Courses

Explores the relationship between Zionism as the political movement that established the State of Israel and Zionism as an aesthetic and cultural revolution that sought to reinvent the modern Jew. What were the roles of literary and visual culture in the construction of Israel's founding myths and interpretations of its present realities? Focuses on efforts to negotiate the relationship between sacred and secular space; exile and homeland; the revival of Hebrew as a living language; Jews and Arabs; and Israel's founding ideals as a democratic and Jewish state. Includes consideration of prose, poetry, and film. Intended for students interested in Middle East Studies, Comparative Literature, and/or in the relationship between literature and politics. Enrollment limited to 16 first-year students. Credits: 4 (WI)
Miri Talmon
MWF 9-10:20

A year-long introduction to modern Hebrew, with a focus on equal development of the four language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Study of Israeli song, film and short texts amplifies acquisitions of vocabulary and grammar. By the end of the year, students will be able to comprehend short and adapted literary and journalistic texts, describe themselves and their environment, express
their thoughts and opinions, and participate in classroom discussions. No previous knowledge of Hebrew language is necessary. Enrollment limited to 18. May only be taken S/U with approval of the instructor and the director of Jewish Studies. JUD 100y is required for students wishing to study abroad in Israel.
{F} Credits: 10
TBA
TTH 9-10:20

Continues to develop Hebrew linguistic capacities, with a focus on practical skills necessary to decipher, comprehend and translate Hebrew literature, music, film, television, and print media.  Organized around topics suited to student interests and language level.  Prerequisite:  JUD 100y Elementary Modern Hebrew or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.   {F}  Credits: 4
TBA

Topic: The History of Israeli Cinema

Surveys the development of the Israeli feature-length film, from the rise of Zionism until the present. By studying the major genres of Israeli cinema as they develop and shift over time, we gain insight into the filmic construction of Israeli society and the relationship between the politics and aesthetics of representation. Our cinematic journey explores the performance of nationality, gender, religion, ethnicity, and mass immigration on screen, the drama of Jewish/Arab and Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and the impact of the Holocaust, war, militarization, and trauma. In which ways does film both construct and interrogate the founding myths and narratives that constitute Israeli national identity and collective memory?  {H/A} Credits: 4
Miri Talmon
TTH 3-4:50

Topic: Archaeology and the Bible
This course explores the material culture of the peoples who lived in ancient Palestine from the Middle Bronze Age through the Israelite period and down to the Roman-Byzantine eras (c.1400 B.C.E. to 640 C.E.). We will consider the latest archaeological finds from Israel and the Mediterranean basin, including the ruins of great cities, temples, ancient churches and synagogues, and colorful mosaic artwork. Special attention will be given to a critical evaluation of the ways that archaeology can — and cannot — illuminate the key people, places, and events mentioned in biblical and post-biblical texts. {H/L} Credits: 4
Michael Sugerman
MW 2:40-4

A thematic survey of Jewish history and thought from the 16th century to the present, examining Jews as a minority in modern Europe and in global diaspora.  We will examine changing dynamics of integration and exclusion of Jews in various societies as well as diverse forms of Jewish religion, culture, and identity among Sefardic, Ashkenazic, and Mizrahi Jews.  Readings include major philosophic, mystical, and political works in addition to primary sources on the lives of Jewish women and men, families and communities, and messianic and popular movements.  We will pay attention throughout to tensions between assimilation and cohesion; tradition and renewal; and history and memory.
{H} Credits: 4
Lois Dubin
MWF 11-12:10

The Arab-Israeli Dispute
An analysis of the causes of the dispute and of the efforts to resolve it; an examination of Great Power involvement.  An historical survey of the influence of Great Power rivalry on relationships between Israel and the Arab States and between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.  Consideration of the several Arab-Israeli wars and the tensions, terrorism, and violence unleashed by the dispute.  No prerequisites. {S} Credits: 4
Donna Divine
MW 1:10-2:30

