Jewish Studies Honours (B.A.) (60 credits)
Offered by: Jewish Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Program credit weight: 60
Program Requirements
Honours students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 in their program courses and, according to Faculty regulations, a minimum CGPA of 3.00 in general.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JWST 211 | Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition. | ||
| JWST 491 | Honours Thesis 1. | 3 |
Honours Thesis 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A tutorial for the preparation of an Honours Thesis. | ||
| JWST 492 | Honours Thesis 2. | 3 |
Honours Thesis 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A tutorial for the preparation of an Honours Thesis. | ||
Complementary Courses (51 credits)
51 credits selected as follows:
Jewish History
6 credits of courses on Jewish history.
One of:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 207 | Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate. | ||
| JWST 216 | Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and intellectual developments in Judaism during late antiquity. Special emphasis will be placed on rabbinic literature e.g. Babylonian Talmud, Palestinian Talmud, the midrashim both as literary works and for the light they shed on the events and ideologies of the period. | ||
One of:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 219 | Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
Jewish Language
0-18 credits of a Jewish language. Each Honours student will complete at least one Jewish language at the advanced level of instruction. A student who can demonstrate competence in a Jewish language may be permitted to substitute other courses for all or part of the language requirement.
Hebrew language courses are found listed under the heading "Language and Literature - Hebrew," and Yiddish language courses are found under the heading "Language and Literature - Yiddish."
Areas of Jewish Studies
27-45 credits of courses chosen to reflect progress to the advanced level in two of the areas of study: Biblical Studies, Rabbinic Studies, Literature (Hebrew, Yiddish), Jewish Thought, Jewish History, Modern Jewish Studies, and East European Studies.
Hebrew literature courses are found listed under the heading "Language and Literature - Hebrew," and Yiddish literature courses are found under the heading "Language and Literature - Yiddish".
Students should select their courses in consultation with a program adviser.
Biblical Studies
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JWST 211 | Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition. | ||
| JWST 310 | Believers, Heretics and Critics. | 3 |
Believers, Heretics and Critics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Issues in the development of Biblical interpretation based on classical Jewish thought, heretical Jewish doctrines and contemporary Biblical criticism. | ||
| JWST 327 | A Book of the Bible. | 3 |
A Book of the Bible. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. One book of the Bible will be studied in its entirety in Hebrew. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text. | ||
| JWST 330 | Topics in the Hebrew Bible. | 3 |
Topics in the Hebrew Bible. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A selected topic of current interest in the Hebrew Bible will be studied in depth. Emphasis on the contributions of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (archaeology, comparative literature, and Semitic linguistics) to understanding the text. Students may read the text in Hebrew or in translation. | ||
| JWST 510 | Jewish Bible Interpretation 1. | 3 |
Jewish Bible Interpretation 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The issues, approaches, and texts of Jewish Bible interpretation between the Biblical and Talmudic eras: Bible interpretation in the Bible; in Greco-Roman Jewish literature; in the Mishnah, Tosefta, Targumim, and Talmudim; early Samaritan interpretation, Bible interpretation in ancient synagogue art, and in the massoretic literature. | ||
| JWST 511 | Jewish Bible Interpretation 2. | 3 |
Jewish Bible Interpretation 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The issues, problems, approaches, and texts of Jewish Bible interpretation in medieval, renaissance, early modern, and modern times. Interpretation in the Geonic, Ashkenazi, Sefardic, North African, Italian, European, Yemenite, North American and Israeli centres of Jewish Learning. | ||
| JWST 520 | Bible Interpretation in Antiquity. | 3 |
Bible Interpretation in Antiquity. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Studies in bible interpretation in Antiquity. | ||
| JWST 538 | Early Rabbinic Parshanut 1. | 3 |
Early Rabbinic Parshanut 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced level work on one aspect of Jewish Bible interpretation in late antiquity. | ||
| JWST 581 | Aramaic Language. | 3 |
Aramaic Language. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the Aramaic language. | ||
| RELG 307 | Bible, Quran and Interpretations. | 3 |
Bible, Quran and Interpretations. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures. | ||
East European Studies
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 307 | Jews in Poland. | 3 |
