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Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-11:00 am
102 Barrows
Jeroen Dewulf
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are good at heart." For many, this sentence sums up the basic idea of Anne Frank's diary. Yet, if we take into account the horrors she experienced, a different quote from her diary seems more appropriate: "There's a destructive urge in people, the urge to rage, murder and kill." These harsh words will be the basis of our critical reflection on what actually happened in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. Using ego-documents, film and literature we will evoke the fears and tensions of the German invasion, the resistance and collaboration, the horrors of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust. All readings and discussions in English.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 11-12:30 pm
102 Barrows
Jeroen Dewulf
This course offers a critical analysis of a period that profoundly marked Dutch history: the 17th century. The spirit of the so-called "Dutch Golden Age" was remarkably recorded in books such as Simon Schama's The Embarrassment of Riches (1987), but it cannot be properly understood without acknowledging the impact of the colonial ambitions of the Netherlands. We will start this course with a historical analysis of the way in which the Netherlands gained its independence and the reasons why this nation would develop differently compared to other European countries in the same period. We will study the origin and significance of the politics of tolerance, particularly in relation to the Jewish and other immigrant communities. Using film and video, we will then focus on cultural and artistic expressions, from the development of a new painting style to the Dutch 17th century literature. However, this bright image of the Golden Age is incomplete unless we discuss it critically within its historical and international context. We will therefore complete our study of the Dutch Golden Age with a thorough investigation of its darker sides: the colonial expansion and the Dutch involvement in the international slave-trade. All readings and discussions in English
Mondays & Wednesdays 4-5:30 pm
106 Stanley
Emily Gottreich
In discussions of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or other Middle Eastern conflagrations, one often hears the claim that such struggles arise from (and indeed are inevitable because of) "ancient hatreds" endemic to a region in which religious war is simply the norm. The overarching goal of this course is to evaluate such statements through the close study of Jewish life and Jewish-Muslim relations as they developed in the Middle East and North Africa from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the present day.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 11-12:30 pm
186 Barrows
Chava Boyarin
Mondays 3-6:00 pm
8B Barrows
Chana Kronfeld
Wednesdays 12-3:00 pm
270 Barrows
Rutie Adler
Daily 10-11:00 am
186 Barrows
Chava Boyarin
Mondays & Wednesdays 10-11:00 am
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-11:00 am
252 Barrows
Rutie Adler
Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30-2:00 pm
252 Barrows
Rutie Adler
Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:30-10:00 am
8B Barrows
Ronald Hendel
Mondays & Wednesdays 10-12:00 pm, Fridays 10-11:00 am
2505 Tolman
Yael Chaver
Further intensive study of Yiddish for advanced students, building on the foundation established in Yiddish 101, or equivalent knowledge. Advanced grammar and introduction to the reading of original texts.
Tuesdays 2-4:00 pm
2231 Dwinelle
John Efron
This seminar will offer an in-depth introduction to some of the central trends and personalities in modern Jewish historiography. We begin by reading (and reading about) the founders of modern Jewish historiography. The enterprise of critical Jewish historical scholarship has often been criticized for its atomizing effect on traditional Jewish memory. And yet, despite the absorption of modern historicist currents, Jewish historians have often attempted to construct overarching and holistic accounts of the Jewish past. As such, we will examine the various and competing historiographical visions of major Jewish historians. We will then examine a number of important themes as they pertain to the modern Jewish experience. Among them are: modes of history writing, emancipation, gender, new historiography, Holocaust and Zionism.
Monday 9:40-12:30pm
Deena Aranoff
This course will survey major aspects of Jewish civilization from antiquity through the medieval period. We will examine important features of ancient Israelite culture, Biblical and rabbinic literature, medieval Jewish history, and medieval Jewish philosophical and mystical traditions. This is the first half of the year-long survey course required for M.A. students. Take home exam.
Tuesday 2:10pm-5:00pm
Deena Aranoff
This course will examine the trends of mysticism that have been a part of Jewish thought since antiquity. We will begin with a study of mystical speculation and practices in rabbinic antiquity. We will then examine the mystical writings of Jews in medieval Provence, Spain, and Safed. We will explore the popularization of kabbalistic ideas and practices in the early-modern period and their contribution to waves of messianic fervor at that time. Finally, we will examine the eighteenth-century Jewish mystical movement of Hasidism. Primary readings in Hebrew and Aramaic will be available for advanced graduate students. Seminar/paper.
Th 2 :10-5:00 CDSP 113
Holger Zellentin
The destruction of the Temple and the crushing of the Bar Kokhba revolt are turning points in Jewish History. This doctoral level seminar explores the historical realities and their artful appropriation from Josephus to the Bavli. Hebrew required. Aramaic and Greek welcome. Faculty permission required for advanced MA students. Presentations and final research paper.
T 9 :40-12:30 CDSP A
R. Ophir and Z. Stern, Newhall Fellows; D. Aranoff, Supervisor
This course will trace the rejection and appropriation of Jewish tradition in modern Hebrew and Yiddish literature and film, from 19th century Haskala literature to 20th century modernism. Hebrew/Yiddish knowledge not required but helpful. Seminar and research paper.