JEWISHST 3C:
Talking About Jews (HISTORY 3C)
Professors Beinin and Zipperstein will initiate discussions on a broad range of topics related to Jews and Jewish identity in the modern world and then invite the class to join in the discussion. Topics include: Who are the Jews, secularism, Jewish capitalists and leftists, anti-Semitism, Israel and Zionism, Jews in American life. For the one unit option attendance at the discussions is required. For the three unit option, students will do the prescribed readings and attend a discussion section.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1
JEWISHST 4N:
A World History of Genocide (HISTORY 4N)
Reviews the history of genocide from ancient times until the present. Defines genocide, both in legal and historical terms, and investigates its causes, consequences, and global dimensions. Issues of prevention, punishment, and interdiction. Main periods of concern are the ancient world, Spanish colonial conquest; early modern Asia; settler genocides in America, Australia, and Africa; the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust; genocide in communist societies; and late 20th century genocide.
Last offered: Winter 2015
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 5:
Biblical Greek (CLASSICS 6G, RELIGST 171A)
(Formerly CLASSGRK 5.) This is a one term intensive class in Biblical Greek. After quickly learning the basics of the language, we will then dive right into readings from the New Testament and the Septuagint, which is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. No previous knowledge of Greek required. If demand is high for a second term, an additional quarter will be offered in the Spring.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 5B:
Biblical Greek (CLASSICS 7G)
(Formerly CLASSGRK 6) This is a continuation of the Winter Quarter Biblical Greek Course. Pre-requisite: CLASSICS 6G (Formerly CLASSGRK 5) or a similar introductory course in Ancient Greek.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 5G:
Intensive Biblical Greek (RELIGST 171X)
Equivalent to two quarters of Biblical Greek (CLASSICS 6G, 7G). Students will learn the core of New Testament Greek with the goal of learning to accurately translate and read the New Testament. Students will read one-third of the Gospel of John during the course and will be well-prepared to read the Greek New Testament independently after the course. Focus on knowledge of key vocabulary and grammar needed to read the Greek Bible with ease. No previous knowledge of Greek required. Course does not fulfill the Stanford language requirement.
Last offered: Summer 2015
| Units: 8
JEWISHST 13C:
Talking About Jews (HISTORY 13C)
Professors Beinin and Zipperstein will initiate discussions on a broad range of topics related to Jews and Jewish identity in the modern world and then invite the class to join in the discussion. Topics include: Who are the Jews, secularism, Jewish capitalists and leftists, anti-Semitism, Israel and Zionism, Jews in American life. For the one unit option attendance at the discussions is required. For the three unit option, students will do the prescribed readings and attend a discussion section.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 18N:
Religion and Politics: Comparing Europe to the U.S. (RELIGST 18N)
Interdisciplinary and comparative. Historical, political, sociological, and religious studies approaches. The relationship between religion and politics as understood in the U.S. and Europe. How this relationship has become tense both because of the rise of Islam as a public religion in Europe and the rising influence of religious groups in public culture. Different understandings and definitions of the separation of church and state in Western democratic cultures, and differing notions of the public sphere. Case studies to investigate the nature of public conflicts, what issues lead to conflict, and why. Why has the head covering of Muslim women become politicized in Europe? What are the arguments surrounding the Cordoba House, known as the Ground Zero Mosque, and how does this conflict compare to controversies about recent constructions of mosques in Europe? Resources include media, documentaries, and scholarly literature.
Last offered: Spring 2014
| Units: 3-4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 19N:
Everyone Eats: Food, Religion and Culture (CSRE 19N, RELIGST 19N)
Food is one of the most essential aspects of the human experience. The decisions and choices we make about food define who we have been, who we are now, and who we want to become. In this seminar we will study how food habits have shaped religious traditions, and vice versa, how religious traditions have shaped food ways. Some traditions are centered around food regiments such as the dietary laws, derived from biblical law that shapes Jewish and Christian tradition very differently. Indeed, many religious and ethical thinkers, as well as anthropologists, have interpreted the meanings of the dietary laws very differently. Further, in many religious traditions the killing of animals and consumption of meat is deeply fraught. We will explore the history of food practices and their contemporary impact; the connections between food, religion, and identity; the meanings that religious thinkers and anthropologists have attributed to food habits; as well as the creative translations of religious traditions into contemporary food ethics by various social movements and groups, predominantly in the U.S..
