Department of Jewish Studies
Spring 2010 Courses
See Summer Courses 2010
NOTE: the following codes indicate which elective courses fulfill distribution requirements for the Jewish Studies major:
[CT] = Classical Text course [ML] = Modern Literature course [SS]= Social Science course
LANGUAGE & LITERATURE COURSES
Elementary Modern Hebrew(AMESALL, 013:152)
563:101:01; Index #66271; MWTh2; Moshenberg MTh Scott 216; W Scott 221
563:101:02; Index #67528; MWTh3; Levy Scott 102
Introductory Hebrew: This course develops primary language skills through extensive practice in reading and writing. Since emphasis is put on the sentence as a unit of language, students are engaged from the very beginning in creative writing and speech as well as in achieving basic competence in grammar. Communication skills are enhanced by engaging in conversations based on everyday situations. No previous knowledge of Hebrew required.
Elementary Modern Hebrew (AMESALL, 013:152)
563:102:01; Index #64712; MWTh2; Levy Scott 220
Prerequisite: 563:101 or placement test.
A continuation of Elementary Modern Hebrew 101, this course further develops primary language skills that were introduced in the previous semester. Basic competence in the four areas of language (reading comprehension, creative writing, grammar, and speech) is acquired through extensive practice of grammar, reading various Hebrew texts, and writing. Communication skills are enhanced by engaging in conversations based on everyday situations.
Hebrew Review and Continuation (AMESALL, 013:156)
563:121:01; Index #72585; MWTh 3; Moshenberg Scott 214
This course is designed for students with previous exposure to Hebrew (e.g. heritage speakers, Jewish day school students, etc.), who are in need of a thorough review in order to enhance their basic language skills. Upon completion of this course, students will be placed into Intermediate Hebrew (01:563:131). The course emphasizes cognitive academic language proficiency as well as communication skills. Competence in the four areas of language (comprehensive reading, creative writing, grammar, and speech) is acquired through practice of grammar, reading of various Hebrew texts, class discussions, and composition writing.
Intermediate Modern Hebrew – Part 1 (AMESALL, 013:252)
563:131:01; Index #68893; MWTh2; Bryn-Noiman Murray 204
Prerequisite: 563:102 or placement test
The objectives of this course are twofold: development of language skills and preparing the students to approach Hebrew literature in an analytical and comprehensive manner. Students develop conversational skills by regular participation in class presentations and discussions of current events and cultural issues. Advanced grammatical forms are integrated into the reading material, based on a variety of modern Israeli literature.
Intermediate Modern Hebrew – Part 2 (AMESALL, 013:253)
563:132:01; Index #66157; MWTh3; Bryn-Noiman Scott 220
Prerequisite: 563:131 or placement test.
The objectives of this course are twofold: development of language skills and preparing students to read and analyze Hebrew literature. Students develop conversational skills by regular participation in class presentations and discussions of current and cultural events. Advance grammatical forms are integrated into the discussion of reading material, which is selected from various Hebrew sources.
Introduction to Modern Hebrew Literature (In Hebrew) [ML] (AMESALL, 013:355)
563:372; Index #74465; MW4; Moshenberg Scott 104
Prerequisite: 563:211 or placement test
Emphasis is on comprehension, conversation and composition, using readings in Hebrew drawn from popular Israeli literature complemented with magazine and press articles. The course focuses on the acquisition of academic language proficiency skills through the analysis of the cultural themes as they are reflected in the writings.
Note: This course is conducted in Hebrew and all readings are in Hebrew.
Biblical Hebrew II (AMESALL, 013:155)
563:142; Index #74747; MTh3; Rendsburg 12 College Avenue
This course serves as a continuation of Biblical Hebrew I. This course maintains the same goals and structure of the previous semester. In addition to providing students with basic knowledge of Standard Biblical Hebrew (that is, the language of narrative prose), this course will introduce students to the working of biblical poetry. In addition to continuing with the reading of prose texts, students also will read and analyze some basic poetry as found in the books of Psalms and Proverbs, as well as in the various prophetic books.
YIDDISH
Elementary Modern Yiddish
563:104; Index #71378; MWTh3; Portnoy Miller Hall 210
Prerequisite: 563:103
A continuation of Elementary Modern Yiddish 103, this introductory course is designed to teach basic conversational and reading skills. The origins of Yiddish and its dialectal variants are also discussed. Class activities also include participation in Yiddish skits and songs, screening Yiddish films and visiting the Yiddish theatre. Emphasis is placed on the importance of Yiddish language and culture as a tool in the study of Jewish history and literature.
