In 2015–2016, we will complete the Church-approved Old Testament course, which covers most chapters of the Old Testament and all of the Books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Students may use this this chart to track their progress.
To earn credit for this course, the student must do the following:
- attend at least 75% of the class sessions,
- answer correctly at least 75% of the questions on two end-of-semester tests provided by the Church Educational System, and
- read all assigned chapters in the Old Testament and the Pearl of Great Price.
If the student earns credit for the course, his or her grade will be no lower than a C. To earn a B, the student must earn credit for the course and have overall scores of no lower than 50% in both participation and scripture mastery. To earn an A, the student must earn credit for the course and have overall scores of no lower than 70% in participation and scripture mastery and must write two five-minute, 750-word talks, one per semester. The criteria for participation, scripture mastery, and the talks are as follows:
Participation: Every nine weeks, the student will report on how often he or she (a) read the assigned chapters within one week before the chapters were discussed in class, (b) brought to class a question from the day’s reading assignment, and (c) took notes in class. The possible answers will be five days, four days, three days, two days, one day, or no days per week on average during the previous nine weeks. Possible scores range from 15 to 0 points per nine-week report.
Scripture Mastery: There will be several quizzes per semester on the scripture mastery passages covered to date. These quizzes will ask students to remember the words of the scripture mastery passages, explain their context, and explain their doctrinal significance. There are 25 scripture mastery passages to learn.
Five-Minute Talks: To earn an A, the student must write two 750-word talks, one per semester. The student chooses a question from a list created by the instructor. The talk should discuss key passages from the assigned readings, thoughts from at least one address of that semester’s General Conference, and how the student applies a relevant gospel principle in his or her life. The student is welcome but not required to give the talk as a class devotional. Questions for the fall semester include:
- Why did God organize this world? Include discussion of what the visions of Enoch (6–7), Abraham (3–5), and Moses (Moses 1–3) tell us about God’s creative activity and our place among God’s creations.
- What was the purpose of the Fall? Include discussion of Eve’s reasons and Adam’s reasons for partaking of the forbidden fruit and what they thought of their decision afterwards. See especially Moses 4–5.
- Why does God call prophets? Include discussion of at least one of the following: Enoch (Moses 6–7), Melchizedek (JST Genesis 14), Abraham (Abraham 1–3, Genesis 12), and Moses (Moses 1).
- What was the Lord’s covenant with Abraham and how does it bless the families of the earth? Include discussion of Abraham 2, Genesis 12 and 17, and Doctrine and Covenants 84.
Questions for the winter semester include:
- How did righteous women help ancient Israel or Judah? Include discussion of one or more of the following women from this semester or from late last semester: Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Huldah, and Esther.
- What spiritual problems contributed to Israel’s deportation by the Assyrians or to Judah’s deportation by the Babylonians? How can we avoid similar problems today?
- How did Isaiah prophesy of Christ?
- What should we learn from Old Testament prophets about the gathering of Israel?
- What should we learn from Old Testament prophets about keeping the sabbath day holy?
Seminary 