The Akeidah, or the Binding of Isaac, as told in Genesis 22, is one of the great Biblical stories and the foundation for one of the great themes of Western religion, the near-sacrifice and restoration of the beloved son. The story is also one of the most problematic texts in all Biblical literature, and a source for countless later tales and re-imaginings in later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature. In this course, we will study the history of this tale and its theme from the Bible through the modern period in order to show how a Biblical tradition develops and changes in response to historical change. The focus will be on Jewish tradition but we will also consider Christian and Islamic parallels because, as we shall see, no religious tradition in Western culture has ever developed in a vacuum. In this way, we will also attempt to understand the very nature of Tradition--the process by which the past is received and handed on to future generations--as it figures in Judaism and Western culture in general. Benjamin Franklin Seminar. Fulfills History & Tradition Sector (all classes). (NELC 252, RELS 129)

This course examines cinematic and literary portrayals of love and war created by Israeli men and women from the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 to date. Many of the works are situated, and therefore discussed, in their historical contexts. Unlike the American tradition, Israeli consciousness understates the "pursuit of happiness." The "tug of war" between individual needs and the commitment to collective, national causes, is an overarching theme in Israeli fiction, poetry and film. Additionally, in the early decades of the state's existence great emphasis was placed on a homogenous national identity, while differences were often intentionally suppressed. This struggle between individual aspirations and identity, versus the needs of the collective is reflected in the arts, and crosses lines of gender and genre, age and ethnic background. 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) and Cross Cultural Analysis - Class of '10 and after. (NELC 159, COML 282, CINE 329)

"Languages are not strangers to one another," writes the great critic and translator Walter Benjamin. Yet two people who speak different languages have a difficult time talking to one another, unless they both know a third, common language or can find someone who knows both their languages to translate what they want to say. Without translation, most of us would not be able to read the Bible or Homer, the foundations of Western culture. Americans wouldn't know much about the cultures of Europe, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. And people who live in or come from these places would not know much about American culture. Without translation, Americans would not know much about the diversity of cultures within America. The very fabric of our world depends upon translation between people, between cultures, between texts. With a diverse group of readings--autobiography, fiction, poetry, anthropology, and literary theory--this course will address some fundamental questions about translating language and culture. What does it mean to translate? How do we read a text in translation? What does it mean to live between two languages? Who is a translator? What are different kinds of literary and cultural translation? What are their principles and theories? Their assumptions and practices? Their effects on and implications for the individual and the society? Benjamin Franklin Seminar. (GRMN 264, COML 260)