Bathsheba Bathing -- Bibel : das ist alle Bücher Alts vnd News Testaments, 1550. Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive

Group Presentation: Cultural Representation of Women 25 % -- Working in groups, students will identify historically significant treatments of their chosen character and discuss how the character serves particular purposes in the socio/religious milieu in which she is appropriated. Students will present examples from art, music, literature, rituals and film that illustrate how this character has been viewed or used by cultural interpreters. Consult, J. Cheryl Exum, Plotted, Shot, and Painted: Cultural Representations of Biblical Women, (Sheffield Academic Press, 1996) before you begin your preparation in order to set off on the right track.

Biblical Figures: Miriam, Delilah, Bathsheba , Esther, Ruth, Martha, Mary Magdalene

Recommended Resources:

Rabbinic Midrash: Midrash Rabbah BM517.R3 A3 1939

Jewish Encyclopedia on Line: Search using your character's name

NewAdvent Catholic Encyclopedia: search for church fathers and character

Goshen Public Library: Videos, DVDs, and Children's books

Church Librarys

AMBS Library (has a selection of children's books)

Index for the Bible in Art

Internet Medieval Sourcebook

Professor's Evaluation Rubric: Weak 1 2 3 4 5 Strong

Members of the group took initiative and explored a variety of avenues to find appropriate material.

From the array of possible material, the group selected meaningful examples that epitomize significant trends, themes or treatments.

The presentation included a variety of media and periods of representation.

The presentation took into account historical and cultural contexts influencing different cultural representations.

The presentation makes clear the distinction between historical figures, textual treatment and cultural representations.

The presentation emphasized important theological and religious uses of the biblical figure.

The presentation balanced showing and telling, that is analysis of the materials gathered.

The group spent time organizing their presentation in a way that communicated their conclusions to the class.

Members of the group took care to present the material and the ideas clearly and with respect for the material and the sensibilities of the class.

Confidential Individual Self Evaluation of Group

Preparation
What was your contribution to the group?
Where did your group struggle in order to find material?
Describe any time consuming dead ends that members of the group pursued.
Were the tasks and preparation distributed evenly through the group?
Is there a member of the group who took significant leadership and who should received a higher grade than the rest of the group? If so, name that individual or those individuals and describe what each did.
Is there a member of the group whose failure to fulfill tasks or to inform the group of struggles diminished the quality of the presentation? If so, provide a description of what happened.
What new research strategies have you developed as a consequence of doing this project?

Presentation
What part of your presentation worked well? Why?
What part of your presentation did not work as well as it might have? What would you do differently if you were to do it again?

Learning Outcomes
Describe any new insights that you came to by doing this project? For example, were you surprised by what you discovered? Did you find yourself asking a whole new set of questions or looking at cultural objects in a new light?