Religion: Jews and Judaisms

An introduction to Jewish history, religious thought and practice, ethics, and law. Cross-listed with: JS 1500.

Cross listed with JS 1500; Total combined enrollment: 60 45 REL, 15 JS Open to degree and PACE students

The course will offer an introduction to the study of Judaism. We'll look at various different ways of thinking about Jews and Judaisms: histories of Jews in different places in the world and their relationships with other cultures and religions; how Jews do ritual and the narratives that shape their religious, ethical, and philosophical traditions; the ways Jews and Judaisms reveal different ways of defining ethnicity, race, and religion; and the how Jews express themselves in the arts and literature. No previous knowledge of Judaism is expected. This course is the core course for the JS Minor and also is designated as D2 and H3 for the CCC.

The course will combine lectures, discussions, and small group activities in class. There may also be opportunities to explore Jewish culture outside the classroom with fieldtrips and/or films.

Assessments may take the form of reading response journals; textual analysis in class or as homework or a mid-term short essay exam; a final cumulative short answer/short essay exam open book exam. There will be a short individual project with an open format for assessment (art, essay, presentation, creative writing, short film, etc.)