BA9294B Psalms: Songs that Nurture the Soul
Description
The Psalms: Songs that Nurture the Soul explores the book of Psalms within Israel’s historical, social and cultic environment and the broader Ancient Near East context. We will study how the Psalms provided the people of Israel with prayers, songs, and cries for God’s intervention and the ways they have been woven into the fabric of Christian worship and experience. We will explore the theological contribution of the Psalms and how they have informed and shaped the lives of people of faith across the centuries and continue to do so in our contemporary world.
Level
Postgraduate Elective
Semester
Semester 2 2027
Delivery Mode
Online
Dates
26 July - 29 October 2027
A weekly virtual classroom session will take place on Tuesdays at 12.30 to 1.30 pm AEST/AEDT
We recommend that you allocate 15 hours a week for all study activities.
Lecturer/s
Reverend Dr Arseny Ermakov
Prerequisites
24 points in BA.
Learning Activities
Students will complete workbooks which are keyed to readings and a range of other learning materials. They will complete targeted questions, regular learning activities, conduct independent research, and attend structured synchronous online engagement sessions. Assessment strategies are integrated into the learning design of the unit.
* This unit is offered at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. Students may engage with people across both levels when this unit is delivered.
Assessments
Assessment 1 – 25%
Assessment 2 – 25%
Assessment 3 – 50%
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:
- Critically analyse the literary features of the psalms including their poetic form and type.
- Interpret the psalms within the historical and socio-cultural context of ancient Israel and other ANE settings.
- Exegete and interpret selected psalms.
- Evaluate the contribution of the psalms to personal and communal, contemporary Christian life and worship.
- Assess the connections between the psalms located in the Psalter and psalmic materials employed in both the Old and New Testaments.
Text Books
There is no required text for this unit.