Selected topics courses are regularly scheduled courses that focus on a particular topic of interest. Descriptions are printed in the Schedule of Classes each semester. Selected topics courses may be used as elective credit and may be repeated for credit, provided that the topic of the course changes. This course is an intensive, graduate-level introduction to the literary-critical study of the Bible. Through close reading of biblical texts, related literary works, and key secondary critical literature, students will examine a number of literary-critical approaches to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Students will also consider a selection of literary texts inspired by biblical themes, characters, and situations. Graduate students with little or no previous knowledge of the Bible will find the course a useful introduction to this important cornerstone of Western culture and literature. All students—including those with more advanced knowledge of the Bible—will be invited to consider complex matters of textual and intertextual interpretation. The course is conducted as a seminar with lecture material; a significant degree of student participation is expected in weekly discussions and each student will be responsible for one formal presentation during the course.