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 37Q:
Zionism and the Novel (COMPLIT 37Q)
At the end of the nineteenth century, Zionism emerged as a political movement to establish a national homeland for the Jews, eventually leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. This seminar uses novels to explore the changes in Zionism, the roots of the conflict in the Middle East, and the potentials for the future. We will take a close look at novels by Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, in order to understand multiple perspectives, and we will also consider works by authors from the North America and from Europe.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP, Writing 2
JEWISHST 38A:
Germany and the World Wars, 1870-1990 (HISTORY 38A)
(Same as HISTORY 138A. Majors and others taking 5 units, enroll in 138A.) This course examines Germany's tumultuous history from the Second Empire through the end of the Cold War. During this time, Germany ushered in five regimes and two world wars, seesawing between material ruin and economic prosperity on the frontline of Europe's military and ideological rifts. Beginning with Bismarck's wars of unification, the class spans World War One, the Weimar Republic, the rise of Nazism, World War Two, the Holocaust, the division of communist East and capitalist West Germany, and the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
JEWISHST 39S:
The Other Side: Ethnography and Travel Writing through Jewish, Christian and Muslim Eyes (RELIGST 39S)
In an age of reality television and social media, we are bombarded with snapshots of the exotic, monstrous, and bizarre. Yet despite their quantity, these images pale in comparison to the qualities of terror, wonder and curiosity that ancient travelers evoked in their encounters with foreign lands and peoples. Early ethnographers, too, painstakingly explored the beliefs and practices of unfamiliar peoples sometimes very close to home. This course surveys their most vivid writings, from ancient Greece to the colonization of the New World, focusing on the relation between fascination with the other and the author's own religious imagination. In particular, it introduces the contributions of Jewish travelers and ethnographers to this history, which has often been written from the standpoint of imperial, ecclesiastical or colonial power. It stresses literary continuities across three general periods (ancient, medieval, and colonial), showing how remarkably consistent patterns of identification spring from diverse encounters.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 71:
Jews and Christians: Conflict and Coexistence (RELIGST 71)
The relationship between Judaism and Christianity has had a long a controversial history. Christianity originated as a dissident Jewish sect but eventually evolved into an independent religion, with only tenuous ties to its Jewish past and present. At the same time, Judaism has at times considered Christianity a form of idolatry. It seems that only since the catastrophe of the Holocaust, Jews and Christians (Catholics and Protestants) have begun the serious work of forging more meaningful relationships with each other. This course explores the most significant moments, both difficult and conciliatory ones, that have shaped the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and introduces students to some of the most important literature, art, and music that are part of it. nnSelected literature: Gospel according Matthew, the letters of St. Paul, St. Augustine, the Talmud (selections), Maimonides, Martin Luther's sermons on the Jews, Nostra Aetate (Vatican II)nnArt and Music: Medieval art and sculpture, Haendel's Messiah.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 80T:
Jewish Music in the Lands of Islam (MUSIC 80T)
An Interdisciplinary study of Music, Society, and Culture in communities of the Jewish Diaspora in Islamic countries. The course examines the diverse and rich musical traditions of the Jews in North Africa and the Middle East. Based on the "Maqamat" system, the Arabic musical modes, Jewish music flourished under Islamic rule, encompassing the fields of sacred music, popular songs, and art music. Using musicological, historical, and anthropological tools, the course compares and contrasts these traditions from their original roots through their adaptation, appropriation, and re-synthesis in contemporary art music and popular songs.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 84S:
Between Toleration and Persecution: Iran and its Minorities in the Twentieth Century (HISTORY 84S)
What does it mean to be Jewish or Christian in a country where most citizens are categorized as Shi'i Muslims? How have Kurds and Azeris figured into Iranian national and political rhetoric? What has it meant to identify as transgender or transsexual? This course explores religious, ethnic, and sexual minority groups in Iran in the twentieth century. Topics include minority rights, identity formation, minorities¿ involvement in political movements, the impact of westernizing efforts on minorities, and the Iranian diaspora. Priority given to history majors and minors.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 85B:
Jews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Visibility and Vulnerability (CSRE 85B, HISTORY 85B, REES 85B)
(Same as HISTORY 185B. History majors and others taking 5 units, register for 185B.) This course explores the full expanse of Jewish life today and in the recent past. The inner workings of religious faith, the content of Jewish identify shorn of belief, the interplay between Jewish powerlessness and influence, the myth and reality of Jewish genius, the continued pertinence of antisemitism, the rhythms of Jewish economic life ¿ all these will be examined in weekly lectures, classroom discussion, and with the use of a widely diverse range of readings, films, and other material. Explored in depth will the ideas and practices of Zionism, the content of contemporary secularism and religious Orthodoxy, the impact Holocaust, the continued crisis facing Israel and the Palestinians. Who is to be considered Jewish, in any event, especially since so many of the best known (Spinoza, Freud, Marx) have had little if anything to do with Jewish life with their relationships to it indifferent, even hostile?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 101A:
First-Year Hebrew, First Quarter (AMELANG 128A)
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 101B:
First-Year Hebrew, Second Quarter (AMELANG 128B)
Continuation of AMELANG 128A. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 128A.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 101C:
First-Year Hebrew, Third Quarter (AMELANG 128C)
Continuation of AMELANG 128B. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 128B. Fulfill the University Foreign Language Requirement.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: Language
JEWISHST 102A:
Second-Year Hebrew, First Quarter (AMELANG 129A)
Continuation of AMELANG 128C. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 128C.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: Language
JEWISHST 102B:
Second-Year Hebrew, Second Quarter (AMELANG 129B)
Continuation of AMELANG 129A. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 129A.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 102C:
Second-Year Hebrew, Third Quarter (AMELANG 129C)
Continuation of AMELANG 129B. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 129B.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: Language
JEWISHST 103A:
Third-Year Hebrew, First Quarter (AMELANG 130A)
Continuation of AMELANG 129C. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 129C.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 104:
Hebrew Forum (AMELANG 131A)
Intermediate and advanced level. Biweekly Hebrew discussion on contemporary issues with Israeli guest speakers. Vocabulary enhancement. Focus on exposure to academic Hebrew. May be repeat for credit
Terms: Win
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
12 times
(up to 12 units total)
JEWISHST 104A:
First-Year Yiddish, First Quarter (AMELANG 140A)
Reading, writing, and speaking.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 104B:
First-Year Yiddish, Second Quarter (AMELANG 140B)
Continuation of AMELANG 140A. Prerequisite: AMELANG.
