Core

JUS 321 - Women in Judaism

This course examines religion and gender through the study of women in Judaism. How do scholars construct a history of women in ancient Judaism when Jewish sacred texts are written by and for men?  How have modern Jewish women accommodated feminist ideals without undermining the authority of the established tradition? What impact has the feminist movement had on Jewish communal institutions in the United States and Israel?  We explore these questions and others by examining the influence Jewish religious beliefs and practices have played in the formation of Jewish women’s identities, image and their understanding of power and authority. Students study the role of women in the formation of Judaism and Jewish society as a culturally constructed and historically changing category through archaeology, biblical studies, rabbinics, theology, folklore, social and political movements.
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
Major
Electives
Topical “Deep Dive”
Minor
Core
Electives

JUS 387 - The History of Anti-Semitism

This course approaches anti-Jewish hatred as a historical and cultural phenomenon of various hues and dimensions that is a long-term challenge to social justice (including diversity, equity, and inclusion). We will examine how this form of animosity arose and continues to arise and be promoted—even by some Jews. We will see how anti-Jewish animus has mutated and why. We will also delve into the specific forms that it has taken—for example, racist forms. We will look at specific cases and trends from antiquity to the Middle Ages, to the modern era (including the Holocaust), and conclude with an examination of antisemitism in its radical left-wing and radical right-wing varieties in the present day.

Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
Major
History or Engagement
Electives
Topical “Deep Dive”
Minor
Core
Electives

JUS 377 - Modern Israel

In this course, we will explore Israeli society and its historical roots by looking into its vibrant scene of documentary filmmaking and meeting Israeli filmmakers.

Israeli society has rapidly developed from a highly consolidated socialistic society into a fractured one, dominated by the logic of capitalism. Within just a few decades, multiple social fissures have emerged, revealing underlying ethnic, religious, and racial tensions. These occur mainly between Arabs and Jews, Ashkenazi and Mizrachi Jews and secular and religious Israelis. They force Israelis to re-think their national identity and understanding of the Zionist idea about a national home for the Jewish People.

Documentary films serve as a building block in societies' collective memory: they allow establishing shared narratives about the past as well as challenging such narratives and push for a change. By dissecting selected Israeli documentaries and talking to their creators, we will dive into key elements in the "Israeliness": Zionism, the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Kibbutz, the Israeli army, LGBT rights, and Jewish religious life.

Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
Major
History or Engagement
Fundamental Core
Minor
Core
Electives

JUS 372A - History and Religion of Israel in Ancient Times - the Biblical Period

This course surveys the history and religions of ancient Israel from the late second millennium to the mid-fifth century BCE. It covers such topics as the cultural roots of ancient Israel, the emergence of the Israelite nation, the social world of ancient Israel, Israelite religion, the place of women in Israelite society, and the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Primary resources include the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), archaeological evidence, and scholarly readings
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
Major
History or Engagement
Fundamental Core
Minor
Core
Electives

JUS 370B - History of the Jews: The Jews in the Medieval World (to the 17th Century)

This course is a survey of major political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments in the history of the Jewish Diaspora from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. Key questions to be explored include: How and why Jews have survived across time and space despite their dispersal and frequent persecution?  What may Jewish survival teach us about how a resilient culture that is indigenous to the Middle East yet has a global dimension was and is built, how it changed, and how it has come apart and been successfully rebuilt? Though an examination of one culture that is central to the development of Middle Eastern and Western civilizations, you will learn how cultures in general are built, damaged or destroyed, re-built, and can adapt to existential challenges—and how you can apply lessons about cultural resiliency in your own life and to the benefit of your community.   
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
Major
History or Engagement
Fundamental Core
Minor
Core
Electives

JUS 370A - History of the Jews: Modern Jewish History

In this course we will explore the story of the creation of Israel and its later development from the perspective of immigration. We will look at how Israel shifted from a society that nurtured the idea of the “Israeli native”, into a society comprised of multiple identities and different groups that establish surprising alliances as well as unexpected conflicts. As part of our journey, we will investigate the biographies of prominent immigrants that helped shape Israeli society.  
Course Credits
3
SBS Course Tracks
Major
History or Engagement
Fundamental Core
Minor
Core
Electives
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