Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Palmquist
"We always mean more than we say, and say more than we mean." -- Michael Polanyi (paraphrased) "... an exposition of revelation ... is required, that is, a thorough-going interpretation of it in a sense agreeing with the universal practical rules of a religion of pure reason.... For the final purpose even of reading these holy scriptures, or of investigating their content, is to make men better..." -- Immanuel Kant "Do not interpretations belong to God?" -- Genesis 40:8 Objectives The activities of reading, writing, speaking, and listening are so common that we rarely think about the fact that the meaning of the words we use is never completely straightforward. In order for "mere words" to mean something, some degree of interpretation must take place. Interpreting words is something all of us do every day, and yet we hardly ever stop to think about how it is that interpretation itself actually works. The purpose of this subject is to examine how the process of interpretation works, both objectively and subjectively. The word "hermeneutics" comes from the Greek word hermeneia, which simply means "explanation", or "interpretation". Although it is usually defined as "the science of interpretation", we will regard hermeneutics as having an artistic element as well. That is, good interpre- tation requires not only scientific elements, such as principles and guidelines that help us distinguish between the "true" and the "false", but also artistic elements, such as talents and techniques that help us distinguish between the "beautiful" and the "ugly". We will begin our study of this relatively new discipline (which has flourished only in the last half of the twentieth century) by examining various contemporary and historically significant theories of interpretation, together with their philosophical assumptions. But the focus will always be on how we can learn to equip ourselves more fully with the skill of interpreting (especially interpreting texts) with both accu- racy and insight. Although hermeneutics is primarily a branch of philosophy and/or theology, most of the texts used in this class explicitly for the purpose of practising the skill of interpretation will be religious. We will therefore pay special attention to types of words and word usages that are especially common in religious language, such as symbols, metaphors, myths, etc. Our goal when looking at any of these texts, whether it be the Bible talking about God's grace, the Buddha talking about Nirvana's nothingness, or a philosopher talking about the relation between religion and morality, will be to learn to balance the science of finding the correct meaning with the art of making that meaning significant for our own life. Requirements and Grade Assessment Attend lectures, participate in the presentations, and do the readings! Suggested readings will be placed on "one day" reserve in the library throughout the semester (see separate list). I. Classwork: 20% of your grade will be based on two types of classwork: (A) Discussions (5%): There will be five discussion sessions during the semester. The class will divide into small groups (three to six students per group) to discuss one or more questions related to the topic of the recent lectures. Each group will hand in a short summary of their discussion at the end of the session. One mark will be given to everyone who attends and participates in such a group. The dates for these sessions will not be announced in advance. Absences cannot be made up without a very good excuse. (B) Presentations (15%): The class will be divided into seven groups, each consisting of three students. (To choose your own group, hand in a list of names by 11am on Thursday, 14 Sept.) Each group will prepare a 30-45 min. presentation relating to one of the three main topics given in the lecture outline (see below). Each group must hand in a list of three proposed topics (first, second, and third choice) by 5pm on Wednesday, 20 Sept. at the latest. Each student's presentation grade will be based on three criteria (five marks each): (i) the overall quality of the group's presentation (same grade for each member); (ii) his or her own participation in the presentation (clarity of speech, understanding of subject-matter, etc.); and (iii) his or her attendance at the other five presentations (one mark each). II. Paper. 40% of your grade will be based on a term paper, which also has two parts: (A) Presentation Paper (10%): Each group will be required to work together on the research and writing of a background paper for their presentation. The paper should be between five and ten pages long, not counting notes, bibliography, appendices, etc. It should be used as the basis for the group presentation, but the presentation should also involve much more than just each member reading through a page of the paper. The paper should be handed in by 5pm on the day before the presentation takes place. The presentation itself should focus on some specific principle(s) of interpretation, and should illustrate them in some interesting and creative way(s). For instance, you may wish to include drama, music, debate, poetry reading, etc. in your presentation. Also, allow some time for questions from other classmates. (B) Individual Interpretation Paper (30%): This paper will be due at the beginning of the last class session (probably 12:10pm on 7 December). In it, you should choose one particular text, and apply to it the principles of interpretation discussed throughout the semester, with special emphasis on the kind of principle(s) treated in your group's presentation paper. A small amount of the presentation paper (e.g., a page or two) can also be used in your individual paper, if relevant. In any case, when writing this paper, be sure to take into consideration the comments given by the lecturer on the jointly written presentation paper, as well as any questions raised by your classmates during the presentation. These individual papers should be 5-7 pages long and 1400-2100 words (not including footnotes and bibliography, unless the footnotes contain text). They will be graded on three criteria (ten marks each): (i) clarity (10%), (ii) completeness (10%), and (iii) creativity (10%). No papers will be accepted after 5pm on Friday, 8 December. Examination: 40% of your grade will be based on the final exam, which will probably consists of two essay questions (worth 20 marks each). Your individual interpretation papers will be handed back some time before the end of the second week of final examinations (at the end of the exam for this class, if possible). Tentative Lecture Schedule I. Introduction (4 hours) A. The function and importance of interpretation B. A survey of key issues II. Historical Overview of Philosophical Theories (10 hours) A. Pre-modern assumptions and practises B. Modern approaches: interpretation as a science C. Post-modern approaches: interpretation as an art PRESENTATIONS #1 & #2 III. Basic Hermeneutic Principles and Forms (7 hours) A. Language and context B. History and culture C. Symbols and rituals D. Typology and myths E. Poetry and figures of speech PRESENTATIONS #3 & #4 IV. Biblical Interpretation (10 hours) A. Methods of textual criticism B. Prophecy in the Old Testament C. The parables of Jesus D. Doctrinal texts E. Devotional texts PRESENTATIONS #5, #6, & 7 V. Conclusions (2-3 hours) A. Avoiding artificial assumptions B. Maintaining balance
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This page was last updated on 30 September 1995
StevePq@hkbu.edu.hk