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Major in Jewish Studies

The major in Jewish Studies requires a minimum of 30 hours.

1. Foundational course, 3 hours. JS 180W Introduction to Jewish Studies: Brothers and Others.  
2. Hebrew, 6 hours. Intermediate Hebrew (Hebrew 113a–b). Proficiency at the level of Intermediate Hebrew can be demonstrated through testing.
3. Focus courses, 12 hours selected from 3 of 4 subfields of study:

• Biblical Studies
• Antiquity and the Medieval World
• Modern and Contemporary Experience
• Culture, Philosophy, and Literature

4. Senior seminar, 3 hours. JS 295, Senior Seminar, or JS 296, Senior Project in Jewish Studies.

Electives (minimum of 6 hours)

In addition to courses drawn from departments and the professional schools, non-traditional course work may also be selected, including archaeology at Tel Megiddo (Israel), service learning, and internships. Study abroad is encouraged and can be fulfilled with Jewish Studies in Prague and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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Honors in Jewish Studies

The Honors Program in Jewish Studies affords superior students a more intensive concentration within their major field. The program requires:

1. 3.0 cumulative grade point average
2. 3.25 grade point average in Jewish Studies
3. Completion of the junior year
4. 6 hours in Honors sections (JS 298a–298b), including completion of thesis—these hours may count toward the major
5. Honors thesis to be completed by mid-spring of the senior year
6. Successful completion of an honors oral examination on the topic of the thesis

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Minor in Jewish Studies

The minor in Jewish Studies provides a basic understanding of Jewish history and culture across continents and the past three millennia. The minor requires a minimum of 18 hours.

Core Requirements (15 hours)

• Foundational course, 3 hours. JS 180W Introduction to Jewish Studies: Brothers and Others.
• Language,6 hours, Elementary Hebrew (111a-111b).   Proficiency at the level of Elementary Hebrew may be demonstrated through testing.
• Focus courses, 6 hours. (See major for categories)

Electives (minimum of 3 hours)

Special Topics courses or First-Year Writing Seminar courses dealing with topics related to Jewish Studies may be counted with the approval of the major or minor adviser.

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Advising

Students will be advised by Professor Sasson, the program director. The Jewish Studies oversight committee has a rotating membership of faculty members. The current members are: Martina Urban (Jewish Studies), David Wasserstein (History), Marcy Singer-Gabella (Peabody), Idit Dobbs-Weinstein (Philosophy), Leah Marcus (English), Robert Barsky (French/Italian, Comparative Literature), Michael Rose (Blair School of Music), Amy-Jill Levine (Divinity School), and Beverly Moran (Law).

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FALL 2008
COURSE SCHEDULE

JEWISH STUDIES
Fall 2008
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

JS 280. Contemporary Jewish Issues (Service Learning in Jewish Studies). Projects will vary according to instructor. Service to community will be integral part of course. [3]

JS 288a-288b. Internship. Under faculty supervision, students gain experience in any of a variety of settings, such as community, municipal, or government agencies. A thorough report and research paper are required.

JS 288a.Internship Training. May be taken on a Pass/Fail basis only and must be taken concurrently with 288b. [Variable credit:1-3]

JS 288b. Internship Research. Students will write research paper drawing on their experiences in 288a. [3]

JS 289. Independent Study. A research project carried out under the supervision of a faculty mentor. [Variable credit: 1-3; may be repeated to a maximum of 3]

JS 290. Directed Readings. Advanced readings and research on a selected topic done under the supervision of a faculty mentor. [3] Staff.

JS 294. Special Topics. Topics to be announced. May be repeated if there is no duplication of material. [3]

JS 295. Senior Seminar. Advanced reading and research in a particular area of Jewish Studies. [3]

JS 296. Senior Project in Jewish Studies. Readings and independent research. Open only to seniors. [3] Staff.

JS 298a. Seniors Honors Research Seminar. Presentation and discussion of progress being made on honor theses. Open only to senior honors students. [3-3]

LANGUAGE

ARA 230a. Advanced Arabic. Further development of listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills in the Arabic language. Emphasis on grammar and literary techniques. Prerequisite: two years of Arabic or equivalent. FALL, SPRING. [3–3] Hamad.

