Fall 2007 Jewish Studies Courses

History 009.305 The Invention of Modern Judaism Wenger T 1:30-4:30
Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations 009-301 Critical Writing Seminar: The Bible in Popular Music Allen MWF 11:00-12:00
Jewish Studies 031.401 Beginning Yiddish I Botwinik TR 12:00-1:30
Jewish Studies 033.401 Intermediate Yiddish I Botwinik TR 1:30-3:00
Jewish Studies 051.401 Elementary Modern Hebrew I Staff MTWRF 11:00-12:00
Jewish Studies 051.402 Elementary Modern Hebrew I Staff MTWRF 12:00-1:00
Jewish Studies 052.401 Elemenatary Modern Hebrew II Staff MTWRF 11:00-12:00
Jewish Studies 053.401 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III Staff MTWRF 12:00-1:00
Jewish Studies 053.402 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III Staff MWF 1:00-2:00 and TR 1:30-2:30
Jewish Studies 054.401 Intermediate Modern Hebrew IV Staff MTWRF 12:00-1:00
Jewish Studies 054.402 Intermediate Modern Hebrew IV Staff MWF 1:00-2:00 and TR 1:30-2:30
Jewish Studies 059.401 Advanced Modern Hebrew: Reading and Composition Engel TR 1:30-3:00
Jewish Studies 102.401 Holocaust in Literature and Film Gold TR 1:30-3:00
Jewish Studies 123.401 Introduction to Judaism Dohrmann M 2:00-5:00
Jewish Studies 130.401 American Jewish Experience Perelman TR 9:00-10:30
Jewish Studies 150.401 Introduction to the Bible Tigay TR 4:30-6:00
Jewish Studies 157.401 History of Jewish Civilization II Fishman TR 12:00-1:30
Jewish Studies 171.401 Elementary Biblical Hebrew I Carasik MW 3:30-5:00
Jewish Studies 173.401 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Prose Carasik MW 5:00-6:30
Jewish Studies 204.402 Re-Reading the Holocaust Wenger M 2:00-5:00
Jewish Studies 216.401 Jews, Christians and Pagans in Late Antiquity Hirshman T 3:00-6:00
Jewish Studies 231.680 Beginning Judeo-Spanish I Braverman TBA
Jewish Studies 259.401 Literature and Identity in Israel: 1948-2007 Gold TR 10:30-12:00
Jewish Studies 260.401 Jewish Folklore Ben-Amos TR 10:30-12:00
Jewish Studies 279.301 Modern Jewish-American Literature: Voice, Culture, and the Jewish Writer in Postwar America Glaser TR 4:30-6
Jewish Studies 380.401 Modern Hebrew Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History Ruderman TR 1:30-3:00
Jewish Studies 390.301 Senior Research Seminar Wenger TBA
Jewish Studies 399.301 Senior Honors Thesis Staff TBA
Jewish Studies 426.401 Rabbinic Writers on a Rabbinic Culture Fishman TR 10:30-12:00
Jewish Studies 550.401 A Book of the Bible Tigay W 2:00-5:00

Related Course
Religious Studies 735.401 Greco-Roman Realia Kraft T 3:00-6:00
German Freud Weissberg
Political Science 498-302 Israel in Comparative Perspective Brudny W 2:00-5:00




HIST 009.305 The Invention of Modern Judaism Wenger
The varieties of Judaism that exist today reflect a two-hundred-year evolution that began in Europe with the dawn of the modern era. Judaism?fs distinct movements (Reform, Orthodox etc.) grew out of the first Jewish encounters with political emancipation, the embrace of Enlightenment ideals, and the desire of Jews to create new religious identities suited to the modern world. This course explores the invention of modern Judaism in its social, political and cultural contexts. Utilizing both primary and secondary sources, we will trace the historical development of Judaism as a reflection of the ways that Jews have interacted with the cultures in which they lived. Throughout the semester, students will be required to complete many different types of writing assignments, to revise their work, and to work cooperatively with others in class to improve communication and writing skills. Fullfills the College Writing Seminar.
Time: T 1:30-4:30

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NELC 009.301 Critical Writing Seminar: The Bible in Popular Music Allen
How does popular music reveal the relationship between our secular world and the narratives we hold sacred? How well do our iPod playlists reflect the tension between our interests -- sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll -- and our spiritual concerns? How are these interests and concerns balanced in the work of the great popular musicians, among them Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Sinead O'Conner, Sarah McLachlan and Kanye West. Each artist uses biblical personalities and themes in lyrics intended to challenge, inspire, or stimulate. Through an examination of how and why biblical metaphor, imagery, and narrative are used in popular music, this course will consider the immense influence of the Bible on popular culture and on our own relationship with and understanding of both.
Time: MWF 11:00-12:00

