Graduate Course Descriptions

The following directory lists the graduate courses which the University expects to offer, although the University in no way guarantees that all such courses will be offered in any given academic year, and reserves the right to alter the list if conditions warrant. Click on the links below for a list of courses in that subject area. You may then click “View Classes” to see scheduled classes for individual courses.

5250. Topics in Transnational Jewish History

Also offered as: CLCS 5250, HIST 5250

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 6 credits.

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

Topics in Jewish history, both transnational in space (European, American, global) and diachronic in time (Early Modern to Late Modern). May be repeated with a change of topic to a maximum of six credits.

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5300. Topics in Biblical Studies

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 6 credits.

Prerequisites: Instructor consent.

Grading Basis: Graded

Topics in the historical, literary and philosophical study of the Bible with special emphasis on current methodological issues.

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5303. Religion of Ancient Israel

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

Significant aspects of the religion of ancient Israel: The God-human relationship, the origins of good and evil, law and covenant, kingship, prophecy, ritual and morality, repentance and redemption. Taught in English.

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5311. History and Literature of Talmudic Palestine

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

A discussion of select topics and texts pertaining to religious, social, and political currents in Talmudic Palestine. Taught in English.

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5312. Readings in Talmudic Literature

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 9 credits.

Prerequisites: Open to graduate students in Literatures, Cultures, and Languages; undergraduates by instructor consent.

Grading Basis: Graded

Selected readings from the Babylonian or Palestinian Talmud. Focus will be either a particular theme or a specific tractate. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic to a maximum of nine credits.

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5314. Readings in Midrashic Literature

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 9 credits.

Prerequisites: Open to graduate students in Literatures, Cultures, and Languages; undergraduates by instructor consent.

Grading Basis: Graded

Selected readings in genres, collections or specific topics in Midrashic literature. May be repeated for credit with a change of topic to a maximum of nine credits.

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5316. Jewish Martyrdom in the Middle Ages

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

Open to graduate students in Judaic Studies, Medieval Studies, Religion, English, Comparative Literature; others with consent of instructor. Jewish martyrdom from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages, in text and practice. From rabbinic legends to medieval resistance.

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5325. Seminar on the Holocaust: Philosophical and Historical Issues

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: At least six credits of Hebrew and Judaic Studies graduate courses.

Grading Basis: Graded

Study of philosophical and historical issues related to the occurrence and analysis of the Holocaust.

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5326. Translating Scripture

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: Open to graduate students in Judaic Studies, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, Classical and Mediterranean Studies, English, and Medieval Studies, others with permission.

Grading Basis: Graded

The history of Bible translations, from the ancient Aramaic and Greek versions of the Hebrew Scriptures to modern English translations.

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5351. Seminar on Modern Jewish Philosophy

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: At least six credits of Hebrew and Judaic Studies graduate courses.

Grading Basis: Graded

Study of the principal issues and figures in Jewish philosophy from the Enlightenment to the present. Topics considered include the nature (and possibility) of Jewish philosophy, the concepts of God, nature, and the world, the status of religious knowledge, law and practice, the concept of election in relation to the people and land of Israel. Thinkers to be considered and read include Moses Mendelssohn, Solomon Maimon, S.R. Hirsch, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, Ahad Ha'am, Martin Buber, Emanuel Levinas, A.J. Heschel, and Joseph Soloveitchik.

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5353. Modern European Jewish History

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

Selected topics in Modern European Jewish History between the Enlightenment and the establishment of the State of Israel.

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5355. German Jewish Literature and Human Rights

Also offered as: CLCS 5355, GERM 5355

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

Exploration of German Jewish Literature as a form of artistic expression and public debate. Discussion of German Jewish literary writing and its relationship with human rights discourses since the Enlightenment.

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5371. Jews, Turks, and Moors, in Early Modern Europe

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: Open to graduate students in Judaic Studies, Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, English, History, and Medieval Studies, others with permission.

Grading Basis: Graded

Examination of the varied representations of Jews, Muslims, and Africans in early modern culture through a study of travel narratives, poetry, religious texts, and dramatic literature.

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5390. Independent Study

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 12 credits.

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

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5395. Special Topics

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 9 credits.

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

May be repeated for up to nine credits with a change in content.

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5397. Special Topics in Judaic Studies

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 24 credits.

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

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5398. Variable Topics

3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 9 credits.

Prerequisites: None.

Grading Basis: Graded

May be repeated for up to nine credits with a change in content.

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5399. Independent Study

1.00 - 3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 9 credits.

Prerequisites: Instructor consent.

Grading Basis: Graded

May be repeated for up to nine credits with a change in content.

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