The
Minor
Earlham’s Jewish Studies
Program attracts students from all backgrounds who are interested
in Judaism or Jewish history and culture. Classes are lively, affectionate
ventures in shared inquiry in which students collaborate with instructors
and with each other.
The program offers both
introductory and advanced courses, and further work is possible by
student request, through independent study, and through special seminars.
Many of the courses can also satisfy general education requirements.
In cooperation with Earlham’s
Jewish Cultural Center, Jewish Studies hosts several guest speakers
and cultural events each term.
A minor in Jewish Studies
is an option for students who want their Earlham record to reflect
significant work in Jewish Studies. It is a gateway for students who
wish to enter the rabbinate or do graduate work with a Jewish focus.
It is also very appropriate for interested students who simply wish
to study the subject in some depth.
Requirements to complete
the Jewish Studies minor are:
- JWST
111 Biblical
Hebrew I
and JWST 211 Biblical
Hebrew II
(or demonstrated proficiency in modern Hebrew or Yiddish)
- Any
three Jewish Studies courses
Courses
Descriptions
For
the current year's course offerings, please use WebDb.
course fulfills a General Education requirement || (A) course
offered in alternate years || (H) course fulfills a Humanities
requirement || (SS) course fulfills a Social Science requirement
|| (R/Ph) course fulfills a Philosophy and/or Religion requirement
|| (FA) course fulfills a Fine Arts requirement || (NS) course
fulfills a Natual Science requirement || (M) course fulfills a
Multicultural requirement || (I) course fulfills an Intercultural
requirement)
JWST
111 BIBLICAL HEBREW I (5 credits) (L)
JWST 140
READINGS IN JEWISH TEXTS (1-2 credits)
Once a week hourly study sessions on important passages in key texts
in Jewish culture. Recent classes have studies Torah portions, Talmudic
tractates, selected Midrash, medieval poetry, Yiddish stories, and
Israeli poetry.
JWST
155 HEBREW SCRIPTURES (3 credits)
An examination of the religion of Israel expressed in selected portions
of the Hebrew Bible in light of the results of modern critical study
and within the context of ancient Near Eastern culture and history.
(R/Ph) Also listed as REL 155.
JWST 206
JEWISH LITERATURE (3 credits)
An introduction to some of the most influential imaginative writings
of the Jewish people. Some ancient and medieval texts are consulted,
especially Midrash, but most time is spent on modern works. Special
attention is paid to the ways that Jews have used literature to
preserve and challenge their cultural identity in different historical
circumstances. Texts may include poetry by Solomon Ibn Gabirol,
Nelly Sachs, and Yehuda Amichai; novels by Isaac Bashevis Singer,
Anzia Yezierska, and A.B. Yehoshua; stories by Nachman of Bratzlav,
Sholem Aleichem, and Cynthia Ozick. (H) Prerequisites: Humanities
A and B. Also listed as English 206.
JWST
211 BIBLICAL HEBREW II (5 credits) (L)
JWST
248 MEDIEVAL MEDITERRANEAN (3 credits)
A unit in North African, Arab, and Byzantine history as well as
European history. The course begins in the 5th century with the
breaking of Roman rule around the Mediterranean and concludes with
the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and the expulsions of Spain’s
Jews and Moslems in 1492. (H) Also listed as HIST 248. (A)
JWST
251 MEDIEVAL JEWISH HISTORY (3 credits)
The study of Jews as a nation among the nations from Second Temple
times until the beginning of emancipation in the 18th century. Topics
include law and self-government, treatment of Jews in Moslem and
Christian societies, the development of Jewish thought and practice,
and the experiences of Jewish women. (H). Also listed as HIST
251. (A)
JWST 252
MODERN JEWISH HISTORY SINCE 1750 (3 credits)
The study of Jews from the start of emancipation and intellectual
modernization to the present, with particular attention to these
developments: the social and legal reordering of Jewish life in
Europe before 1939, the destruction of European Jewry in German
Europe and the subversion of Jewish life in Soviet Russia, the immigration
of Ashkenazic Jews into the United States and their history there,
and the Jewish redefinition of Israel. Also listed as HIST 252.
JWST
285 JUDAISM (3 credits)
An introduction to the evolution of Jewish values from the destruction
of the Second Temple in 70 CE until the present. Much attention
is paid to Halakhah (Jewish Law) as presented in the Torah and Talmud.
Four modern challenges to traditional Judaism are considered: Assimilation,
Feminism, the Holocaust, and the state of Israel. (R/Ph) Also listed
as REL 285. (A)
JWST 344
CONTEMPORARY GERMAN-JEWISH WRITERS (3 credits)
A course on what it was like to grow up Jewish in postwar Germany
and Austria and what it is like to live there as a Jew today. In
this seven-week seminar, we study the prose, poetry, and essays
of German Jewish writers who respond to these issues in a variety
of ways. Authors may include Katja Behrens, Maxim Biller, Henryk
Broder, Esther Discherheit, Ronnith Neumann, Robert Schindel, and
Raphael Seligmann. Also listed as GER 344. (A)
JWST 484
FORD/KNIGHT RESEARCH PROJECT
Collaborative research with faculty funded by the Ford/Knight Program.
JWST 485
INDEPENDENT STUDY (3 credits)
Investigation of a specific topic conceived and planned by the student
in consultation with a faculty supervisor. Culminates in a comprehensive
report prepared in the style of a thesis or paper.
Students who pursue
formal courses in Jewish Studies contribute a great deal to Jewish
student life on campus. Each year, nine students live in the Jewish
Cultural Center “Beit Kehillah.” They maintain a book collection
in the Edward R. Block library and host celebrations of Jewish holidays.
Weekly Shabbat dinners often attreact 60 or more participants.
