The Program in Jewish Studies seeks to foster knowledge of the history, religion, and culture of Jews. Interdisciplinary in nature, the Program offers courses employing a variety of methodologies to examine a history of more than three thousand years in the land of Israel and in diaspora communities around the world. It offers survey and specialized courses to provide students with broad knowledge of the field and immersion in greater depth in selected areas, with emphasis on the critical skills required to analyze Jewish experience (individual, family, community, society, relations with non-Jews), and Jewish expression (religious texts, thought, and literature).

Major. The Jewish Studies major consists of a minimum of 30 hours of core and elective courses. Majors select four courses from core (required) areas in Hebrew, JWST history and religion, and at least three additional courses in either JWST history or religion.

Core Courses: students are required to select a two-semester Hebrew language sequence (either Classical or Modern Hebrew), and two additional courses from these JWST history and religion offerings:  
JWST 111 Classical Hebrew I and JWST 112 Classical Hebrew II, or
JWST 101 Modern Hebrew I and JWST 102 Modern Hebrew II
JWST 131 Jewish History from Biblical Times to 1492
JWST 132 Jewish History from the Spanish Expulsion to the Present
JWST 150 Introduction to Judaism
JWST 151 Modern Jewish Thought  

JWST History or Religion concentration: Majors are urged to complete the four-course required sequence during their first two years of study. Majors are then required to choose a concentration in either Jewish history or Jewish religion and to take three additional courses in those areas from the Program's offerings or, with the approval of the Program Director, equivalent courses offered elsewhere, up to the limit listed below. Thus, majors with a concentration in Jewish history are required to select three additional JWST history courses, including a second semester of the required survey (JWST 131/132), if that was not taken to satisfy the core requirement, and at least one 300-level seminar. Majors with a concentration in Jewish religion are required to select three additional JWST religion courses, including a second semester of the required religion survey (JWST 150/151), if that was not taken to satisfy the core requirement, and at least one 300-level seminar. The Program Director must approve these three additional courses, insuring that the major attains both breadth and depth of study.

Elective Courses. In addition, majors select three elective JWST courses, in consultation with their JWST advisor, to complete the required 30 hours. The Program especially encourages use of Hebrew in more advanced courses and recommends that majors live in Johnson House, the Program House of Jewish Studies, where non-credit Hebrew language and Hebrew text study and/or cultural programming is offered. The Program encourages students to pursue intensive study of Jewish languages Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic in approved programs elsewhere, subject to the approval of the Program Director.

Minor. A minor in Jewish Studies consists of a minimum of 15 credit hours in JWST courses.

Honors. Qualified students wishing to do an advanced research project in JWST, working closely with an appropriate faculty member, are invited to apply for admission to the Honors program for their seventh and eighth semesters. Students wishing to be considered for the Honors Program must consult the Director of the Program in their sixth semester and submit a statement of the proposed topic and its methodology (7-10 pp.), as well as a bibliography (2 pp.), by Spring Break of the student's sixth semester. Admission to the Program and actual award of Honors will be determined by JWST faculty/committee based on the student's level of proficiency and academic record in JWST and overall, and the strength and suitability of the proposal and of the finished product. Credit hours earned from the Honors project should be beyond those required for the Major. For further details, see the Program Director.

Transfer of Credit. Students may transfer up to 14 hours toward the major, or seven hours toward the minor, from accredited institutions and at the discretion of the Director of the Program. With the exception of Hebrew, such credits should be for specialized courses, rather than for courses equivalent to introductory courses required for the major/ minor.


FYSP 131. How Early Jews and Christians Rewrote the Bible 3 hours
3HU, CD, WRi
Next offered 2004-2005.

FYSP 167. Who Was a Jew: Boundaries of Identity 3 hours
3SS, CD, WRi
First Semester. For description, please see "First-Year Seminar Program" in this catalog. Identical to HIST 167. Enrollment Limit: 14.
Ms. Magnus

101. Modern Hebrew I 3 hours
3HU, CD
First Semester. This is a course in modern, conversational Hebrew, geared to beginners. It emphasizes basic vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expression in interactive classroom activities and through assigned exercises to develop students' aural and reading comprehension and basic spoken expression. Notes: Registration open. Level and placement to be determined by the instructor. Enrollment Limit: 20.
Staff

102. Modern Hebrew II 3 hours
3HU, CD
Second Semester. Modern, conversational Hebrew geared to upper beginners who have successfully completed Hebrew 101 or its equivalent. Notes: Registration open. Admission and placement to be determined by the instructor. Enrollment Limit: 20.
Staff

109. Introduction to Religion 3 hours
3HU, CD, WR
First Semester. Topic to be announced. Enrollment Limit: 35. Identical to
RELG 109.
Staff

131. Jewish History from Biblical Antiquity to 1492 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
First Semester. Survey of Jewish history from biblical origins through the medieval period in Christian and Islamic realms until 1492. Covers biblical society and its literary expression; Hellenistic and Roman rule; the emergence and development of rabbinic Judaism; Jewish sects, including early Christianity; religious and political attitudes and behavior toward non-Jews; the Jewish community and family; the Crusades; the Spanish and other expulsions; medieval Jew-hatred; and Jewish responses. Identical to HIST 131. Enrollment Limit: 45.
Ms. Magnus

