Home | Program | Welcome | Classes | Academic Requirements | Faculty | Students Activities | Publications | Speakers Bureau
Center for Jewish Studies | Culture & Arts | Links | Friends of the Center | Join Us

Fall Classes 2008

HISTORY 1. History 114 –  History of the Jewish People I –  Professor Carlebach     Code:  0037 – T – 12:15-2:55 pm – PH 108 – 3 hr. 3 cr     The ancient period.  Emphasis on the interpretation of literary and archaeological evidence in      light of modern scholarship. (Fulfills Pre-industrial and/or Non-Western Civilization      requirement) 2.  History 115 – History of the Jewish People II –   Staff      Code: 0039 – M, Th – 9:25-10:40 am – PH 108 – 3 hr., 3 cr.      The Jewish Middle Ages from the decline of the Palestinian center to the beginnings      of civic emancipation (ca. 200 A.D. to 1789) (Fulfills Pre-industrial and/or Non-       Western Civilization requirement) 3.  History 116 –– History of Jewish People III - Professor Alteras      Code: 0040 – M, W – 10 :50-12 :05 pm  –  PH 156 – 3 hr., 3 cr.      The varieties of the Jewish experience since 1789 ; religious and secular, political and      cultural. 4.  History 200 – Media, History and Politics in the  Middle East –      Professor Rosenblum  and Professor Krasner      Code: 0043 – T 3 :05-5 :45 pm – PH 157      This course will examine the role of the mass media in the history and current      politics of the Middle East, focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian  conflict.      Special attention will be given to the media’s impact on efforts to make peace, and on      the media’s impact on the unfolding events in the Middle East with special attention on      the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Students will be asked to examine their own      preconceptions, assumptions, and preferences regarding this conflict in terms of their      relation to media sources.  This course is one segment of a four-year award winning      program to develop innovative curriculum on the Middle East, entitled  ‘Clash of      Civilizations or Meeting of the Minds : America in the Middle East,’ sponsored in part      by a generous grant from the Ford Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.  In      addition to having the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with prominent journalists      from the U.S. and the Middle East and with high level negotiators from the region,      students will enjoy delicious Middle Eastern repasts at no extra charge. 5.  History 200 – Jewish Enlightenment – Professor Carlebach      Code: 0144 – F – 9:15-12:05 pm – PH 231 – 3 hr., 3 cr.      The origins and development of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) in Western      Europe from 1750, with emphasis on primary texts.  We will survey the Enlightenment      in the West European context and touch upon East European Jewish models primarily for      the purpose of comparison and contrast.

6.  History 200– Jews Beyond Religion – Aspects of Secular Judaism –      Professor Kaye-Kantrowitz      Code: 0514 – F – 9 :15-12:05 pm – KY 119A – 3 hr., 3 cr.      Modernity : How did Jews change yet remain Jews?  In this course we’ll      Explore the rise of secular Jewish cultures, asking such questions as:  What is the process      of secularization?  What do we mean by cultural or secular Jew?  How are secular/      cultural Jews claiming space on the Jewish spectrum?  We’ll combine analytical      academic readings with film and other art forms, and lectures and discussions leavened      by guest speakers and performers.  We’ll examine intellectual and political Jewish      wrestling with religion, nation, and culture, race and gender, looking at competing      notions of what binds Jews together and at the emergence of political movements such as      the Bund Ottomanism, Zionism and other isms, including Diasporism.

7.   History 312 – The Holocaust – Professor Kraut       Code: 0061 M, Th – 10::50-12:05 pm – PH 108 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Centered on the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe,       this course covers the background of German-Jewish relations, the emergence of the       Nazi movement, the evolving Nazi measures against the Jews from discrimination       to persecution culminating in the death camps, and the Jewish       responses at each stage.  Specific thematic issues to be addressed include:       how to understand the perpetrators, the nature and scope of Jewish resistance, and what the       world could have/should have done or not done.