HEBR 111a. Elementary Hebrew. Introduction to alphabet, the basics of grammar, and elementary conversation. Classes meet three times per week with an additional two hours a week required in the language laboratory. FALL. [4] Halachmi.

HEBR 113a. Intermediate Hebrew. Continuation of 111a. Greater stress upon conversation and grammar. Classes meet three times a week with an additional two hours a week required in the language laboratory. SPRING. [4] Halachmi.

HEBR 298a. Independent Study. [3] Halachmi.

REL 2500. Biblical Hebrew. This is the first course in a two-semester sequence leading to a reading knowledge of the Hebrew Bible; concentration is upon the basic elements and grammatical study of the language whereupon students begin to read from the original texts. Open for credit to M.A. students only. FALL. [3] Staff.

REL 3831. Akkadian I. In the first semester of an academic year sequence, students will be introduced to the cuneiform script and to the grammar of Akkadian, the language of ancient Mesopotamia; selected readings will be from  Old Babylonian (Codex Hammurabi, "The Mari Letters") and from Neo-Assyrian texts ("Creation Poem," The Epic of Gilgamesh). REL 3832 will be offered during the 2009 spring semester. FALL [3] Sasson, J.
                                                                                                                                                                       

BIBLICAL STUDIES

RLST 108.Themes in the Hebrew Bible. A thematic introduction to the Hebrew Scripture/Old Testament. Selected themes-such as creation, revelation, covenant, law, suffering, and messianic expectations-are traced through the diverse parts of the Bible (Pentateuch, Prophetic Writings, and Wisdom Literature) as well as in early Jewish texts. The comparison of the various expressions of these themes shows both the distinctiveness of each document and the continuity of the Biblical faith through the centuries. FALL [3] Azzoni.

REL 2503. The Hebrew Bible. The life and thought of ancient Israel, with emphasis on the community’s understanding of itself and of its role in history. Concentrates both on problems of historical and literary introduction and on Israelite religious practice and faith. Not available for Ph.D. credit in biblical studies.FALL. [3].Knight, D.    

REL 3114.      The Megillot. In this course, participants will study the Five Scrolls (Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther) literarily, critically, and contextually. Students also will discuss the place of each Scroll in Jewish and Christian canons and liturgy. Students who have a knowledge of the Hebrew language will meet for an additional reading and recitation hour each week. FALL. [3] Sasson, J.

ANTIQUITY AND THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

ANTH 104. Introduction to Archaeology. Archaeological interpretation and knowledge of global human history from early settled villages through the rise of the first civilizations. Archaeological methods and analysis, interpretive controversies, and cultural heritage. Environment, technology, religion, and human diversity in past cultural transformations, and the rise of early cities and states. FALL. [3] Janusek.

ANTH 215. The Collapse of Civilizations. Causes of the decline or collapse of complex societies. Old World and New World examples. Historical, anthropological, and paleoecological theories and controversies. FALL. [3] Demarest.

CLAS 208. History of Greece to Alexander the Great. The Greek world from the beginning of the Mycenaean Age (1650 B.C.) to the end of the Classical period. Special attention to the relationship between political history and the development of Hellenism. FALL. [3] Hendrick.

CLAS 217. Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt. Art, architecture, and culture of Egypt from the fourth millennium through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Sculpture, wall painting, architecture, and material culture. [3] (Offered 2008/2009)

CLAS 224. The Ancient Origins of Religious Conflict in the Middle East. Religious oppositions in the eastern Mediterranean world from the Maccabean revolt to the Muslim conquests of the seventh century; beginnings of religious militancy; challenges of monotheism to Greco-Roman civilization; conversion, persecution, and concepts of heresy and holy war in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. FALL. [3] Drews.

HIST 226  01 Europe in the Age of Revolution, 1789–1815. Political, cultural, and economic upheavals in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; the French Revolution and Napoleon, romanticism, and early industrialization. Emphasis on Britain, France, and Germany. FALL. [3] Ramsey

RLST 254. The Qur’an and Its Interpreters. The Qur’an and the Islamic tradition of interpretation. The treatment of Biblical prophets, Jesus and Satan. Interpretations will be drawn from all time periods including rationalist, dogmatic, Shi’i and mystical schools of interpretation. Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies. SPRING. [3] McGregor.    

