Big fan of this class. As a Christian, I really enjoyed being able to get the historical context for what is actually going on in the Old Testament. Halvorson-Taylor is very fair about how she approaches the subject and makes it a welcome class for believers and non-believers alike. The tests are basically brute memorization of over a hundred ID terms, but they overlap and as long as you've been doing the readings and take time to study you'll be fine. Rather a lot of work for a 1000 level class, but well worth it if you are interested in this subject. Jon Holste is a great TA.

Halvorson-Taylor is a fantastic lecturer. She knows the material inside and out and has a passion for the subject that makes the class engaging, even with almost 200 people. There's quite a bit of reading that can be overwhelming sometimes, but they end up dropping two papers. Mid-terms are pretty straight forward and she gives you a study guide, though with a little too much detail. She gives over 125 terms to know but only asks for 10 on the exam. Overall enjoyed the class and she's very nice if you go talk with her. Nice way to knock out Non-Western and Historical requirements

An incredible lecturer. Class is definitely doable- but, actually do all your readings lol. Also talk to your TA to improve your essays- get feedback

There are a lot of mixed reviews for this course, so allow me to clarify something- yes, it is a lot of work for a 1000 level class, but trust me, it is worth it. If you are here at UVA to learn and not to just get good grades, take this class.

The Professor is extremely personable, charismatic, and explains biblical theory in an understandable and engaging way. I did not really have much knowledge on the Hebrew Bible before this course, but I found the readings were not hard to comprehend and the four papers were max 2 pages. TAs all grade the same and all have knowledge of the material and how to teach.

The final may seem overwhelming to some (as you can see in other reviews), but it is not if you just go to lecture. Halvorson-Taylor is not out to get you or make it overly hard. She picks terms she thoroughly discussed in class and always gives you options on which you would like to talk about (eg pick 4 of the 8 terms...). I highly recommend going to office hours in this class if you are struggling with a particular concept.

If you want an easy A, do not take this. But if you are interested in what this course offers, odds are you will enjoy and excel in this course.

I did not know anything about the Bible before entering this class, and i found it extremely interesting! Halvorson-Taylor is an amazing and knowledgeable professor! However, you should really think if you want to take this class if you are not a religion major or have a heavy courseload, because the readings are hefty and numerous and you need to keep up with them to do well. I am premed, so I had a hard time keeping up with the readings during the second half of the class, and that really hurt my final grade.

I really enjoyed this class! I had a background in Christianity, so for me this definitely helped. I would not necessarily recommend this class if you are not at all interested in religion and/or history because the course is very much structured around the history of the Jewish religion. This class is not easy (the midterm is crazy because they only give you 50 min) but if you don't mind reading and writing and are interested in the topic, it's definitely worthwhile! Ashley Tate is the best TA!

I found this class very interesting, but for a 1000 level it is not worth the reading or difficulty. I've grown up around the Church and am very family with its history and everything, and I still struggle to keep an A in the class. Not to mention the mid-term is only 50 minutes when it should be about 3 hours- literally nobody stopped writing when they called time. All in all, it fulfilled some requirements so that was nice.. but it simply wasn't worth the work if you aren't genuinely interested in the Old Testament. As for people being "blown away" by lecture, I'm not sure what they are talking about.. reading the textbook, doing the homework, and going to discussion is the most important part. She gives you a study guide for exams and you simply memorize that and hope you can answer the essay.

Professor Halvorson-Taylor is the best! This class made me want to declare my Religious Studies major. You leave every lecture in awe! To the people who downrated this class because "you actually have to pay attention," shame on you. This class DESERVES attention. Don't take it because you think it will be easy (it isn't hard; despite what a previous reviewer said, you don't need previous knowledge of the Bible and she lays out all the terms on the midterm and the final for you in midterm reviews), take it because the material is interesting and you're ready to learn--as you should be as a student at UVA anyway.

This class was not worth it for a 1000 level. You have to pay attention or you miss small details and the final has an extremely large number of terms to memorize and ridiculous passage IDs. Don't take unless you have a lot of background Biblical knowledge.

This class was pretty interesting, but it was a lot of work for a lower-level introductory religion class. Professor H-T was a great lecturer and very knowledgeable about the subject, but class was very demanding and required a lot of effort. Ashleigh was a great TA and made discussions enjoyable as well. Overall, a good class that requires a lot of hard work and effort just to pull off an A-.