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DR352A: JONAH & HIS FISH: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JONAH & ITS AFTERLIVES (2016-2017)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

The book of Jonah is a most unusual biblical book. It tells the story of the reluctant prophet Jonah who refuses to go to Nineveh and instead gets swallowed up by a huge fish. This course will read this book from many angles. It will discuss the purpose of the book: why was it written and for whom? It will look at its theological message. It will also explore its afterlife in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, as well as its depictions in art, literature, and film.

 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Session Second Sub Session Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Old Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Professor Joachim Schaper
  • Dr Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • Programme Level 3

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

  • DR302A Jonah & His Fish: a Journey Through the Book of Jonah & its Afterlives (Studied)
  • DR402A Jonah & His Fish: a Journey Through the Book of Jonah & its Afterlives (Studied)
  • DR452A Jonah & His Fish: a Journey Through the Book of Jonah & its Afterlives (Studied)

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The book of Jonah, merely four chapters long, is an unusual biblical book in many respects. It tells the story of the reluctant prophet Jonah who refuses to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh and instead gets swallowed up by a huge fish. Despite its oddity, or maybe because of it, this book has been read and discussed throughout the last 2500 years. Jonah appears in the New Testament, in Jewish texts, and in Islamic stories, and the story about his mission and his time inside the fish has been depicted in paintings, alluded to in literature, and even performed on stage. In spite of is brevity, the book further touches upon a large number of important theological issues. Can God change his mind? Are there limits to God’s compassion? The book of Jonah has also been used in political and religious polemics. Is God a God of both Jews and Gentiles? Are the god-fearing Gentile sailors more worthy of God’s grace than the exasperating and narrow-mined Jewish prophet? This course will explore these and many more issues.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt

  • 2000-word essay (40%)
  • Presentation (10%)
  • 3-hour examination (50%)

Resit

  • 3-hour examination (100%)

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Feedback will be given by the course coordinators in the form of personal conversation with students in seminar, detailed written comments on all submitted written work, and oral feedback on seminar presentations.

The students will be given the chance to discuss their choice of essay topic with the course coordinators.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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