The Hebrew Bible, or TaNaKh, serves to various degrees as a formative 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 components of the TaNaKh-of the narrative, legal, prophetic and wisdom texts that comprise it-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 other methods employed in such varied fields as archaeology, theology, history of religions, and folklore studies. All readings are in translation. Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on classroom preparation and participation, a midterm, a 2- to 3-page paper, a 5- to 7-page paper and a final exam. No prerequisites. Open to first-year students. This course normally does not count toward the major in Classics. (This course is part of the Jewish Studies cluster.)