NBST 515
“Salt” Exercise Assignment Instructions
Overview
“SALT” stands for “
Summarize and
Apply
Learn
Topic.” In this assignment, the student will demonstrate comprehension, assimilation, and application of the information and/or skills acquired in the assigned Learn materials for a given module and/or modules. The student will do this by completing a “SALT” assignment related to a specific topic covered in the Learn materials for a given module or modules. For each “SALT” assignment, there will be a prompt describing the assignment and detailing what the student must do to complete the assignment. To complete the assignment, the student must have read the assigned textbook readings and watched the assigned presentations appropriate to the topic. Having done so, the student will then complete the assignment described in the prompt,
making sure to interact with the appropriate Learn materials (both textbook readings and presentations) and documenting that interaction with correctly formatted footnotes and bibliography. See the grading rubric for specific grading criteria.
“SALT” Exercise: The Synoptic Problem Assignment Prompt:
Students sometimes say that the so-called “Synoptic Problem” is “much ado about nothing,” until they look at the evidence from the Gospels themselves. Talking about the Synoptic Problem
in general is one thing; comparing
specific passages or stories in the Gospels to one another is quite different; hence, this exercise.
Summarize the assigned Learn materials on The Synoptic Problem,
especially the assigned presentation titled “The Synoptic Problem,” and then, applying what you have learned,
choose one of the five “literary interdependence theories” discussed in the presentation,
1. Augustinian Hypothesis (Matthew, Mark, Luke)
2. Griesbach or Two-Gospel Hypothesis (Matthew, Luke, Mark)
3. Two-Source Hypothesis (Mark and Q)
4. Four-Source Hypothesis (Mark, Q, M, L)
5. Farrer Hypothesis (Mark, Matthew, Luke)
and offer a rationale and defense for why you think the theory you have chosen
best explains the evidence encountered in the Synoptic Gospels. In providing your rationale, be sure not to “generalize” without supporting evidence; rather, you must provide
specific examples from the Gospels to support your choice. For example, if you choose the Augustinian Hypothesis (Matthew wrote first, followed by Mark, and then Luke who used both Matthew and Mark as sources), you must provide at least
one specific example of where the evidence is clear that Mark or Luke appears to be using Matthew as a source for their Gospels. Your paper, therefore, must have two sections: (1)
Summary in which you summarize the Synoptic Problem and its various proposed solutions as described in the Learn materials; (2)
Application in which you choose one of the
interdependence theories described above
and explain how your choice best accounts for the evidence encountered in the Synoptic Gospels. See assignment instructions for specific details.
Instructions
Read the above prompt associated with the given “SALT” assignment and then compose a Word document for submission that addresses the assignment therein described. Your Word document must be characterized by the following:
· Length of assignment: Not less than 3 and not more than 5 pages double-spaced,
strictly applied (excluding title page, contents page, and bibliography page; footnotes count in the page total).
· Format of assignment: Turabian. All sources used must be documented in current Turabian format with properly formatted footnotes and a full bibliography of sources used.
· Interaction with Learn materials. The student’s submission must demonstrate interaction with assigned Learn materials appropriate to the topic, including
both textbook readings and assigned presentations. In most cases, there will be an assigned presentation on the topic. The student is required to interact with that presentation and document that interaction with footnotes.
· Extra-course sources: This is
not a research assignment as such; rather, it is an assignment to assess whether the student has read/watched
the assigned Learn materials, understood what they have read/watched, and can then apply that information and/or skills to new contexts.
· Assignment components. The assignment must have two (2) distinct,
clearly labeled sections:
·
Summary: In this section, the student will summarize the information on the topic from the assigned Learn materials (textbooks and presentations). In completing this section, it is best to read the appropriate section(s) from the textbooks and watch the appropriate presentations, and then compose your summary from memory; otherwise, you will likely exceed the page limit. (1 to 2 pages)
·
Application: In this section, the student will take the information and/or skills learned and apply them to a new biblical passage, situation, or context as described in the assignment prompt. (2 to 3 pages)
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
Page 2 of 2
