Contribute to Paths in Biblical Studies: SHORT COURSES

Paths in Biblical Studies is currently accepting short course proposals from scholars interested in sharing their expertise with a large, engaged audience of curious lay learners.

Short courses are featured on both our standalone course platform and inside our membership community, the Biblical Studies Academy (BSA).

We're seeking 1-lecture and 4-lecture courses that are academically rich, yet accessible to general audiences.

What We're Looking For

We welcome proposals on a broad range of topics related to:

• The Bible (Hebrew Bible / Old Testament & New Testament)
• Greco-Roman world
• Ancient Judaism
• Apocryphal texts
• Historical Jesus
• Christian origins
• Archaeology of the Bible

Our audience is made up of curious laypeople, skeptics, mainline Christians, non-religious history buffs, and lifelong learners, not professional academics.  We value clarity over technical jargon.

Three Ways to Contribute a Course

We offer three contribution options, depending on how much production support you want and whether you prefer to retain ownership.

Option A – Full Rights Granted (Fully Produced Course)

Best for scholars creating a polished course specifically for Paths in Biblical Studies.

You provide:

• A fully edited, ready-to-publish course (1 or 4 lectures)
• Final slides, quiz, reflection questions, and written descriptions
• Professionally recorded video/audio that meets our quality standards
• Properly licensed images and visuals

We provide:

• Hosting and distribution
• Marketing and promotion
• Inclusion in the Biblical Studies Academy (BSA)

You receive:

• 50% of all direct course sales
• Inclusion in the BSA Instructor Pool Fund
• 25% of additional income (e.g. licensing, audiobooks)

Read the full Option A Guidelines

Option B – Full Rights Granted (Zoom Recording, We Handle Editing)

You grant us full rights to the course, but you only need to record your lectures with slides — we handle the editing and polish.  Best for scholars who want to focus on teaching and leave production to us.  

You provide:

• Zoom-style recordings of your lectures (HD webcam + good audio)
• A basic slide deck
• Course overview (~300 words)
• Lecture descriptions (~100 words each)
• Reflection questions (2–3 per lecture)
• Quiz (10 questions for a 1-lecture course / 20 for a 4-lecture course)

(If PBS asks you to record the lectures live, a single 30-minute live Q&A session may also be requested.)

We provide:

• Editing, formatting, captions, and visual polish
• Hosting and promotion
• Inclusion in the Biblical Studies Academy

You receive:

• 25% of all direct course sales
• Inclusion in the BSA Instructor Pool Fund

Read the full Option B Guidelines

Option C – You Retain Ownership (Licensed, Fully Produced Course)

You keep ownership of your course and license it to us. Course must be fully produced and ready to publish.  Best for scholars who already have a completed course and want to license it for additional reach.

You provide:

• A fully produced, ready-to-publish course
• Final slides, quizzes, and supporting materials
• Confirmation that you retain IP while granting us a license to host and sell

We provide:

• Hosting and promotion
• Inclusion in the Biblical Studies Academy

You receive:

• 50% of all direct course sales
• $1 per hour viewed by BSA subscribers
• (Not included in the BSA Instructor Pool)

Read the full Option C Guidelines

 NEXT STEPS

Step 1: Email Bart to express interest
Step 2: Submit your proposal (title, course type, and one-paragraph overview)
Step 3: Bart will review and get back to you

If approved:
Step 4: Submit your course outline and lecture description

Step 5: Record the course
Step 6: Send in your materials
Step 7: We’ll review for content and audio/video quality and then publish