| courses - academic year 2001-2002 | |
Fall Term 2001 | |
| HIST 298-003 The Holocaust TTh 3:30 - 5 pm Adjunct Professor Robert Kovacs |
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 This course will stress the experience of European Jews during this period, through the use of primary historical documents, diaries and testimony of survivors and those who perished, literature, art and film.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. |
| HIST 249-001 Modern Jewish History MWF 10 - 11 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. |
Winter Term 2002 | |
| HIST 298-003 The American Jewish Experience TuTh 11 am - 12:30 pm Professor Rakhmiel Peltz |
The course explores development in the culture and communal organization of Jews in America from colonial times until the current day. We will identify the factors in the society of the USA that have led to the most nurturing experience of the Jewish people in its two thousand year history in the diaspora. A diverse array of sources and topics will provide the framework for the course, covering foodways, music, sports, the settlement of the West, the evolution of urban neighborhoods, politics, religion, entertainment, and literature. The case study of the Jews in the United States elucidates major national historical issues, such as the role of immigration, the formation of a majority culture, minority rights, prejudice and discrimination, intergroup relations, ethnic and racial pride, and intermarriage. |
| LIT 395-002 Foundations of Jewish Civilization TTh 3:30 - 5 pm Adjunct Professor Robert Kovacs |
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. |
Spring Term 2002 | |
| Literature 345-001 Communications 380-001 Language and Cultural Diversity in the USA TTh 12:30 - 2 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. |
| Psychology 480-301 Jewish Spirituality and the Psychology of Happiness TTh 3:30 - 5 pm Adjunct Professor Robert Kovacs |
This course will focus on Judaism's teachings on the discovery and enhancement of spiritual joy. Selected topics will include: life's personal meaning, purpose, transcendence, and the existential skill of reframing. Intersecting these core topics in Jewish spirituality, this course will explore the newly evolving paradigm in psychology which emphasizes the exploration of optimal wellness, resourcefulness, clarification of values and goals, and optimism. |
| Literature 355-001 Women's Studies 280-001 Jewish Women in Literature and History TTh 2:00 - 3:30 pm Adjunct Professor Emilie Passow |
Although the male voice may be the loudest in Biblical texts and Jewish history, women have been powerful shapers of Jewish culture in their own right. This course explores the strengths, strategies, and concerns of Jewish women from the Matriarchs in the Torah to contemporary American Jewish writers. Our focus will include such figures as Ruth, Esther, and Judith, who are the heroines of sacred texts named in their honor, to historical figures such as Gluckl of Hamlin and Anne Frank, and writers such as Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, Marge Piercy and Myla Goldberg. |
Summer Term 2002 | |
| Film and Video 465-001 Israeli Cinema Tuesday 3:30 - 6:30 pm Professor Amiram Amitai |
The course will scan the evolution of the Israeli Cinema, from an ideologically charged visual medium to a universally recognized film art. It will focus on the historical, political, social, cultural and ideological changes in Israeli society and their impact of the films' form and content. The topics included in the course will be: the varied projections of the Israeli-Arab conflict, the individual vs. society, the personal vs. ideological, the local vs. the universal. Comparative expressions in American and Israeli films of Israeli identity will be explored as well. The course will update the recent drift towards documentaries. |