Course Offerings
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FALL 2024
Hebrew | Israel Studies | Judaic Studies | Religious Studies | Yiddish
HEBREW
HEBR 101 - Hebrew I - Gen Ed: WL1
Cross listed: HEBR 501
Time: M/W 9:40-10:40 a.m.| T/R 10:05-11:05 a.m.
Instructor: Orly Shoer
Hebrew 101 is the first semester of Modern Hebrew. The course is designed only for
students with very little or no previous experience in the language. It offers a communicative
introduction to Modern Hebrew language and its culture. It emphasizes all facets of
the language 鈥 comprehension, speech, reading, grammar and writing. The focus of instruction
is on enabling students to develop basic vocabulary and communicative skills in Modern
Hebrew centering on the students' immediate surroundings and simple daily activities.
By the end of the course students will be able to read and write short stories, voice
their opinion, converse and use basic grammar. Prerequisites: None
HEBR 203 - Hebrew III - Gen Ed: WL3
Cross listed: HEBR 503
Time: M/W/F 10:50-11:50 a.m.
Instructor: Orly Shoer
Hebrew 203 is the third course in the Modern Hebrew program sequence, and the last
course needed to fulfill the 绿帽社鈥檚 foreign language requirement.
It focuses on increasing students' confidence in using the language in different social
settings. This course is designed to advance the Hebrew learner to the intermediate-high
level by introducing complex grammatical structure forms and sentences. Grammar teaching
covers three of the main verb structures. The course concentrates on improving speaking,
writing, as well as, working on text analysis and comprehension skills. Prerequisites:
HEBR 102 with a grade of C- or better, a placement exam, or permission of the instructor.
HEBR 311 - Texts and Conversations I - Gen Ed: WL3
Cross listed: HEBR 505
Time: M/W/F 1:10-2:10 p.m.
Instructor: Orly Shoer
Hebrew 311 is an advanced-intermediate Hebrew language and culture course that is
intended for students who wish to further develop their vocabulary building and practice
all four language skills, with an emphasis on reading comprehension, grammar, syntax,
composition, vocabulary building and conversation. Students will advance their Hebrew
language skills through reading, discussing and writing about a variety of texts,
with some emphasis placed on short articles. Prerequisites: HEBR 204 with a grade
of C- or better, a placement exam, or permission of the instructor.
ISRAEL STUDIES
ISRL 120 - Intro to Israeli Literature 鈥 Gen Ed: G, H
Cross listed: JUST 120 / COLI 180P
Time: M/W/F 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM
Instructor: Lior Libman
This survey course introduces students to texts (poems, short stories, novels) and
themes (nation-building, conflict, gender constructions, ethnic and religious tensions)
in Israeli literature from 1948 to the present. We will place literary works within
their historical, cultural and political contexts and examine them to illustrate the
main features of the time. Texts will be read in translation. No previous knowledge
is required.The course is a Core Course for the Minor in Israel Studies, a Literature
Course for the Major/Minor in Hebrew, and an Area Course in Israel Studies for the
Major/Minor in Judaic Studies.
ISRL 150 鈥 Modern Israel - Gen Ed: N
Cross listed: JUST 150 / HIST 150
Time: T/R 11:40 AM - 01:05 PM
Instructor: Shay Rabineau
This course presents an overview of the history of Israel from its origins in the
Zionist movement to the present. Key topics include: political relations and international
diplomacy leading to the establishment of the state in 1948; Israel's wars with its
neighbors; conflict with the Palestinians; religion and government; internal divisions
between Ashkenazic and Sephardi/Mizrachi Jews; and Israeli cultural life. No previous
knowledge is assumed or required. Students who had taken the course under the original
number will not receive credit for re-taking the course with the new number.
ISRL 180A - Middle East, 600-Present 鈥 Gen Ed: I,N,T,W,G
Cross listed: JUST 284G / ARAB 180C / HIST 185A
Time: M/W 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Instructor: Kent Schull
HIST 185A/ARAB 180C/ISRL 180A/JUST 284G - Middle East, 600-Present Professor Kent
Schull Fall 2024 Course Description: This course traces the origins, development,
and transformation of the Middle East and North Africa from the rise of Islam in the
Arabian Peninsula in the 7th Century CE until the 21st Century. This course will concentrate
on the historical evolution of the Middle East and North Africa in terms of political,
religious, cultural, economic, social, institutional aspects, and its relationship
with other major faith and social traditions throughout the world. While the course
is primarily chronological, the following themes will be emphasized: religious traditions
and practice; inter-cultural exchanges through trade, diplomacy, migrations, and war;
legal traditions; the arts; popular culture; conquest; the impact of European colonization,
decolonization, and the rise of nationalism; gender constructions and the status of
women; and the relationship between religion and politics. Students are assessed through
their class participation, attendance, two-midterm examinations, and a final paper.
