Foundations: Reading the Old Testament
Reading the Old Testament is an online unit taken over 15 weeks, using Cliff College's online learning platform.
The Old Testament contains foundational narratives, theological perspectives and devotional practices that have shaped the Christian community since its beginning. As Scripture, the Old Testament continues to inform Christian faith and practice in the contemporary world. In this unit, Foundations: Reading the Old Testament, students are introduced to the literature, history and message of the Old Testament. The unit provides students with tools to enable them to read the Old Testament in its context and to use it appropriately in mission and ministry today.
Reading the Old Testament is taught in ten sessions over ten weeks, with a further five weeks to prepare and submit your assessment. More detail of the unit structure is available under 'Dates and cost'.
This unit will be available in January 2026 and is taught in ten sessions over ten weeks, with a further five weeks to prepare and submit your assessment. The first and last sessions are live seminars which you will need to attend either online or onsite at Cliff College - the dates for these will be available in summer 2025.
The other eight sessions are designed for independent study and are made up of video content, reading, written tasks and other creative activities to help consolidate your learning. These can be done at any time in the week that suits you. We recommend that you allow two hours of learning for each session, plus time for reading and assessment preparation. The assessment will usually include writing an essay or creative article, recording a short presentation and completing some online exercises.
Throughout the unit you will have opportunities through scheduled online meetings to check in with Cliff College staff, discuss your learning and experience of the unit, seek guidance on assessments and ask any questions you have.
This unit costs £360, including access to all teaching materials and tutorial support throughout your time of study.
Applications for this programme will open in spring 2025. If you have any questions about the unit or would like to speak to someone before applying, please contact enquiries@cliffcollege.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
A Level 3 qualification (such as an A Level) or equivalent.
It is recognised that standard procedures for assessing applications may not always provide an accurate understanding of an applicant's suitability. In such cases where a Level 3 qualification is not held, qualification it is still possible to apply, and these applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with our non-standard entry process.
English language proficiency
Applicants whose first language is not English shall have achieved an overall IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent in an equivalent recognised test. This must have been achieved no longer than two years before the date of enrolment on the unit.
Part of learning on a Foundations unit is preparing and submitting assessments. These are normally a creative written assessment and a recorded presentation. There are also two sets of multiple-choice questions (one at the mid-point of the unit, one at the end) which form part of your overall grade.
For this unit, your assessments will be:
- Write an 800-word creative article on a set text;
- Prepare and record a ten-minute presentation on a chosen book of the Old Testament.
You will receive further information and guidance on preparing and submitting assessments when you have enrolled on your unit, both as part of the orientation course and in the unit overview materials. There are also scheduled online meetings with Cliff College staff throughout the unit, where you can ask questions about the assessments or any other element of the unit.