REL 3813.     History of Ancient Israel. Examination of the major areas of debate in the reconstruction of the history of ancient Israel and analysis of the important extra-biblical sources that have contributed to the scholarship on ancient Israel’s history.  The course also will address the roles that ancient Israel’s Near Eastern neighbors played in the development of ancient Israel’s history. FALL. [3] Azzoni, A.

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY EXPERIENCE

GER 221. German Culture and Literature. Introduction to major periods and genres of German cultural production from the middle ages to the present; overview of major social and political developments. Literary, philosophical, and other texts. Readings and discussions in German. FALL, [3] Setje-Eilers.

GER 265. Revolutionizing Twentieth-Century Theater. German drama and dramatic theory from Naturalism to the present. Emphasis on Brecht and post-Brechtian drama. FALL. [3]  Setje-Eilers.

GER 273. Nazi Cinema: The Manipulation of Mass Culture. Nazi manipulation of mass culture through film (propaganda, musicals, westerns). Some comparison with American film of the era, additional examination of “fascist” aesthetic legacy in American culture today. No knowledge of German required. Taught in English. FALL. [3] Eigen

HIST 228  01. Europe, 1900-1945.  Political, socioeconomic, cultural, and colonial history of Europe from 1914 to the fall of Hitler. FALL. [3] Grunwald.

HIST 230  01.     20th Century Germany. The turbulent history of Germany, as it went from authoritarian state to volatile democracy, to National Socialist dictatorship, to divided country, and to reunification. Special emphasis placed on the Nazi dictatorship, its origins and legacy. No credit for students who have completed 230b. FALL. [3] Grunwald.

JS 115F.07. From Freud to Chomsky: Revolutionary Sciences in Jewish America. A surprising number of Jewish European and American linguists, poets, anthropologists, media-types and scientists of the Cold War era were inspired by “new techniques” aimed at uncovering the mathematical, psychic, poetic or biological basis of language. Given the political urgency of this project, and the vast sums of money available to those involved in propaganda, anti-propaganda, decoding, translating, and describing language, it’s not surprising that this period was witness to a convergence between radical politics, military exigencies and willful reverie. This course will survey the range of experiments undertaken by Jews working in different disciplines, and thereby make some surprising links between well-known Jewish intellectuals, including Noam Chomsky, Louis Brandeis, Albert Einstein, Allen Ginsberg, and Roman Jakobson. FALL. [3] Barsky.

JS 115F.09 Jews and Muslims: A Modern History. What do you think of when you hear the words “Jews and Muslims”? Can we think of Muslims and Jews together without conjuring a vision of raised guns and bombs exploding? What is the history of Muslim-Jewish relations beyond the images of violence in the Middle East that so often flash across our television screens? Turning our focus to Jewish communities indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, this class seeks to answer that question by covering a neglected chapter of Muslim-Jewish relations: It is a history of Jews and Muslims who lived as neighbors, in cooperation as well as in conflict. We will look at the experiences of those who lived through periods of major upheavals (including the impact of colonialism, imperialism, nationalism and decolonization) in order to understand the effect these different processes had on inter-communal relations across time and space. Our sources will include letters, newspapers, memoirs, histories, ethnographies, photographs, postcards, music and films. As a freshman writing course, this class dedicates special attention to honing writing skills and the critical evaluation of sources. FALL. [3] Cohen, J

JS 256. Power and Diplomacy in the Modern Middle East. History of the Middle East in the 19th and 20th centuries with an emphasis on U.S. involvement after 1945. U.S. relationship with Israel, and its impact on the region. FALL. [3] Schwartz.

PSCI 284  01                              Selected Topics: German Politics & Culture                               HANCOCK, D.    

RLST 229. The Holocaust: Its Meaning and Implications. An interdisciplinary study of the systematic destruction of the European Jewish communities during World War II. Historical, social, political, cultural developments that led to it. Psychological and sociological dimensions of its aftermath. Philosophical and theological problems it raises for both Jews and Christians. SPRING. [3] Geller.    

CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, AND LITERATURE

ANTH 115.05. First Year Seminar: Religion in Cross Cultural Encounters: Conversion and Transformation in the Americas. Exploration of processes of cross-cultural negotiation and translation in religious encounters between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the Americas.  Discussion of colonial strategies of religious eradication and substitution, and indigenous responses to them.  Everyday negotiations of religious meaning and practice.  Archaeological and historical study of missionary encounters.  Focused case studies from throughout the Americas, ranging from colonial to present times. FALL. [3] WERNKE, S

ANTH 206. Theories of Culture and Human Nature. Survey of the views of anthropological thinkers, from the late nineteenth century to the present, about the basic attributes of humankind and human culture. Comparison of different ideas of how people create culture and in turn are molded by culture. FALL. [3] Colas.

ENGL 115F-12. Freshman Writing Seminar. Believers, Fanatics & Fundamentalists: Religion and Repression in World Literature. Events of the past few years show that religious intolerance remains a powerful force.  In a world of increasing mobility, where people from different spiritual traditions encounter each other more than ever before, the question of tolerance assumes great significance.  In this course we will examine how authors from the eighteenth century to the present have confronted the issue of religious repression and exclusivity.  What are the consequences of believing that one’s own faith is the true faith?  What kinds of fears motivate the individual to lash out at those whose belief is different from theirs?  What role do art and literature play in societies governed by religious extremists?  How can different faiths speak to each other?  We will begin with short selections from Voltaire and follow these with Gotthold Lessing’s Nathan and the Wise.  Works from the nineteenth century include James Hogg’s Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.  The rest of the readings will come from the last ten years; Tamar Diaout’s The Last Summer of Reason, Orhan Pamuk’s Snow or My Name is Red, Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran, the stories of Salman Rushdie, and a selection from the Left Behind series of novels. FALL [3] Moore, R.

ENGL 244-01. Critical Theory: Finding Theories of Laughter, Passion, Recollection and Forgetting in Great Fiction. “Theory” doesn’t seem critical to most people, unless they can be turned on to the exciting work that is being done on the carnivalesque, the mind/brain relation, the origins of human language, and why it is that we can be so turned on, or upset, or inspired, or shocked, by the stories that are told in literature. In this course we shall read great works of fiction in English that move us to reflect upon the really basic questions about reading, writing, and telling stories, and along the way we’ll be inspired by powerful words to laugh, to cry, to dream and to wonder why fiction is the gateway to the magic of abstract exploration of our minds, and the possible worlds they can create. FALL [3] Barsky.

ENGL 288-03. Special Topics in English/American Literature: Romantic Poetry to the Beat Generation: The Liberation of the Poetic Body.  The Romantic poets talked about their bodies, they hiked, they skated, they voyaged, they loved, and along the way they wrote, sometimes, it would seem, they wrote while perched precariously upon a cliff in Italy or near a lake in Switzerland in the face of an impending storm. This sensibility inspired the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Joyce Johnson, William S. Burroughs, Diane Di Prima, Jack Kerouac, Hettie Jones and so many others who fearlessly explored the furthest reaches of America — and their minds, with the artifice of poetry, the waves (and rolls) of prose, and the cacophony of jazz-turned-music upon the page. FALL [3] Barsky.
 
ENGL 355-01. Special Topics: Literary Geography.This seminar will investigate the relationship between literature and geography: how literature, particularly the novel, both imagines and represents political territory, and how literary historians and critics narrate this relationship. We will focus on the circulation of literature, literary communities, and languages beyond national borders, interrogating such terms as "international," "transnational," "global," and "diasporic."  The class will be divided into two sections. The first section will explore key theoretical models of literary geography, Weltliteratur, “Third-World Literature,” and imagined communities. The second section of the class will examine two geographically motivated models of literary history: The Black Atlantic and the Jewish Diaspora. Both these models harness the power of regional and diasporic geographies to challenge national literary narratives and to make visible obscured cultural formations. Students in the class will be given an opportunity to develop and explore their own alternative literary geographies. Readings include literary works by Junot Diaz, José Rizal, Derek Walcott, Philip Roth, Franz Kafka, and Jacqueline Kahanoff. Critical works include texts by Aijaz Ahmand, Benedict Anderson, Rey Chow, Emily Apter, Pheng Cheah, Paul Gilroy, James Clifford, and Daniel Boyarin. FALL [3] Schachter.

