sample syllabi
Sample Syllabus: Religious Quest II, Boston College Summer Session 2014
Sample Syllabus: Religious Quest II, Boston College Spring 2014
Sample Syllabus: Religious Quest I, Boston College Fall 2013
Sample Syllabus: Religious Quest II, Boston College Spring 2014
Sample Syllabus: Religious Quest I, Boston College Fall 2013
sample assignments
Guidelines for Reading Responses: Students were required to write 1-2 page reflections are the reading assignment
Comparative Analysis of Pop Culture Depictions of Jesus: In groups of 4, students analyzed some creative adaption of the ministry, trial, death and resurrection of Jesus through the lenses of the course: interpretation of scripture, treatment of Jews and Judaism, depiction of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, etc... Groups chose works such as: The Passion of the Christ, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Christopher Moore's Lamb, the animated film The Miracle Maker, and Bach's The Passion.
Webs of Identity Project: Building on Jonathan Sacks' Dignity of Difference, which argues that difference is a positive value in society, and Jeannine Hill-Fletcher's "We are all Hybrids" in Monopoly on Salvation: A Feminist Approach to Religious Pluralism, which argues that each person is made up of a "web of identities" including cultural, religious, national, socio-economic, family and other webs, students reflected upon their own identities and creatively depicted their "webs" in a capstone assignment for the year-long Religious Quest course.
Comparative Essay on Genesis 1-3: Students were asked to write a 5-6 page research paper comparing two interpretations--one Jewish and one Christian--of Genesis 1-3. The assignment required close reading of biblical, post-biblical, rabbinic, Patristic and medieval texts, as well as research using reputable secondary sources.
Synagogue Visit Guidelines: During a unit on the lived communal aspects of Judaism and Christianity, students were required to attend a Friday night Shabbat service with a group from the class and reflect on the experience.
Comparative Analysis of Pop Culture Depictions of Jesus: In groups of 4, students analyzed some creative adaption of the ministry, trial, death and resurrection of Jesus through the lenses of the course: interpretation of scripture, treatment of Jews and Judaism, depiction of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, etc... Groups chose works such as: The Passion of the Christ, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Christopher Moore's Lamb, the animated film The Miracle Maker, and Bach's The Passion.
Webs of Identity Project: Building on Jonathan Sacks' Dignity of Difference, which argues that difference is a positive value in society, and Jeannine Hill-Fletcher's "We are all Hybrids" in Monopoly on Salvation: A Feminist Approach to Religious Pluralism, which argues that each person is made up of a "web of identities" including cultural, religious, national, socio-economic, family and other webs, students reflected upon their own identities and creatively depicted their "webs" in a capstone assignment for the year-long Religious Quest course.
Comparative Essay on Genesis 1-3: Students were asked to write a 5-6 page research paper comparing two interpretations--one Jewish and one Christian--of Genesis 1-3. The assignment required close reading of biblical, post-biblical, rabbinic, Patristic and medieval texts, as well as research using reputable secondary sources.
Synagogue Visit Guidelines: During a unit on the lived communal aspects of Judaism and Christianity, students were required to attend a Friday night Shabbat service with a group from the class and reflect on the experience.