Courses in Judaic Studies
A JST 150 Survey of Jewish Civilization (3)
An orientation to the field of Jewish studies from the ancient period to the present via a thematic approach, such as through Jewish languages, cities, migrations, or religious denominations. Required for Judaic studies majors and recommended preparation for other A JST courses.
A JST 155 (= A REL 155) Judaism: Traditions and Practices (3)
Examines the development of Jewish traditions and practices from the Rabbinic period to the present. Addresses Jewish law and custom related to the cycle of Jewish holidays throughout the year, and life cycle events from cradle to grave. Differentiates among beliefs and practices of various Jewish denominations. For those not already familiar with this subject matter, recommended preparation for other A JST courses. Only one version of A JST 155 may be taken for credit.
A JST 165 (= A LCS 165) Jews and Conversos in Latin America (3)
This course aims to document how Jews and their descendants succeeded in preserving their culture (including their religious culture) as well as their secular identities (however they preferred to identify themselves) in a world in Latin America that promised to be new but that maintained many familiar prejudices of the Old World. The course is divided into three chronological sections, and it proceeds geographically by region in each section from Central America to South America through the islands of the Caribbean. Section one examines the Colonial Period (from 1492 to the beginning of Independence in 1810). Section two covers the period of Early Independence (from 1810 to the beginning of World War I). Section three deals with the 20th and 21st centuries. The readings for the course provide a cultural history of all periods, while the course lectures place emphasis on individual biographies that typify the main characteristics of each period. Only one version of A JST 165 may be taken for credit.
A JST 199Z Writing in Judaic Studies (1)
A student enrolled in a 100- or 200-level Judaic Studies course may, with the consent of the instructor, fulfill a writing-intensive version of it by registering concurrently for A JST 199Z. The instructor will assign the student written work in addition to that required for the companion course and will meet with him or her over the course of the semester to discuss this work. (A student who subsequently withdraws from the companion course will also be dropped from A JST 199Z.) Corequisite(s): concurrent registration in a 100- or 200-level Judaic Studies course. S/U graded.
A JST 221 (= A HIS 221) The American Jewish Experience (3)
A general overview of the American Jewish experience. Examines historical developments in such areas of American Jewish life as religious expression, political activity, education, demographics, socio-economics, and secular intellectual and cultural activity. Assesses the impact on American Jewry of immigration from Europe and elsewhere, and such pivotal events as World War I and II, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel. Addresses the relationship between diverse segments of American Jewry and between Jewish and non-Jewish Americans. Only one version of A JST 221 may be taken for credit.
A JST 225 (= A HIS 225) American Cinema and the Jews (3)
An examination of the history of Hollywood and the Jewish relationship to the American motion picture industry. Investigates a representative sample of films and movies and explores the impact of the fictionalized landscape of the Jewish mind on American culture and values. Only one version of A JST 225 may be taken for credit.
A JST 240 (= A CLA 240) Archaeology and Ancient Israel I: Archaeology and the Bible (2)
Important discoveries related to biblical history and literature. Examination of sites, artifacts, texts, and scripts from the Bronze Age to the Babylonian exile. Only one version of A JST 240 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 241 (= A CLA 241) Archaeology and Ancient Israel II: Greco-Roman Period (2)
Important discoveries related to post-biblical Jewish life and history. Examination of relevant papyri, the Dead Sea Scrolls, coins, Masada, Jerusalem, burial caves, synagogue art, and other topics. Only one version of A JST 241 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 244 (= A HIS 244 & A HEB 244) Zionism, Palestine, and Israel in Historical Perspective (3)
A study of 19th century Jewish and European history resulting in the formation of Jewish nationalism. Covers the development of various Zionist ideologies and organizations as well as their challengers within and outside the Jewish community. Examines the history of settlement in Palestine, the founding of the state of Israel, and the country’s subsequent development. Only one version of A JST 244 may be taken for credit.
A JST 250 (= A HIS 250) The Holocaust in History (3)
Begins with an overview of European Jewish life on the eve of the attempt at its destruction, examines the cultural, social, and intellectual roots of Nazism, and discusses the efforts to isolate and marginalize those marked as “a-socials” in German society. Explores the radicalization of the Nazi program and investigates the variety of ways targeted groups responded to the crisis. Covers a number of survivor accounts and the memorialization and politicization of the Nazi Holocaust in the United States and Israel. Only one version of A JST 250 may be taken for credit.
