Interested in seeing a syllabus? Feel free to contact me.
Courses taught to date:
For select course descriptions & additional courses prepared to teach, keep scrolling
Regis University, School for Professional Advancement (formerly College of Contemporary Liberal Studies), 2018-Present
Christianity: An Evolving Movement (8-weeks, Online)
Graduate Capstone (16-weeks, Online)
Graduate Transformation (8-weeks, Online)
Happiness & the Meaning of Life (8-weeks, Online)
Introduction to Religious Studies (7-weeks, Online)
Judaism: Faith, History, Culture (8-weeks, Online)
Leading Lives That Matter (7-weeks, Online)
Myth, Symbols, and Cultures (5-weeks, Online)
Religion & Culture: Key Approaches (8-weeks, Online)
Religion & Culture: Key Topics (8-weeks, Online)
Understanding Religions (7-weeks, Online)
World Religious Traditions I: Eastern (5 & 7-weeks, Online)
World Religious Traditions II: Western (5 & 7-weeks, Online)
University of Denver, Dept. of Religious Studies & Center for Judaic Studies, 2017-Present
Comparative Method in the Study of Religion (Graduate Independent Study; Spring Quarter 2018)
Creation & Humanity (Spring Quarter 2017, 2018)
Emergence of Monotheism (Winter Quarter 2018; Spring Quarter 2019; + 4-week Enrichment Course version)
Judaism (Community Engagement Course; Spring Quarter 2021)
Justice: A Biblical Perspective (Community Engagement Course; Fall Quarter 2019)
The Moses Traditions (Winter Quarter 2019)
+ advisor on BA & MA thesis projects
Morgan Community College
World Religions – Western Traditions (Fall Semester 2020; In-person moved online)
Colorado College, Department of Religious Studies, 2013-17
Creation & Humanity (Block-6 2016)
Creation & Humanity in Antiquity (Block-5 2014)
Judaism (Block-4 2014, 2017; Block-7 2014, 2016)
Hebrew Bible (Block-3, 2013)
Iliff School of Theology, 2012-13 & Winter 2017
Biblical Hebrew I (Fall Quarter 2012)
Biblical Hebrew II (Winter Quarter 2013)
Hebrew Bible (Winter Quarter 2017; Hybrid format)
Hebrew Bible Exegesis (Spring Quarter 2013)
Volunteer Tutoring at Biblical Languages Help Desk (Fall Quarter 2010-Spring Quarter 2011)
University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, Department of Philosophy, 2013-14
Hebrew Bible & Its Context (Fall Semester 2013)
Women & Religion (Spring Semester 2014)
Private Instructor & Tutor, 2011-14
Aramaic & Biblical Hebrew (Fall 2011-Spring 14)
University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology, Teaching Assistant, 2010-11
Hebrew Bible, University of Denver, Dr. Alison Schofield (Winter Quarter 2011)
Hebrew Bible, Iliff School of Theology, Dr. Amy Erickson (Fall Quarter 2010, Winter 2011)
Jewish Philosophy, University of Denver, Dr. Sarah Pessin (Winter Quarter 2011)
Select Course Descriptions:
Introductory Courses:
Biblical Hebrew I & II
In Biblical Hebrew I, students begin their studies in Hebrew language and translation. Students will learn the main principles and usages of biblical Hebrew, including syntax, grammar, and vocabulary. Students will also acquire critical awareness of translation issues, a skill set they can apply to any translated work.
In Biblical Hebrew II, students continue their studies in Hebrew language and translation. Students further their understanding of the main principles of biblical Hebrew, including syntax, grammar, and vocabulary. Hebrew II focuses on the verbal system. Students will also acquire critical awareness of translation issues, a skill set they can apply to any translated work.
Hebrew Bible (Traditional & Hybrid)
In Hebrew Bible, we read the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament; Tanak) as both a historical work and one of the greatest literary collections of all time. We study both the ancient Near Eastern context in which the Bible was written, and also ways in which modern social contexts shape its interpretation today. We also analyze select passages in terms of literary genre, theme, symbol, and motif. All of these will bring us to discussion of the world-views and moral and social principles embedded in the Bible and how they influence our world today. We will also look at the history and historical use of the book itself, including what we have learned about the Bible from the Dead Sea Scrolls and later scribal traditions.