Jews in Poland. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analyses of primary sources (in translation) related to the social, economic and institutional history of the Jews in Poland and their place in the East European Jewish community. Topics include: the Jews during "The Flood'' (1648 - 1667), the communal crisis of the late 17th century, the Frankist movement, and Hasidism. | ||
| HIST 427 | The Hasidic Movement. | 3 |
The Hasidic Movement. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A historical examination of the history of the Hasidic Movement from its beginnings in 18th-century Poland to the present. Although emphasis will be placed on the social history of the movement, doctrinal developments will be examined as well. | ||
| JWST 206 | Introduction to Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Introduction to Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of Yiddish literature with a particular focus on the modern period (the 1860s to the present). As we read major works of Yiddish literature, we will discuss the main factors in its development, including its position as a minority literature, Ashkenazi civilization’s religious foundations and multilingualism, the rise of political movements, and the trauma of the Holocaust. In his Nobel lecture, Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer described Yiddish as “the idiom of the frightened and hopeful humanity.” We will explore both the reasons behind and the effects of such universalization of Yiddish language, literature, and culture. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 240 | The Holocaust. | 3 |
The Holocaust. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of the history of the Holocaust and the literary, theological and cultural responses to the destruction of European Jewry. | ||
| JWST 351 | Studies in Modern Jewish Literature. | 3 |
Studies in Modern Jewish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Within a comparative framework, this course examines cultural, thematic and artistic developments in the works of modern Jewish literature written in both Jewish and non-Jewish languages. For those without reading knowledge of the original, all works are available in English translation. | ||
| JWST 361 | The Shtetl: 1500-1897. | 3 |
The Shtetl: 1500-1897. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Using historical, sociological, literary and cultural sources, this course will examine various aspects of communal and individual life in the shtetl, the Jewish - or largely Jewish - town in Eastern Europe. | ||
| JWST 365 | Modern Jewish Ideologies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Ideologies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The rise and development of the various ideologies which attempt to define the Jews in historical, national and socio-cultural terms will be analyzed within the context of modern European nationalism. Selected texts of the Jewish Enlightenment, Science of Judaism, Peretz Smolenskin, Leon Pinsker, Simon Dubnow, Chaim Zhitlowsky and Ahad Ha-Am. | ||
| JWST 366 | History of Zionism. | 3 |
History of Zionism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed. | ||
| JWST 381 | God and Devil in Modern Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
God and Devil in Modern Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of some of the central themes in Yiddish literature: religious faith and doubt; the nature of good and evil; and the role of fear - both awe of the divine and terror of the demonic. We will discuss Yiddish writers’ use of East European Jewish folklore, the influence of Christian culture, as well as the effects of secularization, mass emigration, and the Holocaust. Readings will include works by major Yiddish writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including I. L. Peretz, Sholem Aleichem, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. | ||
| JWST 383 | Holocaust Literature. | 3 |
Holocaust Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings from Holocaust literature in English translation. Writers include Primo Levi, Aharon Appelfeld, Elie Wiesel, Dan Pagis, Paul Celan, Nelly Sachs, U.Z. Greenberg and others. | ||
| JWST 445 | The Poetry of Nationalism. | 3 |
The Poetry of Nationalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the work of various modern 'national poets' - i.e. poets closely linked to national movements who expressed (or constructed) a particular national identity and whose work has lasting artistic value. These will include Mickiewicz of Poland, Tagore of India, Yeats of Ireland, and Bialik of pre-state Israel. | ||
| JWST 485 | Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individualized guided research on an approved topic in Yiddish literature. | ||
| JWST 486 | Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individualized guided research on an approved topic in Yiddish literature. | ||
| JWST 585 | Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 1. | 3 |
Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individualized guided research on an approved topic in East European studies. | ||
| JWST 586 | Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 2. | 3 |
Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Indivisualized guided research on an approved topec in East European studies. | ||