8.  History 392W: VT: Colloquium – Anti-Semitism – Professor Kraut       Code: 0064  – M – 1:40-4:30 pm – PH 231 – 4 hr., 4 cr.       This course will examine and evaluate the historical phenomenon of antisemitism,       “the longest hatred,” from antiquity to the contemporary era.  It will probe some of       its fundamental manifestations – primary texts and ideas, significant events and       their consequences, major exponents and ideologists – as they arise in specific       social, historical and cultural contexts.  The course will also assess some of the       preeminent historiographical and explanatory models of antisemitism by addressing       core analytic issues such as:  What is and is not antisemitism, and what various       assumptions and criteria inform the distinctive definitions of it?  Does the term       refer to one essential, historically continuous and identical phenomenon with but       multiple manifestations over time, or is antisemitism but a catch-all word denoting       very different historically unrelated patterns of hostility?  What is the place       and function of antisemitism in the history of western civilization?       Open to junior and senior Jewish Studies majors after History majors       pre-register.

9.  History 799: Anti-Semitism –  Professor Kraut       Code:  0173– Th – 6:30-8:10 pm – PH 156 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       See above description.

HEBREW BASIC LANGUAGE COURSES 10. Hebrew 101:  Elementary Hebrew I –  Professor Chetrit       Code:  3085 – T, Th – 9:25-11:15 am – KG 206  – 4 hr., 4 cr.       A beginner’s course in modern Hebrew. 11. Hebrew 203 – Intermediate Hebrew I -  Professor Chetrit       Code:  3106– T, Th – 12:15-1:30 pm – KG 107 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Prereq.:  Hebrew 102 or equivalent.  A continuation of Hebrew 102

HEBREW - COURSES IN ENGLISH 12. Hebrew 150: Modern Hebrew Lit in Translation  - Staff       Code: 3102– T, Th – 6:30-7:45  pm – KG 204 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       The story of Modern Hebrew Literature is a true wonder: within less       than a century, a language that had been used mainly for liturgy and Biblical       scholarship has become a spoken, living language with a rich body of literature.       This course will survey this literature from the stories of Mendele Mocher Sforim       written in Eastern Europe in the 19th century to recent works of fiction published in       Israel.  Focusing on prose fiction, we will be reading stories by S.Y. Agnon,       Uri Nissan  Gnessin, Yossef Hayym Brenner, S. Yizhar, Aharon Appelfeld,       Yehudit Hendel, Amos Oz, A.B. Yehosua,  Hanoch Levin, and others.        All texts will be read in translation.  (Satisfies Humanities 1, Tier 2

HEBREW – ADVANCED LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE COURSES 13. Hebrew 305:  Advanced Modern Hebrew –       Code: 3110 – T, Th – 3:05-4:20 pm – RA 201 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Prereq.:  Hebrew 204 or equivalent.  A continuation of Hebrew 204.  Study       of modern Hebrew texts to improve the students’ command of the language       and to develop an appreciation of modern literature.  For students who have       completed two years of college-level study (or equivalent) in a general Hebrew       course or who have attained a reading knowledge of Biblical or Rabbinic Hebrew       without practice in modern literature 14. Hebrew 329 – Biblical Literature IX : Minor  Prophets – Mr. Acker       Code:   3645 – T, Th – 10:50-12:05 pm – RA 214 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Prereq. Hebrew 307.  (Satisfies Humanities 1, Tier 2 and Pre-Industrial and/or       Non-Western Civilization) 15.Hebrew 345: Medieval Literature I  - Mr. Acker       Code: 3113– T, Th – 9:25-10:40 am – RA 214 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Prereq.: Hebrew 307.  Readings in the secular and liturgical poetry of the Middle Ages,       Particularly of the “Golden Age” in Spain.          (Satisfies Humanities I, Tier 2 and Pre-Industrial and/or Non-Western Civilization       requirement)

16. Hebrew 356:  Contemporary Israeli Literature I -   Staff       Code: 3115 – T – 4:30-5:45 pm – KG 206, Th - 4:30-5:45 pm – RA 201 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Prereq.:  Hebrew 305.  Study of a theme, genre, or a significant group of authors       who have been working in the State of Israel.  Course may be repeated once for credit       when the topic changes. (Satisfies Humanities 1, Tier 2

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 17. Religious Studies 260: VT:  Studies in Religion – Modern Jewish Thought –       Professor Goldsmith       Code: 3229 – T – 12:40-3:30 pm – TBA – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Ideas of the leading Jewish thinkers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in       Germany, Eastern Europe, the United States, and Israel.  Forerunners such as       Spinoza and Mendelssohn will be discussed as well as Krochmal, Levinsohn,       S.D. Luzzatto, Ahad Ha’am, Gordon, Kook, Cohen, Buber, Rosenzweig, Kaplan,       Heschel, and Soloveitchik.