JWST 031.401 Beginning Yiddish I Botwinik
Yiddish is a 1000-year-old language with a rich heritage. This course introduces the skills of reading, writing, and speaking Yiddish through the study of grammar, enriched by cultural materials such as song, literature, folklore, and film. This course assumes no previous knowledge of Yiddish. (YDSH 101, YDSH 501)
Time: TR 12:00-1:30
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JWST 033.401 Intermediate Yiddish I Botwinik
A continuation of JWST 032/ YDSH 102, Beginning Yiddish II, this course develops the skills of reading, writing, and speaking Yiddish on the intermediate level through the study of grammar and cultural materials, such as literature, newspapers, films, songs, radio programs. (YDSH 103, YDSH 503)
Time: TR 1:30-3:00
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JWST 051.401 Elementary Modern Hebrew I Staff
An introduction to the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew. This course assumes no previous knowledge of Hebrew. (HEBR 051, HEBR 651)
Time: MTWRF 11:00-12:00
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JWST 051.402 Elementary Modern Hebrew I Staff
An introduction to the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew. This course assumes no previous knowledge of Hebrew. (HEBR 051, HEBR 651)
Time: MTWRF 12:00-1:00
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JWST 052.401 Elementary Modern Hebrew II Staff
A continuation of HEBR 051, First Year Modern Hebrew, which assumes basic skills of reading and speaking and the use of the present tense. Open to all students who have completed one semester of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR 051 or permission of instructor. (HEBR 052, HEBR 652)
Time: MTWRF 11:00-12:00
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JWST 053.401 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III Staff
Development of the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew on an intermediate level. Open to all students who have completed two semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR 052 or permission of the instructor. (HEBR 053, HEBR 653)
Time: MTWRF 12:00-1:00
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JWST 053.402 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III Staff
Development of the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew on an intermediate level. Open to all students who have completed two semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR 052 or permission of the instructor. (HEBR 053, HEBR 653)
Time: MWF 1:00-2:00 and TR 1:30-2:30
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JWST 054.401 Intermediate Modern Hebrew IV Staff
This course constitutes the final semester of Intermediate Modern Hebrew. Hence, one of the main goals of the course is to prepare the students for the proficiency exam in Hebrew. Emphasis will be placed on grammar skills and ability to read literary texts. Open to all students who have completed three semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR 053 or permission of instructor. (HEBR 054, HEBR 654)
Time: MTWRF 12:00-1:00
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JWST 054.402 Intermediate Modern Hebrew IV Staff
This course constitutes the final semester of Intermediate Modern Hebrew. Hence, one of the main goals of the course is to prepare the students for the proficiency exam in Hebrew. Emphasis will be placed on grammar skills and ability to read literary texts. Open to all students who have completed three semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR 053 or permission of instructor. (HEBR 054, HEBR 654)
Time: MWF 1:00-2:00 and TR 1:30-2:30
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JWST 059.401 Advanced Modern Hebrew: Reading and Composition Engel
Further development of reading, writing, and speaking skills in modern Hebrew. The course is designed for students who have completed the basic language courses and passed the proficiency examination (or passed the Department?fs placement test at the appropriate level). The readings are based on literary texts and poetry. Special attention is given to the recurrence of biblical themes in modern Hebrew writing. HEBR 054 or permission of instructor. Since the content of this course may change from year to year, students may take it more than once (but only once for credit). Fulfills Distribution CRS Arts & Letters -- Class of '09 and prior. (HEBR 059, HEBR 552)
Time: TR 1:30-3:00
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JWST 102.401 Holocaust in Literature & Film Gold
The momentous Holocaust narrative The Diary of Anne Frank appeared in 1947, one year prior to the establishment of the Jewish State. The Israeli psyche and therefore Israeli art, however, "waited" until the 1961 public indictment of a Nazi war-criminal to hesitantly begin to face the Jewish catastrophe. The Zionist wish to forge a "New Jew" was in part responsible for this suppression. Aharon Appelfeld's understated short stories were the first to enter the modernist literary scene in the 1960s, followed in 1970 by the cryptic verse of Dan Pagis, a fellow child survivor. Only in 1988 did the Second Generation of survivors reveal themselves. Indeed, two Israeli-born pop singers -- haunted children of survivors -- broke the continuous practice of concealing the past and its emotional aftermath in the watershed documentary Because of That War. This course will follow and analyze the transformation of Israeli literature and cinema from instruments of suppression of the Holocaust into means for dealing with this historic national trauma. Although Israeli works constitute more than half of the course's material, other works of film and fiction will play comparative roles. The content of this course changes from year to year, and therefore, students may take it for credit more than once. Fulfills Arts & Letters Sector (all classes). (NELC 159, COML 282, CINE 329)
Time: TR 1:30-3:00
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JWST 123.401 Introduction to Judaism Dohrmann
Introduction to Judaism is a broad introduction to Judaism- touching on key religious themes, ideas, and practices as they develop throughout Judaism's long history. Our major emphasis will be to see the religion as an evolving dialogue that happens across and within its diverse corpus of sacred and central texts from the Bible and Talmuds, through Medieval Kabbalah and Medieval Philosophy, and into Modern Jewish Literatures. Benjamin Franklin Seminar. Fulfills Distribution CRS History & Tradition - Class of '09 and prior. (RELS 123, NELC 283)
Time: M 2:00-5:00
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JWST 130.401 American Jewish Experience Perleman
In 1654, 23 Jewish refugees fled Brazil and landed in New Amsterdam, later New York City. Three hundred and fifty years later, this tiny, ragged group has become the largest, wealthiest, and, it could beargued, most significant Jewish population in the world. This largesse, however, was never guaranteed. Not only did American Jews have to consider their place in a larger Jewish world that included Europe and Palestine/Israel, but their homeland also presented them with almost unrestricted opportunities, not the least of which was the choice to abandon Judaism altogether. While dissolution became a recurring lament among American Jews, it has never proven to be reality. Instead, Jews negotiated ideas about race, class, religion, gender, and ethnicity to develop forms of Jewish identification uniquely suited to their American environment. In the words of historian Robert Seltzer, this course examines "the interplay between Jews and the ideal of America, that is between dreams and realities: between Jewish dreams of America and what happened to the Jews as they became part of the mainstream to a degree that did not occur elsewhere." Beginning in the seventeenth century, we will trace Jews' American experiences through recent times. In the process we will engage several key issues: immigration, community building, culture, race and ethnicity, gender, politics, and international relations. Using a broad assortment of primary and secondary sources, fiction and film, this course will explore the changing ways in Jews adapted to American life, constructed American Jewish identities, and participated in the history of the United States. Fulfills Distribution CRS History & Tradition -- Class of '09 and prior. (HIST 150, RELS 124)
Time: TR 9:00-10:30