Jewish History
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 207 | Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate. | ||
| HIST 219 | Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| HIST 307 | Jews in Poland. | 3 |
Jews in Poland. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analyses of primary sources (in translation) related to the social, economic and institutional history of the Jews in Poland and their place in the East European Jewish community. Topics include: the Jews during "The Flood'' (1648 - 1667), the communal crisis of the late 17th century, the Frankist movement, and Hasidism. | ||
| HIST 427 | The Hasidic Movement. | 3 |
The Hasidic Movement. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A historical examination of the history of the Hasidic Movement from its beginnings in 18th-century Poland to the present. Although emphasis will be placed on the social history of the movement, doctrinal developments will be examined as well. | ||
| HIST 572D1 | Seminar in Jewish History. | 3 |
Seminar in Jewish History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in Jewish history. Topic varies by year. | ||
| HIST 572D2 | Seminar in Jewish History. | 3 |
Seminar in Jewish History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in Jewish history. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 211 | Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 1: Biblical Period. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and beliefs of Judaism's formative period. Both Biblical and non-Biblical materials will be studied. The Bible in the context of cognate literatures of the Ancient Near East; non-Biblical documents will be analysed for their bearing on the Jewish tradition. | ||
| JWST 216 | Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and intellectual developments in Judaism during late antiquity. Special emphasis will be placed on rabbinic literature e.g. Babylonian Talmud, Palestinian Talmud, the midrashim both as literary works and for the light they shed on the events and ideologies of the period. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 240 | The Holocaust. | 3 |
The Holocaust. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of the history of the Holocaust and the literary, theological and cultural responses to the destruction of European Jewry. | ||
| JWST 306 | The American Jewish Community. | 3 |
The American Jewish Community. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Issues affecting American Jewry in the post-World War I era until today and the American Jewish community's responses to those issues. Special emphasis on understanding the community responses and reactions to developments in both the American society and in the Jewish world. | ||
| JWST 314 | Denominations in North American Judaism. | 3 |
Denominations in North American Judaism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism in North America. Emphasis is placed on the ideology forwarded by the movements since their inception. | ||
| JWST 315 | Modern Liberal Jewish Thought. | 3 |
Modern Liberal Jewish Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The work of Mordecai Kaplan, followed by a study of several contemporary authors following feminist, mystical and postmodernist tendencies. | ||
| JWST 361 | The Shtetl: 1500-1897. | 3 |
The Shtetl: 1500-1897. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Using historical, sociological, literary and cultural sources, this course will examine various aspects of communal and individual life in the shtetl, the Jewish - or largely Jewish - town in Eastern Europe. | ||
| JWST 365 | Modern Jewish Ideologies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Ideologies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The rise and development of the various ideologies which attempt to define the Jews in historical, national and socio-cultural terms will be analyzed within the context of modern European nationalism. Selected texts of the Jewish Enlightenment, Science of Judaism, Peretz Smolenskin, Leon Pinsker, Simon Dubnow, Chaim Zhitlowsky and Ahad Ha-Am. | ||
| JWST 366 | History of Zionism. | 3 |
History of Zionism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed. | ||
Jewish Thought
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDER 318 | Teaching the Jewish Liturgy. | 3 |
Teaching the Jewish Liturgy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of curriculum developed for teaching prayer and fostering spirituality within Jewish educational frameworks. Excerpts from the liturgy of the Jewish people are studied with an emphasis on the theological, moral, and philosophical issues that they raise. | ||
| HIST 207 | Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate. | ||
| HIST 219 | Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| HIST 427 | The Hasidic Movement. | 3 |
The Hasidic Movement. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A historical examination of the history of the Hasidic Movement from its beginnings in 18th-century Poland to the present. Although emphasis will be placed on the social history of the movement, doctrinal developments will be examined as well. | ||
| JWST 201 | Jewish Law. | 3 |
