Notes on Empire in the Bible: Colonialism, Slavery, and the Doctrine of Discovery

The lecturer, Ryan Williams, introduces himself as the new instructor for the remainder of the term, taking over from Tom Eckner and Dr. James Lancaster.
The course aims to provide diverse perspectives, building on previous topics like the formation of the Bible and historical religious texts.
Ryan's lectures will focus on: history, pop culture, and how the Bible has been received in different times, places, and by various groups.
Upcoming topics include:
- Empire in the Bible (today's lecture).
- Bible and Politics and Popular Culture (next week, replacing a previous topic).
- Mid-semester break and holiday (two weeks off).
- Indigenous Australia and the Bible.
- Queer and Black readings of the Bible.
- Climate Justice and the Bible.

Essays:
- Choose a topic from the course's themes.
- Review associated readings.
- Identify personal interests (e.g., gender in the Bible).
- Utilize resources like encyclopedia articles from the course.
- Narrow and shape a research question, problem, and argument.
- Explicitly stating the research question is optional but the problem should be clear.
Exam:
- Regarding referencing historical ancient sources: adhere to Chicago style, providing full information rather than field-specific abbreviations (e.g., not using standard scholarly abbreviations for biblical books or ancient texts, but rather the full title or a clear, unambiguous citation). Referencing should be consistent and easily verifiable.