The traditional life and religion of the Jews and the ways that they have changed during the modern period. The ideals of Jewish religion; the nature of man, creation, revelation and redemption. The pattern of life in the pre-modern and modern worlds in relation to changes in the values held by Jews.
3 hr./wk.
Understanding religious behavior through the language of psychology. Freud, Fromm, Maslow, Hillman, and others are considered.
3 hr./wk.
This course serves as an intense introduction to the field of Jewish Law and Ethics using Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development and a survey of Jewish legal literature from the Bible to the Talmud to Maimonides to Joseph Karo.
3 hr./wk.
Explores the culture and history of Sephardim using their literature as an attempt to understand how Sephardic Literature differs from Ashkenazi Jewish literature, as well as other types of Jewish and world literature. Readings will be divided into three main sections: Religious material, Secular Philosophy and Secular Poetry, and contemporary selections including holocaust writers.
3 hr./wk.
Surveys the literature and culture of the Jews from the Bible onward, tracing the evolution of the text as a central concern of Jews throughout the centuries in legal, linguistic, religious, and cultural terms. Jewish American fiction will round out the course, along with a taste of Modern Hebrew literature, underscoring the urgency of Biblical themes and religious tradition, translated and reworked for modern eyes and ears.
3 hr./wk.
Traces the experience of Jews in America from the beginning of the 20th Century to the present moment, garnering from characters and their stories a particular understanding of Jewish American identity and a more universal appreciation of the general human condition and its wants, needs, hurts, and loves.
3 hr./wk.
Introduces students to selected texts from the Hebrew Bible. Students read English translations of these texts and address questions of translation, historical truth, myth, belief, and notions of contemporary relevance. Students compare these primary texts to secondary texts--works of fiction or criticism that use the Bible as a starting point. Intended to give students an awareness of how a literary understanding of the Bible can enhance their appreciation for contemporary modes of storytelling.
3 hr./wk.
This new course will explore the themes of peace and conflict between Israel and the Palestinians through the medium of film.
3 hr./wk.
Is Superman Jewish? Yes! And so are Spider-man and Wolverine. Virtually all of the iconic American superheroes were created by children of European Jewish immigrants, who had fled persecution and war in Europe in the hopes of building a better, more secure life in the United States. In this course, we will explore how so many superhero narratives derive from the instabilities of the immigrant position in America, including: an alien discovering a foreign land, like Superman; a figure plagued by guilt for not having saved his family, like Spider-Man; a battle against a historic evil, like Captain America’s defeat of the Nazis; and, finally, outsiders persecuted for being different, like the X-Men. In addition, we will venture beyond the realm of superheroes in order to examine the ways in which Jewish life has been portrayed in graphic novels both in the United States and beyond. We will see how Will Eisner, a giant of the comics industry, came to create graphic novels illuminating various aspects of the (Jewish) immigrant experience in New York City.
3 hr./wk.
While there are history classes that revolve around the second world war, none of them are studied through the medium of film. Holocaust cinema is traditionally focused in historical method or the genocide of World War II. This class however serves as an intense introduction to the ways, over the last 50 years, that the Holocaust has been approached through film. The initial cinematic attempts at portraying this event were largely from countries at our near the scene of genocide. In more recent years, especially over the last decade, there has been a shift toward portraying the Holocaust from directors in the United States this course examines these films which show the subject in new light.
3 hr./wk.
This course approaches modern Israel as a case study in creating a new national culture in relation to ancient history and culture and a longstanding diaspora. It explores the evolution of Israeli culture between the 1930s to the 2000s from an interdisciplinary perspective, examining various aspects of Israeli life and distinct cultural forms. Probing the continuing tensions underlying a national culture of a society comprised of multiple ethnic, social, and religious minorities, we will look into recent changes in Israeli culture including the impact of consumerism and globalization, the return to the diasporic past and traditions, and the nostalgia toward early Israeli culture. Readings (in English), draw on historical, sociological and anthropological studies as well as on literature, art and film.