Last offered: Winter 2016
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 104C:
First-Year Yiddish, Third Quarter (AMELANG 140C)
Continuation of AMELANG 140B. Prerequisite: AMELANG 140B. Fulfills the University Foreign Language Requirement.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: Language
JEWISHST 105:
Hebrew Forum (AMELANG 131B)
Intermediate and advanced level. Biweekly Hebrew discussion on contemporary issues with Israeli guest speakers. Vocabulary enhancement. Focus on exposure to academic Hebrew. May be repeat for credit
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
12 times
(up to 12 units total)
JEWISHST 106:
Reflection on the Other: The Jew and the Arab in Literature (AMELANG 126, COMPLIT 145)
How literary works outside the realm of Western culture struggle with questions such as identity, minority, and the issue of the Other. How the Arab is viewed in Hebrew literature, film and music and how the Jew is viewed in Palestinian works in Hebrew or Arabic (in translation to English). Historical, political, and sociological forces that have contributed to the shaping of these writers' views.nnGuest lectures about the Jew in Palestinian literature and music.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 107A:
Biblical Hebrew, First Quarter (AMELANG 170A, RELIGST 170A)
Establish a basic familiarity with the grammar and vocabulary of Biblical Hebrew and will begin developing a facility with the language. Students that are enrolled in this course must also enroll in Beginning Hebrew. This course requires no prior knowledge of Hebrew and will begin with learning the alphabet. By the end of the year, students will be able to translate basic biblical texts, will be familiar with common lexica and reference grammars, and will have sufficient foundational knowledge to enable them to continue expanding their knowledge either in a subsequent course or own their own.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2
JEWISHST 107B:
Biblical Hebrew, Second Quarter (AMELANG 170B)
Continuation of 170A
Last offered: Winter 2016
| Units: 2
JEWISHST 107C:
Biblical Hebrew, Third Quarter (AMELANG 170C)
Continuation of 170B.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 2
JEWISHST 120:
Sex and Gender in Judaism and Christianity (FEMGEN 130, RELIGST 130)
What role do Jewish and Christian traditions play in shaping understandings of gender differences? Is gender always imagined as dual, male and female? This course explores the variety of ways in which Jewish and Christian traditions - often in conversation with and against each other - have shaped gender identities and sexual politics. We will explore the central role that issues around marriage and reproduction played in this conversation. Perhaps surprisingly, early Jews and Christian also espoused deep interest in writing about 'eunuchs' and 'androgynes,' as they thought about Jewish and Christian ways of being a man or a woman. We will examine the variety of these early conversations, and the contemporary Jewish and Christian discussions of feminist, queer, trans- and intersex based on them.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-Gender, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 127D:
Readings in Talmudic Literature (JEWISHST 227D, RELIGST 170D)
Readings of the talmudic texts. Some knowledge of Hebrew is preferred. The ongoing seminar is designed to study the making of the talmudic sugya (unit of discourse), along with classic commentaries. Students will consider some of the recent developments in the academic study of Talmudic literature, introduced by the instructor. The goal of the ongoing seminar is to provide Stanford students and faculty with the opportunity to engage in regular Talmud study, and to be introduced to a variety of approaches to studying Talmudic texts. Class meets on Fridays, from 12:00-1:15 pm in Hillel (Koret Pavilion Taube Hillel House; Ziff Center for Jewish Life). May be repeat for credit
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
5 times
(up to 5 units total)
JEWISHST 127E:
Readings in Talmudic Literature Advanced (JEWISHST 227E, RELIGST 170E)
Readings of the talmudic texts. Knowledge of Hebrew is required. The ongoing seminar is designed to study the making of the talmudic sugya (unit of discourse), along with classic commentaries. Students will consider some of the recent developments in the academic study of Talmudic literature, introduced by the instructor. The goal of the ongoing seminar is to provide Stanford students and faculty with the opportunity to engage in regular Talmud study, and to be introduced to a variety of approaches to studying Talmudic texts. Meeting time and location TBA. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1
JEWISHST 130:
Illicit Trade in Art and Antiquities (GLOBAL 190, GLOBAL 390, JEWISHST 330, PUBLPOL 191, PUBLPOL 391)
Illicit trade in art and antiquities is reputedly the third largest illicit trade activity globally. How do nations, individually and collectively, respond to this seemingly inexorable form of illicit trade, and what factors influence those responses? What are the sources and effects of such trade, and how can it best be curbed? This course will delve into these and other pressing political, legal, ethical, economic, cultural and public policy questions about illicit art and antiquities trade, arising across five subject areas: (1) the acquisition of art during the Age of Imperialism (ie, from Roman times through World War II); (2) Holocaust-era takings and the evolution in international legal and ethical responses to wartime looting; (3) removal and repatriation of Indigenous cultural material; (4) theft from museums and private collectors, and legal systems¿ varying allocation of the risk of such theft; and (5) the illicit trade and destruction of antiquities, and issues surrounding their restitution. Several internationally renowned guest speakers will give presentations and contribute to our discussions. Grading will be based on attendance, participation in class and an online discussion forum, a student group presentation, and a final exam or research paper.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 132:
Between Nation-Building and Liberalization: The Welfare State in Israel (SOC 102)
According to one commentator, the political economy of Israel is characterized by embedded illiberalism. In the context of a national and territorial conflict, the Israeli state fostered comprehensive nation-building projects (such as immigration absorption), via employment and social protection schemes. This course surveys the distinctive development of the Israeli welfare state in comparative perspective, and analyzes its particular politics and outcomes in the form of inclusion but also exclusion of different populations from full citizenship. The course will follow a chronological path from the pre-state crystallization of national welfare institutions to the current neo-liberalization trend that seems to undermine collectivist projects and advance the re-commodification of citizenship. Throughout the course we will discuss issues such as: the role of labor and nationalism in the design of social policy, the production of national, ethnic and gender inequality, and the dynamics of change and continuity following heightened liberalization and internationalization since the 1980s. The course exposes students to key issues of the sociology of the welfare state with particular emphasis on the development and role of the state in a deeply conflicted society, using the Israeli experience. At the conclusion of the course students are expected to understand how welfare state institutions reflect but also reproduce societal schisms and conflicts, and be familiar with central aspects of Israeli politics past and present.
Last offered: Autumn 2015
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 132D:
Sociology of Jewishness (CSRE 132J, SOC 132J)
Examines the place of the Jewish people in society throughout various locales and historical periods to understand how interactions among Jews and with other groups have shaped Jewish identities. Topics include modernism, the Holocaust, Israel/nationhood, race/ethnicity, intermarriage, and assimilation. Uses theoretical, empirical, and historical material from multiple social scientific fields of study and explores the study of Judaism from several major sociological lenses.