JWST 150.401 Introduction to the Bible Tigay
This course will introduce students to the Hebrew Bible (the "Old Testament"), its major themes and ideas, and the methods, discoveries and theories of modern Biblical scholarship. Special attention will be paid to the historical background of the Bible, archaeology, ancient Near Eastern parallels to the Bible, and Biblical criticism; the narratives and civil and religious laws of the Torah; the historical books; prophecy; the Psalms; wisdom literature, including Job; Biblical religion; postbiblical Jewish and Christian interpretation of the Bible; and the Bible in Western civilization. The course is truly introductory: no prior knowledge of the subject matter, nor of Hebrew, is presupposed. Fulfills Cross Cultural Analysis -- Class of '10 & after. Fulfills Humanities & Social Science Sector (new curriculum only). (NELC 150, NELC 450, RELS 125)
Time: TR 4:30-6:00
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JWST 157.401 History of Jewish Civilization II Fishman
Exploration of intellectual, social, and cultural developments in Jewish civilization from the dawn of rabbinic culture in the Near East through the assault on established conceptions of faith and religious authority in 17th century Europe. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of Christian and Muslim "host societies" on expressions of Jewish culture. Fulfills History & Tradition Sector (all classes). (HIST 140, RELS 121, NELC 052)
Time: TR 12:00-1:30
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JWST 171.401 Elementary Biblical Hebrew I Carasik
An introduction to the grammar of biblical Hebrew with an emphasis on developing the skills necessary to read and understand Biblical texts. No previous knowledge of Hebrew is expected, though prospective students are recommended to make an effort to become familiar with the Hebrew alphabet and vowel signs. (HEBR 151, HEBR 451, JWST 471)
Time: MW 3:30-5:00
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JWST 173.401 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Prose Carasik
This course is intended as an introduction to the prose literature of the Hebrew Bible. By the end of the class, the successful student can expect to be able to read biblical prose texts independently and take advanced Bible exegesis courses. The intent of the course is for students to (1) gain an overall familiarity with the literature of the Hebrew Bible in the original language, and specifically with the genres of history, narrative, and law; (2) develop the skills necessary for close reading of biblical prose texts; (3) approach biblical prose texts as literary creations; and (4) understand biblical prose in its aspect as a window an ancient and non-European culture. In addition, students will become familiar with standard biblical idiom through a series of translation exercises based on the patriarchal narratives of Genesis 12-36. Prerequisite: Successful completion of HEBR 152 or permission of the instructor. (HEBR 153, HEBR 453, JWST 473)
Time: MW 5:00-6:30
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JWST 204.402 Re-Reading the Holocaust Wenger
This course explores how the Holocaust has been constructed as an historical event. Beginning in the mid-1940s, with the first attempts to narrate what had transpired during the Nazi era, this seminar traces the ways that the Holocaust became codified as a distinct episode in history. We will examine documentary films, memoirs, survivor testimonies, as well as other scholarly and popular representations of the Holocaust. Students will be introduced to unfamiliar sources and also asked to reconsider some well-known Holocaust documents and institutions. (HIST 204)
Time: M 2:00-5:00
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JWST 216.401 Jews, Christians and Pagans in Late Antiquity Hirshman
This course will focus on a number of aspects of the late antique culture shared by Pagans, Christians and Jews. We will engage topics such as the role of the book and oral learning in each culture; magic and medicine; dream interpretation; polemics; and the image of the other generated in each culture. Each class will investigate primary sources, accompanied by secondary readings. All readings will be in English. Seminar. (RELS 216, NELC 216, ANCH 216)
Time: T 3:00-6:00