Jewish Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The nature and history of Jewish law; literary and legal sources; selections in English from the Mishnah and Talmud, as well as selected post-Talmudic Texts, on such subjects as Contracts, Torts, Public Law and Family Law. | ||
| JWST 216 | Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and intellectual developments in Judaism during late antiquity. Special emphasis will be placed on rabbinic literature e.g. Babylonian Talmud, Palestinian Talmud, the midrashim both as literary works and for the light they shed on the events and ideologies of the period. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 261 | History of Jewish Philosophy and Thought. | 3 |
History of Jewish Philosophy and Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to Jewish philosophy and thought from the Hellenistic period (Philo) to the beginning of the modern era (Spinoza) focusing on topics such as prophecy and philosophy, God and the world; the Law as a canon of ethical rules and as a political constitution. Survey of the treatment of such issues by Jewish thinkers from Philo to Maimonides. | ||
| JWST 310 | Believers, Heretics and Critics. | 3 |
Believers, Heretics and Critics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Issues in the development of Biblical interpretation based on classical Jewish thought, heretical Jewish doctrines and contemporary Biblical criticism. | ||
| JWST 314 | Denominations in North American Judaism. | 3 |
Denominations in North American Judaism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism in North America. Emphasis is placed on the ideology forwarded by the movements since their inception. | ||
| JWST 315 | Modern Liberal Jewish Thought. | 3 |
Modern Liberal Jewish Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The work of Mordecai Kaplan, followed by a study of several contemporary authors following feminist, mystical and postmodernist tendencies. | ||
| JWST 337 | Jewish Philosophy and Thought 1. | 3 |
Jewish Philosophy and Thought 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. Contemporary Muslim and Christian theologians and philosophers. | ||
| JWST 338 | Jewish Philosophy and Thought 2. | 3 |
Jewish Philosophy and Thought 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from the Middle Ages to Modern Times, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. themes and concerns of Jewish theology and on Jewish responses to contemporary trends in European thought. | ||
| JWST 358 | Topics in Jewish Philosophy 1. | 3 |
Topics in Jewish Philosophy 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish philosophy. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 359 | Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2. | 3 |
Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish philosophy. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 365 | Modern Jewish Ideologies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Ideologies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The rise and development of the various ideologies which attempt to define the Jews in historical, national and socio-cultural terms will be analyzed within the context of modern European nationalism. Selected texts of the Jewish Enlightenment, Science of Judaism, Peretz Smolenskin, Leon Pinsker, Simon Dubnow, Chaim Zhitlowsky and Ahad Ha-Am. | ||
| JWST 366 | History of Zionism. | 3 |
History of Zionism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed. | ||
| JWST 474 | Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. | 3 |
Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study of the Moses Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, including such subjects as idolatry, repentance, and sacrifices, to torts, contracts, and public law. | ||
| JWST 558 | Topics: Modern Jewish Thought. | 3 |
Topics: Modern Jewish Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Studies of topics in Modern Jewish thought. Topic varies by year. | ||
Language and Literature - Hebrew
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JWST 199 | FYS: Images - Jewish Identities. | 3 |
FYS: Images - Jewish Identities. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A seminar devoted to literary portrayals of Jews by Jews and non-Jews from Biblical times to the present. Both positive and negative understandings of Jewish identity and Judaism will be studied. | ||
| JWST 220D1 | Introductory Hebrew. | 3 |
Introductory Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Language acquisition - introductory Hebrew. | ||
| JWST 220D2 | Introductory Hebrew. | 3 |
Introductory Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See JWST 220D1 for course description. | ||
| JWST 225 | Literature and Society. | 3 |
Literature and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A panoramic analysis of Israeli society through poetry, fiction, essays, interviews and testimonial narratives reflecting the country's historical, ideological and ethnic complexity. In English translation, we will read Oz, Amichai, Habibi, Har-Even and Yehoshua, as well as new authors from divergent ethnic, religious and ideological positions. | ||
| JWST 300 | Charisma and Social Change. | 3 |
