On completion of this course, students should: - have a basic understanding of the most well known Biblical stories so that they will recognize allusions to the Biblical characters, places and sayings when they come across them in literature. - be able to apply a contemporary literary approach to reading the Bible while placing it in the context of ancient Near Eastern literature. - be acquainted with the historical and cultural background of the texts, thereby enabling them to better understand the intentions of the writers. - have gained more insight into the Bible's influence on western thought

The Bible (The English Standard Version)