Minor
Jewish Studies
Programs
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Jewish Studies,
Courses
JWST 144: Bible in Politics, History, & Literature
Credits 3The Bible is the foundational sacred text for more than 2 billion people — and a source of political conflict, ethical dispute and cultural inspiration. This introductory course focuses not only on the historical and geographical contexts in which the Bible arose, but on its "afterlives" as well. This course will consider the variety of ways in which the Bible is employed in contemporary political and geopolitical conflicts, and its influence on modern literature.
JWST 145: Readings in Jewish Texts I
Credits 1Provides hourly study sessions once a week on important passages in key texts in Jewish culture. Recent classes have studied Torah portions, Talmudic tractates, selected Midrash, medieval poetry, Yiddish stories and Israeli poetry.
JWST 151: Science, Medicine & Religion
Credits 3Is religious belief compatible with science and reason? How have Jews and Christians understood epidemics, illness, medical ethics, and the relationship of the Bible to science? In what ways have scientists defended or debunked "religion"? Topics also include controversies over evolution, racial science, public health, theologies of health care equity.
JWST 214: Jerusalem: City of Peace, City of Conflict
Credits 3Jerusalem is sacred for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. We will examine Jerusalem's long history, divisive politics, contested character, and possible futures from different disciplinary perspectives. The course attends to Jerusalem's place in the “Abrahamic” faiths, and explores how religion, nationalism, and identity shape the city in war and in peace.
JWST 215: Holocaust: Historical, Religious & Ethical Issues
Credits 3This course is an inquiry into the victims, perpetrators, rescuers, and bystanders around the Nazi genocide of Europe's Jews. Utilizing film, history, memoir and scholarship we examine aspects of the Holocaust from the perspective of ethics, theology and religious studies. Topics also include race/anti-racism, Zionism, interfaith reconciliation and American memory.
JWST 225: Race & Judaism
Credits 3Are European Jews white? Is Zionism racism? Is Judaism just a religion? This course surveys Jewish history, religion and politics through the lens of race in Israel, Europe, and America. Topics include: race and difference in the Bible, Africa and Asian Jews, antisemitism, Jews and/in Black freedom struggles.
JWST 244: The Modern Jewish Experience
Credits 3Explores major intellectual, political, and historical movements that define the modern Jewish experience in Europe, America, and the Middle East. Considers topics like emancipation and assimilation, Zionism, race, migration, and the Holocaust to understand the radical shifts of the Jewish diaspora.
JWST 286: Rabbis and Rebels: An Offbeat Introduction to Judaism
Credits 4An introduction to the major texts, themes, ritual practices, and holidays of the Jewish tradition from its inception to the present. The course is divided up into three main sections: 1) the Jewish textual tradition; 2) the Jewish liturgical calendar; and 3) Jewish life-cycle events and daily practices. By looking at a variety of accounts of the tradition – textual, theological, autobiographical, ethnographic - we will examine the similarities and differences between Judaism as it is presented “on the page” and the way it is understood and practiced by Jews today. We will also consider some themes and events in twentieth-century Jewry including the Holocaust, the creation of the State of Israel, and Jewish participation in the feminist movement.
JWST 304: Judaism, the Other & State: Encounters in Modern Jewish Thought
Credits 3What does it mean to be Jewish in the modern world? This seminar considers the political and theological challenges of modern Judaism, from European Jewish emancipation to the present day. The class will discuss the rise of Jewish voices in the public sphere; the complex relationship between modern Jewish and Christianity, conflicts over history, science and biblical interpretation and the rise of Jewish nationalism. Students also will consider how the Jewish minority experience compares to experiences of other religious and cultural minorities in the modern West.
JWST 306: Creation, Gender, & Sexuality in Judaism
Credits 3We will consider notions of gender, sexuality, and purity in the Hebrew Bible as well as Talmudic and later rabbinic sources. Reading through a critical-historical lens, we will explore the innovations and controversies that exist in Jewish texts and traditions regarding issues like women's leadership, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and interfaith marriage.