REL 301 Paper Topics

General Instructions: Both papers must be properly documented using either in-text references in parentheses or footnotes, and must include a bibliography citing all works consulted. ALL quotations must appear inside quotation marks and be followed by citation of the source. ALL ideas gathered from other sources and presented in your own words (i.e. "paraphrased") must also cite their sources. The papers must be typed and carefully proof-read for spelling and grammatical errors.

For each paper, find and compare two ancient Near Eastern texts older than the 5th century BCE from different cultures that deal with the same topic. These must be texts not assigned on the class syllabus, but you should include in your comparison class texts that deal with the same topic. On the basis of this comparison, write a 6-10 page research paper describing the similarities and differences in how these texts deal with the topic, and evaluating how and why religious ideas became involved in each culture's understanding of it.

The topics for the First Paper (due October 29th in class) that the texts must address will involve one of the following areas: art, music, history, geography, politics, justice, and/or economic relationships and transactions. The topics for the Second Paper (due November 21st in class) that the texts must address will involve one of the following areas: human nature, love and gender, education and wisdom, magic, prayer, death and afterlife.

 

Bibliography
On reserve in Bird library:

  • Hallo, W. W. and K. L. Younger, Jr., eds. The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions, Monumental Inscriptions, and Archival Documents from the Biblical World. 3 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1997, 2000, 2002.
  • Foster, Benjamin R. Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature. 2 vols. Bethesda, MD: CDL Press, 1993.
  • Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature. 3 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973, 1976, 1980.
  • Pritchard, James B. Ancient Near Eastern texts relating to the Old Testament. 3d ed. with supplement. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.
  • Beckman, Gary. Hittite Diplomatic Texts. Atlanta: Scholars, 1996.