Last offered: Spring 2015
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 133:
Sociology of Citizenship (SOC 103)
Not only a legal status, citizenship forms a major concern for political sociologists interested in questions of membership, exclusion, redistribution, and struggles over the boundaries of collective identity. Citizenship is in essence membership in a political community that entails rights and duties, and structures a tripartite relationship between the individual, community and state. The institutions of citizenship include formal and bureaucratic rules of eligibility ¿ but also informal institutions such as identity and belonging. Throughout the course, students are exposed to key issues of the sociology of citizenship such as the historically different paths of men, women, minority groups and immigrants into citizenship, the contested development of rights and duties, the regulation of population, as well as insurgency and collective attempts to rearticulate the terms of the ¿contract¿ with the state. Israel, the USA, France and Germany are used as empirical illustrations. At the conclusion of the course students will know how to utilize the analytic framework of citizenship in order to analyze a wide range of political phenomena in contemporary societies.
Last offered: Winter 2016
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 138A:
Germany and the World Wars, 1870-1990 (HISTORY 138A)
(Same as HISTORY 38A. Majors and others taking 5 units, enroll in 138A.) This course examines Germany's tumultuous history from the Second Empire through the end of the Cold War. During this time, Germany ushered in five regimes and two world wars, seesawing between material ruin and economic prosperity on the frontline of Europe's military and ideological rifts. Beginning with Bismarck's wars of unification, the class spans World War One, the Weimar Republic, the rise of Nazism, World War Two, the Holocaust, the division of communist East and capitalist West Germany, and the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 139:
Rereading Judaism in Light of Feminism (FEMGEN 139)
During the past three decades, Jewish feminists have asked new questions of traditional rabbinic texts, Jewish law, history, and religious life and thought. Analysis of the legal and narrative texts, rituals, theology, and community to better understand contemporary Jewish life as influenced by feminism.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-Gender, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 143:
Literature and Society in Africa and the Caribbean (AFRICAAM 133, AFRICAST 132, FRENCH 133)
This course aims to equip students with an understanding of the cultural, political and literary aspects at play in the literatures of Francophone Africa and the Caribbean. Our primary readings will be Francophone novels and poetry, though we will also read some theoretical texts, as well as excerpts of Francophone theater. The assigned readings will expose students to literature from diverse French-speaking regions of the African/Caribbean world. This course will also serve as a "literary toolbox," with the intention of facilitating an understanding of literary forms, terms and practices. Students can expect to work on their production of written and spoken French (in addition to reading comprehension) both in and outside of class. Required readings include: Aimé Césaire, "Cahier d'un retour au pays natal," Albert Memmi, "La Statue de Sel," Kaouther Adimi, "L'envers des autres", Maryse Condé, "La Vie sans fards". Movies include "Goodbye Morocco", "Aya de Yopougon", "Rome plutôt sue Vous". Taught in French. Prerequisite: FRENLANG 124 or consent of instructor.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
JEWISHST 144B:
Poetic Thinking Across Media (COMPLIT 154B, COMPLIT 354B, GERMAN 154, GERMAN 354)
Even before Novalis claimed that the world must be romanticized, thinkers, writers, and artists wanted to perceive the human and natural world poetically. The pre- and post-romantic poetic modes of thinking they created are the subject of this course. Readings include Ecclestias, Zhaozhou Congshen, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Kafka, Benjamin, Arendt, and Sontag. This course will also present poetic thinking in the visual arts--from the expressionism of Ingmar Bergman to the neo-romanticism of Gerhard Richter.
Last offered: Winter 2016
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
JEWISHST 145:
Masterpieces: Kafka (COMPLIT 114, GERMAN 150)
This class will address major works by Franz Kafka and consider Kafka as a modernist writer whose work reflects on modernity. We will also examine the role of Kafka's themes and poetics in the work of contemporary writers.
Last offered: Spring 2015
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 146:
Co-Existence in Hebrew Literature (AMELANG 175, COMPLIT 161)
Is co-existence possible? Does pluralism require co-existence? Can texts serve as forms of co-existence? The class will focus on these and other questions related to coexistence and literature. Through reading works mostly by Jewish authors writing in Europe, Israel and the US we will explore attempts for complete equality, for a variety of hierarchical systems and for different kinds of co-dependence. Guest speaker: professor Anat Weisman, Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 147A:
The Hebrew Bible in Literature (COMPLIT 147A, COMPLIT 347A, JEWISHST 347A)
Close reading of major biblical stories and poems that influenced modern literature written in English and Hebrew. Hebrew texts will be read in translation to English. Each class will include a section from the Hebrew Bible as well as a modern text or film based on the biblical story/poem. Discussion of questions such as: the meaning and function of myths and the influence of the Hebrew Bible on the development of literary styles and genres.
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 147B:
The Hebrew and Jewish Short Story (COMPLIT 127B)
Short stories from Israel, the US and Europe including works by Agnon, Kafka, Keret, Castel-Bloom, Kashua, Singer, Benjamin, Freud, biblical myths and more. The class will engage with questions related to the short story as a literary form and the history of the short story. Reading and discussion in English. Optional: special section with readings and discussions in Hebrew.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE
JEWISHST 148:
Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature (JEWISHST 348, SLAVIC 198, SLAVIC 398)
Eastern European Jews spoke and read Hebrew, Yiddish, and their co-territorial languages (Russian, Polish, etc.). In the modern period they developed secular literatures in all of them, and their writing reflected their own multilinguality and evolving language ideologies. We focus on major literary and sociolinguistic texts. Reading and discussion in English; students should have some reading knowledge of at least one relevant language as well.
Last offered: Spring 2014
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
JEWISHST 155D:
Jewish American Literature (REES 145D)
A study of Jewish-American literature from its Russian roots into the present. What distinguishes it from American mainstream and minority literatures? We will consider the difficulties of displacement for the emigrant generation who struggled to sustain their cultural integrity in the multicultural American environment, and the often comic revolt of their American-born children and grandchildren against their grand)parents¿ nostalgia, trauma, and failure to assimilate. Authors: Gogol, Dostoevsky, Babel, Olsen, Paley, Yezierska, Ozick, Singer, Malamud, Spiegelman, Roth, Bellow, Segal, Baldwin.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-AmerCul, WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 183:
The Holocaust (HISTORY 137, HISTORY 337, JEWISHST 383)
The emergence of modern racism and radical anti-Semitism. The Nazi rise to power and the Jews. Anti-Semitic legislation in the 30s. WW II and the beginning of mass killings in the East. Deportations and ghettos. The mass extermination of European Jewry.
