courses - academic year 1999-2000

Fall Term 1999

Literature 230-501
Foundations of Jewish Civilization
TTh 5:00 - 6:20 pm
Adjunct Professor Robert Kovacss


Learn about the Jewish Bible and its influence on the lives of Jews. Emphasis will be placed on the biblical basis for the Jewish lifecycle and calendar.
Literature 295-001
Language and Cultural Diversity in the USA
TTh 2:00 - 3:20 pm
Professor Rakhmiel Peltz
Through the study of literature and film, the dynamics of language-based cultural diversity in the USA will be presented. Topics include communication patterns of men and women, language diversity of African Americans, and cultural production of various immigrant groups. Focus will be on the immigrant culture of American Jews and the rich Yiddish literature, press, theater and film.

Winter Term 2000

History 298-002
Modern Jewish History
MWF 10:00 - 11:00 am
Professor Rakhmiel Peltz
An exploration of the social, cultural, political and religious forces that have shaped Jewry the world over from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Topics will include emancipation and enlightenment, modern religious movements, socialism, Hebrew and Yiddish literature, the Holocaust, Zionism and the state of Israel.


Sociology 495-395
Rabbinic Culture
TTh 3:30-5 pm
Adjunct Professor Robert Kovacs
An introductory survey of the history of the Jewish people, their civilization, religion, and contacts with other cultures in medieval times. Topics will include the rise of Christianity and Islam, the Talmud, Jewish mysticism, and the growth of Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewry.
AS-I 265-501
Israel: Language and Society
(Arts and Sciences Interdisciplinary Studies)
MTh 5-6:30 pm
Adjunct Professor Amiram Amitai
An exciting introduction to contemporary society and culture in Israel, stressing ways of communicating in Hebrew. This is a special course for those students planning a co-op experience in Israel, as well as those interested in Judaic studies and in getting an insider view of this diverse society.

Spring Term 2000

Literature 325-001
Introduction to Yiddish Culture
W 4:00-6:40 pm
Professor Rakhmiel Peltz
This course will describe the major culture of European Jews and their descendants the world over during the past thousand years. In a lively classroom stressing the arts and humor, students will be introduced to the multi-faceted language and culture through song, literature and film. The everyday world of Jews in western and eastern Europe, immigrant USA, and in other societies, will be uncovered, as the course follows this minority culture evolving to encompass religious and secular functions, different roles for men and women, and intense feelings of pride and shame.


History 298-002
The Holocaust
TTh 3:30-5:00 pm
Professor Rakhmiel Peltz
The history of the Holocaust will be presented from the time of the rise of Nazism to power in Germany to the rebuilding of Jewish life following World War II. This course will stress the experience of European Jews during this period, through the use of primary historical documents, diaries and testimony of survivors and those who perished, literature, art and film. Students will gain familiarity with historical events, including acts of religious, cultural and armed resistance, as well as the response of the larger world to the Holocaust up to the present day.

Summer Term 2000

ASI 265-501
Israel: Language and Society
(Arts and Sciences Interdisciplinary Studies)
MW 5-6:30 pm
Adjunct Professor Amiram Amitai
An exciting introduction to contemporary society and culture in Israel, stressing ways of communicating in Hebrew. This is a special course for those students planning a co-op experience in Israel, as well as those interested in Judaic studies and in getting an insider view of this diverse society.


Academic Year 2006-2007
Academic Year 2005-2006
Academic Year 2004-2005
Academic Year 2003-2004
Academic Year 2002-2003
Academic Year 2001-2002
Academic Year 2000-2001
Academic Year 1999-2000


The Judaic Studies Program of Drexel University
331 Hagerty Library • Drexel University • 33rd and Market Streets • Philadelphia, PA 19104
TEL 215.895.6388 • FAX 215.895.0229
judaicstudies@drexel.edu •  www.drexel.edu/judaicstudies