Catalog of Courses for Jewish Studies
This course provides a wide-ranging exploration of the culture and thought of German-speaking Jewry from 1750 to the present. It focuses on the Jewish response to modernity in Central Europe and lasting transformations in Jewish life. We read the works of such figures as Moses Mendelssohn, Rachel Varnhagen, Heinrich Heine, Karl Marx, Else Lasker-Schüler, Inge Deutschkrohn, and Katja Petrowskaja.
An introduction to the pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and writing system of modern Israeli Hebrew. By the end of this sequence students have mastered the core grammatical principles of Hebrew, along with a basic vocabulary of 1000 words, and they are able to read and understand simple texts and carry out simple conversation. Includes material on Israeli culture, history, and politics.
Continuation of the study of the fundamentals of grammar, with special attention to verb conjugation, noun declension, and syntactic structure, and their occurrence in texts which deal with modern Israeli culture and values. These texts, which include excerpts from newspapers and fiction, introduce 600 new words and expose the learner to political and other issues of modern Israel. Prerequisite: HEBR 1020 with grade of C or above, or instructor permission.
This course focuses on the conjugation of weak, or hollow verbs, and the passive of all conjugations. It also continues the study of subordinate clauses with special attention to adverbial clauses and their use. Texts for the course, which form the basis for class discussion in Hebrew and exercises in Hebrew composition, are drawn from various genres. Prerequisite: HEBR 2020 or equivalent, or instructor permission.
This course provides a wide-ranging exploration of the culture and history of German Jewry from 1750 to 1939. It focuses on the Jewish response to modernity in Central Europe and the lasting transformations in Jewish life in Europe and later North America. Readings of such figures as: Moses Mendelssohn, Heinrich Heine, Rahel Varnhagen, Franz Kafka, Gershom Scholem, Martin Buber, Karl Marx, Rosa Luxembourg, Walter Benjamin, and Sigmund Freud.
This course examines the 350-year history of the Jewish people in colonial North American and the United States. It surveys the social, religious, cultural, and political life of Jews and the comparative dimension with other minority groups and Jewish communities across the world.
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of Jewish Studies.
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of Jewish Studies.
This course introduces and examines the origins and development of Jewish Studies with emphasis on its interdisciplinary character. Requirements include active class participation and a significant research paper based on a topic of the student's choice. This course is required of all fourth-year Jewish Studies majors. It is also open to all interested students with permission of the instructor.
This course offers students to conduct independent study in Jewish Studies under the supervision of a professor in Jewish Studies.
Thesis, directed by a member of the department, focusing on a specific problem in Jewish Studies. The thesis is based in part on at least three hours of directed reading in the field of the thesis. Prerequisite: Selection by faculty for Distinguished Major Program.
Thesis, directed by a member of the department, focusing on a specific problem in Jewish Studies. The thesis is based in part on at least three hours of directed reading in the field of the thesis. Prerequisite: Selection by faculty for Distinguished Major Program and JWST 4998.
This course explores theological and ethical themes in classical rabbinic literature (c. 200-600 CE). Focus is on gaining fluency in textual and conceptual analysis. Questions examined include: How is the relationship between God, humans generally and the people Israel specifically, imagined? What is evil and how is it best managed? What is the nature of one's obligation to fellow human beings? How does one cultivate an ideal self?
A seminar on the book of Genesis (with attention to its literary artistry, compositional history, and theological issues) and its subsequent interpretation.
A seminar on the biblical book of Job (with attention to its literary artistry and compositional history) and its subsequent interpretation.
A seminar on the biblical Song of Songs (with attention to its literary artistry and compositional history) and its subsequent interpretation.
This interdisciplinary course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in Jewish Studies at the graduate level.
Studies the history, literature, and religion of ancient Israel in the light of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Emphasizes methods of contemporary biblical criticism. Cross listed as RELJ 1210.
This course treats the phenomenon of prophecy in ancient Israel in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Biblical texts often deal with plagues and pestilence. Does our current location in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak help us understand these texts in new ways? How do these stories reveal ancient Israel's most cherished values? Do biblical accounts of plagues and pestilence offer us insight into our own predicament in the age of corona?
Studies the history, literature, and religion of ancient Israel in the light of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Emphasizes methods of contemporary biblical criticism. Cross listed as RELC 1210.
First half of a year-long introduction to biblical Hebrew, using an innovative language-learning approach. Through communicative activities in an immersive environment, students acquire oral and aural capacities naturally, in Hebrew. These capacities enable students to internalize the language and thus achieve the overall course goal: read simple biblical Hebrew prose with immediate comprehension. No Prerequisites.
Readings in the prose narratives of the Hebrew Bible. Emphasizes grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. Attention to issues of translation and interpretation. Prerequisite: HEBR/RELJ 1420 or the equivalent.
This course treats the phenomenon of prophecy in ancient Israel in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Biblical texts often deal with plagues and pestilence. Does our current location in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak help us understand these texts in new ways? How do these stories reveal ancient Israel's most cherished values? Do biblical accounts of plagues and pestilence offer us insight into our own predicament in the age of corona?
This course offers an introduction into the major themes of Modern Jewish Thought.
This course provides a wide-ranging exploration of the culture, history & thought of German Jewry from 1750 to 1939. It focuses on the Jewish response to modernity in Central Europe and the lasting transformations in Jewish life in Europe and later North America. Readings of such figures as: Moses Mendelssohn, Heinrich Heine, Rahel Varnhagen, Franz Kafka, Gershom Scholem, Martin Buber, Karl Marx, Rosa Luxembourg, Walter Benjamin, and Freud.
How might we radically reimagine what Judaism is, was, and could be through queer theory? How does Judaism queer our understanding of what "religion" is? What if we approached Judaism as queer religion? In this course, students will be encouraged to play with these sorts of questions, to rearrange categories and reassemble them into new and unexpected configurations. Rather than focusing on a discrete region or time-period, students will explore Queer Judaism from a multiplicity of genres, media, times, peoples, and places - from Trans Talmud to the AIDS blood mezuzah of Albert J. Winn.
This course is organized around great works in the history of art whose thematic content and historical context intersect with the Jewish experience. Each session focuses on one representative artwork from antiquity to the present to reveal something about Jewish history. Textual sources (biblical, poetic, literary, scholarly) help interpret the artwork.
This course explores theological and ethical themes in classical rabbinic literature (c. 200-600 CE). Focus is on gaining fluency in textual and conceptual analysis. Questions examined include: How is the relationship between God, humans generally and the people Israel specifically, imagined? What is evil and how is it best managed? What is the nature of one's obligation to fellow human beings? How does one cultivate an ideal self?