Fall 2011
JS125 Hebrew I The first of three consecutive courses designed to develop fluency and accuracy in Modern Hebrew. Through an interactive approach to language learning, students gain communicative proficiency and a greater understanding of Israeli society. Videos, audio, and Web materials introduce students to the nuanced and rich connections between Hebrew and Jewish culture in Israel and around the world. Three credit hours. ISAACS
JS/RE143 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Explores the best-selling book of all time by focusing on the first part of the Bible (i.e., the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament). We will learn about famous biblical characters and discuss shocking stories that one would never expect to encounter in the Bible. Students will gain an informed understanding of this rich collection of texts by concentrating on their literary, social, and historical contexts. Lectures will frequently incorporate film, art, and music. Four credit hours. L. PARKER
JS181/RE181 Conceptions of Jews and Judaism A survey of the history of the Jewish people and the religion called Judaism from the biblical era through the Middle Ages, tracing the development of ideas, texts, beliefs, and practices that continue to influence Jewish life and thought today. Examines Christian and Islamic ideas about Jews and Judaism and the historical impact of inequality, prejudice, and persecution on Jewish society and culture. Students will acquire basic knowledge of the subject matter and will develop skills in the analysis of religious texts both as historical sources and as windows into the ways religious communities make sense of the world. Four credit hours. H, I. MAIZELS
JS252/GO252 Politics of the Middle East An introduction to politics in the Middle East. Provides essential historical background, analyzes the socioeconomic and cultural context in which Middle Eastern politics takes place, examines the relationship between Islam and politics, and presents the most salient challenges faced by the region. Explores the roots and dynamics of authoritarianism in the region and delves into recent and ongoing efforts at political and economic reform in selected Arab countries. Topics selected for special attention include the resiliency and adaptability of authoritarian regimes in that part of the world, failed Arab democratization experiments and what can be learned from them, and key impediments to substantive democratization. Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing. Four credit hours. I. DENOEUX
JS/RE 297 History of Anti-Semitism Traces the development of anti-Semitism from ancient times to the present. We will examine the origins of the word “anti-Semitism” and discuss the difficulties in assigning a simple definition to a phenomenon that has been referred to as “the longest hatred.” Outlines various stages in the expression of animosity toward Jews in order to build historical knowledge of the changing nature of anti-Semitism. Students will read secondary sources and analyze primary documents, including written works, images, film, and contemporary websites. Four credit hours. MAIZELS
JS/RE397 Passion of the Prophets What is the difference between a revered prophet and a ranting lunatic? Sometimes the line is fine, but this course helps students make the distinction from sociological and anthropological perspectives. Using the Bible’s prophetic texts as our primary lens, we will explore the phenomenon of prophecy and its many passionate manifestations in the Bible. Students will analyze texts with close attention to the ways prophets meet their historical moment. We will learn about individual prophets–both men and women–and discuss how their messages reverberate through our world. Prerequisite: Religious Studies 143 or 144. Four credit hours. PARKER
JS/HI421 Research Seminar: Debating the Nazi Past Explores the political and social dynamics of the Third Reich, the charisma and importance of Hitler, the choices of ordinary Germans, the genesis and execution of the Holocaust, and the problems of postwar Germans in dealing with the Nazi past. Focus on critical research, reading, and writing skills and on understanding historical processes including patterns of exclusion and intolerance and charismatically underpinned violence. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Four credit hours. H, I. SCHECK
January 2011
JS/MU121 Entartete (Degenerate) Musik “Degenerate Music” was the term Nazis applied to any music influenced by jazz, the avant-garde, or written by composers of Jewish descent. This music was banned, its composers driven into exile and/or murdered in concentration camps, creating a lost generation that altered the direction of 20th-century musical development. Now there is a worldwide effort to find a historical place for these artists, and this course contributes to that effort. Topics include German anti-Semitism, anti-Semitic thought in works of Wagner, Nazi racial laws targeting Jewish musicians, official agencies and cultural policies, performers and composers as victims and survivors. Three credit hours. A, I. SILVER
JS/RE 297J Jewish Theology An introduction to the multiple Jewish answers to life’s big questions. We will explore how to live the good life, the role of God in determining our fate, the meaning of suffering in our lives, and the relationship between politics and faith. We will interrogate ideas found in the Hebrew Bible, Jewish liturgy, rabbinic texts, and works of modern thinkers such as Hermann Cohen, Mordecai Kaplan, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Abraham Isaac Kook. Three credit hours. ISAACS
Spring 2012
JS 126 Hebrew II The second of three consecutive courses designed to develop fluency and accuracy in Modern Hebrew. Students will deepen their knowledge of Hebrew grammar and further develop the facilities for written and oral communication in Hebrew. Delves more deeply into Israeli culture through media and literature. Prerequisite: Jewish Studies 125 or equivalent. Three credit hours. ISAACS
JS/RE182 Jews and Judaism in the Modern World A survey of the social, cultural, intellectual, and political history of the Jews of Europe, the United States, and Israel/Palestine from the 17th century to the present. Traces the emergence of contemporary Judaism in its various manifestations. In addition to developing basic familiarity with the subject matter, students will learn how to interpret specific ideas, movements, biographies, and works of cultural production within the framework of broader dynamics associated with Jewish life in modern times. Four credit hours. H, I. MAIZELS
