Jewish Studies: Being Jewish in Germany Today

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Open to degree and PACE students Special Topics courses cannot carry CC designations

This course focuses on Jewish life in Germany with an emphasis on the very recent past and present day, i.e., the last 30 or so years and up to the moment. With its focus on the complexities and diversity of Jewish life in post-War, post-reunification, and contemporary Germany, the course contributes to students’ critical understanding of a prominent but perhaps unfamiliar setting of Jewish life and culture. Germany’s Jewish communities and population are multifaceted and multicultural, ranging from conservative to liberal and including those who identify as “German Jews” as well as those from Russia, Israel, and the United States who also now call Germany home. The cultural production of this minority population is likewise extremely diverse, as Jews engage fully with the cultural life of Germany overall. Through our course materials, students will engage with a variety of cultural products that thematize and problematize these issues, spanning genres and formats, including short stories, excerpts from novels, slam poetry, conventional and literary journalism, short and feature-length films, television series, documentary films.

This course combines lecture and discussion formats, including several "active-learning" approaches in which the students work collaboratively to critically engage with the course topics and materials. Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours per week on coursework outside of class, with additional time for the semester-long project.

The course grade is based on attendance, active participation in class, short in-class presentations, homework assignments, and either a final paper or podcast project.