OTHER COURSES
Jewish Society and Culture I: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
563:201; Index #66249; MW4; Yadin
(History, 506:271; Middle Eastern Studies, 685:208) Murray 210
This course will examine the social, economic, religious, and political experiences of the Jewish people from the crystallization of their national-religious consciousness in the Biblical period until the 15th century C.E. The religion and culture of the Jews will be discussed within the broader context of their environment. In the study of the ancient period, the course will survey the people of ancient Israel against the backdrop of ancient Near Eastern history and culture, starting with the emergence of the Israel in the land of Canaan c. 1200 B.C.E. through the compilation of the Mishna c. 220 C.E. Special areas of investigation will include the Babylonian Exile, the Second Temple period, the challenge of Hellenism, the Macabbean dynasty, the Jewish sects of late antiquity (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes), the Dead Sea Scrolls as a new source for Jewish historical and religious inquiry, the rise of Christianity, the Jewish revolts against Rome, and the importance of the Mishna as a code of law. In the study of the medieval era, the course will explore the consolidation and expansion of Rabbinic Judaism, the rise of Karaism as a challenge to the rabbis, the history of the Jews in both the Christian and Muslim spheres, theological debates between Judaism and Christianity, the joint cultural heritage of Jews and Muslims in the areas of poetry, philosophy, and science, the enterprise of biblical commentary, and the rise of Kabbalah. The course is required for majors and minors in Jewish Studies.
Jewish Society and Culture II: The Modern Experience (History, 506:272)
563:202; Index #64649; TTh4; Sinkoff Hardenberg B5
This course surveys the major trends in Jewish life from the ferment caused by the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the fifteenth century until the years between Europe’s two great twentieth-century wars. Lectures will highlight the political, social, religious, and intellectual life of the Jews. Topics of study include the emergence of Marranism, the rise of mercantilism and the resettlement of the Jews in Europe, the development of Jewish enlightenment (Haskalah), the debates over the political emancipation of the Jews, the emergence of Hasidism, the rise of Reform Judaism, modern anti-Semitism, Zionism, and Jewish life in Eastern Europe from the nineteenth century until the Russian Revolution. The course concludes with Jewish life in Weimar Germany during the interwar years. This course is required for minors and majors in Jewish Studies.
Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) [CT]
563:220:01; Index #71367; MTh3; Wallace Scott 202
563:220:02; Index #74655; MW 5:00-6:20; Wiggins Beck 250
563:220:03; Index #74657; MTh 9:15-10:35; Wallace RAB 204
Introduction to the literature of the Hebrew Bible and the world of ancient Israel, with an emphasis on literary, historical, and theological issues. In addition to the Bible, students are introduced to archaeological discoveries from Israel and elsewhere, which shed important light on the biblical text and the history and culture of ancient Israel. All texts are read in English translation.
New Testament [CT] (Religion, 840:202)
563:223:01; Index #73189; MW 2:15-3:35; Kolbaba CDL 103
563:223:02; Index #74660; TTh 3:20-4:40; Darden LSH B269
563:223:03; Index #74667; TTh 5:35-6:55; Wasserman RAB 204
Interpretation of basic Christian scriptures in translation; influence of Jesus and Paul on the early Christian community.
Remembering the Shtetl (History, 510:260)
563:260; Index #74460; TTh6; Shandler Scott 116
This course provides students with an introduction to the study of Yiddish culture by focusing on what has become understood as its quintessential locus: Jewish life in the shtetl, or small town, of Eastern Europe. The course provides students with historical and cultural background on the shtetl and traces the dynamics of the remembrance of the shtetl, from the late 19th century to the present. Students will read key works about shtetl life by major Yiddish authors, including Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer, and will examine the range of post-Holocaust remembrance of the shtetl in works of ethnography, memoir, literature, art, tourism, photography, and film. (All readings are in English.)
Arab-Israeli Conflict (History, 508:300, Middle Eastern Studies, 685:300)
563:300:01; Index #64713; MW5; Peleg Murray 213
563:300:03; Index #74419;MW4; Jones Voorhees Hall 105
This course will examine the conflict between Arabs and Jews over Palestine/Israel from the late 19th through the late 20th century. It will provide an introduction to the origins of the conflict by considering the social, ideological, and political forces that shaped it, including the rise of Israeli and Palestinian nationalisms, European anti-Semitism, global war, and imperialism. It will also examine the evolution of the conflict over the course of the 20th century by surveying the impact of local, regional, and global politics.