Charisma and Social Change. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to charismatic phenomena in politics, religion and the media, and interpretation of them, from the ancient prophets to the modern period. Particular attention will be given to charisma as a general force for social change and also the lives of individuals such as Lenin, Krishnamurti and Chaplin. | ||
| JWST 320D1 | Intermediate Hebrew. | 3 |
Intermediate Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course is designed to integrate students at various levels into one group with the aim of improving their basic language skills and preparing them for advanced Hebrew. | ||
| JWST 320D2 | Intermediate Hebrew. | 3 |
Intermediate Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See JWST 320D1 for course description. | ||
| JWST 323 | The Israeli Novel. | 3 |
The Israeli Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In-depth examination of selected Israeli novels written during the past fifty years of national formation and consolidation. Authors may include Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shabtai, Shalev and others. | ||
| JWST 325 | Israeli Literature in Translation. | 3 |
Israeli Literature in Translation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Survey of contemporary Israeli fiction that reflects Israel's cultural, political, and historical concerns. Authors may include Yehoshua, Oz, Librecht, Michael, Shamir, Castel-Bloom, and others. | ||
| JWST 340D1 | Advanced Hebrew. | 3 |
Advanced Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Language acquisition - advanced Hebrew. | ||
| JWST 340D2 | Advanced Hebrew. | 3 |
Advanced Hebrew. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See JWST 340D1 for course description. | ||
| JWST 367 | Hebrew through Israeli Cinema. | 3 |
Hebrew through Israeli Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An opportunity to analyze Israeli cinema from different periods, spanning 1948 to the present. While participating primarily in Hebrew with some assignments in English, students in this course will be invited to engage actively with the social, political, psychological and aesthetic dimensions of these films. | ||
| JWST 368 | A Taste of Hebrew Literature. | 3 |
A Taste of Hebrew Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to short literary forms in Hebrew from the mid-20th Century to the present. Short stories and poems will be discussed in terms of their literary qualities, as well as in relation to their cultural, social, political and historical contexts with the ultimate aim of fostering an improved ability to read, write and speak in Hebrew. | ||
| JWST 369 | History of the Hebrew Language. | 3 |
History of the Hebrew Language. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of the evolution of the Hebrew language from Biblical texts to contemporary Israeli slang, including Rabbinical commentary, Medieval hymns, poetry by Jewish authors of the Islamic world, Haskalah literature in the modern Jewish Enlightenment, and contemporary texts to showcase the revival of a spoken Hebrew after 2000 years in exile. Linguistic patterns, literary structures and vocabulary. | ||
| JWST 370 | Israeli Popular Culture. | 3 |
Israeli Popular Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Israel's multifaceted contemporary culture including music, theatre and the visual arts, as well as stand-up comedy, dance, film and TV series, and contemporary Israeli society. | ||
| JWST 383 | Holocaust Literature. | 3 |
Holocaust Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings from Holocaust literature in English translation. Writers include Primo Levi, Aharon Appelfeld, Elie Wiesel, Dan Pagis, Paul Celan, Nelly Sachs, U.Z. Greenberg and others. | ||
| JWST 403 | Contemporary Hebrew Literature. | 3 |
Contemporary Hebrew Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Israeli literature in its original language with emphasis on in-depth literary analysis. Texts read in Hebrew; assignments may be written in English. | ||
| JWST 445 | The Poetry of Nationalism. | 3 |
The Poetry of Nationalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the work of various modern 'national poets' - i.e. poets closely linked to national movements who expressed (or constructed) a particular national identity and whose work has lasting artistic value. These will include Mickiewicz of Poland, Tagore of India, Yeats of Ireland, and Bialik of pre-state Israel. | ||
Language and Literature - Yiddish
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| JWST 206 | Introduction to Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Introduction to Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of Yiddish literature with a particular focus on the modern period (the 1860s to the present). As we read major works of Yiddish literature, we will discuss the main factors in its development, including its position as a minority literature, Ashkenazi civilization’s religious foundations and multilingualism, the rise of political movements, and the trauma of the Holocaust. In his Nobel lecture, Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer described Yiddish as “the idiom of the frightened and hopeful humanity.” We will explore both the reasons behind and the effects of such universalization of Yiddish language, literature, and culture. | ||
| JWST 281 | Introductory Yiddish 1. | 3 |