3 hr./wk.
Considers cultural, linguistic, religious, and nationalistic aspects of Jewishness in New York. The class will view several films and hear presentations by experts in the Jewish communal life of New York.
3 hr./wk.
Surveys contemporary scholarship on the history and evolution of God in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Uses historical critical approaches to scripture, as well as evolutionary, philosophical, theological, and psychological interpretations of scripture. Studies the history of the idea of God, covering a wide variety of interpretations and strategies for reading religion.
3 hr./wk.
This course is divided into two parts. The first part explores contemporary Western attitudes and research on the afterlife. The second part examines how the Jewish concept of the afterlife has evolved from the early biblical period until now.
3 hr./wk.
Explores the role of Jewish tradition in directing Jews towards the healing arts, the biblical, rabbinic and kabalistic texts that encouraged Jews to study and practice medicine and the traditional approaches to healing taught by Jewish tradition.
3 hr./wk.
This course examines the figure of Jesus from a Jewish perspective. We see Jesus as a product of Herodian politics, the charismatic influences of Rabbi Hillel and Rabbi Shammai, the mystical Essene community based near Qumran, and the Hellenization of Judaism in the first century. We also consider the figure of Jesus as a Jew in the early Christian movements, especially in the Ebionite Christian communities. Issues such as the adherence to Law, Rabbinic interpretation of Law, the messianic movement, prophecy, magic, social reform, and growing anti-Semitism will be discussed.
3 hr./wk.
Society and culture in the State of Israel. Contemporary social accomplishments and problems; the conflict of national liberation and normalization; the integration of ethnic Jewish groups; creation of a mixed economy; the coexistence of religion and secularity; the relation of the State of Israel to Jews elsewhere.
3 hours
This will be an introduction to the world of sprit possession as found in Yiddish literature (in English).
3 hr./wk.
Examines the literary trajectory of the American Jew from his immigrant beginnings to his contemporary lifestyle with respect to the depth of human feeling. Characters seem to straddle two emotional camps: the joyful and the melancholy. Investigates character development, narrative style, and the ways in which Jewishness informs the central themes of humor and despair.
3 hr./wk.
Investigates the angels and demons, real and imagined, that populate Jewish American texts of the second half of the twentieth century. Discusses the ways in which such manifestations might be understood. Do demons represent history's calamities? Do angels stand in for the high moments? How are characters informed by their relationship to their heritage? How do they confront their inner angels and demons?
3 hr./wk.
Examines the way in which Jewish writers transmute their worries and aspirations into a literature of nightmares and dreams while reading about characters who find that the real world is just one step removed from the imagined. Where do these nightmares and dreams come from? From religious or cultural history? From personal or familial struggles? What purpose do they serve? How do they make us feel when we read about them?
3 hr./wk.
Examines the fictional universe of one of the 20th century's master storytellers, Isaac Bashevis Singer. Discussion of his many different literary locales: his Old Worlds, the Eastern European shtetl, his Warsaw, and his New Worlds, New York and Miami Beach, and explores the way his characters inhabit these worlds.
3 hr./wk.
Investigates modern Jewish fiction through highly specialized lenses. The categories of "Saints and Sinners" apply to the characters in our novels and stories, suggesting people who do right or wrong, either to the world around them or to themselves. Considers notions of the saintly, the good, the perfect, and notions of the sinful, the wrong-headed, the evil, as they apply to world events, world views, worldly pursuits. Discusses the specific ways Jewishness informs our perception of the good and the evil, especially with respect to Biblical precedent, Jewish law, and a contemporary ethical society.
3 hr./wk.
This course will offer a study of Modern Hebrew literature in the historical context of Zionism, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the continued Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
3 hr./wk.