EUS 201. European Society and Culture. An interdisciplinary survey of European society, culture, and politics since 1900. FALL. [3] Bess, Werner, Grunwald.

EUS 225. European Realism. Analysis of representative nineteenth-century novels that gave rise to current theories of realism. Balzac, Dickens, Clarín, Galdós, and Dostoevsky. FALL. [3]

FREN 255. French Feminist Thought: Literary and Critical. Feminist themes in twentieth-century French literature and criticism. Authors include Beauvoir, Duras, Sarraute, Irigaray, Cixous.Prerequisite: 220. Recommended: 214. FALL. [3] Debrauwere-Miller.

FREN 294A 01.  Special Topics: Emile Zola: From Naturalist Novels to Social Activism.  This course will introduce students to Emile Zola’s fiction, including examples of work from the long series of novels called Les Rougon Macquart, about a family under the Second Empire. Different facets of Zola’s writings will be discussed, including his method of researching his subject matter, the style of his writing, as well as the "environmental" influences of violence, prostitution, alcoholism and what he described as “the fatal convulsions that accompany the birth of a new world.” Students will also be introduced to the idea of the public intellectual, with reference to Zola’s “J’Accuse,” an open letter to the president denouncing the wrongful conviction of a Jewish officer of the French army for treason. FALL. [3] Barsky.

FREN 394  01.   Special Topics: Intellect: France US                                      BARSKY, R

GER  115F 03.    First Year Seminar: Pioneers of Literary Modernity : Brecht, Kafka, Rilke        ZELLER, C

GER  385A 01.   Problems in Germanic Language & Literature                   FIGAL/EIGEN, S

JS 115F.04. FYS: Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs: Black-Jewish Relations in the 1950s and 1960s. Through an examination of historical and literary texts, as well as visual images, this course will explore the shared history of Blacks and Jews, focusing on the period of its greatest intensity, the 1950’s and 1960’s. The course will show examples of Black-Jewish relations ranging from the heights of utopian co-operation to the depths of dystopian conflict, with many halfway points in between. [3] Meyer.

JS 115F.05. FYS:Gender, Sexuality, and Desire in Jewish Literature. Do images of the Jewish mother and the neurotic Jew in American popular culture originate from the Bible? In this course we will study the history of Jewish culture through an examination of changing representations of gender in Jewish literature and film. We will look at texts that both represent and challenge accepted ideas about gender roles, male and female sexuality, marriage, and beauty ideals. We will also consider whether male and female writers portray gender differently. Our readings will span a broad range of literary texts, from biblical stories to contemporary American Yiddish literature. Topics to be discussed include: same sex desire, Jewish mothers, henpecked husbands, drag, and representations of the Jewish body. This course will serve as an introduction to both gender studies and Jewish literature. No prior knowledge of Jewish culture is required. [3] Schachter

JS 115F.08 FYS: Berlin: Cabaret, Communism, Creativity. In the early 20th century, Berlin was widely considered the most vibrant city in Europe and the birthplace of modernism. It has often been noted that the city’s Jewish population stood at the forefront of innovation, creativity, and urbanism. It is more than a cliché that the Jews pioneered many of the characteristics of the urban avant-garde. As the well-known Jewish writer Joseph Roth so poignantly observed, Jewish writers were preoccupied with “the theme of the city.” In stark contrast, non-Jewish German writers often had contempt for the city and turned their gaze on the allegedly idyllic rural life. What is the reason for the fascination of the Jews with the city? Why did so many famous Jews shape the mythos of Berlin in art, literature, film, science, architecture, and technology? How can their aptitude for cosmopolitanism be explained? What do the department store, the skyscraper, cabaret, theater, and café culture have to do with Jews? How did Jews interact with other local promoters of modernism? We shall examine how Jewish writers, filmmakers, dramatists, and intellectuals experienced and represented the city until the Nazi rise to power in 1933. We shall try to gain an understanding of what modernism is and explore through film, fiction, exhibition catalogues and other primary sources why Jews became important agents of modernity. FALL. [3] Urban.

