Fall 2025 Undergraduate Courses
Jewish Studies 100.002
Introduction to Jewish Religion, Culture, and People: Jews and Their Neighbors
Instructor: Sarah Levin
CN# 26417
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Morgan 109
Units: 4
This course introduces students to the diversity of Jewish communities across time and geographies through a survey of literatures, histories, and cultures. Jewish cultures have always been co-produced in interaction with their non-Jewish neighbors. Through this study of Jewish cultural pluralism throughout history, we will investigate complex issues of identity and layers of belonging. Students from all majors and backgrounds are welcome. No previous knowledge of Judaism or Jewish Studies is necessary.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
- This is the program's core class and counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor.
Jewish Studies 120A.001
Pack Light: Traversing Translation & Hebrew Literature
Instructor: Yael Segalovitz
CN# 26389
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 12:30-2:00pm
Location: Social Sciences 80
Units: 4
Nothing could be easier than translating, it seems; a quick use of Google Translate or an AI chat and you’re good to go. Why, then, does the result so often fall flat or sound off, especially when it comes to complex literary works? In this course, we’ll trace the footprints of literary translation—the cultural, geo-political, theological, and linguistic knowledge embedded in every utterance we produce, and the acute challenges that arise when carrying these elements across languages. Taking on the viewpoints of writers, translators, and readers, we’ll tackle questions like: How should a translator handle an idiom with no equivalent in the target language (like “barking up the wrong tree”)? Is a translation’s job to capture the original’s unique flavor or to read smoothly to its new audience? And what’s the experience of reading someone else’s words filtered through a translator’s sensibility? Hebrew literature—born from a people in constant movement and containing echoes of multiple languages—presents a particularly fertile ground for exploring translation. We’ll follow the work in and about translation by celebrated modern Hebrew writers such as Yehuda Amichai, Shimon Adaf, and Maya Arad, as well as Sayed Kashua, whose writings sophisticatedly navigate the boundaries between Hebrew and Arabic; We will engage in hands-on translation exercises accommodating students with or without second language proficiency. We’ll peek into translators’ behind-the-scenes accounts, including Robert Alter’s work on Bible translation; And grapple with theoretical perspectives from Walter Benjamin through Jacques Derrida to Naomi Seidman on translation’s ethical and political implications. As a special component of the course: some of these writers and thinkers will join us for live class discussions! Translation, as many who practice it will tell you, is reading at its most intense. By semester’s end, you’ll not only better understand the intricacies of translation and gain insights into Modern Hebrew literature but also sharpen analytical skills that extend far beyond this course. Bring your passport—we’ll be crossing linguistic borders together.
- Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Jewish Studies 120A.002
"Jewish Humor"
Instructor: Miriam Borden
CN# 33734
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 11:00am-12:30pm
Location: Online
Units: 4
This course will trace the history of humor among Jews in Europe and beyond, from the earliest instance of Yiddish writing in 1272 to Yiddish on Duolingo in 2025. This inquiry will take us back to Eastern Europe, where Yiddish-speaking Jews evolved their own distinct concept of themselves and the world around them. We will also collect jokes and analyze a variety of humorous genres (short fiction, film, stand-up, jokes, music) using a variety of analytical perspectives (historical, psychological, ethnographic, queer, and literary). We will examine how laughter has served in the Jewish tradition as both a coping mechanism and an instrument of self-defense.
- Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Jewish Studies 121B
Mizrahim in Israel: History and Culture
Instructor: Yifat Moas
CN# 33820
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Evans 41
Units: 4
While Jews are often imagined as having European roots, a significant portion of Israel’s Jewish population descends from once-thriving communities in Arab and Islamic countries. Their culture, and the ethnic relations between Mizrahi Jews (i.e., Jews of Middle Eastern and North African origin) and Ashkenazi Jews (with roots in Europe), have fundamentally shaped Israeli society. This course explores the history, culture, and evolving identity of Mizrahi Jews—from their historical experience in Arab and Islamic lands, through their immigration and struggles in Israel, to their cultural revival and growing political influence. These historical and cultural dynamics offer insights into the diverse forces that have shaped Israeli society, both past and present.