Introductory Yiddish 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to Yiddish, the millennium-old language of Ashkenazic Jews. This course will cover basic grammar and vocabulary and will include practice in speaking, reading, and writing. The course materials draw on Yiddish literature, humor, songs, and films, and will thus allow students to combine the acquisition of practical language skills with an exploration of Yiddish culture—from its beginnings in medieval Germany through its past and present in Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas, Israel, and all over the world. | ||
| JWST 282 | Introductory Yiddish 2. | 3 |
Introductory Yiddish 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course is designed for students with a basic command of Yiddish who wish to improve their knowledge of the language and to further explore the culture behind it. Further development of the four language skills - speaking, reading, writing, and listening - with a particular emphasis on expanding vocabulary and improving grammar. Basic overview of the main Yiddish dialects. Course materials include selections from Yiddish literature, humor, songs, and films of Jewish life past and present. | ||
| JWST 351 | Studies in Modern Jewish Literature. | 3 |
Studies in Modern Jewish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Within a comparative framework, this course examines cultural, thematic and artistic developments in the works of modern Jewish literature written in both Jewish and non-Jewish languages. For those without reading knowledge of the original, all works are available in English translation. | ||
| JWST 361 | The Shtetl: 1500-1897. | 3 |
The Shtetl: 1500-1897. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Using historical, sociological, literary and cultural sources, this course will examine various aspects of communal and individual life in the shtetl, the Jewish - or largely Jewish - town in Eastern Europe. | ||
| JWST 381 | God and Devil in Modern Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
God and Devil in Modern Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An exploration of some of the central themes in Yiddish literature: religious faith and doubt; the nature of good and evil; and the role of fear - both awe of the divine and terror of the demonic. We will discuss Yiddish writers’ use of East European Jewish folklore, the influence of Christian culture, as well as the effects of secularization, mass emigration, and the Holocaust. Readings will include works by major Yiddish writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including I. L. Peretz, Sholem Aleichem, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. | ||
| JWST 383 | Holocaust Literature. | 3 |
Holocaust Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings from Holocaust literature in English translation. Writers include Primo Levi, Aharon Appelfeld, Elie Wiesel, Dan Pagis, Paul Celan, Nelly Sachs, U.Z. Greenberg and others. | ||
| JWST 387 | Modern Jewish Authors. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Authors. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to representative novels written in America by Jews from the 1950s to the present. Issues of Jewish identity, ethnicity will inform our discussions. Focus on contemporary Jewish authors; consideration of the ways in which the complexities of American life are re-scripted in these novels. | ||
| JWST 480 | Advanced Yiddish 1. | 3 |
Advanced Yiddish 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of advanced Yiddish language skills in conversation and discussion, composition, and oral presentation. Particular emphasis will be placed on the reading and paraphrasing of a variety of literary texts. | ||
| JWST 481 | Advanced Yiddish 2. | 3 |
Advanced Yiddish 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Additional development of advanced Yiddish language skills in conversation and discussion, composition, and oral presentation. Particular emphasis will be placed on the reading and paraphrasing of a variety of literary texts. | ||
| JWST 485 | Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individualized guided research on an approved topic in Yiddish literature. | ||
| JWST 486 | Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Tutorial in Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individualized guided research on an approved topic in Yiddish literature. | ||
| JWST 530 | Topics in Yiddish Literature. | 3 |
Topics in Yiddish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised research in Yiddish literature. Work will focus on one genre, literary school or author. | ||
Modern Jewish Studies
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDER 319 | Teaching the Holocaust. | 3 |
Teaching the Holocaust. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of approaches, strategies, and techniques of teaching the Holocaust, including methodologies for using the Holocaust as a basis for teaching about prejudice, cultural identity, racism, human rights and moral responsibility. | ||
| HIST 219 | Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| HIST 427 | The Hasidic Movement. | 3 |
The Hasidic Movement. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A historical examination of the history of the Hasidic Movement from its beginnings in 18th-century Poland to the present. Although emphasis will be placed on the social history of the movement, doctrinal developments will be examined as well. | ||
