SYLLABUS
BIB 306 Acts Instructor: Bruce Terry
Section: 01 Room: NC 135 Day/Time: W 9:00-10:50am
Office: Stotts (NC), Room 20A Telephone: 304/485-7384 ext. 153
Office Hours: M-F 1-2pm; 4-5pm E-mail: rbterry@ovc.edu
This course will focus on the history, teaching, practices, and expansion of the early church as presented in Acts. Special emphases will be the examples of conversion, the role of the Holy Spirit, the growth of the church, and the missionary practices of the apostle Paul.
Attendance in class is mandatory; it will be part of the basis for the grade given. If you cannot attend for good reason, either notify me beforehand or as soon as possible afterward. This applies even if you have an excused absence. You will be expected to do all work of any classes missed, except for pop quizzes and daily homework. If you do not intend to attend regularly, kindly withdraw from the class now.
Do NOT miss class simply because you do not have an assignment finished. Do NOT miss class if you can possibly come; save any absences for sickness or death in the family. If you have an extended illness, please contact me to let me know.
Kindly try to be a class on time. If you are consistently tardy for no good reason, I reserve the right to count three tardies as an absence.
If you have to leave early, please inform me before class. Do not schedule extra work, doctor's appointments, etc. during class time if at all possible. If you are too frequent in leaving early, I reserve the right to count early departures as a partial absence, adversely affecting your grade.
Absences may be excused if you bring me documentation that you were ill, involved in an accident, on school business, or there was a death in the immediate family. More than three hours of unexcused absences will result in your being dropped from the course. You may pay a fine and petition to be reinstated. Additional unexcused absences will result in your being dropped without future reinstatement. No credit will be given for a course in which absences, both excused and unexcused, total more than 25% of the hours of the course (i.e., more than 4 class periods).
I will be in my office ten hours during the week as outlined above. If you have class conflicts with my office hours, you can schedule another time with me. Appointments during office hours will be given precedence over drop-ins, but if you need to see me about something and don't have an appointment, come on up to my office and I will try to squeeze you in. If you need help, please use my office hours. You may also see me both before and after class as time permits. I will be available for extended conferences after class hours if it does not interfere with another class or chapel. No appointment will usually be necessary to see me at this time. If I am not in my office at office hours after a class, check my last classroom to see if a student has detained me there or in the computer lab since I also serve as webmaster at OVC. Please feel free to interrupt me in either situation.
Your grade for the class will be based on three major exams (including a comprehensive final exam), a one-page introduction to Acts, a map of the journeys of the Apostle Paul, a typed eight to twelve-page research paper with proper documentation, attendance, and sixty questions from pop quizzes over the reading, collected in-class work, and collected homework. If more than sixty questions are given (not counting bonus questions), only the highest scores toward the sixty points will be counted.
The introduction and extra credit papers may be either handwritten or typed; the researched paper should be typed. One page is defined as 27 double-spaced typewritten lines (counting the title, but not your name) with 1" margins, or one handwritten page on narrow rule paper, or one and a quarter handwritten pages on wide rule paper (handwritten pages have no right margin, are complete to the bottom, and skip no lines).
The research paper must be at least eight full pages, not counting the cover sheet (required) and bibliography (also required). One page is defined as 27 double-spaced typewritten lines (counting the title, but not your name or page numbers) with 1" margins. The typed papers should be written using the Turabian style guide. The topic should be one of the following: (1) Examples of conversion in the book of Acts; (2) The role of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (N.B. This should grow out of what the text says and not out of what a modern church teaches); (3) The growth of the church in the book of Acts; (4) Paul's missionary methods in the book of Acts; (5) The understanding of the Jerusalem conference as to the relationship between the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ.
Exam questions can come from the lectures or assigned readings from either the textbook or the Bible. The final exam will cover material from the whole course.
Class will be excused for students attending the World Missions Workshop at OCUSA. Students will be expected to attend at least a one hour class for each hour missed and turn in a one- page report on the class attended. The reports will count as attendance grades.
Ten points will be given for attendance. One point will be deducted for each class hour missed, including those missed for illness. Each class period contains two class hours. The only exception to this will be those who miss on official school business and have an official notice to this effect. Two grace hours will be given to allow for absences due to illness and excused absences for official school business. Note well: Grace hours will be applied first to excused absences. Additional readings/quizzes/essays/maps may be assigned.
The final grade will be based on your work in the following way:
Introduction and Map 4%
Eight-page Researched Paper 11%
Attendance 10%
Pop Quizzes/Homework 10%
Major Tests 40%
Final Exam 25%
Only in the area of the Map will any extra credit be allowed to exceed these percentages. Your final grade will be A, B, C, D, or F. An A will be given for an average of 100-90, a B for 89-80, a C for 79-70, a D for 69-60, and an F for any average below 60.
