Varieties of Judaism in the Modern World

 

 

T, Th 10:30-11:50                                                                    Dr. Susan Marks                     

PME 219                                                                                 smarks@ncf.edu

Office Hours:    Tues  2:00-3:00p.m.                                         PME 221; x 24271

Thurs 3:00-4:00p.m.                                        

                        and by appointment

 

Objectives:

Students will explore the great variety of modern self-identifications labeled “Jewish.”  In order to understand this diversity we will consider aspects of pre-modern and modern Jewish history through primary texts and secondary sources concerning Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, North Africa, the Mid-East and America.  We will examine how modern history and modern Jewish history impact one another and give a special consideration to emerging definitions of “religion,” asking how they fit or challenge the particulars of Jewish practice.  In order to integrate this vast cross-section of experiences, students will engage in observation of modern Judaisms as well as conduct in-depth library research in one particular area of this panorama.

 

 

Expectations:

            Regular attendance is required.  In order to facilitate review by myself or your peers, assignments must be handed in on time.  Class participation counts towards your overall evaluation. Your classmates will come to depend on your comments even as you will come to depend on theirs.  If you are a person who does not readily talk in public, I encourage you to come see me during my office hours, and we can devise other ways for you to have input into class discussions.

 

Responsibilities:

1.      Academic integrity.

2.      Active participation. Since participation depends on regular attendance, more than three absences will be grounds for an unsatisfactory evaluation.  Students should arrive on time, with readings in hand, having done relevant readings before class session as well as any informal writing assignments (including #3 below).

3.      Framing questions.  For each class session, students will bring three questions to be reviewed mid-semester and handed in at the end of term.

4.      Two papers.  Each student will prepare two written assignments, each involving observation or research, drafts and revisions (a 6-8 page paper and a 9-12 page paper).*

5.      A final exam.

 

*An appropriately formatted hard [paper] copy of formal assignments must be handed in on-time, together with all drafts and doodles.  You will be evaluated based on the energy of the original exploration as well as the development in the revision process.

 

 

Required Texts:

Borowitz, Eugene.  Choices in Modern Jewish Thought.  Second edition.  New York: Behrman House, 1995 [Borowitz]

Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz.  The Jew in the Modern World.  Oxford:  Oxford

University Press, 1995 [JMW]

Deshen, Sholomo and Walter P. Zenner.  Jews Among Muslims:  Communities in the

Precolonial Middle East.  New York:  New York University, 1996 [JAM]

 

and electronic reserve which includes additional articles [* = Reserve Readings]

***Please also check Library Reserve for related books***

 

Schedule:

Week 1                       Prior to Modernity

Tues Feb 3                   Introduction

                                    Comparative practices:  written assignment handed out

 

Thurs Feb 5                  Political and Religious Situations and Changes

                        Read:   *Scholem, 287-324

                                    JMW, 8-20

                                    JAM, 83-97

Sat Feb 7, 9:00am -- Meet in Heiser parking lot.  Visit to Temple Beth Sholom

 

 

Week 2                       Modernity

Tues Feb 10                 Events in France and Prussia

                        Read:  Borowitz, chapter 1

JMW, 22-26, 36-40, 49-53, 114-121, 128-133, 141-143

JAM, 1-34

 

Thurs Feb 12                Ideas and Movements

                        Read:  Borowitz, chapter 2

                                    JMW, 57-61, 68-9, 85-7, 90-9

JAM, 50-80

*Eisen, 1-13, 35-43

                                   

Week 3           Reform Movement

Tues Feb 17                 The Origins of Reform Judaism

Read:   JMW, 161-173, 177-188, 233, 250-253 256-261

Thurs Feb 19                Reform Judaism Today

Read and compare: CCAR platforms:

http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/

Read and explore:  URJ – what is Reform Judaism?

http://uahc.org/

Fri Feb 20, 4:30pm -- Meet in Heiser parking lot.  Visit to Temple Sinai

                       