A JST 251 (= A HIS 252) Early Israel and Biblical Civilization (3)
The history and culture of ancient Israel from its beginnings to the Persian Empire. A survey of the Hebrew Bible (in English) as the major source for the study of early Judaic religious and social forms in the context of the Near East. Only one of A JST 251, 341, and A HIS 252 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 252 (= A REL 252) Jews, Hellenism, and Early Christianity (3)
History of the Jewish people from Alexander the Great to the decline of the ancient world. Topics include examination of cultural conflict in Judaea and the diaspora, confrontation with Greco-Roman Hellenism and early Christianity, sectarianism, and the beginnings of Rabbinic institutions. Only one version of A JST 252 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 253 (= A HIS 253 & A REL 253) Medieval Jews among Muslims and Christians (3)
Explores the course of Jewish history from the development of Christianity until the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648. Investigates the experience of Jews between and within the major religious and cultural systems that dominated medieval Europe; Islam and Christianity. The course charts the history of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewry, noting the important social, religious, cultural, and political characteristics of each community, as well as their interaction with two great world civilizations. Only one version of A JST 253 may be taken for credit.
A JST 254 (= A HIS 254 & A REL 254) The Jews in the Modern World (3)
Beginning with the end of the late Middle Ages and the emergence of the Enlightenment, this class explores how Jewish communities responded to the demands of an ever-expanding modern world. Examines the ways in which Jews and Jewish communities sought to create modern expressions of Judaism and the response of rabbinic Judaism to these challenges. Explores the rise of Hasidism, the aims of “Enlightened” Jewry, nationalism, the creation of secular Jewish cultures, the World Wars, modern antisemitism and the Nazi Holocaust, and the emergence of new Jewish centers in the United States and Israel. Only one version of A JST 254 may be taken for credit.
A JST 256 (= A REL 256 & A HIS 266) World Jewry since the Holocaust (3)
Examines the historical, cultural, societal, and demographic changes in world Jewry since the Holocaust. Investigates the decline of European Jewish communities and the development of the United States and Israel as postwar centers of modern Jewish life. Only one version of A JST 256 may be taken for credit.
A JST 265 Modern Yiddish Culture (3)
This course traces the course of modern Yiddish culture, from the early modern era to contemporary times. Along with historical texts, readings include works of fiction, poetry, and drama. Other materials, such as films and popular music, will be examined in order to help further illustrate the variety and vitality of modern Yiddish culture as it explores many of the central events and themes of modern Jewish history, such as the tension between tradition and modernity, new modes of religious expression, antisemitism, mass migrations, and assimilation. The course also examines complex and ever-changing attitudes towards the Yiddish language itself, and it places those attitudes in the context of the production of Yiddish arts and letters. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 275 (= A HIS 275) Antisemitism in Historical Perspective (3)
Explores ancient and medieval forms of anti-Jewish hatred, the manifestation of antisemitism in the modern period, and several of the current debates on antisemitism. Explores the instrumentalization of antisemitic hatred through several case studies and provides the means to assess critically both current antisemitic attacks and charges of antisemitism. Only one version of A JST 275 may be taken for credit.
A JST 291 (= A HIS 291 & A REL 291) Messiah and Messianism in Judaism and Christianity (3)
Origins of Jewish and Christian messianism in the Old and New Testaments and related literature. Topics include the projection of a society’s ultimate values, and the tension caused by the actual attempts to realize those values; i.e., to achieve salvation through messianic movements. Only one version of A JST 291 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 299 (= A REL 299) Introductory Topics in Judaic Studies (1–3)
An elementary course in Jewish culture, history, philosophy, literature or the Bible that is devoted to a topic or theme, a particular work or works, or a particular author or authors. May be repeated up to 6 credits when content varies.
T JST 299 Introductory Topics in Judaic Studies (1–3)
T JST 299 is the Honors College version of A JST 299.
A JST 308 (= A HEB 308) Readings in Hebrew Literature (3)
Study of a selected period, genre, or author of Hebrew literature. The course is taught in translation (in English). May be repeated when content varies.
A JST 309 (= A HEB 309) 20th Century Hebrew Literature
A study of selected works of Hebrew literature from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. The works studied will deal with such themes as alienation, disaster, religious and secular worldviews, and the place of Israel. The course is taught in translation (in English). May be repeated when content varies.
