The New Testament Syllabus for 2013-2014
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Instructor Information

Instructor

Gene Shelburne (Curriculum Vitae)

E-Mail

gpshelburne@actx.edu

Phone

Office Location

Office Hours

Course Information

Recording Policy

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Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

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Administrative Drop Policy

N/A

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Course

RELG-1302-002 The New Testament

Prerequisites

Course Description

A survey of the New Testament with emphasis on the teaching and the life of Christ and the beginning of the Christian church.

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Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ A Bible. A modern, standard translation—such as the New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, or New King James Version-- is preferred. The King James Version (KJV), first published in 1611, was for its time an excellent translation. It remains one of the great literary achievements of all time. But the English language has significantly changed over the last 400 years, making the KJV hard for most modern students to read and understand. Do not read from the KJV in class.

Supplies

\ Textbook, pens, pencils, a 3-ring binder (1 inch width is ample), access to a computer in order to complete written assignments, to view websites, etc. Access to library materials is necessary for successful completion of this course.

Student Performance

\ The following are the learning objectives for RELG 1302 courses taught at Amarillo College. After studying the material presented in this course of study, the student will be able to do the following as evaluated by the faculty in the department/program.

\ 1. To demonstrate a knowledge of the books of the New Testament sequentially and/or chronologically and note key geographical sites as they pertain to this course.

\ 2. To understand and summarize the contents of each book of the New Testament (that we cover in class).

\ 3. To respond critically through the written medium your thoughts concerning a New Testament concept that we discuss in class.

\ 4. To engage in the learning process by noting the various literary genres and styles found in the New Testament.

\ 5. To articulate and explain briefly the life and teachings of Jesus, and the life and teachings of the New Testament writers.

\ 6. To develop an awareness of the expansion of Christianity in the first century and the key problems that the movement faced, while at the same time discussing how it attempted to handle each problem.

\ 7. To demonstrate the ability to use research tools in the field of religion, and draw reasonable conclusions on the basis of careful study.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

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In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

\ Students are expected to follow all Amarillo College and high school policies and procedures.

Grading Criteria

\ Grading

\ On days when a students is absent and must miss a daily quiz, there will be no make-up required. If the absence is excused, the day’s grade slot will be blank. Unexcused absences may result in a zero for that day’s quiz. Make-up for other assignments will be due within the week following the absence.

\ During each six weeks your daily test and minor essay grades will comprise 50 percent of your grade. The unit test grade will be 25 percent of your grade, as will be your six-weeks test grade. In the third six weeks the research paper will be 25 percent of the grade. Your final exam grade will be one-fourth of your semester grade when averaged with each of the three six weeks grades.

\ A = 90-100

\ B = 80-89

\ C = 70-79

\ D = 60-69

\ F = Below 60

Attendance

\ Attendance is necessary in order to satisfactorily complete the course. It is the student's responsibility to attend the class.

Calendar

\ The Instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus and/or calendar if necessary.

\ What To Expect Week-by-Week:

\ A spate of new standardized tests required by the State of Texas have wiped out much of our instruction time, especially during the final six weeks, so we will be learning together how to shoehorn our studies into the class time left to us. The following schedule is our goal.

\ Week #1 – From Malachi to Matthew; Why Four Gospels?

\ Week #2 – Mark 1-10

\ Week #3 – Mark 11-16; Unit Test; Jesus’ Birth

\ Week #4 – Matthew

\ Week #5 – Luke

\ Week #6 – John; Six Weeks Test

\ Week #7 – Acts 1:1-6:7

\ Week #8 – Acts 6-12; Hebrews

\ Week #9 – Unit Test; Begin First Journey of Paul

\ Week #10 – First Journey; Acts 15-17, Begin Second Journey

\ Week #11 – Six Weeks Test; Continue Second Journey; 1 & 2 Thessalonians

\ Week #12 – Complete Second Journey, Acts 18; 1 & 2 Corinthians

\ Week #13 – Third Journey; Acts 19-24

\ Week #14 – Acts 25-28; Prison Letters; Pastoral Letters; Unit Test

\ Week #15 – General Letters; John’s Writing

\ Week #16 – STARR and TAKS Tests

\ Week #17 – Test Review; Final Exam

Additional Information

\ First Six Weeks

\ We will begin by looking closely at how the history between the Old and New Testament sets the stage for the ministry of Jesus and his apostles.

\ Then we will study the life of Christ, beginning with a thorough survey of Mark’s Gospel, followed by a unit test over everything we have studied this far.

\ We will continue our study of Christ’s life, surveying the parts of Matthew, Luke, and John that do not appear in the other Gospels. Our six weeks test will cover everything we study in this six weeks.

\ This is a college-credit course. Academic and behavioral expectations will assume student maturity.

\ Second and Third Six Weeks

\ A few days of our study of the life of Christ may lap over into this period. When we finish studying John, we will open Acts and begin a thorough study of the history of the early Church. As we move through the book of Acts, whenever someone writes a New Testament book, we will stop and read that book in its historical setting. After we finish our survey of Acts, we will move on to the last seven letters written by Paul. Then we will look at the General Letters—the book of Hebrews plus the letters written by Peter, James, John, and Jude. At the very end we will look at the historical background of the late first century and survey the book of Revelation. Our main goal is for all students to become familiar with the New Testament text, to track the events chronologically, and to have a basic awareness of the geography, politics, and history required to understand the New Testament.

\ A unit test will follow our study of Acts 1-12.

\ The second six weeks test will cover Acts 1-12 plus Acts 13-15.

\ Another unit test in the final six weeks will cover all of Acts and the writings of Paul.

\ The final exam (required for all dual credit students) will be a cumulative test over all the New Testament writings plus the inter-testamental history.

\ One requirement for this course is that every student should memorize the names of the books of the Bible in order—both Old and New Testament—and know how to spell them correctly.

\ During the final two six weeks each student will be assigned a topic for a major research paper. This is a college-level assignment designed to prepare a student to do acceptable research writing on a college course. It should familiarize the student with a wide range of scholarly biblical works. Unfortunately, the flood of state-required standardized tests for high school students this spring could squeeze this assignment off our calendar.