This course will survey short stories and novels by modern Jewish writers, and focus on the characterization of the Jewish woman. The class will explore what, if anything, constitutes the essence of the Jewish woman character.
What effect does history have on the formation of these women as strong or weak personalities? How do societal pressures exert themselves on a Jewish woman? Does the woman as intellectual character constitute a threat to her male counterparts? Is there such a thing as "the typical Jewish mother?" Fiction by Malamud, Roth, Ozick, Tillie Olsen, Grace Paley, Delmore Schwartz, I.B. Singer, Tova Mirvis, and others.
3 hr./wk.
The history of Israeli cinema from 1932 to the present. Explores some of the major narratives and genres. We will also try to understand why recent Israeli cinema has become so appealing to international audiences. Investigates how these films reflect the inner voices of wide segments of the Israeli population, as well as the identities of some minorities.
3 hr./wk.
This class explores the portrayal of Jewish characters in (mostly) post-WWII fiction and film. It discusses the depiction of Jewish identity and asks what role religion plays in these depictions. It also looks at the representation of women and men, parents and children, the importance of bearing witness to tragedy, and it investigates the way in which stories change when subjected to different media, discussing, in general, the larger questions that are posed by being Jewish in America.
3 hr./wk.
The course introduces students to the Nazi Holocaust by means of a survey of historical materials, survivor testimonies, films, archives, and guest speakers.
3 hr./wk.
Approval of Dean and program required. Apply not later than December 10 in the Fall term or May 1 in the Spring term.
Variable cr., usually 3 cr./sem.
Introduces students to the mystical tradition within Judaism and explores its impact on Judaism today. In addition to surveying the history of Jewish mysticism, it studies the major texts and charismatic personalities of Jewish mystics from the time of the Bible to contemporary times. Particular attention will be focused on the mystical elements within the movement known as Hasidism.
3 hr./wk.
Research on topics not covered by regular Departmental offerings, by individual arrangement with the instructor and with program permission.
From semester to semester the Department offers elective courses not listed in the bulletin. Topics to be covered and names of instructors will be announced during the preceding semester.
3 hours
3 hours
3 hours
3 hours
3
Examines the myriad issues in Biblical archaeology, including the chronological periods not mentioned in the Bible, the establishment of the early farming communities, and later Bronze and Iron age cities, the interconnections with neighboring cultures, and the archaeology of conquest (Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman). Considers not only the archaeological record in how it conforms to the Bible but how it may contradict it, and explores not only temple and city structures but the remains of cult and daily use objects.
3 hr./wk.
This course will survey short stories and novels by modern Jewish writers, and focus on the characterization of the Jewish woman. The class will explore what, if anything, constitutes the essence of the Jewish woman character. What effect does history have on the formation of these women as strong or weak personalities? How do societal pressures exert themselves on a Jewish woman? Does the woman as intellectual character constitute a threat to her male counterparts? Is there such a thing as "the typical Jewish mother?" Fiction by Malamud, Roth, Ozick, Tillie Olsen, Grace Paley, Delmore Schwartz, I.B. Singer, and others.
3 hr./wk.
This course will introduce students to selected texts by two authors, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick. Students will get to know these authors through an exploration of biographical material, a reading of primary texts, and a careful selection of relevant critical material. By the semester's end, students will feel confident in their abilities to identify these writers and some of their central concerns. Students will see how these writers fit into the larger Jewish and Jewish literary tradition.
3 hr./wk.
Examines the Holocaust though the medium of film. The problematic portrayal of genocide through a medium often associated with entertainment, the various images of the Jew, the differences in how nations directly involved react to and represent the Holocaust in film, narrative cinematic strategies used to depict this complex event are considered.
3 hr./wk.
3 hours
This advanced seminar is an intense introduction to the history, culture, and religious life of the Jewish community in Morocco. A five-day itinerary in Casablanca, Marrakech, and the High Atlas mountains will serve as a fieldwork component for this course.
3 hr./wk.