A JST 331 (= A REL 331) Modern Jewish Thought (3)
A survey of the range of Jewish thought and philosophical movements from the mid-17th century to the present. Focuses on key Jewish thinkers, philosophers, and theologians, exploring questions of Jewish ethics, religion, relationships to God, and moral responsibility in a time of increased secularization. Only one version of A JST 331 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 332 (= A MUS 332; formerly A JST 215 & A MUS 225) Music of the Jewish People (3)
A survey of significant features and trends emerging from the evolving history, musical literature, and aesthetics of Jewish musical expression. Issues to be addressed include musical implications of the multi-national, multi-ethnic nature of Jewish peoplehood; the complex interplay between Jewish identity and musical expression; the multi-faceted nature of the term Jewish, and the dynamic interaction between Jewish communities and surrounding host cultures, as diverse influences have been perpetually refracted through the lens of the Jewish experience. Course work will include listening, reading, and writing assignments, integrated within a lecture and discussion format. Only one version of A JST 332 may be taken for credit.
A JST 357 West European Jewry in Modern Times (3)
A detailed examination of Jewish history in West and Central Europe that highlights the transformation and politicization of Jewish life in the modern era until World War II. Examines the denominalization of Judaism; the Jewish Enlightenment and its opponents; the campaigns for and against emancipation; the role of Jews in European culture, politics, and industry; and the rise of modern antisemitism. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 358 East European Jewry in Modern Times (3)
A detailed examination of Jewish history and culture in Russia, the U.S.S.R., Poland, and the Baltic States in the period of East European Jewry’s encounter with and participation in the modern world. Explores the conflicts between Hasidism, traditional Rabbinic Judaism, and the Jewish Enlightenment. Investigates the complex legal, economic, political, and demographic status of Jewry under Russian imperial rule and its development in the period between the two World Wars. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 360 (= A HIS 360) Jewish Autobiographies (3)
An exploration of autobiographical writing that addresses the complex interaction between the individual writer’s development and his or her relationship with Jewish tradition, faith, practice, and identity. The literature covered includes traditional autobiographies, memoirs, and diaries, but may also include autobiographical writing in the wider sense, including works of fiction, poetry, and film. The course may offer either an intensive survey of a broad range of modern Jewish literature in one or more genres, or take a thematic, national, chronological, or generic approach to the subject matter.
A JST 367 (= A ENG 367) The Jewish Literary Imagination (3)
Readings in literature by modern Jewish writers that addresses themes and issues of importance to modern Jewry. The course may offer either an intensive survey of a broad range of modern Jewish literature in one or more genres, or take a thematic, national, chronological, or generic approach to the subject matter. Only one version of A JST 367 may be taken for credit.
A JST 373 The Arab in Israeli Literature (3)
An examination of the image of the Arab in selected poetry, short stories, and novels of modern Israel. The course will address the evolving presence, perceptions, and significance of the Arab in the literature. Attention is given to the historical and cultural factors contributing to the distinct treatment of the Arab in various areas of modern Hebrew literature. Only one of A JST 273 and 373 may be taken for credit. May not be offered in 2013-2014.
A JST 399Z Writing in Judaic Studies (1)
A student enrolled in a 300- or 400-level Judaic Studies course may, with the consent of the instructor, fulfill a writing-intensive version of it by registering concurrently for A JST 399Z. The instructor will assign the student written work in addition to that required for the companion course and will meet with him or her over the course of the semester to discuss this work. (A student who subsequently withdraws from the companion course will also be dropped from A JST 399Z.) Corequisite(s): concurrent registration in a 300- or 400-level Judaic Studies course. S/U graded.
A JST 450 Judaic Studies Practicum (3)
Advanced Judaic Studies students receive undergraduate credit for assisting with 100 or 200 level Judaic Studies courses under the close supervision of the instructor. Students at this level lead small group discussions several times in the semester; offer one class presentation, which will also be written up as a paper and submitted to the instructor; and may assist in grading quizzes and examinations. Students meet regularly with the instructor, who helps students improve their knowledge of the topic and discusses pedagogical techniques. Course may be repeated once for credit with approval of department chair. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor and department chair.
A JST 497 Independent Study in Judaic Studies (1–6)
Directed reading and conferences on selected topics in Judaic studies. May be repeated for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): permission of department chair.
A JST 499 Topics in Judaic Studies (1–3)
In-depth study of selected topics in Jewish history, philosophy, literature, or the Bible. May be repeated when content varies. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor.