| HIST 572D1 | Seminar in Jewish History. | 3 |
Seminar in Jewish History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in Jewish history. Topic varies by year. | ||
| HIST 572D2 | Seminar in Jewish History. | 3 |
Seminar in Jewish History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in Jewish history. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 240 | The Holocaust. | 3 |
The Holocaust. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of the history of the Holocaust and the literary, theological and cultural responses to the destruction of European Jewry. | ||
| JWST 309 | Jews in Film. | 3 |
Jews in Film. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the portrayal of Jews in film from the 1920s to the present. Films to be studied will usually be based on literary texts in English, which will form part of the required study. Films in languages other than English will be subtitled. | ||
| JWST 346 | Modern Jewish Studies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period. | ||
| JWST 347 | Modern Jewish Studies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period. | ||
| JWST 348 | Modern Jewish Studies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period. | ||
| JWST 349 | Modern Jewish Studies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period. | ||
| JWST 351 | Studies in Modern Jewish Literature. | 3 |
Studies in Modern Jewish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Within a comparative framework, this course examines cultural, thematic and artistic developments in the works of modern Jewish literature written in both Jewish and non-Jewish languages. For those without reading knowledge of the original, all works are available in English translation. | ||
| JWST 359 | Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2. | 3 |
Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish philosophy. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 361 | The Shtetl: 1500-1897. | 3 |
The Shtetl: 1500-1897. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Using historical, sociological, literary and cultural sources, this course will examine various aspects of communal and individual life in the shtetl, the Jewish - or largely Jewish - town in Eastern Europe. | ||
| JWST 365 | Modern Jewish Ideologies. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Ideologies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The rise and development of the various ideologies which attempt to define the Jews in historical, national and socio-cultural terms will be analyzed within the context of modern European nationalism. Selected texts of the Jewish Enlightenment, Science of Judaism, Peretz Smolenskin, Leon Pinsker, Simon Dubnow, Chaim Zhitlowsky and Ahad Ha-Am. | ||
| JWST 366 | History of Zionism. | 3 |
History of Zionism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed. | ||
| JWST 383 | Holocaust Literature. | 3 |
Holocaust Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings from Holocaust literature in English translation. Writers include Primo Levi, Aharon Appelfeld, Elie Wiesel, Dan Pagis, Paul Celan, Nelly Sachs, U.Z. Greenberg and others. | ||
| JWST 386 | American Jewish Literature. | 3 |
American Jewish Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of American Jewish novels from the 1900s to the present. Attention to representations of gender, class and Jewishness as seen in relation to changing notions of America. Focus on ways novels represent and wrestle with Jewish difference. | ||
| JWST 387 | Modern Jewish Authors. | 3 |
Modern Jewish Authors. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to representative novels written in America by Jews from the 1950s to the present. Issues of Jewish identity, ethnicity will inform our discussions. Focus on contemporary Jewish authors; consideration of the ways in which the complexities of American life are re-scripted in these novels. | ||
| JWST 445 | The Poetry of Nationalism. | 3 |
The Poetry of Nationalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the work of various modern 'national poets' - i.e. poets closely linked to national movements who expressed (or constructed) a particular national identity and whose work has lasting artistic value. These will include Mickiewicz of Poland, Tagore of India, Yeats of Ireland, and Bialik of pre-state Israel. | ||
| JWST 558 | Topics: Modern Jewish Thought. | 3 |
Topics: Modern Jewish Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Studies of topics in Modern Jewish thought. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 585 | Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 1. | 3 |
Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Individualized guided research on an approved topic in East European studies. | ||
| JWST 586 | Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 2. | 3 |
Tutorial: Eastern European Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Indivisualized guided research on an approved topec in East European studies. | ||
| POLI 347 | Arab-Israel Conflict, Crisis, Peace. | 3 |