PHILOSOPHY 18. Philosophy 116 – Intro to Philosophy of Religion – Professor Shippee       Code: 1081– M, W – 3:05-4:20 pm – KY 312 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       A philosophical examination of basic concepts in religion such as God, religious       meaning, faith, and religious experience.  Readings will be selected from classical and       contemporary sources 19. Philosophy 116 – Intro to Philosophy of Religion – Professor O’Connor       Code: 1080 – T, Th – 10:50-12:05 pm – RZ 147 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       See above description.

POLITICAL SCIENCE 20. Political Science 209: VT: Special Topics – America and the Middle East History  –          Professor Krasner       Code: 0289 – T – 3:05-5:45 pm – PH 157– 3 hr., 3 cr.       Co-listed  as History 200 – Media, History & Politics in the Middle East (code 0043)       See course description #5. 21. Political Science 240: Contemporary Middle East – Staff       Code:  0296 – T, F  – 8:00-9:15 am – PH 211– 3 hr., 3 cr.       Please contact Political Science Dept. for course description. NEW COURSE 22. Political Science 269: Middle East thru Literature –  Professor Flamhaft       Code: 0304 – M, W – 9:25-10:40 am – PH 204 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       This course will explore the history, societies, political cultures, and the current       situation in the Middle East through a careful examination of biographies and the themes       expressed in well-researched novels.  Through the reading material students will be able       to critically evaluate opposing political visions and assess continuity and change in the       region since it was secretly divided among the winner of World War I.  Surely,       the diagonally opposed opinions expressed in the books will spark a thoughtful       if lively classroom debate of some of the most enduring issues of the politics of the       Middle East. NEW COURSE 23. Political Science 269: Politics of Ethnic Cleansing/Genocide – Professor George       Code: 0305 – T, F 10:50-12:05 pm –PH 121 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       This class offers a systematic examination of ethnic cleansing and genocide, exploring       the political elements of these complex and multi-faceted events.  By mixing case study       examinations with international legal documents, personal memoirs, and theoretical       arguments, students will examine the politics surrounding the definition, conduct,       and consequences of genocide and ethnic cleansing.  They will investigate the impact       that long-term developmental trends as well as individual actors have on policy       conduct, using an analytical approach to find common trends that might help us       understand why genocide and ethnic cleansing events occur (and reoccur), whom they              benefit, their consequences, and how they might be prevented.

ENGLISH 24. English 153W: Intro to the Bible – Professor Shippee       Code: 0817 – M – 6:30-9:20  pm – KP 333 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Selected books of the Old and New Testament in English translation.  Cannot       be taken for credit if student has taken English 381.       25.English 153W: Intro to the Bible – Professor Zimroth       Code: 0641 – T – 4 :30-7 :20 pm – KY 244 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       A close reading of selected texts from the Old and New Testaments.  We       will be concerned with literary analysis, redaction, sociological and       historical background and authorship. 26. English 381: Literature of the Bible – Professor Zimroth       Code: 0642 – W – 9 :15-12 :05 pm – KY 423 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       A study of Biblical literature in English translation :  its forms and themes, literary and       historical meaning, and its influence on English and American literature.       Prereq. :  Engl 140W or Engl 150W or satisfaction of the Humanities 1, Tier 1       LASARrequirement.  Cannot be taken for credit if student has taken Engl 153

