Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Studies in Psalms

Unit Code: 
OBV415
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

This unit is a study of the collection of psalms, their ancient Near Eastern background, and the study of psalms in the twentieth century. It considers psalms as poetry, the place of psalms in Israelite worship, and the psalms and royal ideology. Students will complete exegesis of selected psalms, and study the psalms in relation to Christian theology, preaching, prayer, liturgy, and spirituality.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate advanced skills in the interpretation of biblical texts;
  2. demonstrate a sophisticated, critical understanding and analysis of the types of psalms, their structure, theology and context;
  3. demonstrate a detailed working knowledge of the growing body of literature on the psalms;
  4. demonstrate an understanding of the ways the psalms have been appropriated in Christian tradition with a critical appreciation of the different genres and theological positions within the Psalter;
  5. bring the discourse of related areas of theological studies and other disciplines to the study of the use of psalms in Christian ministry.
Lecturer/s: 
Howard Wallace
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 2
Unit Frequency: 
Occasional
Years Offered: 
2011
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Master of Arts (Theology)
Courses: 
Master of Theological Studies
Courses: 
Postgraduate
Field: 
Field B Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Old Testament
Department Name: 
Department of Biblical Studies
Prerequisites: 

OBV300 Introduction to the Old Testament or equivalent

Mode of Teaching: 
Online
Teaching Methods: 

There are six fortnightly sessions. Each session consists of guided reading from the set texts and some notes, together with an online tutorial. Students will be expected to contribute to the tutorial discussions in each session from the set readings and questions and notes supplied; online tutorial group set around particular texts.

Workload
Total workload hours per week: 
0
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

1 x 3000 word exegetical essay

Weighting: 
45%
Assessment Type: 

1 x 3000 word interpretative essay

Weighting: 
45%
Assessment Type: 

Class participation

Weighting: 
10%
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

* Anderson , B.W. with Bishop, S., Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for us Today, 3rd. ed., rev'd and expanded, Westminster John Knox Louisville. 2000

Attridge, H.W. and Fassler, M.E. (eds), Psalms in Community: Jewish and Christian Textual, Liturgical, and Artistic Traditions. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta. Also associated DVD Joyful Noise produced by M. Fassler for the Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University, New Haven. 2003

Brown, W.L., Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor, Louisville, Westminster John Knox. 2002

Brueggemann, W, The Psalms and the Life of Faith, P.D. Miller ed.,  Minneapolis, Fortress. 1995

Flint, P.W. and Miller, P.D. (eds), The Book of Psalms: Composition and Reception, Leiden: Brill, 2005

Gillingham, S., Psalms Through the Centuries: Volume 1, Blackwell, Oxford. 2008

Kraus, H.J., Theology of the Psalms, Minneapolis, Augsburg. 1986

Levine, H.J., Sing unto God a New Song: A Contemporary Reading of the Psalms, Bloomington, Indiana University, 1995

McCann, J.C. (ed.), The Shape and Shaping of the Psalter, JSOTSup 159; Sheffield, JSOT. 1993

Wallace, H.N., Words to God, Word from God: The Psalms in the Prayer and Preaching of the Church, Ashgate. Aldershot, 2005

Whybray, N., Reading the Psalms as a Book, JSOTSup 222; Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press, 1996

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