Controversy and Canon in the Undergraduate Humanities Curriculum: The Example of Biblical Studies

Abstract

The question of canon, of whether undergraduates should read an authoritative list of books, raises substantial epistemological and pedagogical issues which may be obscured if the question is framed merely as a struggle between the left and the right for control of educational policy. These issues can be highlighted if the question is framed in the concept of reading canonically, that is, reading so as to nourish vision and action. The article summarizes ways Biblical scholars have developed the concept of reading canonically over the past ten years and explores how reading canonicaily may be of use to teachers who find themselves in a daily struggle with narrow and narrowing notions of consumerism and careerism which severely limit human potential.