SPANISH 27. Spanish 291 : Hispanic Film : Diaspora  - Professor Glickman       Code : 3344 – M, W 1 :40-2:55 pm – Ky 246 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Aspects of Spanish and Latin American cinema : historical, cultural,       asthetic, political, technical, etc.  From semester to semester the course may deal       either with certain tendencies and periods or with individual directors.  Lectures will       be in English ; films will be show in the original language with subtitles.        May be repeated once for credit provided the topic is different.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 28. Comp Lit 229W – Contemporary Jewish Women’s Identity and       Experience in the U.S. :  Survival/Resistance/Rebellion – Professor Kaye-Kantrowitz       Code : 3087 – T – 9 :15-12 :05 pm – 3 hr., 3 cr.       If asked to picture a Jew, a great majority of folks, in the U.S. would imagine a man –       not just any man but someone of European origins with objects, hair, clothing, etc.which       signify religious observance.  This class focuses on seeing through a double relatively       new lens, placing women and secularism at the center of our inquiry.  Deconstructing the       normative male Jew, we will notice all the doors that open (or close) when confronting       diversity.  We will survey briefly ancestral terrain, recognizing in the history of American       Jewish women both trauma and exhilaration.  Examining themes of assimilation and       anti-semitism, and resistance to these, we will theorize the shape and content of        secularism for Jewish women in the U.S. and explore connections between secularism       and political activism.  Finally we will sum up perhaps a new enlarged sense of Jewish       family and community that embraces rather than ignores difference.       (Satisfies Humanities 1, Tier 2) THE FOLLOWING IS A LISTING OF COURSES ON BROAD THEMES AND TOPICS, WHICH EITHER CONTAIN A JEWISH COMPONENT IN THE FORMAL SYLLABUS OR WHICH ALLOW YOU TO DO PAPERS AND ASSIGNMENTS ON JEWISH-RELATED ISSUES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE COURSE.  THEY WILL COUNT FOR THE JEWISH STUDIES MAJOR AND MINOR IF STUDENTS DO JEWISH STUDIES-RELATED WORK IN THE COURSE: HISTORY 29. History 104:  American History 1865-Present – Professor Davis-Kram       Code:  0027– Th – 4:30-7:00 pm – RZ 109 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       The United States from Reconstruction to the present time. 30. History 200 – 20th Century New York City – Professor Davis-Kram       Code: 0045 – T, Th – 12:15-1:30 pm –  RZ 109 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       The course will cover the evolution of New York City from a small island thriving       on its commerce and industry in the last 19th century to the largest city in the       United States – A city that set standards in social, political, economic, industrial and       cultural life for the country and by mid century for the world.  Requirements will include       assigned readings, individual research project and field trips to various sites relevant       to the growth and changes in New York throughout the 20th century.             31. History 263: Urban-Industrial America 1878-1920 – Professor Davis Kram       Code: 0051– T, Th – 1:40-2:55 pm – RZ 109 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       The end of the frontier; industrial capitalism and the transformation of agriculture,       the labor movement; urbanization and the agrarian revolt. 32. History 285 : New York City History – Professor Hershkowitz       Code: 0059 – W, F – 10:50-12:05 pm – RZ 343 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       From frontier settlement to world metropolis.  Special attention to original       materials, letters, diaries, official records, and other primary sources. SOCIOLOGY 33. Sociology 211:  Ethnic/Racial Relations – Professor Eisenberg       Code: 1495 – T, Th – 12:15-1:30 pm – RA 112 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       Major ethnic and racial groups, ethnic contact, and ethic relations in       American society and in other cultures.  Prereq.: Sociology 101 34  Sociology 211:  Ethnic/Racial Relations – Professor Cho       Code: 2226  – T, Th – 9:25-10:40 am –  TBA – 3 hr., 3 cr.       See above description. 35  Sociology 211:  Ethnic Racial Relations – Professor Lewis       Code:  2227 – T – 6:30-9:20 pm –– TBA – 3 hr., 3 cr.       See above description.       36. Sociology 221:  Sociology of Religion – Professor Cho       Code: 1530 – T, Th – 12:15-1:30 pm – SB A 141 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       The nature of religion, its relationship to other institutions, and its changing role       and function in modern society.       URBAN STUDIES 37. Urban Studies 220: 20th Century NYC Hisory – Professor Davis Kram       Code: 1181 – T, Th – 12 :15-1 :30 pm RZ 109 – 3 hr., 3 cr.       (Co-listed  as History 200 – code 0045)  See description #30.

Return to Top