Arab-Israel Conflict, Crisis, Peace. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Concepts - protracted conflict, crisis, war, peace; system, subsystem; Conflict-levels of analysis; historical context; images and issues; attitudes, policies, role of major powers; Crises-Wars - configuration of power; crisis models; decision-making in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 crisis-wars; conflict- crisis management; Peace-Making - pre-1977; Egypt-Israel peace treaty; Madrid, Oslo, Israel-Jordan peace; prospects for conflict resolution. | ||
Rabbinic Studies
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 207 | Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate. | ||
| HIST 219 | Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 201 | Jewish Law. | 3 |
Jewish Law. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The nature and history of Jewish law; literary and legal sources; selections in English from the Mishnah and Talmud, as well as selected post-Talmudic Texts, on such subjects as Contracts, Torts, Public Law and Family Law. | ||
| JWST 216 | Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 2: 400 B.C.E. - 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The history, literature and intellectual developments in Judaism during late antiquity. Special emphasis will be placed on rabbinic literature e.g. Babylonian Talmud, Palestinian Talmud, the midrashim both as literary works and for the light they shed on the events and ideologies of the period. | ||
| JWST 217 | Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish Studies 3: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| JWST 316 | Social and Ethical Issues Jewish Law 1. | 3 |
Social and Ethical Issues Jewish Law 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A brief introduction to the nature and history of Jewish law. Topics include: redemption of hostages; abortion; death and dying. | ||
| JWST 345 | Introduction to Rabbinic Literature. | 3 |
Introduction to Rabbinic Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the study of Rabbinic texts. | ||
| JWST 358 | Topics in Jewish Philosophy 1. | 3 |
Topics in Jewish Philosophy 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish philosophy. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 359 | Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2. | 3 |
Topics in Jewish Philosophy 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in Jewish philosophy. Topic varies by year. | ||
| JWST 474 | Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. | 3 |
Maimonides' Mishneh Torah. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study of the Moses Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, including such subjects as idolatry, repentance, and sacrifices, to torts, contracts, and public law. | ||
| JWST 538 | Early Rabbinic Parshanut 1. | 3 |
Early Rabbinic Parshanut 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced level work on one aspect of Jewish Bible interpretation in late antiquity. | ||
Other Department Courses - History
Many of the courses in Jewish Studies are related to other departments, e.g., History, Religious Studies. There are also related courses in other departments which students specializing in certain areas of Jewish Studies might be encouraged to include in their programs, e.g., Classical Greek, Arabic, theories of literature, etc.
The following History department courses may be used as Jewish Studies courses in the Department of Jewish Studies programs. These courses have been included in the areas of study course lists above.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 194 | FYS: Jewish Concepts of Others. | 3 |
FYS: Jewish Concepts of Others. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey, using translated primary and selected secondary sources, of the ways in which Jews represented Christians from late antiquity to the present. Legal, liturgical, literary and other sources are examined with the focus on the Medieval and Early Modern periods. | ||
| HIST 207 | Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate. | ||
| HIST 219 | Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. | 3 |
Jewish History: 1000 - 2000. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present. | ||
| HIST 307 | Jews in Poland. | 3 |
Jews in Poland. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Analyses of primary sources (in translation) related to the social, economic and institutional history of the Jews in Poland and their place in the East European Jewish community. Topics include: the Jews during "The Flood'' (1648 - 1667), the communal crisis of the late 17th century, the Frankist movement, and Hasidism. | ||
| HIST 427 | The Hasidic Movement. | 3 |
The Hasidic Movement. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A historical examination of the history of the Hasidic Movement from its beginnings in 18th-century Poland to the present. Although emphasis will be placed on the social history of the movement, doctrinal developments will be examined as well. | ||
| HIST 572D1 | Seminar in Jewish History. | 3 |
Seminar in Jewish History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in Jewish history. Topic varies by year. | ||
| HIST 572D2 | Seminar in Jewish History. | 3 |
Seminar in Jewish History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Seminar in Jewish history. Topic varies by year. | ||