ISRL 280A 鈥 History of Jerusalem - Gen Ed: G,W
Cross listed: JUST 280Q / RELG 280B
Time: T/R 11:40 AM - 01:05 PM
Instructor: Michael Kelly
This course explores the history of Jerusalem, as a place of memory, a site of metaphysical
longing, a vision of hope and a place to overcome trauma, perhaps by reliving it.
In this, students learn about the transformation of Jerusalem from a holy city for
one religion into a central site of numerous religions, and interrogate the roles
of empires and conquest in the formation of identities, beliefs, habits, and culture.
No prerequisite knowledge of the history, religions or languages of the region is
expected.
ISRL 280D - Antisemitism in History - Gen Ed: W
Cross listed: JUST 248 / HIST 285H
Time: W 4:40 PM - 07:40 PM
Instructor: Allan Arkush
This course will begin with an examination of the roots of Jew-hatred in ancient times
and the Middle Ages. It will concentrate on the emergence of modern antisemitism in
19th century Europe and the ways in which it spread throughout the world in the 20th
and 21st centuries. The course will focus on antisemitic ideologies as well as antisemitic
mass movements. This course meets Judaic Studies major/minor survey requirement.
ISRL 327 - Israeli PalestinianConf in Lit - Gen Ed: H, O
Cross listed: JUST 380C / COLI 380C
Time: W 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Instructor: Lior Libman
The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been represented in a wide body of Israeli
and Palestinian literary works of varied genres. In this course, we will read, analyze
and discuss, side by side, poems, short stories and novels by both Israeli and Palestinian
writers exploring questions of homeland, exile and return, longing and belonging,
Self and Other. We will examine the relationships between historical, political and
literary narratives, and the ways in which images and metaphors both reflect and shape
national affinities. We will also juxtapose the geo-political conflict with other
core issues such as religion, ethnicity, gender and sexuality.
ISRL 380C - Holocaust Literature - Gen Ed: C, H
Cross listed: JUST 341 / COLI 380B / ENG 380M
Time: W 4:40 PM - 7:40 PM
Instructor: Paul Burch
Students in this course read literature of the Holocaust, the Churban, or the Shoah鈥攊ncluding
diaries, journals, memoirs, fiction, poetry, and works of popular culture, informed
by the belief that literary responses to the Holocaust are, as the poet Paul Celan
has written, in themselves "material evidence of that which-occurred." The course
includes works by First Generation writers, victims and survivors of the Shoah who
bear direct witness to the horror, as well as pieces by Second Generation writers鈥攖hat
is, children and 鈥渙ffspring鈥 of Holocaust survivors who bear witness to the witnesses
and to events that they did not live through but that shaped their lives. Prerequisite:
Sophomore standing. Cross-listed with English and Comparative Literature. THIS COURSE
IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.
ISRL 385Z - World War I and the Jews - Gen Ed: G
Crosslisted: JUST 380A / HIST 381N
Time: T/R 1:15 PM - 2:40 PM
Instructor: Allan Arkush
This course will investigate Jewish involvement in World War I, in all of the major
belligerent countries, as well as the ways in which the war altered the Jewish world.
Topics will include anti-Jewish pogroms on the Eastern Front, the rise in anti-Semitism
in the ranks of the German Army, the worldwide lobbying for the Balfour Declaration,
and the way in which the war reshaped Eastern European Jewry.
JUDAIC STUDIES
JUST 101 - Intro to Judaic Sudies - Gen Ed: G,H
Cross listed: RELG 180A
Time: T/R 10:05 AM - 11:30 AM
Instructor: Randy Friedman
This survey course, appropriate for first and second year students, engages sociology,
religious studies, philosophy of religion and Biblical studies. The course is broken
into four sections: 1) Race, Ethnicity, People, Nation, Religion: Are Jews and Judaism
a race? An ethnicity? What is a religion? 2) Gods, Sources, Interpretations, Traditions:
What is God? Who wrote the Bible? How does a scholar read the Bible? What is Biblical
commentary? What is Rabbinic Judaism? 3) Faith, Suffering, and Justice: We will read
through two difficult Biblical stories, the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22), and portions
of the Book of Job. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there suffering
in the world? 4) From Exodus to Passover. We will offer a close reading of the story
of the Israelite slavery and liberation from Egypyt, and explore how the holiday of
Passover emerges from the story and its interpretations.
