Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis A crisis of authority is characteristic of contemporary Western culture. One symptom of this is the question of the authority of the text, a problematic which has its origins in classical and Judaic-Christian cultures. Texts which were once assumed to have an unquestioned authority can no longer claim such. This is particularly the case with a religion such as Christianity which is predominantly textually based. The aim of the seminar is not only to examine the specific claims to authority of the Bible and its interpreters in the early Christian period but also to explore the ways in which modes of interpretation specific to sacred literature have been displaced onto secular literature.
Assessment (8 points) Research essay (4000 words): 70% + Take-home examination (2000 words): 30%
Assessment (12 points) Research essay (6000 words): 70% + Take-home examination (3000 words): 30%