Modern Jewish Philosophy (Philosophy, 730:312)
563:312; Index #46064; TTh7; Redl Campbell A5
This course examines the ways in which general philosophy and the currents of Jewish life have shaped Jewish thought in the modern period. Beginning in the seventeenth century and concluding in the twenty-first, the course will acquaint students with the thought of Baruch Spinoza, Moses Mendelssohn, Hermann Cohen, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Mordecai Kaplan, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Neil Gillman, Emanuel Levinas, and Robert Gibbs. Issues discussed in the course will include God, creation, revelation, redemption, religious authority, Jewish peoplehood, messianism, personal immortality, ethics, and morality.
Hebrew Prophets (Religion, 840:303)
563:325; Index #74650; MW 6:40-8:00; Wiggins Lucy Stone Hall, A143
Pre-requisite: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, 563:220 or840:201,202 or permission of instructor; not open to freshmen
Development and diffusion of Israelite prophetic thought from early associations with divination in Near Eastern culture through the Exile and later decline.
American Jewish Experience in Literature (American Studies, 050:332)
563:332; Index #74274; TTh 3:55-5:15; Rockland Hickman 129
This course looks at ethnicity through American Jewish literature (and to some extent film) and examines the struggle between the forces of assimilation and Jewish identity in this literature. Starting with classic early 20th- C\century novels, such as Abraham Cahan's The Rise of David Levinsky, and looking at more modern works, such as Chaim Potok’s My Name is Asher Lev, Philip Roth’s Goodbye Columbus, and Saul Bellow’s Herzog the course will conclude with one of the instructor’s own novels.
American Jewish History (History, 512:345)
563:345; Index #74436; MW 4; Surowitz Hardenberg A5
This course will explore major events and issues in American Jewish history from the colonial period to the present. Following the successive waves of Jewish immigration to America, the course will focus on the social, cultural, political, and religious transformations of these communities, and the way that they constructed their identities. We will discuss some of the key figures in American Jewish history and their role in the development of American Judaisms. This course will contextualize American Jewry within the broader frameworks of Jewish history and American history. Topics to be covered include: immigration, acculturation, religious transformations, secularization, gender, diaspora theory, and community building.
Ethnography of Contemporary Jewish Life [SS] (American Studies, 050:337)
563:346; Index #74469; TTh4; Shandler Scott 101
This course looks at ethnicity through American Jewish literature (and to some extent film) and examines the struggle between the forces of assimilation and Jewish identity in this literature. Starting with classic early 20th- Century novels, such as Abraham Cahan's The Rise of David Levinsky, and looking at more modern works, such as Chaim Potok’s My Name is Asher Lev, Philip Roth’s Goodbye Columbus, and Saul Bellow’s Herzog the course will conclude with
one of the instructor’s own novels.
Introduction to the Middle East (Middle Eastern Studies, 685:350)
563:350; Index #74456; TF 10:20-11:40; Haghani Tillett 204
This course explores various aspects of the Modern Middle East, including art and architecture, ethnic diversity, literature, modern history, music, religion, and writing systems. It will encourage participants to analyze what they have learned about the region through education, family ties, travel, print and electronic media, etc. The course will strive to foster common understanding and break down stereotypes through collegial in-class activities.
Politics, Race and Culture: Blacks and Jews in America
(American Studies, 050:300:03; Africana Studies, 014:359)
563:359; Index #74611; Th 9:15-12:15; Fishbein RAB 014
The course explores the complexities of how black and Jewish political and cultural identities have evolved in relationship to one another via an examination of social and political history, literature, and film. Readings will include works by Philip Roth, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Anna Deveare Smith, and Jane Lazarre. Several films also will be screened.
Topics: Jews of Italy (Italian, 560:492:02)
563:394:01; Index #68853; MTh2; Lang 12 College Ave, Room 107
This course focuses on the Jews of Italy from the time of the French Revolution (1789) to the present. The course is organized chronologically and focuses on the complex relationship between minority Jewish communities and majority Christian communities in Italy, with special attention to social, cultural, economic, and religious issues. Topics include the specific identity of Italian Jewry, relationship with the Catholic Church, anti-Semitism in Italy, and the World War II period. Authors to be read include Primo Levi, Giorgio Bassani, and Rosetta Loy; films to be viewed include Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini and La Vita è Bella.
Topics: The Holocaust and Transgenerational Trauma
(German, 470:388:01 and Comp Lit, 195:398:02)
563:395:01; Index #65413; MW5; Schwab German House, 102
This course will explore how the legacy of the Holocaust is passed on across the generations. The focus lies on narratives of victims, particularly the descendants of Holocaust survivors, discussed alongside narratives of “children of perpetrators” in the postwar generation in Germany. We ask what happens to psychic, cultural and political life in the wake of unfathomable violence and explore the role of writing, including memoirs and “life writing” in the aftermath of traumatic and haunting histories. The course will also include a range of theoretical texts that provide a basic knowledge about trauma, traumatic writing and the Holocaust.