JUST 140 - Survey of American Jewish Lit - Gen Ed: C, H
Cross listed: COLI 180R
Time: W 4:40 PM - 7:40 PM
Instructor: C. Beth Burch
Through the Golden Door traces through literature the realities and challenges of
being Jewish in America from after the Civil War to the present. We will read in all
genres, exploring topics such as the immigrant experience, acculturation and assimilation,
anti-Semitism, generational conflicts and differences, gender issues, and continuing
themes in the body of work. Offered regularly. 4 credits.
JUST 284A - The Nazi State - Gen Ed: H,N
Cross listed: HIST 2881K / GMAP 281A / GERM 281A
Time: M/W/F 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM
Instructor: Harald Zils
This course examines Germany between 1933 and 1939, the organization and internal
workings of the National Socialist government and administration. Topics include the
permanent crisis of the Weimar Republic, the rise of the NSDAP, the Nazi takeover
of power, party structures, the Gleichschaltung of administration, society, economy
and media, the persecution of minorities, the situation of workers and farmers, the
role of churches, etc. The course uses a broad social science approach to comprehend
instruments of domination and power and to understand "how it all could happen"; the
emphasis is on structures rather than events. Methodologically, the focus of this
course is on the interpretation of documents and other sources. The course is taught
in English. Textbook: Bendersky, A Concise History of Nazi Germany, 5th edition.
JUST 289A - Atonement, Redemption, Justice 鈥 Gen Ed: C,H
Cross listed: SCHOL 280A
Time: T/R 1:15 PM - 2:40 PM
Instructor: Randy Friedman
This course in philosophy of religion will focus on three categories in religious
thought: atonement, redemption, and justice. The course will focus on the many varieties
and understandings of these in a range of texts drawn mainly from the traditions of
Judaism, including the Hebrew Bible, early commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, as well
as medieval and modern Jewish philosophy. NO BACKGROUND or perquisites in Judaism
or religious philosophy is required.
JUST 340 - American Jewish Women Writers - Gen Ed: H,O,W
Cross listed: WGSS 383A / COLI 480B / ENG 380K
Time: M 4:40-7:40 p.m.
Instructor: C. Beth Burch
This course will survey texts written in English by American Jewish women from the
Civil War to the present as they move out of the kitchens and sweatshops and onto
their own pages. Exploring the historical context surrounding their work, we will
address chiefly the writers鈥 contributions in fiction and non-fiction, focusing on
key issues of immigration, acculturation, assimilation, family, sexuality, religious
practice, and the experience of being or becoming American. Requirements: frequent
oral reading and active class participation; two formal presentations related to the
background reading; written critiques of others' presentations; quizzes, final examination,
and full-on class participation.
JUST 384A 鈥- The Beatles in Cult History鈥 - Gen Ed: W,N,T,I
Cross listed: HIST 387A
Time: T/R 11:40 AM - 01:05 PM
Instructor: Jonathan Karp
Though the group existed for only about 12 years (and just 7 in the public eye), the
Beatles became the most commercially successful musical act of the twentieth century.
But their impact went well beyond record sales. They influenced fashion, politics,
racial perceptions, sexual identities, and much more. And the repercussions of their
short lifespan as a working band endured long after they broke up in 1970. This class
will focus on the Beatles鈥 glorious musical creativity, but it also aims to assess
just how the 鈥淔ab Four,鈥 emerging from working class Irish neighborhoods in Liverpool,
exerted a profound and lasting effect on British and American culture, and beyond.
JUST 384B - Gender in Jewish History - Gen Ed: I,N,T,G,W
Cross listed: HIST 385J / WGSS 380J
Time: T/R 11:40 - 01:05 PM
Instructor: Dina Danon
Beginning in antiquity and continuing up until the present day, the course asks how
constructions of masculinity and femininity have impacted Jewish communities, institutions,
and individuals in religious, cultural, social, and economic life. The course also
seeks to reconstruct the lives of Jewish women over time, and in doing so will draw
on case studies from across the Jewish world (including Europe, the United States,
and the Middle East). We will consult a wide range of primary sources, among them
classical Jewish texts, personal correspondence, memoirs, the press, photographs,
and many others. Throughout the course, we will interrogate how the analytical category
of gender not only helps us tell a more comprehensive story about the Jewish past,
but also challenges prevailing understandings of Jewish history.
