Department of Jewish Studies

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

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 – Part 2 (AMESALL, 013:153)
563:102:01; Index #44534; 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 #50899; 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 #48311; 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 #45888; 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)
563:371; Index #55906; MW4; Moshenberg                                                               Miller Hall, Rm 210
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.

YIDDISH

Elementary Modern Yiddish
563:104; Index #50191; 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
(History, 506:271; Middle Eastern Studies, 685:208)              
563:201; Index #45974; MW4; Tartakoff                                                                   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 #44476; MW4; Sinkoff                                                                      Hardenberg A5

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]        (Religion, 840:201)                
563:220:01; Index #50183; MTh3; Wallace                                                                 Scott 202
563:220:02; Index #51917; MW 5:00-6:20; Wiggins                                                    Lucy Stone Hall A142    
563:220:03; Index #51919; MTh 9:15-10:35; Wallace                                                 Ruth Adams Building, 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 #51237; MW 4; Kolbaba                                                                 Murray 204
563:223:02; Index #51922; TTh 3:20-4:40; Darden                                                      LSH B269
563:223:03; Index #51927; TTh 5:35-6:55; Wasserman                                                HSB 204

Interpretation of basic Christian scriptures in translation; influence of Jesus and Paul on the early Christian community.

Jewish Music: Past and Present
563:225:01; Index #57032; W 2&3; Kligman                                                               12 College Ave, Rm 107

Jewish Music has a complex history across a diversity of cultural settings.  This course will begin with an investigation of Jewish music in key historical contexts, including the Bible, liturgy, and pre-modern folk performance.  Next, the course will investigate Jewish music in the modern period, including 20th-century innovations, such as the klezmer revival, new Orthodox, and the Hasidic music scenes.

Introduction to Rabbinic Literature [CT]        (Religion, 840:241)
563:241; Index #55905; MTh2; Yadin                                                                          Miller Hall, Rm 210

This course will trace the historical developments that led to the establishment and eventual dominance of rabbinic Judaism. We will examine the historical and literary context of late Second Temple Judaism as the background to rabbinic Judaism, including the apocryphal writings and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The second part of the course will examine how the rabbis responded to these developments and came to a position of authority within the Jewish world. In discussing these matters we will read various rabbinic texts closely (especially the Mishnah and Tosefta). We will discuss the following topics:  the Rabbis and the Synagogue, the Rabbis and scriptural interpretation, and the social standing of the Rabbis. No prior knowledge necessary; all readings will be in English.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

563:300:01; Index #51728; MW4; Jones                                                                      Voorhees Hall 105
(History, 508:300:01, Middle Eastern Studies, 685, 300:01)
563:300:02; Index # 44535; MW5; Peleg                                                                      Murray 213
(History, 508:300:02, Middle Eastern Studies, 685:300:02, Political Science, 790:452:02)

This course will examine the conflict between Arabs and Jews over Palestine/Israel from the late 19th through the late 20th century. The course provides 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. The course also examines the impact of local, regional, and global politics on the evolution of the conflict over the course of the 20th century.

Israeli Culture: Land, Memory, Identity [SS]    (History, 508:310, Middle Eastern Studies, 685:310)
563:310:01; Index #55281; TTh5; Zerubavel                                                              12 College Ave, Rm 107

This course explores the role of the land in modern Israeli culture from the Zionist pioneering period to the present. Topics include: Land in Zionist memory and ideology; visual representations of the land; gender, landscape and literary representations; songs of the land and the performance of identity; archeology and historical sites; the politics of settlement; the desert in Israeli culture; hiking and touring the land; natural parks and the ecological discourse. Through the discussion of these topics, the course will address the diversity of attitudes toward the land and their historical transformations through the review of historical, sociological, and anthropological studies and the examination of literary texts, popular cultural expressions and artistic forms.

Modern Jewish Philosophy (Philosophy, 730:312)
563:312; Index #45386; TTh7; Levin                                                                         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.  Proceeding from the 17th to the 21st centuries, 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, and several contemporary thinkers. The course will examine how each of these thinkers developed original reformulations of the core outlook of Judaism in ways compatible with the modern intellectual idiom, thus creating a rich and diverse spectrum of options in modern Jewish thought.

Hebrew Prophets [CT]            (Religion, 840:303)
563:325; Index #51912; 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.

Introduction to the Middle East (Middle Eastern Studies, 685:350)
563:350; Index #51754; 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.

Jewish Immigrant Experience [SS]                (History, 506,375)
563:375; Index #55275; TTh4, Surowitz                                                                    Hardenberg B5

Focusing on the migrations of Jews from the early modern period to the present, this course will examine how migration shaped Jewish identities and cultures, including the ways Jews influenced their new homes and were, in turn, influenced by them. We will survey Jewish migrations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Americas. Topics to be covered include diaspora, transnationalism, and memory.

Topics: Arab Israeli Conflict (Middle Eastern Studies, 685:452:01; Political Science, 790:452:01)

563:394:01; Index #48277; MW 6:40-8:00, Abdeljaber                                              Tillett Hall, Rm 110

Open to Juniors and Seniors only

This course will examine how the Arab-Israeli conflict has been shaping and reshaping the landscape, history, and political developments of the Middle East for over a century. It will explore the roots of the conflict from the birth of Zionism in Europe to the peace processes of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Particular attention will be paid to the different narratives and discourse of all parties involved. Each student will select a country to act as its representative throughout the course. He/she will express the view of his/her particular government on topics under discussion. At the end of the course a round table peace conference will be held for half a day in which students will table a peace plan and debate it throughout the session. Each student will be required to give a statement on behalf of the state he/she represents.

