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JEWISHST 5: Biblical Greek (CLASSGRK 5, RELIGST 171A)

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. By the end of the term everyone will be able to read the Greek Bible with ease. No previous knowledge of Greek required.
Terms: Aut | Units: 3-5
Instructors: ; McMullin, I. (PI)

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.
Terms: Win, Spr | Units: 3-4 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-EDP
Instructors: ; Fonrobert, C. (PI)

JEWISHST 71: Exploring Judaism (RELIGST 71)

Introduction to the varied beliefs, ritual practices, and sacred stories of Judaism, moving from foundational texts like the Bible and the Talmud to recent changes in Jewish religious life that have arisen in response to secular and feminist critiques, the Holocaust, and the emergence of the State of Israel.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
Instructors: ; Weitzman, S. (PI)

JEWISHST 85B: Jews, 1500 to the Present (HISTORY 85B)

(Same as HISTORY 185B. History majors and others taking 5 units, register for 185B.) Topics include the restructuring of Jewish existence during the Enlightenment and legal emancipation at the end of the 18th century in W. Europe; the transformation of Jewish life in E. Europe under the authoritarian Russian regime; colonialism in the Sephardic world; new ideologies (Reform Judaism and Jewish nationalisms); the persistence and renewal of antisemitism; the destruction of European Jewry under the Nazis; new Jewish centers in the U.S.; and the State of Israel.
Terms: Aut | Units: 3 | UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
Instructors: ; Zipperstein, S. (PI)

JEWISHST 101A: First-Year Hebrew, First Quarter (AMELANG 128A)

Terms: Aut | Units: 5
Instructors: ; Porat, G. (PI)

JEWISHST 101B: First-Year Hebrew, Second Quarter (AMELANG 128B)

Continuation of AMELANG 128A. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 128A.
Terms: Win | Units: 5
Instructors: ; Porat, G. (PI)

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
Instructors: ; Porat, G. (PI)

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
Instructors: ; Shemtov, V. (PI)

JEWISHST 102B: Second-Year Hebrew, Second Quarter (AMELANG 129B)

Continuation of AMELANG 129A. Prerequisite: Placement Test, AMELANG 129A.
Terms: Win | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Porat, G. (PI)

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
Instructors: ; Porat, G. (PI)

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.
Terms: Aut | Units: 2-4
Instructors: ; Shemtov, V. (PI)

JEWISHST 104A: First-Year Yiddish, First Quarter (AMELANG 140A)

Reading, writing, and speaking.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Levitow, J. (PI)

JEWISHST 104B: First-Year Yiddish, Second Quarter (AMELANG 140B)

Continuation of AMELANG 140A. Prerequisite: AMELANG.
Terms: Win | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Levitow, J. (PI)

JEWISHST 104C: First-Year Yiddish, Third Quarter (AMELANG 140C)

Continuation of AMELANG 140B. Prerequisite: AMELANG 140B. Fulfills the University Foreign Language Requirement.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: Language
Instructors: ; Levitow, J. (PI)

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.
| Units: 2-4

JEWISHST 106: Reflection on the Other: The Jew in Arabic Literature, the Arab in Hebrew 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 and how the Jew is viewed in Arabic literature. Historical, political, and sociological forces that have contributed to the shaping of the writer's views. Arab and Jewish (Israeli) culture.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4 | 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: Aut | Units: 2

JEWISHST 116: Lessons in Ecological Restoration: Israel and the Middle East (BIO 162)

The environment in the Middle East reflects the impacts of millennia of continued human activities, with degraded soils, biodiversity loss and contaminated water resources. In a trial and error process since its inception, Israel has pursued an ambitious program of ecological restoration through afforestation, aggressive water management and environmental conservation. This course evaluates the effectiveness of different environmental policies from ecological perspectives. It also assesses potential regional ecological cooperation as part of a Middle Eastern peace process.
Terms: Aut | Units: 3
Instructors: ; Tal, A. (PI)

JEWISHST 120: Genesis and Gender: Male and Female in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (RELIGST 130)

What does it mean to be a man or a woman? And what role have classical religious traditions played in shaping understandings of gender differences? Investigation of the construction of gender identities, roles, and differences in three monotheistic faiths. Interpretation and retellings of the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible and the Qu'ran, commentaries, lives and practices of religious communities, religious iconography down to the present.
| Units: 4 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-Gender

JEWISHST 127D: Readings in Talmudic Literature (JEWISHST 227D, RELIGST 170D, RELIGST 270D)

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. In 2013-14 sugyot will be selected from the context of civic and criminal law.
Terms: Win, Spr | Units: 1 | Repeatable 5 times (up to 5 units total)
Instructors: ; Fonrobert, C. (PI)

JEWISHST 129: Modern Jewish Thought (RELIGST 129)

From 1870 to the late twentieth century, Jewish thought and philosophy attempted to understand Judaism in response to the developments and crises of Jewish life in the modern world. In this course we shall explore the responses of figures such as Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Hermann Cohen, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Joseph Soloveitchik, Emil Fackenheim, and Emmanuel Levinas. Central topics will concern ethics and politics, faith and revelation, redemption and messianism, and the religious responses to catastrophe and atrocity. We shall discuss Judaism in European culture before and after World War I and in North America in the postwar period and after the Six Day War. A central theme will be the ways in which attempts to understand Jewish experience are related to history.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors: ; Morgan, M. (PI)

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.
Last offered: Spring 2013 | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: GER:EC-Gender, WAY-EDP