JS 180W. Introduction to Jewish Studies. An introduction to Judaism and to Jewish history through a number of different lenses: religious, philosophical, political, social, psychological, and artistic.  The course will follow a roughly chronological order, emphasizing the four areas that students will encounter in the overall Program:  Biblical Studies; Antiquity and the Medieval World; the Modern and Contemporary Experience; and Culture, Philosophy, and Literature.  FALL, SPRING [3] Meyer.

Music Literature (Blair) 261. Music, Identity, and Diversity. Issues of multiculturalism and intersections with musical expression in America. Cultural determinants such as race, gender, ethnicity, class, religion, language, ideology, folklore, and history will be studied critically. Prerequisite: any MUSL course or American and Southern Studies 100. [3] Simonett.

PHIL 115F 08                             FYS: Concepts of God                                                                          HODGES, M      

PHIL 120. The Meaning of Life.  Accounts of life’s meaning. The relations between ways of living, happiness, and the fact of death. The individual’s role in giving meaning to life. Readings from Mill, Tolstoy, Kierkegaard, and several contemporary thinkers. SPRING. [3] Faber.

PHIL 262. Islamic Philosophy.  Introduction to the major figures of Islamic philosophy including Kindi, Razi, Farabi, Avicenna, and Ibn Khaldun. [3] Goodman.    

PHIL 353  02                              Fig: Spinoza                                                 DOBBS-WEINSTEIN, I

PHIL 353  05                              Fig: Marx                                                        HOROWITZ, G    

RLST 112. Introduction to Judaism. Comprehensive historical overview of Judaism as a religion and a culture. The main ideas and institutions of Judaism, the centrality of the Hebrew Bible and the meaning of interpretation, thinkers, and movements in Jewish civilization, from rabbinic Judaism, medieval philosophy, mysticism, to modern thought, Zionism, and the foundation of the State of Israel. Recent Jewish self-representation in art. [3] Urban.

RLST 115F.01. God , Sex, and Earth.  This course examines the relations among ideas of the sacred, gendered humans, and the Earth. Religions have foundational myths or cosmologies that help make sense of who we are, our place in the world, our selves (as bodies, minds & spirits) and how we ought to behave. Ideas and images of Creation, Heaven & Earth, and right or wrong actions among beings dictate our thinking and our doing. Our image of the Divine, ("Super Nature"?) our assumptions about the proper relations between gendered/sexual bodies, and the proper relations of humans to "Nature" are all connected. Students will examine their own beliefs about these issues, and will begin creating an ecological picture or map that depicts our place in the universe. Each student will work on mapping his or her own landscape or moral worldview, and in addition to two reflection papers, the class will read and review a novel that brings together the themes of the course. FALL [3] Welch, G.

REL 2505. Religious Autobiography. The construction of identity in religious autobiography: motivations (personal salvation, witness, proselytism); relationships among self, God, and religious tradition; role of memory; cultural, gender, and religious differences. Readings may include Augustine, Gandhi, Malcolm X, Angelou, and Wiesel. [3] Sasson, D..

REL 3061.    Post-Freudian Theories and Religion. An examination of the Object Relations school of contemporary psychoanalysis (M. Klein, D. Winnicott, W.R.D. Fairbairn, Otto Kernberg, Heinz Kohut). Focus on both the clinical and the explanatory theories as they relate to the examination of religious experience and similar self states. FALL. [3] Gay.

Foreign Program Work (FNTM) 251. Jewish Studies in Prague, Czech Republic. The CET program in Jewish Studies offers students the opportunity to explore the enormous contribution of Jewish life to the culture, literature, arts and history of East Central Europe. For students who want to take an in-depth look at the rich Jewish history and culture in East Central Europe before the war, its destruction during the Nazi years, and its gradual rebirth after the fall of communism. The city of Prague, where the program is located, is host to the oldest continuous Jewish community in Europe and one of the richest collections of Judaica in the world. Living in Prague students will encounter the challenges that the Czech Republic faces in the period of transition between Soviet Communism and the privatization of many political, social and cultural institutions.