Judaism (Traditional & Online)
What is Judaism? What makes someone a Jew or Jewish? In this class, we examine how Judaism has been practiced throughout history, from the ancestor stories of the Hebrew Bible to the modern day. We sample many primary, classical Jewish texts in order to understand developments in Jewish thought throughout space and time, and explore some of the common themes that have tied together people of diverse historical periods and geographical locations, such as community, ritual, survival, and the relationship of Jewish (and other) communities to God. There will also be an experiential component based on site-visits, guest speakers, and a learning portfolio on a topic of the student’s choice.
World Religious Traditions I: Eastern Traditions
Introduces the basic concepts, values, and practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto. Emphasizes enriching the Western mind and facilitating intercultural understanding.
Upper Level Undergraduate & Graduate Courses:
Comparative Method in the Study of Religion
Graduate Independent Study
Creation & Humanity
Why am I here and what is my place in the world? In this class, students engage a wide-variety of answers to this timeless question. We focus on primary texts regarding the creation of the world and humanity’s role within the world from multiple religious traditions, from ancient Near Eastern mythologies to modern spiritualties and film. Themes of the course include the tension between humankind and nature, and humanity’s relation to the divine, nature, and one another; we also discuss issues of inequality and sustainability.
Emergence of Monotheism
Monotheism, the belief in a singular deity, did not arise out of nothing. Rather, the emergence of monotheism was a multi-stage process spanning several millennia and involving numerous religious traditions, primarily Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This process was marked by internal and external conflict, as individuals and communities struggled to distinguish themselves from their non-monotheistic predecessors and neighbors, while often attempting to convince others to do the same. In this class, we begin with the ancient Near Eastern religious environment in which the idea of monotheism first appeared, then turn our attention to how the movement toward monotheism shapes the texts of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Quran. We also look to archaeological sites and case studies in material culture to fill out our understanding of the lived experiences at play in the emergence of monotheism.
Hebrew Bible Exegesis
In Hebrew Bible Exegesis, students will further their knowledge of the Hebrew language inductively by translating passages of the biblical text. Students will also learn about the history of the Hebrew Bible, its manuscript and print traditions, and its literary forms. In this class, we will focus on the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), including analysis of its apparatuses and notations, while being exposed to various reading aids and critical volumes.
Justice: A Biblical Perspective (Community Engagement Course)
How do we know justice when we see it? What ideas do people draw from, consciously or subconsciously, when they talk about justice and how it ought to look in the public sphere? In Justice: A Biblical Perspective, students take a close look at the biblical texts and concepts of justice that most commonly appear in modern civil discourse over what is “right.” We examine these texts and ideas in both their ancient Near Eastern contexts and their modern Western contexts, actively bringing concepts from the ancient world into dialogue over current affairs. Students then put their knowledge to action through a Community Engagement Project of their own design, performed in dialogue with the social justice goals of The Episcopal Church in Colorado.
The Moses Traditions
The “Abrahamic Traditions” (Judaism, Christianity & Islam) are described as such because each tradition situates its origin in the figure of Abraham, yet there is another foundational figure who looms even larger in all three traditions—Moses. The Moses Traditions traces Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions about Moses from the Hebrew Bible through modern America, and in so doing brings into the foreground the religious and inter-religious importance of this beloved figure. Drawing from over 2,500 years of texts and traditions, students come away with a deeper understanding of: 1) how the figure of Moses is shaped and reshaped throughout history and across the globe, 2) how religious traditions portray and redescribe foundational figures to suit the ever-changing needs of their communities, and 3) how to engage a multi-faceted, culturally-embedded, and millennia-long collection of traditions in a way that yields fruitful insight into the inner workings of the religious imagination.
Women & Religion
In Women and Religion, we will examine religious texts and practices from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with a concentration on the political, social, and religious lives of women. The course will begin with ancient Near Eastern goddesses and move chronologically through the modern period and into the lives of women in the Abrahamic Traditions today. Along the way, we will explore both Feminist and Womanist modes of reading, as examples of how ideology and text may be brought together in order to highlight a specific theme.
ADDITIONAL COURSES PREPARED TO TEACH
Religious Studies
Early Judaism
Theories & Methods in the Study of Religion
Biblical Studies
Ancient Israelite Religions
Bible & Pop-Culture
Courses on Specific Books/Sections of the Bible
New Testament & Early Christianity
Origins & Transmission of the Bible
Travel Course in Israel
Ancient Near East / Archaeology
Ancient Near Eastern Religions
Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
The Bible & the Pickaxe
Amy L. Balogh 