The Hebrew Bible or TaNaKh serves, to different degrees, as a foundational document in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and it has been an immensely rich source for over two thousand years of artistic and literary creativity. This course seeks to broaden students' knowledge of the basic legal, prophetic and wisdom texts that constitute the TaNaKh while addressing the broader question of how we might read the Hebrew Bible in the contemporary world. As students increase their knowledge of the Hebrew Scripture's contents, they will confront and evaluate diverse ways of reading this text, including historical, rhetorical, literary and feminist approaches, as well as methods employed in archaeology, theology, history of religions, and folklore studies. All readings are in translation. Format: discussion with some lecture. Evaluation will be based on participation in class discussion and website-postings, in-class presentations, a 3- to 4-page paper to be presented in a tutorial setting, four 2- to 3-page papers, and a 9- to 11-page research paper. No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 14). Open to first-year students. This course is part of the Critical Reasoning and Analytical Skills initiative.