CLA 190 - INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

College of Arts & Sciences

Credit(s): 3

This course introduces students to both the role religion can play in human experience and the principles of the interpretation of historical, especially religious, texts by exploring the literary, historical, and cultural dimensions of the Christian Bible, the New Testament. The scholarly and academically rigorous exploration of sacred texts and religion in general, outside the realm of denominational belief, stretches back nearly 200 years, to the time of the birth of such disciplines as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, cultural history, and folkloric studies, all of which contribute to the modern discipline of biblical studies and the historical-critical method of interpretation. The academic study of the New Testament, especially since it is a text already familiar to many students, can in particular serve to teach reasoned analysis and critical thinking, challenge assumptions, and demonstrate the vital relevance of the humanities disciplines to our daily lives.

Meets UK Core: Intellectual Inquiry in Humanities.