Last offered: Winter 2015
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 185B:
Jews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility (CSRE 185B, HISTORY 185B, HISTORY 385C, REES 185B)
(Same as HISTORY 85B.) This course explores the full expanse of Jewish life today and in the recent past. The inner workings of religious faith, the content of Jewish identify shorn of belief, the interplay between Jewish powerlessness and influence, the myth and reality of Jewish genius, the continued pertinence of antisemitism, the rhythms of Jewish economic life ¿ all these will be examined in weekly lectures, classroom discussion, and with the use of a widely diverse range of readings, films, and other material. Explored in depth will the ideas and practices of Zionism, the content of contemporary secularism and religious Orthodoxy, the impact Holocaust, the continued crisis facing Israel and the Palestinians. Who is to be considered Jewish, in any event, especially since so many of the best known (Spinoza, Freud, Marx) have had little if anything to do with Jewish life with their relationships to it indifferent, even hostile?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 199B:
Directed Reading in Yiddish, Second Quarter
For intermediate or advanced students. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1-5
| Repeatable
for credit
JEWISHST 205:
Reading Hebrew, First Quarter (AMELANG 250A)
Introduction to Hebrew literature through short stories and poetry by notable Israeli writers. In Hebrew. Prerequisite: one year of Hebrew or equivalent.
| Units: 2-4
JEWISHST 221D:
Readings in Syriac Literature (JEWISHST 321D, RELIGST 221D, RELIGST 321D)
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the works of Syriac speaking Christians in antiquity and beyond. This course offers an introduction to the Syriac language, including its script, vocabulary and grammar, and a chance to read from a selection of foundational Syriac Christian texts.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 2-5
JEWISHST 224:
Emmanuel Levinas: Ethics, Philosophy and Religion (JEWISHST 324, RELIGST 234, RELIGST 334)
Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) is a major French philosopher of the second half of the twentieth century and is among the half-dozen most important Jewish thinkers of the century. Born in Lithuania, Levinas lived most of his life in France; he was primarily a philosopher but also a deeply committed Jewish educator who often lectured and wrote about Judaism and Jewish matters. Levinas was influenced by Bergson, Husserl, Heidegger, and others, like Buber and Rosenzweig. We will look at the philosophical world in which he was educated and explore his unique development as a philosopher in the years after World War Two. Levinas reacted against the main tendencies of Western philosophy and religious thought and as a result shaped novel, powerful, and challenging ways of understanding philosophy, religion, ethics, and politics. n In this course, we will examine works from every stage of Levinas's career, from his early study of Husserl and Heidegger to the emergence of his new understanding of the human condition and the primacy of ethics, the face-to-face encounter with the human other, the role of language and the relationship between ethics and religion, and finally his understanding of Judaism and its relationship to Western philosophy. We will be interested in his philosophical method, the relevance of his thinking for ethics and religion, the role of language in his philosophy and the problem of the limits of expressibility, and the implications of his work for politics. We shall also consider his conception of Judaism, its primary goals and character, and its relation to Western culture and philosophy.
Last offered: Autumn 2013
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 227D:
Readings in Talmudic Literature (JEWISHST 127D, RELIGST 170D)
Readings of the talmudic texts. Some knowledge of Hebrew is preferred. The ongoing seminar is designed to study the making of the talmudic sugya (unit of discourse), along with classic commentaries. Students will consider some of the recent developments in the academic study of Talmudic literature, introduced by the instructor. The goal of the ongoing seminar is to provide Stanford students and faculty with the opportunity to engage in regular Talmud study, and to be introduced to a variety of approaches to studying Talmudic texts. Class meets on Fridays, from 12:00-1:15 pm in Hillel (Koret Pavilion Taube Hillel House; Ziff Center for Jewish Life). May be repeat for credit
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
5 times
(up to 5 units total)
JEWISHST 227E:
Readings in Talmudic Literature Advanced (JEWISHST 127E, RELIGST 170E)
Readings of the talmudic texts. Knowledge of Hebrew is required. The ongoing seminar is designed to study the making of the talmudic sugya (unit of discourse), along with classic commentaries. Students will consider some of the recent developments in the academic study of Talmudic literature, introduced by the instructor. The goal of the ongoing seminar is to provide Stanford students and faculty with the opportunity to engage in regular Talmud study, and to be introduced to a variety of approaches to studying Talmudic texts. Meeting time and location TBA. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1
JEWISHST 237:
Religion and Politics: A Threat to Democracy? (IPS 237)
The meddling of religion in politics has become a major global issue. Can religion co-exist with politics in a democracy? In Israel this is an acute issue exhibiting an existential question: To what extent religion is a source of the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of Israeli Democracy? The course offered is a research workshop, part of a policy-oriented applied research in motion. The workshop will meet a few times during the Fall Quarter and the instructor will be available to consult with the workshop's participants on a bi-weekly basis. The workshop will include unique opportunities for hands-on, team-based research.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 240:
The Yiddish Story (AMSTUD 240Y, SLAVIC 240)
The Yiddish language is associated with jokes, folktales, and miracle legends, as well as modern stories. This class traces the development of Yiddish literature through these short oral and written forms, following Jewish writers out of the East European market town to cities in the Soviet Union, Israel, and especially the United States. We conclude with stories written in other languages about Yiddish writers. Readings include Sholem Aleichem, I. L. Peretz, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Esther Singer-Kreitman, Cynthia Ozick, and Dina Rubina. Readings in English; optional discussion section for students who read Yiddish.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
JEWISHST 242:
Beyond Casablanca: North African Cinema and Literature (COMPLIT 247F, FRENCH 242)
This course explores the emergence of Francophone cinema and literature from North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco) in the post-independence era: aesthetics, exile, language métissage, race and gender relations, collective memory, parallax, nationalism, laicité, religion, emigration and immigration, and the Arab Spring will be covered. Special attention will be given to judeo-maghrebi history, and to the notions of francophone / maghrebi / "beur" / diasporic cinema and literature. Readings from Frantz Fanon, Albert Memmi, Kateb Yacine, Albert Camus, Colette Fellous, Abdelkebir Khatibi, Leila Sebbar, Benjamin Stora, Lucette Valensi, Abdelwahab Meddeb. Movies include Viva Laldjérie, Tenja, Le Chant des Mariées, Française, Bled Number One, Omar Gatlato, Casanegra, La Saison des Hommes. Taught in French. Films in French and Arabic with English subtitles.
