Matt

Matt

by Matthew (Matt) Schlimm -
Number of replies: 0

In my OT Intro class (BI511), I explain to students reputable publishers so that they know where they can turn for future reading. I also have them read book reviews of two books that look interesting for future study. The assignment is here.

In my Hebrew Exegesis class (BI624), I have a lecture where I walk students through different types of resources that can help their study throughout their lives. The powerpoint is here, and the lectures can be found here.

More generally, a key deliverable for students in the two-course Hebrew students (BI500 & BI624) is that they can look at two English translations that differ and use their knowledge of the language to discern which is closest to the Hebrew. If you go hereand look at the translation assignments for weeks 5-12, they all ask students to use this skill, which hopefully they'll continue to use throughout their lives.

Also on the more general level, my OT Intro class (BI511) is set up to help students understand that each book of the Bible has its own distinctive theological themes and ideas. Understanding the distinctive contributions of different parts of the Bible leads to lifelong learning. Rather than seeing the Bible as having a singular message that can be easily mastered, the course presents the Bible as reflecting the complexity of God, humanity, and creation, which is an endless store of ideas worthy of lifelong devotion. For lectures exploring the distinctive contributions of each OT book, see the first lecture in weeks 3-12 here.

The question also asked about lifelong learning "out of the classroom." I think we as an institution could do a much better job with continuing education for our graduates. We have various lectures, but they tend not to draw big crowds. I'd like the faculty to discuss alternate ways of approaching these lectures. For example, would it make sense to hold them in a major city close to several graduates, rather than in Dubuque? or a retreat center? Should we combine the lectures to recruit bigger names, rather than having several smaller lectures?