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  SPRING 2009
COURSE SCHEDULE
Coming Soon

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SPRING 2009
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

JEWISH STUDIES

LANGUAGE

.Arabic 230a–230b. Advanced Arabic. Further development of listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills in the Arabic language. Emphasis on grammar and literary techniques. Prerequisite: two years of Arabic or equivalent. FALL, SPRING. [3–3] Hamad.

Hebrew 111b. Elementary Hebrew. Continuation of 111a. Greater stress upon conversation and grammar. Classes meet three times a week with an additional two hours a week required in the language laboratory. SPRING. [4] Halachmi.

Hebrew 113b. Intermediate Hebrew. Continuation of 113a. Greater emphasis on reading and writing. Classes meet three times a week with an additional three hours a week spent in independent work in the language laboratory. SPRING. [3] Halachmi.

Hebrew 298b. Independent Study. [3] Halachmi.

BIBLICAL STUDIES

ANTIQUITY AND THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

.

MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY EXPERIENCE

CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY, AND LITERATURE

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All Courses in Jewish Studies (by area)

JEWISH STUDIES

Jewish Studies 194. Selected Themes in Jewish Studies. Topics to be announced. May be repeated more than once if there is no duplication. [3]

Jewish Studies 245. Major Themes in Jewish Studies. Critical and comparative study of Jewish culture using evolving models and paradigms for Jewish beliefs, identity, and history. For majors and potential majors. [3]

Jewish Studies 280. Contemporary Jewish Issues (Service Learning in Jewish Studies). Projects will vary according to instructor. Service to community will be integral part of course. [3]

Jewish Studies 288a-288b. Internship. Under faculty supervision, students gain experience in any of a variety of settings, such as community, municipal, or government agencies. A thorough report and research paper are required.

Jewish Studies 288a. Internship Training. May be taken on a Pass/Fail basis only and must be taken concurrently with 288b. [Variable credit:1-3]

Jewish Studies 288b. Internship Research. Students will write research paper drawing on their experiences in 288a. [3]

Jewish Studies 289. Independent Study. A research project carried out under the supervision of a faculty mentor. [Variable credit: 1-3; may be repeated to a maximum of 3]

Jewish Studies 290. Directed Readings. Advanced readings and research on a selected topic done under the supervision of a faculty mentor. [3] Staff.

Jewish Studies 294. Special Topics. Topics to be announced. May be repeated if there is no duplication of material. [3]

Jewish Studies 295. Senior Seminar. Advanced reading and research in a particular area of Jewish Studies. [3]

Jewish Studies 296. Senior Project in Jewish Studies. Readings and independent research. Open only to seniors. [3] Staff.

Jewish Studies 298a-298b. Seniors Honors Research Seminar. Presentation and discussion of progress being made on honor theses. Open only to senior honors students. [3-3]

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HEBREW

Hebrew 111a. Elementary Hebrew. Introduction to alphabet, the basics of grammar, and elementary conversation. Classes meet three times per week with an additional two hours a week required in the language laboratory. FALL. [4] Halachmi.

Hebrew 111b. Elementary Hebrew. Continuation of 111a. Greater stress upon conversation and grammar. Classes meet three times a week with an additional two hours a week required in the language laboratory. SPRING. [4] Halachmi.

Hebrew 113a. Intermediate Hebrew. Introduction to modern Hebrew reading, conversation, advanced grammar, and conversation. Classes meet three times a week with an additional three hours a week spent in independent work in the language laboratory. FALL. [3] Halachmi.

Hebrew 113b. Intermediate Hebrew. Continuation of 113a. Greater emphasis on reading and writing. Classes meet three times a week with an additional three hours a week spent in independent work in the language laboratory. SPRING. [3] Halachmi.

Hebrew 201. Grammar and Composition. Prerequisite: Hebrew 113b. [3] Halachmi.