JS/GO251 Israelis and Palestinians: Conflict and Accommodation An examination of the roots, evolution, and changing dynamics of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Focuses on key historical junctures, from the British mandate over Palestine, through the “Oslo Process” and its collapse, to the new situation created by the events of the past few years including Hamas’s victory in the parliamentary elections of January 2006, the Hezbollah-Israel war of July-August 2006, the growing divide between the West Bank and Gaza, and Israel’s military assault on Gaza in December 2008-January 2009. Some attention is paid to media coverage of, and U.S. policy toward, the conflict. Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing. Four credit hours. S, I. DENOEUX
JS/RE398As American Jews and Judaism from World War II to the Present Addresses such subjects as middle-class domesticity and its intersection with “whiteness,” acculturation to the middle class, postwar religiosity in the suburbs, “radical” Jewish political movements of the late 1960s, Jewish relations with other minority groups, Jewish involvement in popular culture, community reactions to the Holocaust, and the delicate balance between membership in a particular religious/ethnic minority group and loyalty to the universal ideals of the larger culture. Students learn through a variety of sources, including historical and sociological texts, literature, film, and audio recordings. Four credit hours. MAIZELS
JS/RE398Bs Behind the Bible: Discovering an Ancient World Although the Bible was written thousands of years ago, many people believe this text is timeless. But is it? This seminar offers an in-depth look at life in ancient Palestine. How did folks survive? What was war like back then? What gods did people worship? How did they create sexual and other interpersonal relationships? We will delve into these and other questions through anthropological, sociological, archaeological, and historical approaches. By combining these disciplines with the information in the text, we explore the world that gave rise to the Bible. Prerequisite: Religious Studies 143 or 144. Four credit hours. PARKER
Other Jewish Studies Courses in the Catalog
JS127 Hebrew III The third of three consecutive courses designed to develop fluency and accuracy in Modern Hebrew. Students will deepen their knowledge of Hebrew grammar and further develop the facilities for written and oral communication in Hebrew. Delves more deeply into Israeli culture through media and literature. Prerequisite: Jewish Studies 126 or equivalent. [ISAACS]
JS/RE221 Topics in Maine’s Jewish History Maine is home to a distinctive yet under-researched Jewish community with deep historical roots. Participants in this civic engagement course will advance scholarly and popular understanding of the experiences of Jews in Maine by producing original works of oral- and document-based historiography. In the process, they will learn the skills of critical ethnographic historianship and effective oral and Web-based communication. Students will also explore the nature and consequences of popular anti-Semitism and the ways in which American Jews have overcome this prejudice. Previously offered as Religious Studies 297J. [FREIDENREICH]
JS/RE282 The Making of Judaism Judaism, as we know it, came into being during the period from about 600 B.C.E. through 600 C.E. Its formation results from a complex interplay of internal innovation, external classification, and responses to dramatic political and cultural forces. An exploration of this crucial period in Jewish history, devoting particular attention to the impact of Hellenism, the rise of Rabbinic Judaism, and the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity. [FREIDENREICH]
JS/RE322 Food and Religious Identity An examination of the ways in which religiously inspired food practices and food restrictions relate to the establishment and preservation of communal identity. Explores sources from diverse religious traditions and time periods with an eye both to commonalities and to elements found only within specific communities. Students will develop proficiency in the contextual analysis of primary sources and the critical evaluation of secondary literature. [FREIDENREICH]
JS/FR376 Shadows of the Past: Remembering Vichy France and the Holocaust The Holocaust and the Nazi occupation left an indelible mark on the French national psyche. This interdisciplinary course explores how writers, filmmakers, and artists represent the Holocaust. Through discussions, presentations, and written assignments, students acquire the skills to critique and interpret historical documents, Holocaust memoirs, and films. They develop and improve their language skills while deepening their understanding of French history and culture. Meetings with Holocaust survivors and visits to Holocaust memorials complement the course material and engage students in active thinking. [BRUNETAUX]
JS/RE382 Abraham in the Abrahamic Religions “Tales of ancestors are signposts for their descendants.” For no figure is this Rabbinic aphorism more true than Abraham, revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. A critical examination of the evolution of tales about Abraham within these three traditions from biblical times to the present. What can we learn from these changing stories about the people who tell them? What does it mean to call a religion Abrahamic? [FREIDENREICH]
JS/RE384 Jewish Responses to Ethical Dilemmas An exploration of Jewish responses to genuinely difficult ethical choices and the ways in which Jewish authorities justify their normative opinions. Examines classical and contemporary responses to dilemmas in such fields as business and labor ethics, environmental ethics, and biomedical ethics, enriching Jewish sources with literature from other religious traditions and works by secular ethicists. Students will develop skills in the analysis and critique of ethical argumentation and the ability to examine and defend their own values. [FREIDENREICH]
JS/RE386 Medieval Judaism, Real and Imagined Ideas about Judaism–those of Jews and also those of Christians–influenced medieval Jewish life in profound and diverse ways. Through a series of case studies, we will explore the development of imagined Jewish identities and their impact on real Jews in Islamic and Christian societies. We will devote particular attention to the impact of prejudice, inequality, and oppression on Jewish society and culture. Students will learn how historians approach the study of medieval religion and will develop their own historiographic skills. [FREIDENREICH]
JS/EN423 Jews in Literature: Medieval to Modern Focuses on the representation of Jews and Judaism in a wide range of literature from medieval to modern, informed by and contextualized with historical, cultural, theological, and critical readings. Particular attention to the variety and instability of representation and to the interpretive possibilities available in the literary works. Also concerned with stereotypes, anti-types, anti-Semitism, race and religion, representations of the outsider, gender and Jews, assimilation politics, and intellectualizing Jewish identity. Dissent, thoughtful debate, and informed argumentation are strongly endorsed.