RELI 396: Jewish Studies: Methods and Theories
Jewish studies is broad in terms of disciplinary approaches and diverse in the ways it conceives its subject matter. This course will focus on the historical roots of the discipline, current models that advance theories and methods of Jewish studies, and on how such studies are being differently forged and performed in different disciplines, including Jewish history, Jewish literary studies, anthropology, sociology, and religious studies. For each of these areas of study, the seminar will examine a classical seminal work as well as outstanding recent ones that are on the frontiers of knowledge. Talks by a number of invited guest speakers will be a required part of the seminar.
Course Requirements Course Readings
Syllabus
1. Mon. 01/25 Introduction
2. Wed. 01/27 Jewish Studies Today
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Moshe Rosman, How Jewish Is Jewish History?, 1-55
3. Mon. 02/01 A Case Study-Hasidism: NO CLASS but PLEASE DO THE READINGS, SUBMIT RESPONSE, AND COME TO THE TALK AND DINNER WITH Prof. MOSHE ROSMAN
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S. Dubnow, History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Vol. 1, pp. 220-241;
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Ada Rapoport Albert "Hasidism after 1772" in Hasidism Reappraised, 76-140.
Required talk: Prof. Moshe Rosman, ?What?s New in the Study of Hasidism?? PAC 004, 4:15 pm (kosher dinner to follow at 6pm)
4. Wed. 02/03 Discussion of the readings on Hasidism and Moshe Rosman's talk.
5. Mon. 02/08 The Rise of Academic Study of Jews and Judaism I:
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Ismar Schorsch "Wissenschaft and Values," in Schorsch From Text to Context, 151-157.
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Schorsch "The Ethos of Modern Jewish Scholarship," in Schorsch From Text to Context, 158-176.
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Schorsch "The Emergence of Historical Consciousness in Modern Judaism," 177-204.
6. Wed. 02/10 The Rise of Academic Study of Jews and Judaism II:
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Michael A. Meyer Ideas of Jewish History, 141-155, 161-186 (Wolf, Geiger, Jost)
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Leopold von Ranke, Excerpts from Histories of the Latin and Germanic Nations and other works, in Fritz Stern, ed., The Varieties of History From Voltaire to the Present (Cleveland, 1956), pp. 54-62.
7. Mon. 02/15 Reading Rabbinic Responsa:
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Robert Liberles, ?The Jews of Frankfurt 1750-1870.? In A Tale of Two Cities. Edited by Vivian Mann. New York, 1982.
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Peter Haas. Responsa: Literary History of a Rabbinic Genre. Atlanta, 1996, pp. 14-19
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Prof. Edward Fram will co-teach the class
8. Wed. 02/17 Leopold Zunz, Sufferings of the Jews during the Middle Ages (On moodle). FINAL PROJECT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED BY THE END OF THE WEEK
9. Mon. 02/22 Heinrich Graetz I:
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Schorsch, Introduction to The Structure of Jewish History in The Structure of Jewish History and Other Essays, 1-62.
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Graetz, "The Structure of Jewish History" in Schorsch (ed.), The Structure of Jewish History and Other Essays, 63-125.
10. Wed. 02/24 Heinrich Graetz II:
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Graetz, Introductions to Volume IV, V,and I (in this order)
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Graetz, "The Rejuvenation of the Jewish Race" in Schorsch (ed.), The Structure of Jewish History and Other Essays, 141-150
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Graetz, "The Significance of Judaism for the Present and the Future," in Schorsch (ed.), The Structure of Jewish History and Other Essays, 275-302.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FOR THE FINAL PROJECT DUE.