JUST 386 A - Jews in German Literature 鈥 Gen Ed: O,H
Cross listed: ENG 380I / GERM 380E / COLI 380I
Time: M/W 1:10 PM - 2:35 PM
Instructor: Harald Zils
This course examines the complex interplay between Jewish identity and German culture
from the Enlightenment through the 21st century. It considers how Jewish figures have
been represented in various literary genres and periods, and how Jewish writers have
shaped the German literary landscape. We will analyze texts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing,
Heinrich Heine, Else Lasker-Sch眉ler, and contemporary authors. The course includes
critical reading of primary texts alongside secondary scholarly analyses, fostering
an understanding of the historical and cultural dynamics that influenced the literary
depiction of Jews in Germany. We will focus on literary responses to significant historical
events, including Emancipation, the rise of antisemitism, the Holocaust, and the re-unification
of Germany. Course taught in English.
JUST 389B - Public Opinion 鈥 Gen Ed: N
Cross listed: PLSC 340
Time: M/W 9:25 AM - 10:50 AM
Instructor: Jonathan Krasno
Examines the nature and dynamics of public opinion in American politics with a focus
on the major trends in public opinion since World War II. Students examine different
approaches to measuring and understanding what drives public opinion. Moreover, they
focus on the effects of public opinion on the political process, including public
policy and elections.
JUST 484B -Levinas and Phenomenology 鈥 Gen Ed: C,H
Cross listed: PHIL 580C / PHIL 480P / COLI 574Z
Time: T/R 11:40-1:05 PM
Instructor: Randy Friedman
This reading intensive seminar will work through the central texts in ethical thought
and philosophy of religion of the French Jewish Philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. Levinas鈥檚
peers included Buber, Rosenzweig, Heidegger, and Derrida. Levinas insists that ethics
and an orientation toward the other are fundamental to being human. We will work to
understand the philosophical work behind this insistence, and the religious and philosophical
consequences of it. As we read through Levinas, we will explore how questions of transcendence,
subjectivity, intersubjectivity, and temporality give way to an ethical philosophy
built on notions of alterity and responsibility. We will read Levinas鈥檚 major works,
Time and the Other, Totality and Infinity, and Otherwise than Being, as well as a
range of his shorter writings in philosophy and Jewish thought, and much secondary
literature on Levinas. The course will allow students to frame their reading of Levinas
in the context of their own interests. These might include: modern Jewish thought,
philosophy of religion, existentialism, literary theory, Continental philosophy, or
other areas of interest.
JUST 484D - Socialism and the Jews
Cross listed: HIST 485M
Time: T/R 10:05-11:30 AM
Instructor: Jonathan Karp
The history of socialism has intersected in numerous and at times contradictory ways
with Jewish life. On the one hand, Jews' stereotypical identification with commerce,
business, and capitalism has made them targets of left-wing antisemitism. On the other,
Jews participated disproportionately in the socialist movements of different countries,
and individual (if sometimes non-identifying) Jews like Karl Marx and Leon Trotsky
were among the leaders and major theorists of socialist movements. Was there something,
therefore, in Judaism as a religion or in the historical Jewish experience that has
shaped this affinity between Jews and socialism? This class will examine key aspects
of such connections and paradoxes by looking at the Jewish components of socialist
movements in Europe, the United States, and the modern State of Israel.
JUST 490 - Holocaust in Global Perspect - Gen Ed: C,G,N,T
Cross listed: HIST 486D
Time: T/R 2:50 PM - 4:15 PM
Instructor: Dina Danon
This course positions the Holocaust not solely as a European story but a global one
with implications for Jewish communities across the world. In addition to the experiences
of central and eastern European Jewries, the course will also emphasize the experiences
of Jewish communities in the Sephardi heartland of the eastern Mediterranean as well
in North Africa and Middle East. The course will then study how the Holocaust has
been represented in various contexts, most notably the United States and Israel. As
an upper-level seminar, the course will consider a diversity of historiographical
issues, among them questions of agency, causation, collaboration, and resistance,
methodological approaches such as micro-history, gender history, oral history, public
history, and fields of inquiry such as postcolonial and gender studies.
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
RELG 101 - Religions of the World - Gen Ed: G, H
Cross listed: JUST 100 / AFST 180E / ANTH 180C
Time: M/W/F 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM
Instructor: Douglas Jones
What does it mean to study various religions from an academic perspective? How do
we, as outsiders at a public university, discuss different traditions responsibly?
