RELC 1220

I took this class during COVID so it was online asynchronous. This was a very straightforward and easy class but I learned a lot and had fun with it. The format was weekly lectures, readings, and a weekly assignment (no exams!). I really enjoyed Dr. Spittler's lectures. She did a great job highlighting broad themes but also giving fun specifics. She is very understanding and even with 300 students, she seemed to really care that we were doing well and enjoying the class. I would recommend this class to anyone looking for a more laid-back class with an overview of canonical and noncanonical New Testament texts! #tCFspring21

She is an absolute must when she teaches it. Simple, Detailed, Intriguing. Weekly assignments and a grade booster. #tCFspring21

This class was taken online during Covid, and it was entirely asynchronous. Video lectures were posted twice a week, and a weekly assignment (all of them pretty easy to complete and very short) was due each Friday. I would've preferred this class in person as Spittler is very knowledgeable about the topic and an engaging lecturer, but it did feel a bit boring at times because it was asynchronous.

As someone who is Christian, I thought this class was going to be very interesting because it would explain the backgrounds of non-canonical and canonical texts and allow analysis through a literary lens, which is a unique perspective. While this is essentially what we did in class, it seemed like there wasn't a lot of applicability or conclusion from reading and analyzing texs. For example, we would read apocryphal and canonical texts, and Prof. Spittler essentially lectures on her & scholarly interpretations of what the writings mean, or what styles might indicate. However, there isn't a next step- we learn what they mean, but we don't really learn how these texts practically contribute to greater Christian belief either in early Christianity or contemporary Christianity; it feels like we just learn snippets of what early Christians might have believed. For me, it felt incomplete because I wanted to know the "why", but if you're content with just learning the "what" behind these texts, then this class is for you. That being said, the class is structured in a very student-friendly way: you attend lectures, read (or can sometimes skim) the readings before lectures (usually 3-25 pages, 2x per week but oftentimes not that much at all), and then there are weekly assignments due Friday at midnight that include outside activities to prompt deeper thinking & comprehension of the material covered in lectures. There are no exams, and no final exam. Prof. Spittler is nice and down-to-earth.

Loved this class! Prof. Spittler is super nice and the class is very easy. You'll read through much of the canonical New Testament (but not all), lots of non-canonical texts, and get some background on early Christianity during those times. There are weekly written assignments that are pretty easy and that's it – no exams, quizzes or papers. Kerwin Holmes is a nice and helpful TA, although he'd often take off small amounts of points on the assignments and not say why, which I found annoying. But the grades were still good, so it's chill. Prof. Spittler obviously knows a lot about this material and is enthusiastic about it. I kind of wish I had trouble with the material so I could justify going to office hours! Definitely recommend this if you're at all interested in Christian history or the Bible or are just looking for an easy class.

Professor Spittler is so nice and great at teaching! I loved this class, and with my previous knowledge of Christianity, I didn't have to do much reading other than the texts that weren't apart of the Bible that I had never read before. You only have one writing assignment per week, and they are very easy. The only thing I didn't like was that the TAs grade your assignment, and they sometimes don't explain very well why you lost points. I had to go to office hours a couple of times to discuss. But this class is an easy A.

This class was easy, however, your grade is based off of around twelve weekly written assignments about both canonical and non-canonical texts. The assignments typically took about thirty minutes to maybe an hour. There were some recommended, and sometimes required readings, however, I did not do them, and I still received an A in the class. There are no exams, quizzes or papers. Although, I do believe that your grade is highly dependent on your TA. Some TAs grade harsher than others, and may not provide feedback on why your points were deducted. Although I am not religious, I did particularly well in the course! I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is looking for a GPA booster and or to fulfill your general requirements #tCFfall22

Professor Spittler is the best! She's really knowledgeable on Early Christianity and is a really good lecturer. This course generally reads one book of the New Testament per class period (and also a lot of non-cannonical writings). Spittler then discusses it in class. I'd say the class is a good mix of religion-y analysis and historical analysis -- the questions aren't "did this happen?" or "what does this mean for theology?" but more "what does this tell us about early Christians?" or "who actually wrote this piece?" Spittler often has opinions but does a good job of recognizing other viewpoints and evidence. Each week there is a 300 word writing response you have to do. These take about 30 minutes and make up your entire grade, so it's a very low workload. I'd highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn more about Christianity in an academic setting. #tCFfall2022

This was one of the easier classes I've taken at UVA. Your whole grade is comprised of 12 assignments, and there were a couple of opportunities to replace/drop the lowest assignment(s). Each homework was about 250 words max, so it honestly did not take that long to complete. There were many readings for this class, but you can honestly get away with skimming them or just going over the powerpoints (it really depended on the assignment for that week). Professor Spittler is also very passionate about the content which makes the lectures a little more interesting. Plus the class itself is only 50 minutes long with no weekly discussion sections. Overall, one of the best electives to take if you're looking for an easy-A! #tCFF23

50 minute lectures, discussion section is "asynchronous" but it doesn't exist as something you have to attend, it's just a TA grading your homework.

Grade consists of 12 homework assignments throughout the whole semester, that's it. Super easy and always less than 250 words of writing. Lecture is genuinely pretty interesting, and Professor Spittler is super passion and good at speaking. Some TAs are harsher graders than others, some of my friends always got 10/10's on their assignments.

You can easily never show up to class, never read the slides, never do the readings, and still end with an A. If you're looking for a GPA boost, or to fill a gen-ed requirement, take this class without any second thought.

#tCFF23