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Department of Jewish Studies
Fall 2023 Courses
Introduction to Modern Middle East
01:563:100
(cross-listed with 01:685:100)
This is the foundational course for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University. The course introduces students to Middle East Studies as an interdisciplinary academic field. Throughout the semester, we study key debates, events, and literature in several of the disciplines that constitute the field. Three major “modules” comprise the course but history is a defining discipline. The first module introduces Middle East Studies as a professional academic field in Euro-American universities by focusing on the relationship between power and knowledge. The second module explores major debates in the field from the vantage point of three major disciplines - History, Political Science, and Anthropology – as well as the key interdisciplinary framework of Political Economy. The third module provides a curated overview of major events, ideologies, and encounters that continue to shape the Modern Middle East: colonialism, nationalism, war, the nation-state system, and political Islam.
Introduction to the Modern Middle East is an intensive undergraduate level course meeting Core Curriculum learning goals and requiring 25-35 pages per session. The classes are a mixture of lectures and discussions. Students are expected to come to classes having prepared the reading(s) for the day and ready to discuss them in detail.
This course fulfills Core requirements CCO, SCL.
Fall 2023 taught face-to-face.
Mondays and Wednesdays @ 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Modern Israeli Culture
01:563:281
(cross-listed with 01:790:389 and 01:685:281)
This course looks at Israel from the perspective of the various cultural, religious, ethnic, gender, sexual, and racial identities that live in the state. Drawing on ethnographies of Israel, we will explore the intersections, similarities, and differences among these groups. How do cultures develop in opposition to each other? How do different cultures respond to the Arab-Israeli conflict? How has the conflict created new allegiances? What are the many religious identities in Israel and how do they each find religious meaning in the same space? How do peace-niks interact with a military society? What does women's activism look like? What is it like to be queer in a religious country? And how does music bring different people together?
This course fulfills Core requirement SCL.
Fall 2023 taught by Yael Shomer face-to-face.
Wednesdays @ 10:20 AM - 1:20 PM
Jewish History I: Ancient & Medieval
01:563:201
(cross-listed with 01:506:271 and 01:685:208)
Explore the history of Jews and Judaism from ancient Israel’s earliest origins to the late Middle Ages. Learn about archaeological findings, analyze ancient and medieval texts and works of art, and examine how one of the world’s oldest religious traditions evolved in a global context.
No prerequisites.
This course fulfills Core requirement HST.
Required of all Jewish Studies majors and minors.
Fall 2023 taught by Prof. Azzan Yadin-Israel face-to-face.
Mondays and Thursdays @ 10:20 AM - 11:40 AM
Have questions? You can email Prof. Yadin-Israel at
Statement on Addressing Antisemitism
The Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University addresses antisemitism by teaching students of all backgrounds about the complex history, and the changing manifestations and consequences, of antisemitism. Students are encouraged to engage thoughtfully with these subjects in courses such as Antisemitism; History of the Holocaust; Between Nazism and Communism; Jews, Heretics, and the Inquisition; Holocaust Memory; Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain; Modern Jewish History; and many others. The faculty works assiduously to create a safe intellectual environment for all Rutgers students to learn about these and other challenging subjects.
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