Topics: Modern Middle East (History, 508:205; Middle Eastern St, 685:305)
563:396:01; Index #74463; MW5, Valenti Frelinghuysen A5
This course is designed to introduce the students to the modern Near/Middle East. We will survey the major historical and political developments in the region from roughly 1700 to the present. The course is divided into two sections. The first section will cover broad historical themes such as the development and political influence of the Ottoman Empire and the impact of European imperialism in the region. Significant attention will be given to the Ottoman Empire—as both an introduction for students to this important historical entity as well as understanding its legacy in the post-WWI era. The crucial watershed of WWI and its impact on the region, heralding the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of a new imperial order, is a very important part of this section. We will then turn to Palestine and study the emergence of the Zionist movement and creation of Israel. After the midterm we will study the Arab-Israeli conflict and related political issues that affected the region, such as the Cold War, new ideologies, and intra-state rivalries. With these previously discussed issues serving as a backdrop, we will then analyze important historical events and political movements in a select group of Middle Eastern countries.
Topics: Leadership in the Jewish and Israeli Context
563:397:01; Index #68894; MW4; Peleg 12 College Avenue, Room 107
This course examines leadership as a question addressed by Jewish societies from ancient times to the present. Examples examined will include famous Jewish leaders, ranging from biblical patriarchs (Abraham, Moses, Joshua) to modern Israeli figures (Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin). Theories of leadership, in contexts ranging from small social groups to nations, will also be explored.
Jewish Studies Internship
563:460; Index #66501; By arrangement; open only to Jewish Studies majors and minors in their junior or senior year
This course enables students to pursue an independent research project while working in a Jewish public cultural or social institution as a supervised intern. Students are expected to work 8 hours per week (i.e. 112 hours during the semester, or its equivalent in a summer internship) at a site approved by the Jewish Studies department. Student’s pre-approval by both the department and the hosting agency is required. In addition to their internship hours, students are required to prepare a report, paper, or other project related to the nature of the internship.
Jewish Studies Seminar: The Jewish Historian’s Craft (History, 506:402)
563:464; Index #64650; TTh6; Sinkoff Miller Hall, Room 210
This course will introduce students to the central trends and personalities in the academic writing of Jewish history. We will cover the classic debates in modern Jewish historiography as well as to engage in newer debates within general historiography that have had an impact on the writing of Jewish history. Students will encounter the work of the founders of the field of Jewish historiography, including Heinreich Graetz, Simon Dubnow, Salo Baron, Gershom Scholem, and others. Topics to be covered include: The origins of Jewish historical writing and the periodization of Jewish history; Enlightenment; emancipation; mysticism and messianism; Hasidism, Jewish politics; Holocaust; Diaspora, Zion, and modern Jewish nationalism; heresies and boundaries in Jewish history. This seminar is required of Jewish Studies majors and is open to others with the instructor's permission.
“The good historian is like the giant of the fairy tale. He knows that whenever he catches the scent of human flesh, there his quarry lies.” (Marc Bloch, /The Historian’s Craft/, 26)
Independent Study and Research
563:492; Index #65083; By arrangement; Staff
Students can pursue an independent study project beyond the department’s normal offerings with a faculty member who has expertise in the student’s area of interest, subject to the approval of the Department’s Undergraduate Advisor. An independent study should be the equivalent of a one-semester course and can include guided research, fieldwork, or a directed reading. A research paper or written report is required for all independent study projects.
Senior Honors
563:497:H1; Index #65411; By arrangement; Staff (Prerequisite: Permission of the Department Chair)
The honors program offers qualified students the opportunity to pursue a research project in depth for the entire senior year, culminating in the writing of a thesis, under the supervision of a faculty advisor. To be considered, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, and 3.4 or better in Jewish Studies courses. Jewish Studies majors who wish to pursue an honors thesis are encouraged to meet with the Department’s Undergraduate Advisor during the second term of their junior year in order to plan their project, and by the end of their junior year they should submit the formal proposal to the Department’s office. Approval of the honors thesis is required for admission to the honors program. Honors students enroll in 01:563:496 and 01:563:497 Jewish Studies honors courses, and upon the completion of their honors thesis should pass an oral examination given by the department.
BYRNE FIRST YEAR SEMINARS (January - April)
What if you can't go home? Cultural Effects of Nazism and Communism on Individual Lives after World War II
T3, Sinkoff, Scott 115
The Bible Through Literary Eyes
W5, Rendsburg, 12 College Ave, Room 206