Last offered: Winter 2016
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-EDP
JEWISHST 243:
Masterpieces of Hebrew Literature from the Bible to the Present (COMPLIT 283)
This course presents and reflects on some of the canonical works of Hebrew literature, from biblical era to the present. Discussing works such as the Wisdom Books and selections from the Midrash; and reflecting on important periods such as the Golden Age of Jewish Culture in Spain, the Renaissance, and contemporary Israeli literature, we will highlight linguistic innovation, as well as crucial thematic and philosophical concerns. Readings include the Book of Job, Psalm, Ibn Gabirol, Mapu, Rachel, Goldbegr, Agnon, S. Yizhar, Amichai, Oz and more.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
JEWISHST 249A:
Levinas and Literature (COMPLIT 259A)
Focus is on major works by French phenomenologist Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) and their import for literary studies. Aim is to discuss and evaluate Levinas's (often latent) aesthetics through a close reading of his work in phenomenology, ethics, and Jewish philosophy. If poetry has come to seem barbaric (or at least useless) in a world so deeply shaped by genocide, forced migration, and climate change, Levinas offers a clear and deeply engaged path forward. If you love literature but still haven't figured out what on earth it might be good for, this course is for you. Readings and discussion in English.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 271C:
Campaigns and Elections in Israel (POLISCI 241C)
Employing a theoretical and comparative framework, this seminar focuses on campaigns and elections in Israel. The seminar is divided into two interrelated sections. In the first section, we will cover voting behavior. Here we will look at Israel¿s election laws, its political culture, socialization and cleavages, turnout, political sophistication, ideology, partisanship and issue voting. In the second half of the semester we will examine elections from the perspective of candidates and campaign strategists. The topics we will focus on include election laws, public and private campaign finance, campaign strategy, media, polling, and advertising. In examining these topics, we will cover a variety of elections campaigns since Israel¿s birth, with an emphasis on the most recent ones.
Last offered: Winter 2014
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 275D:
Special Topics: Dilemmas of Democracy and Security in Israel and the Middle East (POLISCI 215D)
The Middle East is known to be a volatile region, characterized by political violence, armed conflicts, and social instabilities. This volatility is of relevance for many countries including the US with its invested interests in the region and Israel that exists at the heart of the region, and along with its conflict with the Palestinians is considered to be one of the root causes of this volatility. Moreover, the volatility brings into encounter two kinds of collective goods: democracy and security. Their encounter in a conflictual and unstable environment raises a host of questions and dilemmas, both moral and practical: should we balance democracy and security and if so how? Can the two be accommodated at all? Does democracy is better or worse in addressing security problems? Does democracy and security constitute each other conceptually? Do democratic states tend to cooperate with each other when confronting security issues? And what about democratization: how good a ca use is it as a foreign policy? How good a cause is it in justifying war and/or not ending one? From its establishment the State of Israel found itself torn by these and others related questions and the recent decades saw the US drawn by these dilemmas as well (think of the Bybee Memo and the Patriot acts). In the course we will introduce these dilemmas, analyze them and examine different normative and policy answers that were discussed in academia and in the policy world.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 282:
Circles of Hell: Poland in World War II (HISTORY 228, HISTORY 328, JEWISHST 382)
Looks at the experience and representation of Poland's wartime history from the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) to the aftermath of Yalta (1945). Examines Nazi and Soviet ideology and practice in Poland, as well as the ways Poles responded, resisted, and survived. Considers wartime relations among Polish citizens, particularly Poles and Jews. In this regard, interrogates the traditional self-characterization of Poles as innocent victims, looking at their relationship to the Holocaust, thus engaging in a passionate debate still raging in Polish society.
