Belmont University Fall 2015

REL 3015.16G : Junior Cornerstone Seminar Path A: Intro to the

New Testament
Mondays 5:308 pm
WAC2142
Dr. Bill Owen
bill.owen@adjuncts.belmont.edu
Junior Cornerstone Seminar Description
Junior Cornerstone Seminars (JCS) were developed based on feedback
from employers of current (and future) Belmont graduates. These
employers indicated that Belmont graduates had excellent
backgrounds in their majors, as well as strong oral and written
communication skills. However, time and again, employers indicated
that Belmont graduates would be more marketable if two additional
skill areas were further developed: collaborative (or group) skills
and problem-solving skills, especially those that involved acquiring
and applying knowledge outside a graduates major/minor.
The objective of Junior Cornerstone Seminars is to create an
environment in which you, working collaboratively with a group of
peers, are called upon to encounter a discipline outside your major.
Throughout the semester, your instructor will serve as your guide; to
work with you to increase both your research skills and your
collaborative group skills. At the end of the semester, your project(s)
will be shared in manner that is reflective of the discipline.
Description of discipline and current issue
This course is a survey of New Testament history with attention to
historical backgrounds and main teachings of the various books in the
New Testament. This course fulfills the Human Experience B category
requirement of the BELL Core. It should be taken in the junior year, or
as close to the junior year as possible.
Gen. Ed. Designation: GS (G Global Studies). (Path A).
Universal Junior Cornerstone Seminar Goals:

First, to understand the relevance of the field of Religious Studies

by engaging in disciplinary-based research in order to address a
current issue or problem in the field.

Secondly, to understand the significance of the interpretive

process in order to address a current issue or problem in the
field.

Communicate your results via a discipline-appropriate venue.

Learn to work effectively within a group and to recognize the

value of collaboration and the advantages of bringing together
people with different backgrounds and perspectives to address a
common issue.

Further develop your critical reasoning skills through intentional

exercises and working in collaboration with your peers.

Specific Course Goals:

Textbooks:
The New Interpreters Study Bible
Introducing the New Testament, by Mark Allan Powell
Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today, by
N.T. Wright
Schedule:
August 31: Intro to class, Group Norms and Assignments, Intro to
Interpretation and N.T. Wrights Scripture and the Authority of God
Sept 7: No class. (Labor Day)
Sept 14: Quiz 1. Read (before class) in your textbook by Powell,
Chapter 1. Also read The Inspiration of Scripture by Robert Gnuse on
page 2255 in your Bible.
Sept 21: Read in your textbook, Chapter 2. Read Reliability of
Scripture by Walter J. Harrelson on page 2243 in your Bible.
Sept 28: Quiz 2. Read in your textbook, Chapters 3 and 4.
Oct 5: Read in your textbook, Chapter 6. (Note, chapter 5 is for Oct
19!) Read the Gospel of Mark. Book Review/Response Paper Due
Oct 12: Columbus Day

Oct 19: Quiz 3. Read in your textbook, Chapter 5 and 8. Read

Varieties of Readings and Interpretations of the Biblical Text by Edgar
V. McKnight on page 2268 in your Bible.
Oct 26: Read in your textbook, Chapters 7 and 9. Read Guidelines for
Reading and Interpretation by John R. Donahue on page 2261 in your
Bible.
Nov 2: Quiz 4. Read in your textbook, Chapters 10 and 11.
Nov 9: Writing Day
Nov 16: Quiz 5. Read in your textbook, Chapters 19 and 22.
Nov 23: Read in your textbook, Chapters 12, 15, and 17. Begin group
presentations.
Nov 30: Quiz 6. Read in your textbook, Chapters 16, 18, and 21.
Group Presentation.
Dec 7: Read in your textbook, Chapters 24 and 29. Last Day of
Class. Group Presentation.
FINAL: Group Presentation of paper
In-class research: We will be doing research in class in your groups.
You need to bring a laptop, tablet, or research-accessible
phone to class.
Papers:
You will write one individual paper, 8-10 pages long. It will be Book
Review/Response to N.T. Wrights The Authority of Scripture.
You will write 1 group paper. It will be 17-20 pages long with at least 15
sources. As a group and as a class, we will choose your paper topics.
For all papers, cite your sources using Chicago Manual of Style
footnotes.
Presentations: All members of your group will receive the same
grade. The presentations will be based on your group paper.

Quizzes: You will have 6 quizzes at the beginning of class. If you miss
the quiz, there is no way to make it up. Your top 5 scores will be
recorded.
Attendance: You are allowed two absences (excused or not). If
you miss more than two classes, your grade will go down one letter
grade for each class you miss.
Grading
Group Grades
(60%)

(40%)

Group Paper:
20%
Group Presentation: 20%

Individual Grades
Quizzes: (5 at 6% each)
30%
Peer Review:
10%
Book Review/Response
10%
Participation
10%

Prticipation will be graded on attendance as well effort and

contribution in discussions and group work.
Quizzes will cover the previous weeks material and will take place
during class.
Instructions for the paper and presentation, as well as other
assignments, will be given separately.
Peer Review: Students in your group will evaluate your participation
and contribution to group discussions, papers, and presentations, and
those evaluations will be taken into consideration by the professor
during grading.
University Policies:
Honor Code
The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic
honesty as the foundation of university life and the cornerstone of a
premiere educational experience. Our community believes trust
among its members is essential for both scholarship and effective
interactions and operations of the university. As members of the
Belmont community, students, faculty, staff, and administrators are all
responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors
which compromise this value. In order to uphold academic integrity,
the university has adopted an Honor System. Students and faculty will
work together to establish the optimal conditions for honorable

academic work. Following is the Student Honor Pledge that guides

academic behavior:
I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or
receive false or impermissible aid in course work, I the preparation of
reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor
as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic
fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that
others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.
Accommodation of Disabilities
In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the
Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide
reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities. If
you have a disability and would like the university to provide
reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please
notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student
Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.
Course Evaluations
The university urges and expects all students enrolled in a Junior
Cornerstone Seminar (XXX 3015) to participate in all course
evaluations, providing honest feedback to the instructor and institution
about the specific aspects and elements of the course.