JEWISHST 143: Literature and Society in Africa and the Caribbean (AFRICAAM 133, 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," Abdelkebir Khatibi, "Amour bilingue," Abdelwahab Meddeb, "Talismano." nnTaught in French. Prerequisite: FRENLANG 124 or consent of instructor.
Terms: Win | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors: ; Ulloa, M. (PI)

JEWISHST 144B: Poetic Thinking Across Media (COMPLIT 154B, GERMAN 154)

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.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors: ; Eshel, A. (PI)

JEWISHST 147: German Capstone: Reading Franz Kafka (COMPLIT 111, COMPLIT 311C, GERMAN 190, GERMAN 390, JEWISHST 349)

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. (Meets Writing-in-the-Major requirement)
Last offered: Winter 2013 | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II

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.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
Instructors: ; Safran, G. (PI)

JEWISHST 155D: Jewish American Literature (ENGLISH 145D, REES 145D)

Fiction of Jewish-American writers across the 20th and into the 21st centuries, both immigrants and subsequent generations of native-born Jews, to show how the topic of assimilation is thematized in the literature and to evaluate the distinctiveness of Jewish-American literature as a minority literature.
Terms: Spr | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-AmerCul, WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
Instructors: ; Ruttenburg, N. (PI)

JEWISHST 185B: Jews, 1500 to the Present (HISTORY 185B)

(Same as HISTORY 85B. History majors and others taking 5 units, register for 185B.) Topics include the restructuring of Jewish existence during the Enlightenment and legal emancipation at the end of the 18th century in W. Europe; the transformation of Jewish life in E. Europe under the authoritarian Russian regime; colonialism in the Sephardic world; new ideologies (Reform Judaism and Jewish nationalisms); the persistence and renewal of antisemitism; the destruction of European Jewry under the Nazis; new Jewish centers in the U.S.; and the State of Israel.
Terms: Aut | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
Instructors: ; Zipperstein, S. (PI)

JEWISHST 227D: Readings in Talmudic Literature (JEWISHST 127D, RELIGST 170D, RELIGST 270D)

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. In 2013-14 sugyot will be selected from the context of civic and criminal law.
Terms: Win, Spr | Units: 1 | Repeatable 5 times (up to 5 units total)
Instructors: ; Fonrobert, C. (PI)

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.
Terms: Win | Units: 4-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II

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.
| Units: 5
Instructors: ; Waismel-Manor, I. (PI)

JEWISHST 279P: Introduction to Israeli Politics (INTNLREL 163, POLISCI 249P)

This course aims to introduce students to Israel¿s political system and its major actors. We will survey Israel¿s political landscape, both chronologically and thematically, covering the major issues and conflicts which have dominated Israeli politics since its inception.
Terms: Aut | Units: 5
Instructors: ; Waismel-Manor, I. (PI)

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.
Terms: Aut | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci
Instructors: ; Jolluck, K. (PI)

JEWISHST 287S: Research Seminar in Middle East History (HISTORY 481, JEWISHST 481)

Student-selected research topics.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4-5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci
Instructors: ; Crews, R. (PI)

JEWISHST 288: Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (HISTORY 288, 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: Spr | Units: 4-5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-SI
Instructors: ; Steinfeld, R. (PI)

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.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-5
Instructors: ; Safran, G. (PI)

JEWISHST 349: German Capstone: Reading Franz Kafka (COMPLIT 111, COMPLIT 311C, GERMAN 190, GERMAN 390, JEWISHST 147)

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. (Meets Writing-in-the-Major requirement)
Last offered: Winter 2013 | 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.
Terms: Aut | Units: 5
Instructors: ; Jolluck, K. (PI)

JEWISHST 388: Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (HISTORY 288, 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: Spr | Units: 4-5
Instructors: ; Steinfeld, R. (PI)

JEWISHST 393X: The Education of American Jews (EDUC 313X, 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.
Terms: Aut | Units: 4
Instructors: ; Kelman, A. (PI)

JEWISHST 481: Research Seminar in Middle East History (HISTORY 481, JEWISHST 287S)

Student-selected research topics.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4-5
Instructors: ; Crews, R. (PI)

JEWISHST 486A: Graduate Research Seminar in Jewish History (HISTORY 486A)

Terms: Win | Units: 4-5
Instructors: ; Zipperstein, S. (PI)

JEWISHST 486B: Graduate Research Seminar in Jewish History (HISTORY 486B)

Prerequisite: HISTORY 486A.
Terms: Sum | Units: 4-5
Instructors: ; Zipperstein, S. (PI)

JEWISHST 107B: Biblical Hebrew, Second Quarter (AMELANG 170B)

Continuation of 170A
| Units: 1

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 199B: Directed Reading in Yiddish, Second Quarter

For intermediate or advanced students. May be repeated for credit.
| Units: 1-5 | Repeatable for credit
Instructors: ; Baker, Z. (PI)

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 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.
| Units: 4
Instructors: ; Morgan, M. (PI)

JEWISHST 291X: Knowing God: Learning Religion in Popular Culture (EDUC 231X, 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.
| Units: 4

JEWISHST 299A: Directed Reading in Yiddish, First Quarter

Directed Reading in Yiddish, First Quarter
| Units: 1-5 | Repeatable 1 times (up to 5 units total)

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.
| Units: 4
Instructors: ; Morgan, M. (PI)

JEWISHST 385B: Core in Jewish History, 20th Century

Instructor consent required.
| Units: 4-5
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