Continued from fall semester
TBA

An introduction to Jewish civilization from a variety of perspectives (religion, history, politics, philosophy, literature, and culture) organized around different themes; the theme for Spring 2014 is Food. Consideration of core ideas, texts, and practices that have animated Jews and Judaism from antiquity to the present, with attention to both classical and modern formulations.
{H}{L} Credits: 4

Documentary films are the most exciting genre in contemporary Israeli cinema. They provide the images, narratives, and framework that Israeli society employs for self-negotiation and reflection, and often challenge core myths around which collective memory congeals.  In a country beset by political, religious, and ethnic tensions, Israeli documentary films have garnered international attention for their willingness to expose intercultural encounters and clashes between Israelis and Palestinians, immigrant communities from the Middle East, Africa, and the former Soviet Union, secular and religious society, center and periphery. Documentaries also expose shifting attitudes towards gender and sexuality, and sensitive debates over the meaning of historical events. The course introduces students to documentary film as a genre and method, and also to specific artistic and ideological strategies among current Israeli filmmakers. {A/S} Credits: 4

How does film challenge social boundaries through narratives of forbidden love and intercultural relationships? By juxtaposing cultural and ideological worlds in conflict cinema has a long tradition of subverting the very rigid social restrictions its recreates on screen.  Our course will focus on Israeli cinema to contemplate this universal phenomenon, with comparative segues into Hollywood’s re-vision of racial and social divisions and its performance of the Jew on screen. We will explore various forms of taboo-breaking relationships, including interethnic love in the context of a multicultural immigrant society, transnational love in the context of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, homosexual love in the context of Middle Eastern traditional societies, and love that involves partners transcending religious boundaries. By studying how Israeli cinema crosses national, social, sexual, patriarchal, ethnic, and religious divisions we explore how film is often at the forefront of exposing, renegotiating and even healing the conflicts that threaten to tear society apart.  Open to students at all levels.  {A} Credits: 4
Miri Talmon

This course focuses on the lives of women in ancient Israelite society through close readings of the Hebrew Bible.We will consider how the Hebrew Bible demonstrates attitudes of reverence, disgust, and sympathy towards women by looking at detailed portraits of female characters as well as the role of many unnamed women in these texts. We will also cover female deities in the ancient Near East, women in biblical law, sex in prophetic and Wisdom literature, and the female body as a source of metaphor.  {L} Credits: 4
Maria Metzler

Topic: Judaism, Feminism, and Religious Politics 
A critical examination of the impact of contemporary feminism upon Jews across the spectrum—traditional, modern, and radical. We will explore new approaches to the Jewish tradition evident in the study of Jewish women’s history and experience; the critique and reinterpretation of classical texts; changing conceptions of God, Torah, community, ritual, and sexuality; and new roles for women as religious leaders, scholars, and activists. We will discuss theoretical, interpretive, and polemical works, as well as novels, poetry, newspapers, and films, focusing on the tensions between continuity and innovation and between inclusion and transformation.
Enrollment limited to 12. Prerequisite: a course in Religion, Jewish Studies, Women's Studies, or permission of the instructor. {H/S} Credits: 4
Lois Dubin

The course examines the roots of the American musical as a seminal theatrical form, with its own distinctive venues and styles; we pay particular attention to the socio-cultural factors that made the American musical stage a locus for identity-formation, with particular emphasis on Jewish-American identity.  The history of the American musical is deeply intertwined with the assimilationist project, particularly among Jewish-Americans, who were highly instrumental in its development.   The economics of theatrical production in the early 20th century, along with the rise of a burgeoning middle class with time for leisure (a new phenomenon), gave rise to a ‘popular’ form of musical theatre – the musical comedy – that was instrumental in creating what became “show business.”  No prerequisites {A/L}. Credits: 4
Ellen Kaplan

This course will study 20th-century poetry, short stories, essays, and novels by Jewish writers of Spanish America. Beginning with early immigrant writers, we will explore how recent authors portray issues of identity and belonging. Special attention will be given to the social context of works and to literary movements as ideological constructs. Prerequisites: SPN 220. Enrollment limited to 19. {L/F} 4 credits
Silvia Berger