The Bachelor of Arts concentration in Jewish Studies provides a context in which College students may examine the texts, cultures, languages, and histories of Jews and Judaism over three millennia. The perspective is contextual, comparative, and interdisciplinary. The long and diverse history of Jews and Judaism affords unique opportunities to study modes of continuity and change, interpretation and innovation, and isolation and integration of a world historical civilization. Students are encouraged to develop appropriate skills (in texts, languages, history, and culture) for independent work.

The concentration requires twelve courses distributed according to the guidelines that follow.

Language. Normally a student is expected to take three courses of Hebrew beyond the College language requirement. If the student's research project requires knowledge of a language other than Hebrew, the student may petition the committee to substitute that language for Hebrew, but not for the College language requirement.

Judaic Civilization. The concentration requires three courses in the Judaic Civilization sequence. This program includes ancient, medieval, and modern components. The temporal limits of these "periods" are determined by the faculty members assuming responsibility for the sequence. The first step of the sequence, covering the history of ancient Israel to the destruction of the Second Jewish Commonwealth, could be replaced by a one-quarter introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Students who meet the civilization studies requirement in general education with another civilization sequence must also complete the Judaic Civilization sequence as part of their concentration requirements. Students who meet the civilization requirement in general education with Judaic Civilization are required to take one quarter of another civilization sequence pertinent to the area and period of their major interest in Jewish Studies. This choice is made in consultation with the committee chair.

Other Requirements. Students who take Judaic Civilization as a concentration requirement separate from the general education requirement take six elective courses in Jewish Studies; students who fulfill the general education requirement with Judaic Civilization take eight electives. These courses would, in part, constitute the specific area of concentration for each student. The specific nature of these courses is decided upon by the student in consultation with the concentration adviser. A balance between content and method is the goal. Students are encouraged to take at least one method or theory course in the College in the area pertaining to their area of special interest.

It is expected that the general education requirements in the humanities or social sciences be completed before a student enters the program, normally at the end of the second year. A student who has not completed the general education requirements before admission to the program should do so during the first year of the program.

Each student in the program has an adviser who is a member of the program faculty, which is listed in the section that follows. A concentration worksheet is distributed to guide students in organizing their programs.

† Credit may be granted by examination.

Optional B.A. Paper. Students who choose this option are to meet with their advisers by May 15 of their third year to determine the focus of the research project, and are expected to begin reading and research for the B.A. paper during the summer before their senior year. After further consultation, students are to do guided readings and participate in a (formal or informal) tutorial during the autumn quarter of the senior year. Concentration credit is received only for the winter quarter tutorial during which the B.A. paper is finally written and revised. The B.A. paper must be received by the primary reader by the end of the fifth week of the spring quarter. A B.A. paper is a requirement for consideration for honors.

Honors. Honors are awarded to students who show excellence in their course work, as well as on the B.A. paper. To qualify for honors, students must register for Jewish Studies 299 in addition to the twelve courses required in the general program of study, bringing the total number of courses required to thirteen. To receive general honors in Jewish Studies the student must have a grade point average of at least 3.25 in the concentration. High honors are awarded to students who earn a grade point average of 3.5 or better in the concentration. An oral defense of the B.A. paper must also be given to three members of the Jewish Studies faculty.

200-201-202/310-311-312. Judaic Civilization I, II, III. This course sequence fulfills the general education requirement in civilization studies. This is a sequential study of periods and communities selected from the history of Judaic civilization, viewed from multiple perspectives (historical, literary, philosophical, religious, and social) and examined in light of the varied ways that civilization is and is not the product of interactions between the Jewish people and surrounding civilizations, nations, and religions. The primary focus is on a close reading of original sources in translation. Specific periods and communities studied may vary from year to year.

220-221-222/302. Elementary Classical Hebrew I, II, III (=Hebrew 250-251-252, JewStd 220-221-222). The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to read biblical Hebrew prose with a high degree of comprehension. The course is divided into two segments: (1) the first two quarters are devoted to acquiring the essentials of descriptive and historical grammar (including translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis); and (2) the third quarter is spent examining prose passages from the Hebrew Bible and includes a review of grammar. The class meets five times a week. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

223-224-225/305. Intermediate Classical Hebrew I, II, III (=Hebrew 253-254-255, JewStd 223-224-225/305). The first quarter consists of a review of the grammar and of the reading and analysis of further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry, with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets. D. Pardee. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

230-231-232/381-382-383. Medieval Jewish History I, II, III (=Hum 230-231-232, JewStd 230-231-232/381-382-383, MdvJSt 280-281-282). PQ: Consent of instructor. This three-quarter sequence deals with the history of the Jews over a wide geographical and historical range. First-quarter work is concerned with the rise of early rabbinic Judaism and development of the Jewish community in Palestine and the Eastern and Western diasporas during the first several centuries C.E. Topics include the legal status of the Jews in the Roman world, the rise of rabbinic Judaism, the rabbinic literature of Palestine in that context, the spread of rabbinic Judaism, the rise and decline of competing centers of Jewish hegemony, the introduction of Hebrew language and culture beyond the confines of their original home, and the impact of the birth of Islam on the political and cultural status of the Jews. An attempt is made to evaluate the main characteristics of Jewish belief and social concepts in the formative periods of Judaism as it developed beyond its original geographical boundaries. Second-quarter work is concerned with the Jews under Islam, both in Eastern and Western Caliphates. Third-quarter work is concerned with the Jews of Western Europe until the time of the first crusade. N. Golb. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

234/334. World of Biblical Prophets (=Hum 280, JewStd 234/334, NCD 280). This course offers an in-depth analysis of the biblical prophets. Each prophet is set in historical time and within a particular societal context, and against this background a profile of the man is drawn. What was he like as social reformer and religious thinker? What did he say "no" to in society and "no" to in organized worship? And to what did he say "yes?" How was his message received and what influence did it have in its day? And finally, is the individual prophet merely a historical figure or a curiosity of antiquity, or does he speak to us in our age? H. Moltz. Autumn.