All work is expected to be turned in on time. If for some reason you cannot make the due date, please ask my permission to turn the work in late. Late homework is not accepted, since the answers will often be given in class. Realizing that other teachers may assign work due at the same time, I will not dock your grade on the map if it is no more than one (1) week late; however, if it is later than one week, expect to have your grade on that assignment lowered by half. If the research paper is turned in late, the paper grade will be docked by one-half letter (5%) per half-week late (Sunday is considered a half-week from Wednesday).
Students who are absent on exam days with good reason may schedule a make-up exam within the next week. You must ask to take a make-up exam.
Students who score less than a 70 on a major exam may petition to retake the exam within a week after grades are returned on it. The highest grade on any retake exam will be 70. Once again, you must ask to retake an exam. There will be no retakes on the final exam. Study hard for it.
Draw or trace a map or maps of the four journeys of Paul (three missionary and trip to Rome) throughout the Roman world in the first century A.D. showing at least the following: the major bodies of water, all the cities mentioned in the Bible as being visited by Paul, the Roman provinces in which he preached the gospel. The journeys may be presented on one, two, or four maps. Please limit your map size and substance to 8«" x 11" paper. Extra credit may be given for neatness, detail, and good use of color.
N.B. In lieu of drawing or tracing, it is acceptable to photocopy an outline map of the region and fill it in with the above; however, it is not acceptable to photocopy a map which has any of the above marked on it. You must fill it in.
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work as your own, whether you mean to or not. Copying or paraphrasing passages from another writer's work without acknowledging that you've done so is plagiarism. Translating passages from another writer's work in another language without acknowledging that you've done so is plagiarism. Copying another writer's work without putting the material in quotation marks is plagiarism, even if credit is given. Allowing another writer to write any part of your essay is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a serious crime. The maximum penalty at OVC is expulsion from the college.
Plagiarism is easy to avoid. Simply acknowledge the source of any words, phrases, or ideas that you use. If you're not sure how to quote or paraphrase a source or if you need help with the format of endnotes or bibliographies, check with me. While you can (and in fact should) seek the help and advice of friends, classmates, and tutors, be sure that your written work is completely your own.
MAJOR EXAM DATES: Exam 1 -- Wednesday, September 22, 1999
Exam 2 -- Wednesday, October 27, 1999
Final Exam -- Wednesday, December 15, 1999
3:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
WEEK ONE:
8/25/99 -- Introduction to the Course and to the Book of Acts
WEEK TWO:
homework: write a one-page introduction to Acts
read the text below and related commentary
9/ 1/99 -- Acts 1-2
WEEK THREE:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
9/ 8/99 -- Acts 3-5
WEEK FOUR:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
9/15/99 -- Acts 6-7
WEEK FIVE:
homework: study for the test
read the text below and related commentary
9/22/99 -- Major Test and Acts 8
WEEK SIX:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
9/29/99 -- Acts 9-10
Inman Forum
WEEK SEVEN:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
10/ 6/99 -- Acts 11-12
WEEK EIGHT:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
10/13/99 -- Acts 13-14
World Mission Workshop--OCUSA
Huffard Forum
WEEK NINE:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
10/20/99 -- Acts 15
WEEK TEN:
homework: study for the test
read the text below and related commentary
10/27/99 -- Major Test and Acts 16
WEEK ELEVEN:
homework: map(s) of Paul's journeys is due
read the text below and related commentary
11/ 3/99 -- Acts 17-18
WEEK TWELVE:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
11/10/99 -- Acts 19-20
WEEK THIRTEEN:
homework: research paper is due
read the text below and related commentary
11/17/99 -- Acts 21-23
Last Day to Drop a Class with a "W"--Stick with it to the end!
THANKSGIVING BREAK
WEEK FOURTEEN:
homework: read the text below and related commentary
11/29/99 -- Acts 24-26
WEEK FIFTEEN: dead paper day (last day to turn in any late
papers)
homework: read the text below and related commentary
12/ 6/99 -- Acts 27-28
WEEK SIXTEEN: Final Exam Week
homework: study for final exam
12/15/99 -- Final Exam (3:00-4:50pm)
N. B.: Homework is listed before the class for which it is due!
THIS SYLLABUS MAY BE MODIFIED AS THE TEACHER FEELS NECESSARY!
If you have a diagnosed disability and need special accommodations, please notify the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs before or immediately after your first scheduled class meeting. After your disability has been verified, your instructor will work with you and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to insure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in the course.