RLM4090

The authority of the text: the hermeneutical question

(ART)

Peter Howard and Kevin Hart

12 points + 2 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton

Synopsis: One symptom of the crisis of authority characteristic of Western culture is the authority of the text and the questioning of texts once assumed to be beyond question. This subject encompasses a study of the specific claims to authority of fundamental texts like the Bible and its interpreters in the early Christian period and explores the ways in which modes of interpretation specific to sacred literature have been displaced into secular literature.

Assessment: Essay (6000 words): 60% + Seminar participation: 10% + Additional written work (3000 words): 30%