Answering questions like these and developing our skills as scholars of religion is
of no small importance in an increasingly global society. This class will take a thematic
approach to a number of traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam. Prominent themes include the history of Religious Studies as a discipline,
religion and popular culture, religion and violence, the history of utopian thought,
and the status of new and controversial movements across the globe.
RELG 120 - Protestant Christianity - Gen Ed: C,H,T
Cross listed:
Time: M/W/F 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM
Instructor: Douglas Jones
This course focuses on the religious origins of Protestantism, the rise of Protestantism
in the sixteenth century, and the evolution of Protestantism in America. Moving beyond
purely doctrinal formulations of the faith, we examine a dizzying variety of "protestantisms,"
from the rival confessional identities of early-modern Germany, Switzerland, England,
and Scotland to the religious pluralism that marks our modern world. Some topics include
Protestant biblical interpretation, the art of the sermon, the rise of both Protestant
denominations and sectarian movements, Evangelical politics in the 21st century, and
online religion.
RELG 180C - Islam: Texts and Contexts - Gen Ed: W,G,H
Cross listed: AFST 180L / COLI 180C / HIST 181D / MDVL 180P / ARAB 150
Time: T/R 08:30 AM - 09:55 AM
Instructor: Omid Ghaemmaghami
Did you know that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and is expected to be the world鈥檚 largest religion soon? Did you know that approximately 1/3 of enslaved Africans in what came to be the United States came from predominantly Islamic parts of West Africa? Did you know that 鈥淚slam鈥, usually translated as 鈥減eace鈥 and 鈥渟ubmission,鈥 more correctly means 鈥渃ommitment鈥? This course introduces students to religious currents in the Islamic world, past and present. We will begin by looking at the origins of Islam, and placing the chief features of its principles, practices, and beliefs in their historical context. In an attempt to explore the enduring ties that bind the myriad interpretations of Islam across time and space to their universal foundations, each week will be devoted to a different theme. Topics include the origins of Islam; the life of the Prophet Mu岣mmad; major themes of the Quran; Tradition (岣d墨th) in the making; the Imamate in Sh墨士墨 Islam; Sufism and the aesthetics of Islamic mysticism; Islamic messianism; the Islamic world in the 19th century; Islam in America: From Enslaved Africans to Malcolm X and Dave Chappelle; and Islam in 绿帽社. This course has no prerequisites, and no prior knowledge of Islam or Arabic is required or will be assumed by the instructor.
RELG 180D - Intro to African Religion - Gen Ed: H,W
Cross listed: SOC 180A / ANTH 280L / AFST 171
Time: T/R 10:05-11:30 AM
Instructor: Anthony Ephirim-Donoker
E. A. Wallis Budge defined African religion as 鈥渢he worship of the souls of the dead,
commonly called Ancestor Worship.鈥 Also, Diodorus, a Greek historian of the 1st Century
BCE, stated that blacks or Ethiopians, 鈥渨ere the first of all men, and the proofs
of this statement, they say, are manifest. For that they did not come into their land
as immigrants from abroad but were natives of it, and so justly bear the name of 鈥榓utochthones鈥
is, they maintain, conceded by practically all men鈥. And they [i.e., the Greek historians
relied on by Diodorus] say that they [i.e., the black peoples] were the first to be
taught to honor the gods and to hold sacrifices and processions and festivals and
other rites by which men honor the deity; and that in consequence their piety has
been published abroad among all men, and it is generally held that the sacrifices
practiced among the Ethiopians [i.e., the black peoples] are those which are the most
pleasing to heaven.鈥 Thus, students are introduced to the nature and phenomenon of
African religion, conceptions of God and gods and goddesses, ancestors and ancestor
worship, elders, sacrifices and symbols, and rituals that offer meaning to the lives
of Africans.
RELG 280A 鈥 The Bible and Its Interpretations - Gen Ed: G,N,W
Cross listed: JUST 201 / HIST 285E
Time: T/R 1:15 PM - 2:40 PM
Instructor: Michael Kelly
This course offers an introduction to Jewish history from the Bible to the end of
the Middle Ages. It surveys some of the major issues that defined Judaism, including
the nature and development of biblical texts; the effort of small Jewish states in
the age of great ancient empires; the impact of (Greek culture) Hellenism on Judaism
and the rise of Christianity from it; the emergence of the Diaspora; and Jewish life
under and interaction with medieval Islam and Christendom. The course's two major
themes are: 1) the evolution and development of Judaism, and 2) the shifting character
of Jewish identity and peoplehood. No previous knowledge of Jewish history and religion
is required or assumed. This course satisfies the core and survey requirements for
Judaic Studies majors and minors.