11. Mon. 03/01: Simon Dubnow:
- Dubnow History of the Jews in Russia and Poland vol. I 28-36, 46-55, 438-459;
- R. Seltzer "From Graetz to Dubnow: The Impact of the East European Milieu on the Writing of Jewish History" in The Legacy of Jewish Migration: 1881 and its Impact ed. D. Berger, pp.49-60;
- S. Dubnow "The Doctrine of Jewish Nationalism,"Jews as a Spiritual (Cultural-Historical) Nationality in the Midst of Political Nations,"
- Dubnow "Autonomism: The Basis of the National Program," "On National Education," "Jewish History"
12. Wed. 03/03 Salo Baron:
- Salo Baron "Ghetto and Emancipation," Menorah Journal 14 (1928): 515-526
- Baron "Introduction" to Social and Religious History of the Jews (the 1937 edition)
- Baron "Introduction" to Social and Religious History of the Jews (the 1952 edition)
REQUIRED TALK: Professor Elisheva Carlebach, Columbia University,
"Jewish Time/Christian Time: Calendar and Polemic in Early Modern Europe"
THURSDAY, 03/04
PAC 004 at 04:15 PM - 06:00 PM (kosher dinner to follow)
SPRING BREAK MARCH 5-22, 2007
13. Mon. 03/22: Yizhak Baer:
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Israel Yuval, "Yizhak Baer and the Search for Authentic Judaism" in David Myers and David Ruderman (eds.) The Jewish Past Revisited, 77-87.
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Yizhak Baer, Galut (entire).
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Baer, "Introduction" to A History of the Jews in Christian Spain.
14. Wed. 03/24 Jacob Katz:
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David N. Myers, "Rebel in Frankfurt: The Scholarly Origins of Jacob Katz" in Jay Harris (ed.) The Pride of Jacob, 9-27.
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Elisheva Carlebach, "Early Modern Ashkenaz in the Writings of Jacob Katz" in Jay Harris (ed.) The Pride of Jacob, 65-83.
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David Berger, "Jacob Katz on Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages" in Jay Harris (ed.) The Pride of Jacob, 41-63.
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Jacob Katz, Tradition and Crisis, 3-62.
15. Mon. 03/29 Zionist Historiography:
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Meyer, Ideas of Jewish History, 273-316,
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Derek Penslar, "Narratives of Nation Building: Major Themes in Zionist Historiography" in Myers/Ruderman The Jewish Past Revisited, 104-127.
16. Wed 03/31: Project presentation.
17. Mon. 04/05 New Approaches:
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David Myers, "Between Diaspora and Zion: History, Memory, and the Jerusalem Scholars" in David Myers and David Ruderman (eds.) The Jewish Past Revisited, 88-103.
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Israel Yuval, Two Nations in Your Womb (entire)
18. Wed. 04/07 The Last Marranos (film)
- PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE THE TALK AND POST RESPONSES ON MOODLE:
- Miriam Bodian, "Men of the Nation": The Shaping of Converso Identity in Early Modern Europe, Past and Present, No. 143. (May, 1994), pp. 48-76.
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Benjamin Braude, "The Sons of Noah and the Construction of Ethnic and Geographical Identities in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods, The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., Vol. 54, No. 1. (Jan., 1997), pp. 103-142.
THURSDAY, 04/08 PAC 004 at 04:15 PM - 06:00 PMFRIDAY 04/09: OUTLINE OF THE FINAL PROJECT DUE
19. Mon. 04/12 Discussion of the readings above and the talk.
20. Wed. 04/14 NO CLASS, PLEASE READ Zerubavel for next week
21. Mon. 04/19: Zionist Historiography, History and Memory: Yael Zerubavel, Recovered Roots, PART I and ch. 5, 8, 11, and conclusion.
22. Wed. 04/21: RELIGIOUS STUDIES--THE TALMUD:
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Gerson Cohen, "The Talmudic Age" in Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People.
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Daniel Boyarin, Carnal Israel, 1-30.
DRAFT OF THE SECOND ASSIGNMENT DUE FRIDAY 04/23 at 12 pm (noon)
23. Mon. 04/26 RELIGIOUS STUDIES--THE TALMUD:
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Boyarin, Carnal Israel, 31-166, 227-245.
24. Wed. 04/28 Ella Shohat "The Invention of the Mizrahim" Journal of Palestinian Studies 29 no. 1 (1999): 5-20; Aziza Hazzom, "The Great Chain of Orientalism: Jewish Identity, Stigma Management, and Ethnic Exclusion in Israel" in American Sociological Review 68 no. 5 (2003): 481-510
25. Mon. 05/03 Hagar Salomon, The Hyena People
26. Wed. 05/05 Jewish Studies: A Reassessment: Moshe Rosman, How Jewish Is Jewish History?, 82-110, 182-186.
05/07 FINAL ASSIGNMENT DUE BY 8AM