JWST 231.680 Beginning Judeo-Spanish I Braverman
The course will begin with and historical introduction to Sephardic Jewry. It will discuss the history and language of the Jews in Spain prior to their expulsion in 1492 and follow up with their history in the Ottoman Empire. It will then introduce the students to the phonology of the language both in a descriptive and historical perspective. There will also be discussion of the contrast with Castillian Spanish. After a discussion of the grammar, there will be lessons designed to teach the students conversational Judeo-Spanish, using dialogs, pictures, videos, music, visits with native speakers and other interactive methods. Seminar. (ROML 110)
Time: TBA
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JWST 259.401 Literature and Identity in Israel: 1948-2007 Gold
This course will follow the windings of Israeli national and political awareness in the last five decades, through its reflections in significant works of poetry and prose. Israeli literature has always been a litmus test for Israeli consciousness. The creation of Israeli identity, from its birth in 1948, was intertwined with the emergence of the land's first native writers during the Israeli War of Independence. Their national ideology and heroic pathos were challenged in the 1950s and early 1960s. Y. Amichai's "I want to die in my bed" became a manifesto for this Western-influenced "Generation of the State." Protests against the war in Lebanon in the 1980s and the tumultuous 1990s returned many writers to different sides of the national, social, and political arenas. Seminar. Fulfills Cross Cultural Analysis -- Class of '10 & after. Fulfills Arts & Letters Sector (all classes) -- Class of '09 and prior. Fulfills Literatures of the World. (HEBR 259, COML 266, HEBR 559, COLL 220)
Time: TR 10:30-12:00
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JWST 260.401 Jewish Folklore Ben-Amos
The Jews are among the few nations and ethnic groups whose oral tradition occurs in literary and religious texts dating back more than two thousand years. This tradition changed and diversified over the years in terms of the migrations of Jews into different countries and the historical, social, and cultural changes that these countries underwent. The course attempts to capture the historical and ethnic diversity of Jewish folklore in a variety of oral literary forms. A basic book of Hasidic legends from the 18th century will serve as a key text to explore problems in Jewish folklore. Fulfills Cross Cultural Analysis -- Class of '10 & after. Fulfills General Requirement II: History & Tradition -- Class of '09 & prior. (NELC 258, COML 283, FOLK 280, RELS 221)
Time: TR 10:30-12:00
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JWST 279.301 Modern Jewish-American Literature: Voice, Culture, and the Jewish Writer in Postwar America Glaser
Guilt, devotion, exile, shtick, messianism, boredom, tradition, voice, sex. Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Cynthia Ozick, Bernard Malamud, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Allen Ginsberg. As critic Morris Dickstein put it, "The work of these writers proved deliberately provocative, hugely entertaining, always flirting with bad taste and often very funny, but with an edge of pain and giddiness that borders on hysteria." This course will study the "deliberately provocative" postwar Jewish writer in modern America. What made the Jewish American writer so radical? How did the postwar Jewish American writer become the archetypical American author? Why have Jewish American writers turned out to be lightning rods for changes in twentieth century American culture, and its shifting landscape of race, ethnicity, gender, and the individual? Looking first at the core generation of postwar Jewish American authors (such as Bellow, Malamud, and Roth) and then at the newest wave of writers such as Michael Chabon, Dara Horn, Gary Shteyngart, and Nathan Englander, we will address the thorny question of just what makes a Jewish American writer in modern America. Course requirements include a short mid-term paper, a longer final paper with a research component, and engagement in class materials and discussion. (ENGL 279, COML 282)
Time: TR 4:30-6


