in format, for example, from text to image or vice versa; a reversal of your original ideas in light of later readings). You do not need to turn in your original responses but indicate at the beginning or end, in one sentence, what kinds of revisions you made.

Weekly responses:

Response paper 1: Describe God as he appears in the biblical texts we read this week as if to someone who has never read any of the Bible. (due Fri., Sep. 22)

Response paper 2: List three ways in which the families we read about in the biblical texts this week are different from your personal experience offamilies; list three ways in which they are similar to your personal experience of families. (due Fri., Sep. 29)

Response paper 3: Ask three people you know (who are not in this class) why societies have laws; which one do you think gives the best way of understanding legalpassages in the Tanak? (due Fri., Oct. 6)

Response paper 4: What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about the Bible so far this semester? What is the least surprising thing you’ve learned aboutthe Bible so far this semester? When possible, refer to specific classes/readings/discussions. (due Fri., Oct. 13 spooky)

Response paper 5: You are holding auditions to cast the role of Jesus in a feature-length film. List three actors you invite to audition and explain whyyou’ve chosen them; choose two scenes from the gospels (restrict yourselves to what we read for class) to have them act out for the audition and explain whyyou’ve chosen them. (due Fri., Oct. 20)

Response paper 6: You are designing a new religion and you have to choose from among the following forms of leadership: popular election; divine selection;lottery. Which do you choose and how would you convince others to accept your choice? (due Fri., Oct 27)

Response paper 7: Pick any famous person you are interested in (past, present, future). How would you learn the most about them: from letters they wrote? froma professional historian who researched them, but didn’t know them? or from a biography written by someone who knew them? Explain your choice. (due Fri., Nov. 3)

Response paper 8: What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about the Bible since Response paper 4? What is the least surprising thing you’ve learned aboutthe Bible since Response paper 4? When possible, refer to specific classes/readings/discussions. (due Fri., Nov 10)

Response paper 9: What do people like and dislike about the YouVersion app? Skim some of the reviews here and pick out a few to analyze closely (you might start by choosing some one-star and five-star reviews to compare). (due Fri, Dec. 1)

Response paper 10: You have been given an unlimited grant to install a Biblical Recreation Site anywhere in the world: what site do you chose and whatdo you choose to install there? (due Fri., Dec. 11)

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