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BIBLICAL STUDIES

English 282. The Bible in Literature. An examination of ways in which the Bible and biblical imagery have functioned in literature and fine arts, in both "high culture" and popular culture, from Old English poems to modern poetry, drama, fiction, cartoons, and political rhetoric. Readings include influential biblical texts and a broad selection of literary texts drawn from all genres and periods of English literature. [3]

Religious Studies 106. The Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretations. An examination of selected Biblical texts and how they have been understood through the centuries and in modern scholarship. Use of archeological, historical, and literary approaches. [3]

Religious Studies 108. Themes in the Hebrew Bible. A thematic introduction to the Hebrew Scripture/Old Testament. Selected themes-such as creation, revelation, covenant, law, suffering, and messianic expectations-are traced through the diverse parts of the Bible (Pentateuch, Prophetic Writings, and Wisdom Literature) as well as in early Jewish texts. The comparison of the various expressions of these themes shows both the distinctiveness of each document and the continuity of the Biblical faith through the centuries. [3]

Religious Studies 115F. First Year Seminar (FYS). (Must be related to Jewish Studies – See Advisor) [3].

Religious Studies 207. Jesus the Jew. The Jewishness of Jesus. Religious and political thought of Jesus's day. Origins of the Jewish sect that became Christianity. Jesus in early Judaism; rabbinic Judaism; Pharisiasm. Political Rome in the shaping of Judaism and Christianity. [3]

Religious Studies 208. The Hebrew Bible. Selective study of each of the three major divisions of the Hebrew Bible. The early Hebrew beginnings and development of the Law; the Prophets and their leading ideas in relation to social, political, economic, and religious tensions of their age; and the Wisdom books and later historical writing. FALL.[3] (Divinity School).

Religious Studies 221. Law in the Hebrew Bible. Legal materials in the Pentateuch, their relation to the prophetic movement, and the role of law in ancient Israel's thought and society against the ancient Near Eastern background. [3] Knight.

Religious Studies 225. Major Prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Study of Isaiah (1st and 2nd Isaiah), Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Emphasis on historical context in which the Prophets lived and wrote, basic themes developed in their books, and on their relevance for our times. [3]

Religious Studies 227. Sexuality in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East. Through a close reading of primary texts in translations, the course will explore the ways in which various aspects of sexuality such as prostitution, homosexuality, virginity, rape, and incest are addressed in the Hebrew Bible and in the larger context of the ANE. [3] Azzoni

Religious Studies 232. Feminist Interpretations of Scripture. Issues, methods, and interpretations in contemporary feminist research on the Bible and on the history of early Christianity. Prerequisite: 108, 109, 208 or 209. [3] Levine (Divinity School).

Religious Studies 259. The Book of Joshua. An exegesis of the book of Joshua, with special attention paid to literary features, issues of historiography and archeological evidence, ideological and religious concerns and relation to other texts of the Hebrew Bible, especially the Deuteronomistic History. [3] Knight.

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ANTIQUITY AND THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

Art and Art History 115F. First Year Seminar (FYS). (Must be related to Jewish Studies – See Advisor) [3].

Art and Art History 217. Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt. Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt. Art, architecture, and culture of Egypt from the fourth millennium through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Sculpture, wall painting, architecture, and material culture. [3] Tsakirgis.

History 207. History of the Ancient Near East. From the neolithic period to the conquests of Alexander the Great, in the eographical area from Persia to Troy and Egypt. Special attention to the history of Israel. [3] Drews.

History 209. Greece and the Near East from Alexander to Theodosius. From Alexander’s conquest of the Persian Empire to the ascendancy of Christianity in the late fourth century. Emphasis on social, cultural, and religious transformations, within the ramework of political history. [3] Drews.

History 257. The Birth of Islam: Muhammad and the Evolution of Muslim Society. Many elements fed into the birth of Islam in the early seventh century, prominent among them Judaism and Christianity. In this course we shall look at how Islam developed from the religion of a small desert tribe into the culture of a major world empire. [3] Wasserstein.

Jewish Studies 115F.01. In a Pluralistic Age: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Spain. Between 711 and 1492 Jews Christians and Muslims created one of the richest and most fertile of medieval civilizations. In this seminar, we shall evaluate the settings and conditions for this culture's extraordinary pooling of talent and attachment to tolerance, but also evaluate the reasons for its eventual end. [3]. Wasserstein.

Jewish Studies 120. Islam and the Jews. Jewish experience under medieval Muslim rule. Analysis of primary sources, legal status of Jews, economic activities, religious developments, cultural contributions, reaction to the Crusades. [3] Wasserstein

Jewish Studies 121. Introduction to Jewish History. A survey of major mom