JWST 380.401 Modern Hebrew Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History Ruderman
An overview of Jewish intellectual and cultural history from the late 18th century until the present. The course considers the Jewish enlightenment Reform, Conservative and Neo-Orthodox Judaism, Zionist and Jewish Socialist thought, and Jewish thought in the 20th century, particularly in the context of the Holocaust. Readings of primary sources including Mendelsohn, Geiger, Hirsch, Herzl, Achad-ha-Am, Baeck, Buber, Kaplan, and others. No previous background is required. Fulfills Distribution CRS History & Tradition -- Class of '09 and prior. (HIST 380, RELS 320)
Time: TR 1:30-3:00 (plus recitation 402 R 3-4 or 403 R 4:30-5:30)
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JWST 390.301 Senior Research Seminar Wenger
JWST 390 is required of all students majoring in the Interdisciplinary Jewish Studies major, but all majors and minors in the various departmental programs are encouraged to take the seminar. Students will conduct independent research and complete a 20-30 page paper. Permission of instructor required to enroll.
Time: TBA
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JWST 399.301 Senior Honors Thesis Staff
Jewish Studies Honors majors must take JWST 399 in which they will design, with the guidance of an advisor, an individualized directed reading program culminating in the writing of an honors thesis.
Time: TBA

JWST 426.401 Rabbinic Writers on a Rabbinic Culture Fishman
The course traces reflections on rabbinic culture produced within Jewish legal literature of the classic rabbinic period -- Midrash, Mishna and Talmud -- and in later juridical genres -- talmudic commentary, codes and responsa. Attention will be paid to the mechanics of different genres, the role played by the underlying prooftext, the inclusion or exclusion of variant opinions, the presence of non-legal information, the balance between precedent and innovation. Reading knowledge of Hebrew required. Seminar. (RELS 426)
Time: TR 10:30-12:00
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JWST 550.401 A Book of the Bible Tigay
In-depth study of a book of the Bible studied in the light of modern scholarship (including archaeology and ancient Near Eastern literature) as well as ancient and medieval commentaries. The book varies each semester and the course may be repeated for credit. Prerequsites: Thorough command of Biblical Hebrew and prior experience studying the Bible in the original in high school, college or a comparable setting. Qualified undergraduates are welcome but must contact the instructor for permission to register and show how they meet the requirements. Language of instruction is in English. Seminar. Since the content of this course may change from year to year students may take it for credit more than once. (HEBR 550)
Time: W 2:00-5:00
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RELS 735.401 Greco-Roman Realia Kraft
What can the student of Greco-Roman history and thought learn from the various physical remains that have been preserved from that world (primarily 3rd century bce through 4th century ce)? We will explore such resources as inscriptions, papyri, coinage, art, architecture and other archaeological remains, making use of local collections and expertise as well as more remotely available electronic and hardcopy published information and images. Knowledge of Greek and Latin will be helpful, although not absolutely necessary. This is an advanced "work-seminar," where we will be exploring and learning together, with publication of any significant results as a goal. Seminar. (CLST 735)
Time: T 3:00-6:00

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PSCI 498-302 Israel in Comparative Perspective Brudny
This is a survey seminar which aims to make students familiar with the nature of the Israeli democracy. The course will be divided between historical and contemporary parts. The historical part examines ideological premises upon which the state was found and analyze strategies of state and nation building employed by the state founding fathers between 1880s and 1967. The contemporary part analyzes main features of the contemporary Israeli polity (i.e. from 1967 to the present). In particular, it explores such issues as the nature of the political system; political parties and movements, changes in the electoral behavior political culture and political economy; political role of the judiciary and religion; impact of the Arab-Israeli conflict (including the Intifada) on Israeli politics and society; and the interrelations between the state of Israel and its Arab minority.
Time: W 2:00-5:00

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Rossi Rossi, Azariah ben Moses dei, ca. 1511-ca. 1578. Me'or `enayim [A. de Rossi]. [Mantua : s.n., 1573-1575]. Frontispiece. The "Light of the Eyes" established the foundations of critical Jewish historiography. Its author, the sixteenth-century Italian Jew Azariah de' Rossi, was a polymath who was familiar not only with the texts of his own Jewish tradition, but also with Christian and pagan literature.



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