242-243/342-343. Historical Introduction to Modern Hebrew Literature I, II (=Hebrew 242-243, JewStd 242-243). This course deals with the intertextual nature of Hebrew literature in all its periods. The first quarter consists of an historical survey of the various periods of Hebrew literary creativity: the Bible, the Midrash, medieval poetry, and the modern era. The second quarter focuses on the main forms of modern Hebrew literature and the disputes concerning the beginning of modernity in Hebrew literature (the role of autobiography, the novel, and the long poem) in addition to the impact of German and Russian literatures and modern Hebrew literature as a vehicle of social criticism. M. Brinker. Autumn, Winter.

250-251-252/350-351-252. Introductory Modern Hebrew I, II, III (=Hebrew 201-202-203, JewStd 250-251-252/350-351-352, LngLin 201-202-203). This course introduces students to reading, writing, and speaking modern Hebrew. All four language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of nondiacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; and speaking. Students learn the Hebrew root pattern system and the seven basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses, as well as simple future. At the end of the year, students can conduct short conversations in Hebrew, read materials designed to their level, and write short essays. A. Finkelstein. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

253-254-255/353-354-355. Intermediate Modern Hebrew I, II, III (=Hebrew 204-205-206, JewStd 253-254-255/353-354-355, LngLin 204-205-206). This course is devised for students who had previously taken either modern or biblical Hebrew courses. The main objective is to provide students with the skills necessary to approach modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and nonfiction. To achieve this formidable task, students are provided with a systematic examination of the complete verb structure. Many syntactic structures are introduced, including simple clauses, and coordinate and compound sentences. At this level students not only write and speak extensively, but are also required to analyze grammatically and contextually all of the materials assigned. A. Finkelstein. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

256-257-258/356-357-358. Advanced Modern Hebrew I, II, III (=Hebrew 230-231-232, JewStd 256-257-258/356-357-358). This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content at the intermediate level. However, there is a shift from a reliance on the cognitive approach to an emphasis on the expansion of various grammatical and vocabulary-related subjects. Students are introduced to sophisticated and more complex syntactic constructions, and instructed how to transform simple sentences into more complicated ones. The exercises address the creative effort on the part of the student, and the reading segments are longer and more challenging in both style and content. The language of the texts reflects the literary written medium rather than the more informal spoken style, which often dominates the introductory and intermediate texts. A. Finkelstein. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

268/368. Multikulturelle Literatur im heutigen Deutschland (=German 268/368, JewStd 268/368). PQ: Advanced knowledge of German. The class examines the literary and cinematic cultures of the "New" Federal German State in the light of their representation of "minorities" and the response by those groups. It focuses on the "old" minorities (e.g., the Jews) who take on new meaning in present-day Germany, as well as on the voices of the "new" minorities (e.g., the African-Germans, Arab-Germans, and Turkish-Germans). We examine the rethinking of the category of "multiculturalism" in Germany after 1989. Texts and films in German. S. Gilman. Winter.

284/388. Representing the Holocaust (=German 284/379, Hum 275, JewStd 284/388). This course examines historiographical, literary, and philosophical efforts to grasp the background, meaning, and consequences of the attempt by Nazi Germany at a so-called "final solution of the Jewish Question" in Europe. E. Santner. Spring.

288/390. Aspects of Israeli Political Culture. This course focuses on Israeli political culture. For purposes of the course, political culture is defined as the norms, values, assumptions, and expectations harbored by Israelis in general, and by subsectors of Israeli society, toward the political process and public policy. Our concern is with the origins of Israeli's political culture, how it has changed in the last fifty years, major issues around which Israeli political culture focuses, and its present state. C. Liebman. Spring.

292/392. Freud as Humanist (=GS Hum 276/376, German 292/392, JewStd 292/392). PQ: Reading knowledge of modern German helpful. The aim of this course is to situate Freud within the tradition of humanism and, in so doing, to complicate the historical profile of "humanism" as well as "Freud." The latter is read as an interpreter and critic in the sense of the nineteenth-century humaniora; as a reconstructionist in the sense of nineteenth-century historiography; and as an ambivalently humanistic moralizer, politicizer, and liberalizer of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century psyche. One hour of discussion in German optional. S. Jaffe. Spring.

293/393. History of Israeli Cinema (=Hebrew 261, JewStd 293/393). N. Gertz. Spring.

297. General Reading/Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and committee chairman. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

299. B.A. Paper Preparation Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and committee chairman. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Required of honors candidates. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

476. Hellenistic Judaism (=Bible 301, DivHJ 303, JewStd 476). Survey of the literature of the Jewish diaspora in Egypt in the period 300 B.C.E. to 118 C.E. The focus is on the understanding of Jewish identity in the diaspora context. Wisdom traditions in Greece and Israel are discussed with Chris Faraone and Laura Slatkin. Wisdom texts from the Bible and from the classical world, ranging from the sixth century B.C.E. to the Hellenistic period, are sampled. Greek and Jewish ethics, theology, and literary techniques are compared. Greek influence on Jewish wisdom in the Hellenistic period is discussed. Texts in English. Greek reading group optional. J. Collins. Winter.

Consult the quarterly Time Schedules for additional course listings in Hebrew Bible, Hebrew literature, history, and Jewish thought.