Week 4           Orthodox Movements

Tues Feb 24                 Modern Orthodox

Read:   Borowitz, chapter 10

            JMW, 197-206

            *Boyarin, 131-137

            Varieties of orthodox

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/363_Transp/08_Orthodoxy.html

            Orthodox Union

http://www.ou.org/

 

Thurs Feb 26                Eastern European:  Hasidism and Daily Life

                        Read:   JMW, 387-393, 137-138, 372-386

                                    *Weissler, xvii, xxvi, 3-35, 51-65

 

                                   

Week 5           Zionism  /Library

Tues Mar 2                  AntiSemitism and Nationalism

                        Read:   Borowitz, chapter 4

JMW, 331-334, 363-367, 417-419, 533-539, 546    

           

Thurs Mar 4     Research Tools -- presentation by Librarian Gail Novak

                       

                                   

Week 6           Jews Outside of Europe

Visit Chabad

Tues Mar 9                  Jews in the Muslim World

Read:   JAM, 159-214

                       

Thurs Mar 11               Jews arrive in America

                        Read:   JMW, 452-466, 472-491

                                    Borowitz, chapter 8

                                    *Heschel, 1-10

                        In Class:  Excerpts from Hester Street

Sat Mar 13, 9:30am -- Meet in Heiser parking lot.  Visit to Chabad of Sarasota

 

 

Week 7           American Jewish Movements

Tue Mar 16                  Conservative Judaism

                        Read:   JMW, 194-7, 492-493, 497-499

                                    United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

http://www.uscj.org/index1.html

                       

Thurs Mar 18               Synagogue Reflections

                        Due:  Comparison Paper

 

BREAK

 

Week 8           The Reconstructionist Movement

Tue Mar 30                  Reconstructionism

                        Read:   Borowitz, chapter 5

                                    Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

                                    http://www.jrf.org/

 

Thursday, April 1st –     No class session

           

                       

Week 9           Judaisms in the mid-East

Tuesday April 6th --      First Day of Passover -No class session           

 

Thurs Apr 8                  Zionism in the 20th century       

                        Read:   Borowitz, chapter 6

JMW, 532-543, 571-579, 603-626

JAM, 215-270

 

 

Week 10         The Land of Israel

Tues Apr13                  Considering a State

Due:    Draft of Research paper

In Class:  JMW, 580-582, 593

 

Thurs Apr 15                Peer Review

                        Due:     PRF for each paper

                        Read:   Two papers from peers

           

           

Week 11         Holocaust

Tues Apr 20                 Reading about the Shoah

                        Read:   JMW, 646,-649, 656-665, 668-679, 683-690

                                    *Rubenstein and Roth, 159-196

                                    Borowitz, chapter 9

 

Thurs Apr 22 8:00am -- Meet Bus in Heiser parking lot.  Visit Holocaust Museum in

 Tampa (10-12:30 at Museum).

 

                       

 

 

 

 

 

Week 12         Post Holocaust and the State of Israel

Tues Apr 27                 Considering the Museum and Looking Ahead

Due:  Research Paper

In Class:  JMW, 626-627

                                    Excerpts from movie -- tba

 

Thurs Apr 29                The State of Israel

                        Read:   JMW, 629-633

                                    *Carmi ed, 532-3, 534, 553-4, 558, 560, 565, 571, 575

 

 

Week 13         Modern Judaisms

Tues May 4                  Mystic, Feminist, and Gay Jews

                        Read:   Borowitz, chapters 11 and 13

                                    *Alpert, 1-17

           

Thurs May 6                 Presentations

                                   

 

Week 14         Post Modern Judaisms

Tues May 11                Looking Behind/ Looking Ahead

                        Read:   Borowitz, chapters 12 and 14

                       

Thurs May 13               Conclude

 

                       

 

Final Exam on Tuesday, May 18th at 10:30am