By Nick Block
Staff Writer
English teacher David Piorek (pictured below) will be teaching a new Biblical literature senior seminar next year.
Former English teacher Paula Bozeman previously taught the class, but it was dropped this year. The course is being made available for next year.
“We’re excited about bringing the course back,” English teacher Pam Jenning said.
Because of his fascination with the stories of the Bible, Piorek believes that he is qualified for the new teaching job. He thinks the course will help students to understand Biblical references that are seen in other literary works.
“My dad was a preacher, and I grew up with Bible literacy,” Piorek said. “This course is important for analyzing western civilization and to take a look at the Biblical allusions used in our society.”
The Bible is not the only literary work that will be explored during the class. Other works by John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway will also be studied for Biblical allusions.
Steinbeck’s classic novel “East of Eden” is one of the many books that Piorek plans to cover in the course.
“There is a common misconception that the course only covers the Bible,” Piorek said. “The fact is that many films and books allude to stories in the Bible, so we will actually be focusing a lot on those works.”
Some believe it may be difficult to avoid mixing education and religion in the course. Piorek, however, believes it is possible to focus on the Bible as a literary document with the right instruction.
“I want to find out how to make it accessible for people of all religions,” Piorek said. “One way to do this is to look at symbols from other works and literature besides the Bible.”
This year’s seniors that signed up for Biblical literature as juniors are displeased the class wasn’t available this year. Some students are disappointed that the seminar is coming back when they will already be in college.
“I was disappointed to learn that the course wouldn’t be offered last year,” senior Devin Gold said.
Several juniors are excited about taking the course next year. They feel confident that the skills they can learn in the course will help them to understand and analyze Biblical allusions.
“I have heard so many really great things about Mr. Piorek, and also the subject matter interests me,” junior Brandon Seidel said.
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