Last offered: Spring 2015
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci
JEWISHST 282K:
The Holocaust and Its Aftermath (HISTORY 202K, HISTORY 302K, JEWISHST 382K)
This seminar gives an overview over different aspects of the history of the Holocaust and its aftermath and will examine key issues in recent Holocaust historiography and questions of memory and representation. Special emphasis is put on the nature of the historian's task, as viewed through the lens of historians of the Holocaust, as well as to the significance of the Holocaust in history and how it has changed over time. The course will confront students with historiographical texts and historical documents, with photography and film, works of scholarship and art.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 283D:
The Holocaust in Recent Memory: Conflicts - Commemorations - Challenges (HISTORY 203D, HISTORY 303D, JEWISHST 383D)
This course offers an in-depth approach to the study of the Holocaust as a historical point of reference for European memory, or for the memory cultures of European nations, where the international context in particular the USA and Israel will also be taken into consideration. The starting point is the transformations in Holocaust memory: after 1945, in the era of European postwar myths, the Holocaust was on the periphery of historical thinking, of scholarly and public interest. Today the Holocaust is acknowledged as a 'break in civilization', a watershed event in human history. This approach has only evolved since the 1980s.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 284C:
Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention (HISTORY 224C, HISTORY 324C, JEWISHST 384C, PEDS 224)
Open to medical students, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Traces the history of genocide in the 20th century and the question of humanitarian intervention to stop it, a topic that has been especially controversial since the end of the Cold War. The pre-1990s discussion begins with the Armenian genocide during the First World War and includes the Holocaust and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Coverage of genocide and humanitarian intervention since the 1990s includes the wars in Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, the Congo and Sudan.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
JEWISHST 285D:
A History of Jews in Russia: An Introduction (HISTORY 285D)
Since Russia annexed territories formerly belonging to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and absorbed that region's large Jewish community, Russia has been a center of the Jewish world. Russia's Jews have been a potent force in the Jewish world as they struggled against discrimination, pursued utopian dreams, and devoted themselves to religious, cultural, and political movements. This course will introduce students to the history of Russian Jews, in the hope that they will gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating community.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 287F:
Anti-Semitism in the Modern World: An Introduction (HISTORY 287F)
This course will introduce students to varying forms that anti-Semitism has taken in the modern world. We will be using film, music, imagery, political texts, and scholarly sources to examine regional, cultural, and chronological differences, so that students will better understand the phenomenon. All sources will be available in English.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 287S:
Research Seminar in Middle East History (HISTORY 481, JEWISHST 481)
Student-selected research topics. May be repeat for credit
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 10 units total)
JEWISHST 288:
Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (HISTORY 288, HISTORY 388, JEWISHST 388)
This course examines some salient issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the late 19th century to the present. At the end of the course you should be able to articulate the positions of the major parties to the conflict, with the understanding that there is no single, unified Zionist (or Jewish) or Palestinian (or Arab) position. One quarter does not allow sufficient time to cover even all of the important topics comprehensively (for example, the role of the Arab states, the USA and the USSR, and the internal history of Israel receive less attention than is desirable). Some prior knowledge of Middle East history is desirable, but not required. Vigorous debate and criticism are strongly encouraged. Criticism and response expressed in a civil tone is an important way to get a fuller and more truthful picture of something. This is not only a fundamental democratic right and a basic citizenship skill, but it is essential to interpreting information and making good policy. Rights not used are easily lost.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 291X:
Learning Religion: How People Acquire Religious Commitments (AMSTUD 231X, EDUC 231, RELIGST 231X)
This course will examine how people learn religion outside of school, and in conversation with popular cultural texts and practices. Taking a broad social-constructivist approach to the variety of ways people learn, this course will explore how people assemble ideas about faith, identity, community, and practice, and how those ideas inform individual, communal and global notions of religion. Much of this work takes place in formal educational environments including missionary and parochial schools, Muslim madrasas or Jewish yeshivot. However, even more takes place outside of school, as people develop skills and strategies in conversation with broader social trends. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to questions that lie at the intersection of religion, popular culture, and education. May be repeat for credit.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 8 units total)
JEWISHST 297X:
American Jewish History: Learning to be Jewish in America (AMSTUD 279X, EDUC 279, HISTORY 288D, RELIGST 279X)
This course will be a seminar in American Jewish History through the lens of education. It will address both the relationship between Jews and American educational systems, as well as the history of Jewish education in America. Plotting the course along these two axes will provide a productive matrix for a focused examination of the American Jewish experience. History students must take course for at least 3 units.
Last offered: Winter 2015
| Units: 2-4
JEWISHST 299A:
Directed Reading in Yiddish, First Quarter
Directed Reading in Yiddish, First Quarter
Terms: Aut
| Units: 1-5
| Repeatable
1 times
(up to 5 units total)
JEWISHST 321D:
Readings in Syriac Literature (JEWISHST 221D, RELIGST 221D, RELIGST 321D)
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the works of Syriac speaking Christians in antiquity and beyond. This course offers an introduction to the Syriac language, including its script, vocabulary and grammar, and a chance to read from a selection of foundational Syriac Christian texts.
Last offered: Spring 2016
| Units: 2-5
JEWISHST 324:
Emmanuel Levinas: Ethics, Philosophy and Religion (JEWISHST 224, RELIGST 234, RELIGST 334)
Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) is a major French philosopher of the second half of the twentieth century and is among the half-dozen most important Jewish thinkers of the century. Born in Lithuania, Levinas lived most of his life in France; he was primarily a philosopher but also a deeply committed Jewish educator who often lectured and wrote about Judaism and Jewish matters. Levinas was influenced by Bergson, Husserl, Heidegger, and others, like Buber and Rosenzweig. We will look at the philosophical world in which he was educated and explore his unique development as a philosopher in the years after World War Two. Levinas reacted against the main tendencies of Western philosophy and religious thought and as a result shaped novel, powerful, and challenging ways of understanding philosophy, religion, ethics, and politics. n In this course, we will examine works from every stage of Levinas's career, from his early study of Husserl and Heidegger to the emergence of his new understanding of the human condition and the primacy of ethics, the face-to-face encounter with the human other, the role of language and the relationship between ethics and religion, and finally his understanding of Judaism and its relationship to Western philosophy. We will be interested in his philosophical method, the relevance of his thinking for ethics and religion, the role of language in his philosophy and the problem of the limits of expressibility, and the implications of his work for politics. We shall also consider his conception of Judaism, its primary goals and character, and its relation to Western culture and philosophy.