132. Jewish History from the Spanish Expulsion to the Present 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. Survey of Jewish history from 1492 to the present, focusing on the challenges of modernity and Jewish responses. Covers the shattering of traditional society and the emergence of Jewish modernity in the experience of Marranos, mystics, messiahs, secular Jews and religious reformers; Hasidism and neo-traditionalists; the struggle for 'emancipation;' socio-economic transformation; assimilation and cultural revival; modern anti-semitism and Jewish responses; Zionism and other forms of Jewish nationalism, Jewish socialism; the Shoah; the State of Israel; and American Jewry. Identical to HIST 132. Enrollment Limit: 45.
Ms. Magnus

150. Introduction to Judaism 3 hours
3HU, CD
First Semester. A theoretical introduction to Judaism as a religious system. Special attention will be paid to the historical development of the religion through interpretation of traditional texts and ritual practices. Identical to RELG 250. Enrollment Limit: 40.
Staff

151. Modern Jewish Thought 3 hours
3HU, CD
Second Semester. An interpretive study of key figures and movements in modern Jewish thought, from the 17^th to the 20^th century. Central topics to be examined include the ideologies of the modern movements (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox), challenges to the veracity of biblical texts, authority of rabbinic tradition, and the place of the Jew and Judaism in an enlightened secular society. Thinkers to be studied include Spinoza, Mendelssohn, the Baal Shem Tov, Marx, Herzl, Kook, Buber, Soloveitchik,and Heschel. Identical to RELG 251. Enrollment Limit: 40.
Mr. Socher

205. Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Eastern Context 3 hours
3HU, CD
First Semester. An introduction to the literature and history of ancient Israel as contained within the Hebrew Bible and to the methods of interpretation used by modern scholars to understand this ancient text. Biblical writings will be studied within the context of other ancient Near Eastern religious, legal, and literary texts. An important aspect of this course will be learning the art and skill of a close and critical reading of ancient texts and of modern scholarly interpretations of those texts. Thematic emphases will include the emergence of monotheism, the conceptualization of the divine/human relationship, the mediation of priest, prophet, and king, and issues of canon. Identical to RELG 205. Enrollment Limit: 40.
Ms. Chapman

233. Jewish Memoirs and Memory: Writing the Self in Jewish Society 3-4 hours
3-4SS, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

234. Good & Evil: Decision-Making in the Holocaust 3-4 hours
3-4SS, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

235. East European Jewry: 1772-1939 3 hours
3 SS, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

237. Women in Jewish Society, Antiquity to Modernity 3 hours
3SS, CD, WR
Second Semester. Selected topics in Jewish women's history from antiquity to the 20^th century, examining 'normative' constructions of women's roles as well as social and cultural realities. Uses biblical and rabbinic materials, medieval communal and personal (divorce, prenuptial) documents, women's letters, memoirs and rituals to explore gender roles and power relations between Jewish women and men, women and religion, women's economic and communal functions, literacy, sexuality, responses to persecution, and feminism. Identical to HIST 237. Enrollment Limit: 30.
Ms. Magnus

253. Responses to the Holocaust in Theology, History, Literature and the Arts 3 hours
3HU
Next offered 2004-2005.

255. Theology, Science, and the Secularization of Europe (1200-1800) 3 hours
1.5HU, 1.5SS, CD, WR
Next offered in 2004-2005.

258. Introduction to the Talmud: Argument & Interpretation 3 hours
3HU, CD, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

301. Seminar: Selected Topics in Biblical History and Historiography: The Book of Isaiah, its Canonical Legacy and the Shaping of National Memory 3 hours
3HU, WR
Next offered 2004-2005.

303. Seminar: Anthropological Approaches to the Study of the Bible: Kinship and the Family in Ancient Israel 3 hours
3HU, WR
Second Semester. This course will examine the structure and function of the kinship unit known as the "House of the Father" in the Hebrew Bible. The function of the "natal family" or "house of the mother" will also be identified and explored. Anthropological studies of kinship structures from modern China and the modern Middle East will provide a comparative framework for conceptualizing the Israelite family. Discussion topics include: patterns for brokering marriages, patterns of inheritance, perceptions of intimacy, the practice of blood vengeance, royal succession, and evidence for household religion. Identical to RELG 303. Consent of the instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Ms. Chapman

306. Germans and Jews 3 hours
3-4SS, CD, WR
Next offered in 2004-2005.

353. Seminar: Moses Maimonides: Philosophy & Law 3 hours
3HU, CD, WRi
Second Semester. Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) is the pivotal thinker of the Jewish middle ages. He is the author of the most influential work of Jewish philosophy, The Guide of the Perplexed, and the most comprehensive code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah. These works have engendered both controversy and commentary from the 12^th century through the 20^th. The seminar will focus on selected Maimonidean texts together with classical commentaries and modern scholarship. All readings in English. Identical to RELG 353. Enrollment Limit: 12.

354. Seminar: Spinoza: Heresy and Modern Judaism 3 hours
3HU, WR
Next offered in 2004-2005.

500. Honors Project 1-3 hours
1-3HU, CD
Students wishing to do Honors in Jewish Studies during their final year should consult their Major Advisor and the Chair of the Jewish Studies Program; see further details regarding Honors projects at the beginning of this section of the catalog. Projects sponsored by Ms. Magnus, Mr. Socher, or Ms. Chapman. Consent of instructor required.

995. Private Reading 1-3 hours
1-3HU, CD
Projects sponsored by Ms. Magnus, Mr. Socher, or Ms.Chapman. Consent of instructor required.