MA Specialization Biblical Studies and Digital Humanities

Faculty of Theology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Aims

This is an interdisciplinary track involving both Biblical Studies (BS) and Digital Humanities (DH). There is an optional specialization in Bible Translation. The specialization in Biblical Studies and Digital Humanities can be chosen as part of the one-year MA programme (as part of “Exploring a Discipline”) and a two-year Research MA. The student who has completed this specialization:

Biblical Studies

·Has an in-depth knowledge of the language, textual features, context, transmission history, and theological reception of Hebrew and Greek Bible texts.

·Is able to study Biblical texts in their historical and cultural context, and to explain interpretations and receptions of Biblical texts within their historical and cultural contexts.

·Shows in his/her work the hermeneutical layering of Biblical texts, from its origin to its transmission and early reception history.

Digital Humanities

·Is able to reach the abovementioned goals by using quantitative, computational methods.

·Shows in his/her work that problems are solved by thinking in terms of data structures and algorithms.

Bible Translation (optional)

·Is able to apply DH tools to the field of Bible Translation.

·Has insight in the limitations and assumptions of these tools.

Schedule

Below you will find the schedule of the specialization.

MA programme Exploring a Discipline (one year)

For a general overview of the programme see http://masters.vu.nl/en/programmes/theology-religious-studies-exploring-discipline/index.aspx In addition to the obligatory courses, you can choose one Specialization Module and one elective.

Period 1

Period 2

Analytical tools and the study of the Bible or

Digital Hermeneutics and the reception of the Bible

Specialization Module

General Required Course: Hermeneutics

Elective

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

Research Skills

Internship

Master seminar

Thesis

Research Master (two years)

For the general programme of the Research MA, see http://masters.vu.nl/en/programmes/theology-religious-studies-research/index.aspx

Period 1

Period 2

Year 1

Analytical tools and the study of the Bible

Specialization Module 1

General Required Course: Hermeneutics

Elective

Year 2

Digital Hermeneutics and the reception of the Bible

Specialization Module 2

Elective

Elective

Period 3

Period 4

Period 5

Period 6

Year 1

Research Skills

Classics 1

Classics 2

Internship

Year 2

Thesis

Courses

The specialization courses consist of (a) obligatory courses; (b) specialization modules; and (c) electives

·OBLIGATORY (one-year programme follows one of these course, two-year programme both)

oAnalytical tools and the study of the Bible

oDigital hermeneutics and the reception of the Bible

·SPECIALISATION MODULES PERIOD 1 OPTIONS:

oComputational Lexicon (L_AAMPLIN013).

oIntroduction Bible Translation Studies (L_TAMATHE012).

·SPECIALISATION MODULES PERIOD 2 OPTIONS:

oSpecialization courses in Biblical Studies (details to be added).

oWorking Sessions Bible Translation (Lourens de Vries) [L_+TAMATWS013]

·ELECTIVES

We recommend to choose from the Specialisation modules (above). There is also the possibility that people specify in DH by following e.g. Python Programming for Textual Analysis [L_AAMPLIN017]

Course descriptions

Analytical tools and the study of the Bible

This course deals with the interpretation and analysis of the biblical source texts with computational tools. This relates to computational-linguistic research as this is done, for example with the ETCBC database and its representation in SHEBANQ, and for computer-tools used in Bible Translation, such as the UBS package Paratext. The student will get insight in the way in which systematic, quantitative research can contribute to a better understanding and translation of the Bible.

Digital Hermeneutics and the reception of the Bible

This course focuses on the interaction between the two seemingly unrelated practices of computation and hermeneutics. The human-computer interaction that is crucial in every application of digital methods in Biblical Studies greatly affects the analytical procedures and the outcomes. This relates to linguistic categories, but also to decisions about the inclusion of texts, versions, resources and translations in programs such as Paratext.

Introduction to Bible Translation studies

In this course basic notions of translation theory and translation studies are introduced and applied: equivalence, skopos, translation typologies, text type and translation, style and translation, linguistics and translation, translation and culture, metaphor and translation. The second part of the course deals with the application of these notions to the Bible and includes: Equivalence in Bible Translation. Skopos in Bible Translation. Textual and canonical criticism and Bible Translation. Bible Translation as Culture. Canonical versus Non-canonical Bible translation

Sessions in Bible Translation

The aim of this course is to train students in the application of methods and notions discussed in the modules Introduction to (Bible) Translation Studies to specific Bible translation problems in both the Old and the New Testament. In the first half of the course students translate passages from the Greek New Testament and explain their translation choices in class; in the second half capita selecta of Hebrew translation problems arediscussed from a linguistic point of view.

Computational Lexicon

This course is a thorough introduction to the computational lexicon. Students learn about the challenges and solutions of representing lexical knowledge for computational applications. We discuss the most widely used digital lexicons, their applications in computational linguistics and the relevant linguistic key concepts. Discussing computational lexicons provides a good occasion to discuss some central linguistic notions like polysemy, semantic relations and case grammar. We will ask some colleagues from the lab to discuss their work. This course focusses on the lexicon as a key component in the symbolic analysis of natural language. Central in the course are the two main digital lexicons of this moment, WordNet and FrameNet, but other lexicons like VerbNet will also be discussed. In addition, we will study the Dutch Cornetto lexicon, which is a combination of the Referentie Bestand Nederlands (RBN, a more traditional set up digital lexicon) and the Dutch WordNet. We discuss the theoretical background and motivation of the lexicons, their structure, interesting applications in research projects and of course we also have an open eye for the shortcomings of the lexicons.

Python Programming for Textual Analysis

During this course, you will learn how to analyze text data using the Python programming language. No programming knowledge is required; we believe that anyone can learn how to program. You will learn how to extract information from text corpora; deal with different file types (plain text, CSV, JSON, HTML, XML); deal with large amounts of data; and visualize and share your results. We will focus on readability and understandability, so that you will be able to share your code and results with others, and re-use your code in the future. This is a practical course, in which you will get a lot of hands-on experience. Due to the nature of this course, active participation is required.

For more information contact Professor Wido van Peursen w.t.van.peursen@vu.nl
For information about the ETCBC see www.wi.th.vu.nl or https://www.facebook.com/etcbc/