Last offered: Autumn 2013
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 330:
Illicit Trade in Art and Antiquities (GLOBAL 190, GLOBAL 390, JEWISHST 130, PUBLPOL 191, PUBLPOL 391)
Illicit trade in art and antiquities is reputedly the third largest illicit trade activity globally. How do nations, individually and collectively, respond to this seemingly inexorable form of illicit trade, and what factors influence those responses? What are the sources and effects of such trade, and how can it best be curbed? This course will delve into these and other pressing political, legal, ethical, economic, cultural and public policy questions about illicit art and antiquities trade, arising across five subject areas: (1) the acquisition of art during the Age of Imperialism (ie, from Roman times through World War II); (2) Holocaust-era takings and the evolution in international legal and ethical responses to wartime looting; (3) removal and repatriation of Indigenous cultural material; (4) theft from museums and private collectors, and legal systems¿ varying allocation of the risk of such theft; and (5) the illicit trade and destruction of antiquities, and issues surrounding their restitution. Several internationally renowned guest speakers will give presentations and contribute to our discussions. Grading will be based on attendance, participation in class and an online discussion forum, a student group presentation, and a final exam or research paper.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 347A:
The Hebrew Bible in Literature (COMPLIT 147A, COMPLIT 347A, JEWISHST 147A)
Close reading of major biblical stories and poems that influenced modern literature written in English and Hebrew. Hebrew texts will be read in translation to English. Each class will include a section from the Hebrew Bible as well as a modern text or film based on the biblical story/poem. Discussion of questions such as: the meaning and function of myths and the influence of the Hebrew Bible on the development of literary styles and genres.
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 348:
Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature (JEWISHST 148, SLAVIC 198, SLAVIC 398)
Eastern European Jews spoke and read Hebrew, Yiddish, and their co-territorial languages (Russian, Polish, etc.). In the modern period they developed secular literatures in all of them, and their writing reflected their own multilinguality and evolving language ideologies. We focus on major literary and sociolinguistic texts. Reading and discussion in English; students should have some reading knowledge of at least one relevant language as well.
Last offered: Spring 2014
| Units: 3-5
JEWISHST 382:
Circles of Hell: Poland in World War II (HISTORY 228, HISTORY 328, JEWISHST 282)
Looks at the experience and representation of Poland's wartime history from the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) to the aftermath of Yalta (1945). Examines Nazi and Soviet ideology and practice in Poland, as well as the ways Poles responded, resisted, and survived. Considers wartime relations among Polish citizens, particularly Poles and Jews. In this regard, interrogates the traditional self-characterization of Poles as innocent victims, looking at their relationship to the Holocaust, thus engaging in a passionate debate still raging in Polish society.
Last offered: Spring 2015
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 382K:
The Holocaust and Its Aftermath (HISTORY 202K, HISTORY 302K, JEWISHST 282K)
This seminar gives an overview over different aspects of the history of the Holocaust and its aftermath and will examine key issues in recent Holocaust historiography and questions of memory and representation. Special emphasis is put on the nature of the historian's task, as viewed through the lens of historians of the Holocaust, as well as to the significance of the Holocaust in history and how it has changed over time. The course will confront students with historiographical texts and historical documents, with photography and film, works of scholarship and art.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 383:
The Holocaust (HISTORY 137, HISTORY 337, JEWISHST 183)
The emergence of modern racism and radical anti-Semitism. The Nazi rise to power and the Jews. Anti-Semitic legislation in the 30s. WW II and the beginning of mass killings in the East. Deportations and ghettos. The mass extermination of European Jewry.
Last offered: Winter 2015
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 383D:
The Holocaust in Recent Memory: Conflicts - Commemorations - Challenges (HISTORY 203D, HISTORY 303D, JEWISHST 283D)
This course offers an in-depth approach to the study of the Holocaust as a historical point of reference for European memory, or for the memory cultures of European nations, where the international context in particular the USA and Israel will also be taken into consideration. The starting point is the transformations in Holocaust memory: after 1945, in the era of European postwar myths, the Holocaust was on the periphery of historical thinking, of scholarly and public interest. Today the Holocaust is acknowledged as a 'break in civilization', a watershed event in human history. This approach has only evolved since the 1980s.
Last offered: Autumn 2014
| Units: 5
JEWISHST 384C:
Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention (HISTORY 224C, HISTORY 324C, JEWISHST 284C, PEDS 224)
Open to medical students, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Traces the history of genocide in the 20th century and the question of humanitarian intervention to stop it, a topic that has been especially controversial since the end of the Cold War. The pre-1990s discussion begins with the Armenian genocide during the First World War and includes the Holocaust and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Coverage of genocide and humanitarian intervention since the 1990s includes the wars in Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, the Congo and Sudan.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
JEWISHST 385A:
Core Colloquium in Jewish History, 17th-19th Centuries (HISTORY 385A)
Last offered: Autumn 2015
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 385B:
Graduate Colloquium in Modern Jewish History (HISTORY 385B)
Instructor consent required.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 388:
Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (HISTORY 288, HISTORY 388, JEWISHST 288)
This course examines some salient issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the late 19th century to the present. At the end of the course you should be able to articulate the positions of the major parties to the conflict, with the understanding that there is no single, unified Zionist (or Jewish) or Palestinian (or Arab) position. One quarter does not allow sufficient time to cover even all of the important topics comprehensively (for example, the role of the Arab states, the USA and the USSR, and the internal history of Israel receive less attention than is desirable). Some prior knowledge of Middle East history is desirable, but not required. Vigorous debate and criticism are strongly encouraged. Criticism and response expressed in a civil tone is an important way to get a fuller and more truthful picture of something. This is not only a fundamental democratic right and a basic citizenship skill, but it is essential to interpreting information and making good policy. Rights not used are easily lost.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 393X:
The Education of American Jews (EDUC 313, RELIGST 313X)
This course will take an interdisciplinary approach to the question of how American Jews negotiate the desire to retain a unique ethnic sensibility without excluding themselves from American culture more broadly. Students will examine the various ways in which people debate, deliberate, and determine what it means to be an "American Jew". This includes an investigation of how American Jewish relationships to formal and informal educational encounters through school, popular culture, religious ritual, and politics.
Last offered: Autumn 2013
| Units: 4
JEWISHST 481:
Research Seminar in Middle East History (HISTORY 481, JEWISHST 287S)
Student-selected research topics. May be repeat for credit
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 10 units total)
JEWISHST 486A:
Graduate Research Seminar in Jewish History (HISTORY 486A)
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
JEWISHST 486B:
Graduate Research Seminar in Jewish History (HISTORY 486B)
Prerequisite: HISTORY 486A.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 4-5
