COURSE INSTRUCTIONS 
DSNT401O
1/2 Thessalonians
Last revised: 8/21/99

The student demonstrates understanding of the process of exegeting the text of 1/2 Thessalonians from either the Greek New Testament or an English translation.

The course will focus on completing an exegetical process with the pericopes of 1/2 Thessalonians. The Guidelines to Exegeting a Text defines the process to be followed with each pericope. The course is designed to help each student to develop and refine an exegetical process working with the NT text that lays a exegetical foundation for a biblical based sermon from each pericope. Each student will have the option of whether to concentrate on the use of the Greek text or whether to work primarily from an English translation of the text. Assuming sufficient enrollment in the class, two groups may be developed to work on the text from either perspective.

• The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version
• The Greek New Testament.  Edited by Kurt Aland et al.  4th  ed.  United Bible Societies.  This edition without the dictionary is recommended.

Attendance:

MDiv Students are expected to attend all three class periods.
1. These include one of the two Orientation Sessions, scheduled for Monday Aug. 23 at either 8:30 am to 10:15 am, or 6:00 pm to 8:15 pm. The sessions are to be held in Hamrick Building 107. The purpose is to acquaint each student with the procedure for using the Lotus LearningSpace software to navigate through the Distance Learning course structure using a computer browser.
2. The Mid-Term Exam, which will be scheduled on campus during Week 9.
3. The Final Exam, which will be scheduled on campus during Week 17.
Each student is responsible to notify the professor of the reason for each absence to determine whether it is an excused absence. Attendance and tardies will play a significant role in the final semester grade determination.
4. Students enrolled through the Center for Congregational Enrichment will not be required to attend the Orientation Session or take the Mid-Term and Final Exam. A continuing education credit will be granted to each student successfully completing the course.

All Students will participate weekly in an internet based discussion forum related to the class.
The professor will establish the forum during the first week of classes, and then on Monday of each week post the questions etc. for exegesis of the scripture text that week. This forum will discuss the exegetical issues related to the scripture text assigned for each week. A grade will be assigned for each week's participation in the forum discussion. The discussion results will serve as an important resource for each student's completion of the weekly exegesis summary of the scripture text. Participation will play a significant role in the final semester grade determination.

All Students may optionally participate in the weekly chat room sessions.
The professor will establish a time for a weekly chat room at the beginning of the course. Participation is not required. The purpose of the chat room session is for the professor to be available to answer questions related to the scripture text assignment for that week.

• Two major exams shall be given in the duration of the semester. See Assignment Sheet for exact dates. The exams will be essay in nature and will involve the exegesis of a selected passage from 1/2 Thessalonians.

 
• Make-up Tests:

Make-up exams for the exams which are missed will be taken within two weeks of the regular exam.  One time for makeups will be scheduled, and a different, more difficult test will be administered.  Permission to take make-ups shall be given ONLY to those with justifiable reason for missing the regular exam (by university policy, only: athletic contests, emergencies, illness or bereavement). Each student needing a make-up exam must secure permission from the professor in advance of the scheduled make-up exam by completing the Request for Make-up Test form. The form must be approved by the professor before the make-up can be scheduled; approval will be sent to the student via his/her e-mail address.

Each week of the semester will involve an assignment to complete; for exact details see the Assignment Sheet. The nature of the assignment depends on the topic under consideration for a given week, but mostly they will involve completing an exegetical process with a selected passage from 1/2 Thessalonians according to the procedure outlined in Guidelines to Exegeting a Text. These will be posted before the week they're assigned and are indicated by the  icon in the Assignment Sheet.
The assignments must be completed in computer format, preferrably using MS Word or Lotus Word Pro, although Word Perfect is aceptable, and then sent to the professor via e-mail attachment at cranford@shelby.net (only). The subject line of the e-mail should only contain the words DSNT401, and the text of the e-mail should indicate which lesson is attached. The subject line info is crucial since a mail filter will automatically file these e-mails into a folder on my machine for grading. An easy way to set up the assignment is to import or cut/paste the HTML file instructions directly off the internet file into your word processing document, and them complete the assignments. You will want to complete each assignment toward the end of the week after doing your study of the text using commentaries etc. as well as using the insights gleaned from the forum discussion in the first part of the week on that scripture text.

The grading of the assignment will be based on several criteria: (1) guidelines followed correctly, (2) indication of serious study of the scripture text, (3) depth of insight reflected in the study. No prescribed length of each assignment is made; normally each assignment should run between five and ten pages of material.

MDiv Students:
The semester grade will be determined from an average of the following sources: Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam, average of homework assignment, and the average of forum participation. Additionally, promptness in completing homework assignments, forum participation, and attitude will count for 5 percent of the semester grade under the Attend Adjust in the example below. The range of adjustment is from +5 points to -5 points, and is added to the numerical average of the basic grade sources.

The adjusted average of the above numerical grade will then be converted into a letter grade according to the following curve: A = 90-100; B= 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = below 60. The numerical grades are not rounded off; see example below.

Note the following illustration of the above:

Grade Sources:	%:	Example:
Mid-Term Exam	25%	80.65
Final Exam	25%	85.89
Homework Avg	25%	88.25
Forum Participation Avg	25%	94.76
Semester Avg:	=100%	87.3875
Attend Adjust	+5 to -5 pts	3.68
Adjust Sem Avg:	.	91.0675
Semester Grade:	.	A

After the mid-term, and before the final exam, each student will receive an individualized Grade Report listing his/her grades and the semester average to that point in the course, as well as the class averages. Information about the semester grade or final exam will be available from the professor’s office soon after the final exam in the form of Semester Grade Report.

Center for Congregational Enrichment Students:
Students enrolled in the course through the center will receive a pass/fail grade for continuing ed credit based upon successful completion of the homework assignments and participation in the forum discussion groups. For more information regarding continuing ed credit, contact the Gardner-Webb University Center for Congregational Enrichment. 

Special Needs. If you require accommodations for a special need, please contact the professor. Your request will then be processed through the NOEL Program for the Disabled.