- Meets International Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Jewish Studies 122B
The Jews Between Ancient Empires
Instructor: Duncan MacRae
CN# 33819
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Wheeler 104
Units: 4
This course is an investigation of two histories: the history of the Jewish people in Greek and Roman antiquity and the history of ancient imperialism. We will seek to understand how each of these histories can illuminate the other. From the sixth century BCE through to the fifth century CE, Jewish populations lived in the shadow of ancient empires (Persian, Hellenistic Greek, Roman). We will look at how this experience shaped Jewish identity, religion and cultural life. At the same time, the rich record for ancient Jewish history can help us understand how subject peoples experienced and shaped imperial rule. The course will involve readings from Jewish and non-Jewish ancient texts in translation (including from the Hebrew Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, other apocryphal texts, Josephus, Tacitus, Roman imperial laws) and introductions to the archaeological and documentary evidence for ancient Jewish communities.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Jewish Studies 123A
Muslim-Jewish Encounters: From the Beginnings of Islam to Today
Instructor: Ethan Katz
CN# 24637
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 12:30-2:00pm
Location: Wheeler 108
Units: 4
The course takes us far beyond contemporary tensions between Muslims and Jews, and deep into a more complicated history that spans the Mediterranean and beyond. We move through topics that include the earliest encounters between Muslims and Jews during the years of the rise of Islam; the historical impact and legacy of the dhimmi (the system of rights and restrictions that defined Jews’ status for centuries under Islamic rule); the culturally fruitful shared experience of Jews and Muslims in Medieval Spain and the Ottoman Empire; the effects of French, British, and Italian colonialism in the modern Middle East; and the important conflicts over Zionism and Arab nationalism during the past century.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Jewish Studies 175E
History and Sociology of Modern Israel
Instructor: Yifat Moas
CN# 33821
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 11:00am-12:30pm
Location: Dwinelle 189
Units: 4
In recent years—and especially since the October 7th massacre and the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas—global discourse around Israel has become increasingly polarized, often reduced to simplistic labels of "pro-" or "anti-" Israel. Yet many remain unfamiliar with the complex history and social fabric of the country. This course surveys the historical events, social transformations, and cultural dynamics that have shaped Israeli society—from the emergence of the Zionist movement and the founding of the state to the present day—offering students a multidimensional understanding of Israel in both historical and contemporary contexts.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
More Fall 2025 Undergraduate Courses that Count Towards the JS Minor
Film 145.003
Israeli Cinema and Media Cultures
Instructor: Aner Preminger
CN# 33712
Meeting Time: Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
Location: Dwinelle 142
Units: 4
This course will examine the evolution of Israeli cinema in the context of global cinema history and Israeli culture. In the global context, we will discuss the nature of the interaction between Israeli cinematic developments and cinematic developments worldwide. In the domestic context, we will explore Israeli cinema as a mirror reflecting social and political developments within Israeli society and as a source of influence on Israeli culture and society. Beginning with the 1960s and the introduction of modernism into Israeli cinema, we will focus on film images and narratives that grapple with the paradoxes of a polarized society in search of its identity, including the perception and representation of marginalized communities, particularly women, ethnic minorities, and Palestinian citizens of Israel. We will also examine representations within Israeli films of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and Arab citizens of other countries.
- Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
History 103B
The Jews of Germany
Instructor: John Efron
CN# 23231
Meeting Time: Mondays 10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Dwinelle 3205
Units: 4
This seminar is designed to introduce students to an examination of the major themes and issues concerning the history of the Jews in Germany from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. German Jews made defining innovations in Jewish life while at the same time, they also contributed to general western culture to a degree disproportionate to their numbers. No other Jewish community has had such a profound effect on both Jewish and European civilizations concurrently. Among the topics to be explored are the debates over Jewish emancipation, the scholarly and religious life of German Jews, integration into and separation from the mainstream, German antisemitism and Jewish responses, economic transformations, communal organization and family life, Jewish culture in the Weimar Republic, life under Nazi rule, Jewish life in postwar Germany.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Social & Behavioral Sciences, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Legal Studies 174.001
Comparative Constitutional Law: The Case of Israel
Instructor: Ayelet Blecher-Prigat
CN# 31903
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 11:00am-12:30pm
Location: Evans 2
Units: 4
This course introduces key issues in constitutional law and theory, using a comparative perspective with a focus on the Israeli constitutional system. The course will explore topics such as the principles and controversies surrounding judicial review, the evolution of Israeli constitutionalism, the interpretation and application of fundamental rights like equality, privacy, and freedom of religion. By examining these issues through a comparative perspective, students will develop critical thinking skills and a deeper appreciation for the role of constitutional frameworks in addressing complex societal debates. The course also offers insights into challenges that mirror those faced in the United States, particularly regarding the respective roles of the judiciary, the legislature, and the constitution in resolving divisive issues.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets International Studies, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (MELC) 117AC
The Origins of Racism in the West
Instructor: Yonatan Binyam
CN# 33776
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Mulford 240
Units: 4
This course provides students an opportunity to investigate the similarities and differences between premodern and modern group identity narratives. Premodern narratives of peoplehood will be analyzed alongside modern racial narratives utilizing a comparative approach to reading primary sources, coupled with a critical engagement with secondary sources on the issues of race, racism, and religion. The course will focus on narratives related to Western Civilization, white people, black people, Antisemitism, and Orientalism. It will also cover some of the parallels and differences between Western ideologies of racism and Antisemitism and those found in certain parts of the premodern Islamic world and the Middle East.
This course satisfies the American Cultures requirement.
- Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
- Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor
Political Science 138S
The Comparative Study of Genocide
Instructor: Scott Straus
CN# 26393
Meeting Time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Social Sciences Bldg. 60
Units: 4
This course will examine the origins and forms of what a legal scholar once called an “odious scourge”: genocide. For years, genocide mainly referred to the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews during World War II. However, since the end of the Cold War events in Eastern Europe, Central Africa, and elsewhere have drawn scholars’ attention to genocide as a political phenomenon that may be studied across regions and time periods. Although ethical and policy concerns will underlie the discussion, as they do whenever genocide is the topic of study, our main objective will be to examine the determinants of genocide and related forms of mass violence.
- Counts towards the Jewish Studies Minor