JWS 301/SOC 358
Seminar S01
1:30-4:20 W

Topics in Jewish Studies: Jewish Communities Across Time and Space
This course will focus on Jewish communities both historic and contemporary, analyzing their role in the survival of the Jewish People. From ancient Jerusalem to medieval Venice and the special communities of the diaspora we will explore key institutions, culture patterns, and rituals of that survival. Sociological perspectives and community theory will provide the framework for the analysis. Literary works and videos are also a central part of the seminar.
Professor: Suzanne Keller

 

COM 349/JWS 349
Seminar S01
1:30-4:20 W

Texts and Images of the Holocaust
In an effort to encompass the variety of responses to what is arguably the most traumatic event of modern Western experience, this course explores the Holocaust as transmitted through historical documents, survivor/perpetrator testimonies, memoirs, and fictions, as well as in cinematic and visual images. In our study of these works, representing different languages and nationalities, we will focus especially on themes of bearing witness, the work of collective and individual memory, modes of speaking, visualizing, (and thinking) about the unspeakable, and general strategies of representation. Weekly film showings in addition to seminar.
Professor: Froma Zeitlin

 

ENG 365/JWS 365 Seminar S01
1:30-4:20 Th

Topics in American Literature: American Jewish Writers
This course will consider the particular contribution of Jewish novelists, short story writers, and poets to the American literary scene. From the immigrant generation of Abraham Cahan, Anzia Yezierska, and Hery Roth to the "golden age" of Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth, and Saul Bellow, to the new generation of Allegra Goodman and Nathan Englander, Jewish writers have recorded and imagined the experiences of immigration, assimilation, linguistic disorientation, and cultural and political marginality. We will proceed chronologically, supplementing our primary texts with readings from Irving Howe’s World of Our Fathers, the Lower East Side photographs of Jacob Riis, and a group of films including "Hester Street," "Crossing Delancey," "Goodbye Columbus," and "Annie Hall."
Professor: Deborah Nord

 

GER 303/JWS 303
Class C01
1:30-2:50 MW

Modern Prose Fiction: Autobiographies
The course will explore different ways of creating the story of one's own life starting with Goethe's famous autobiography and ending with contemporary texts. We will discuss concepts of identity developed by men and women, by Jewish and Christian Germans.
Professor: Barbara Hahn

 

REL 230/JWS 230
Lecture L01
12:30-1:20 MW

Precept P01: TBA

Religion and Literature of the Old Testament: Through the Babylonian Exile
An opportunity to read a wide range of the literature of the anthology known as the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. Emphasis on the development of biblical religion against its historical background, including the wider context of the ancient Near East. This semester will cover the period up to and including the Babylonian exile: the formation of the traditions of the books of the Torah, league and monarchy, and prophecy up to the return.
Professor: Martha Himmelfarb

 

REL 245/JWS 245
Lecture L01
10:00-10:50 TTh

Precept P01: TBA

Jewish Mysticism: From the Beginnings to Kabbala
The Kabbalah, the summit of Jewish mysticism, is among the most revolutionary innovations in the history of Judaism. It transforms the single, static (and essentially male) God of biblical and rabbinic Judaism into a dynamic and multifaceted God, whose rich inner life can be explored -- and influenced -- by human beings. This course follows the historical development of Jewish mysticism from its early beginnings and examines its major themes, e.g., God, his female aspect, creation, good and evil, redemption, and mystical union. 
Professor: Peter Schäfer

 

REL 343
Lecture L01
10:00-10:50 MW

Precept P01: TBA

Jews, Gentiles, and Christians in the Ancient World
This course is about conflict, separation, prejudice and hatred both ancient and modern. The peculiar dynamics will lead us in the direction of examining the ironic and dramatic relationship between proximity and protest. The general tone of the story will be somewhat depressing. We will look behind the beliefs, doctrines and documents to the human aspect of relations between Jews and Christians.
Professor: John Gager.

 

PAW 501
Seminar S01
1:30-4:20 Th

The Bar Kokhba Wars
The Bar Kokhba War (132-135 C.E.), the second Jewish war against Rome, was one of the most decisive turning points in Jewish history. It set the seal on the loss of Jerusalem and the Temple and shifted the center of gravity of Jewish life from Judaea to the Galilee. We will examine the course of the war itself according to all the relevant literary and archaeological sources (including some new archaeological evidence) but will also consider its preconditions and its consequences for the future development of Rabbinic Judaism.
Professor: Peter Schäfer

 

NES 220/HIS 220
Class C01
3:00-4:20 MW

Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Middle Ages
An introduction to the history and culture of the Jews in the Middle Ages (under Islam and Christendom) covering, comparatively, such topics as the inter-relationship between Judaism and the other two religions, interreligious polemics, political (legal) status, economic role, communal self-government, family life, and cultural developments.
Professor: Mark Cohen

 

NES 523
Seminar S01
1:30-4:20 TTh

Readings in Judeo-Arabic
An introduction to the reading of Arabic texts written by medieval Jews in the Hebrew script, especially documents from the Cairo Geniza.
Professor: Mark Cohen

 

HEB 101
Class C01
11:00-11:50 M W F

Drill D01
11:00-11:50 TTh

Elementary Hebrew
To develop the skills of reading, speaking, comprehending and writing. The main emphasis is on acquiring communicative proficiency and therefore, Hebrew is progressively employed as the classroom language. A solid grammatical basis and awareness of the idiomatic usage of the language will be emphasized. Classroom activities include conversation, grammar exercises and reading. Towards the middle of the semester, an Israeli movie is shown, discussed and criticized through a written assignment.
Professor: Esther Robbins

 

HEB 105
Class C01
10:00-10:50 M W F

Drill D01
10:00-10:50 TTh

Intermediate Hebrew
Reinforcement and expansion of reading, oral, aural, and writing skills through maximum student participation, exclusive use of Hebrew in the classroom, and coverage of remainder of basic grammar. Readings of graded selections from prose, poetry, and newspapers, and viewing and discussion of Israeli films and television programs open a window on Israel and its culture. Professor: Esther Robbins

 

HEB 301
Class C01
11:00-12:20 WF

Advanced Hebrew: Aspects of Israeli Culture
This course develops an advanced, active command of the written and spoken language through reading and discussion of newspapers, short stories and poetry. Focus on aspects of contemporary Israeli and Jewish cultures.
Professor: Barbara Mann