Students are required to participate in the debate, follow certain blogs and websites, and follow the development in the areas under discussion on daily basis. A number of documentaries and films will be shown throughout the course.

Topics: Freedom and Oppression:The Passover Seder and its Contemporary Reinterpretations [SS]
563:395:01; Index #45187; MTh3; Kaiser                                                              12 College Ave, Rm 107

This course will begin with an overview of the history of the Passover holiday from it origins through the 21st century, examining how the current form of the holiday developed, with the seder as the main ritual and the Passover Haggadah as its “script.” The course will then examine in detail non-traditional seders in the United States and Israel during the last fifty years, focusing on their reinterpretation of the concepts of bondage/slavery and freedom/liberation in light of gender, flight from modern political oppression, Jewish-Black relations, and the Israel-Arab conflict. Source material for the course will include Haggadot, films, television, videos, fiction, and music. All course materials are in English. Course participation will include field work.

Topics: Zionism: Idea & Ideology (Middle Eastern Studies, 685:396:02, Political Science, 790:452:03)
563:396:02; Index #55909; MW6; Peleg                                                                  12 College Ave, Rm 107

The course will introduce students to the ideas and ideologies of Zionism as a national liberation movement. It will examine the historical background and specific circumstances of the movement’s inception and growth. Zionism will be explored as a case study of an idea and ideology, examining the interplay between a vision and the attempts to realize it. The course will identify and analyze the debates, controversies, and various interpretations of Zionism that have been part of the ideology and movement from its beginnings.

Topics: Jews and Revolution (History, 510:292:01)
563:396:03; Index #55285; MW6; Galili                                                                      Scott 102

Starting with a broad review of Jews in the revolutions of modern times, the course will focus on Jews and the Russian Revolution, and through it, on the place of nationalism and socialism in modern Jewish politics. Topics will include: Jews in the French Revolution, the revolutions of 1848, and European socialism; Jews in the revolutionary movements of tsarist Russia; Jewish responses to the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917; the pogroms that accompanied the Russian Civil War and foreign intervention in the aftermath of the Bolshevik seizure of power; Jewish participation in the Communist Party and its Jewish Section; Soviet policies on Hebrew culture and Zionism; early Soviet policies on anti-Semitism; the Jewish romance with Soviet Communism; Jewish agricultural settlement; Yiddish culture in the Soviet Union; Soviet Jews in the Second World War and the Holocaust; Stalin’s anti-Jewish campaign of the postwar years; Soviet Jews in the dissident movement and the turn to Zionism.

Topics: Tradition and Innovation in American Jewish Ritual Life
(American Studies, 050:300:04; Religion, 840:393:02)
563:397:01; Index #48312; TTh 6; Surowitz                                                                Scott 116

This course will focus on the tension between tradition and innovation that characterizes American Jewish lifecycles. The course will examine some of the ways in which American Jews have engaged various rituals including marriage, bar/bat mitzvah, and death and mourning rituals. We will explore the role and performance of ritual in individual and communal life and the importance of ritual to the creation and maintenance of identity. Theories of ritual and ethnographic practice will be included in our survey.

Jewish Studies Internship
563:460; Index #46209; 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: Jewish Identities in the Medieval Mediterranean (History, 506:402:02)
563:464; Index #44477; MTh3; Tartakoff                                                                      12 College Ave, Rm 206

Through assigned readings, class presentations, and discussions, students will explore a range of Jewish experiences in medieval Spain, North Africa, Italy, Greece, and the Near East, focusing on the period c.600-1391.  Students will consider both how Jews viewed themselves as well as how Christians and Muslims regarded Jews.  Topics to be covered include: Jews as poets in Muslim Spain; Jewish courtiers under Muslim and Christian rule; Jewish involvement in international commerce; poverty and charity among Jews in Egypt; Jews as scholars, philosophers, doctors, moneylenders, and mystics; the exploits of the messianic figure Abraham Abulafia; the travels of Benjamin of Tudela; Jews as anti-Christian polemicists, converts, and martyrs; and the many roles of Jewish women.

Throughout the course, students will grapple with historiographical questions regarding the differences between Jewish life under Muslim and Christian rule, the nature of so-called convivencia (a Spanish word, meaning “living together,” that has often been used to romanticize relations among Jews, Muslims, and Christians in medieval Spain), and the boundaries that separated Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the medieval Mediterranean. The Jewish Studies seminar is required for majors in Jewish Studies and is usually taken in the third year. It is open to other students with the instructor’s permission.

Independent Study and Research
563:492; Index #44884; 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 #45185; 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.

Standard Periods (80 min each):
1 8:10-9:30 a.m.       3    11:30-12:50 p.m.   5        2:50-4:10 p.m.    7    6:10 – 7:30 p.m.
2 9:50-11:10 a.m.     4     1:10-2:30 p.m.       6        4:30-5:50 p.m.    8    7:40 – 9:00 p.m.