RELG 380E - Countercultural Religion - Gen Ed: H,W
Cross listed:
Time: T/R 10:05 - 11:30 AM
Instructor: Douglas Jones
From the Family of Love to the Family International and from Diggers in 1640s England
to Diggers in 1960s San Francisco, this course explores countercultural and utopian
religious communities from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries in a transatlantic
context. Topics include the new age movement, the status of women in new religious
movements, Satanism and political action, progressive millennialism and socialist
religion, debates over the use of psychedelics, minority religions in Upstate New
York, and the circulation of underground religious literature.
RELG 480A - Japanese Ghosts & Monsters 鈥 Gen Ed: A,C,N
Cross listed: AAAS 481T
Time: T/R 8:30 AM - 9:55 AM
Instructor: Kristina Buhrman
From bird-men and sentient tea kettles to Pokemon, Japanese visual and literary culture
is teeming with strange and fantastic creatures. This seminar introduces students
to the variety of oral, written, and particularly visual sources for Japanese views
of the fantastical. We will cover the foundations of the study of folklore, the history
of the field in Japan, and how the otherworldly and monstrous was depicted in medieval,
early modern, and modern Japan. Sources encountered in class include visual culture,
ethnographic description, and works of literary fiction. Students will learn about
the interaction between elite and popular culture, and between popular culture and
national identity. After a guided introduction to the analysis of folklore, students
will undertake their own original research project on Japanese ghosts and monsters,
and produce a paper describing an aspect of early modern or modern Japanese culture
reflected in the Japanese fantastical using ethnographic or folklore methodologies.
YIDDISH
Yiddish I - YIDD 101 - Gen Ed: G,O,WL1
Cross listed: JUST 180A/ GERM 180C / RUSS 180A / YIDD 501
Time: M/W/F 1:10-2:10 PM
Instructor: Gina Glasman
Yiddish 101 is an introductory language class: students learn simple conversational
Yiddish and how to read and write, beginning with the Yiddish alphabet. By the end
of the Fall semester students will have composed their own short stories, gained a
repertoire of Yiddish song, put together a compendium of commonly used expressions
from this famously expressive language and finally, will have learnt about aspects
of Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi culture, past and present.
Living in a Material World I - YIDD 180A - Gen Ed: J,N
Cross listed: JUST 180C / HIST 180B
Time: T/R 11:40 AM - 01:05 PM
Instructor: Gina Glasman
This class will be dedicated to a single question: how can we use the artefacts of
everyday life to better understand the history of an immigrant metropolis? To explore
this question, we will focus on a specific city鈥擭ew York鈥攁nd a particular cultural
vehicle, museums鈥攊nstitutions rooted in the notion that 鈥渙bjects鈥 can speak! In the
Spring semester, students will create their own digital exhibit, using the themes,
approaches and concepts we have explored together in class. Students can choose to
focus their research on any community within the complex urban fabric of either past
or present-day New York City. To help us with this task, we will divide our study
into several parts. We will begin with the earliest efforts by historians鈥攐ften Marxist
inflected - to chart the lives of 鈥渆veryday people.鈥 This approach was sometimes twinned
with a new interest in the material world. From there, we will take a look at recent
histories of the immigrant city, with a focus on Jewish, or Yiddish immigrant New
York in the early twentieth century. Here too, we will find a focus on ordinary things,
as part of the investigation of the urban landscape鈥攆rom a discarded candy wrapper
in the street, to the latest cut in city fashion. Recorded memory - or oral history
- is also key to this kind of analysis, as a way to access the culture of everyday
life. Finally, students will research, design and mount a digital exhibit of their
own creation, based on the questions addressed in class. In preparation for this project,
we will also consider the uses of material culture in the work of social history museums,
as well as comparable initiatives in the fields of anthropology and public archaeology.
YIDD 351 - Jewish New York - Gen Ed: D,T,W,H
Cross listed: JUST 351 / HIST 380B
Time: T/R 4:25 - 5:50 PM
Instructor: Gina Glasman
From Pogroms to the Promised City - An exploration of why Eastern European Jews came
to New York in the era of mass migration and what they made of city life once they
arrived. Jewish New York is a study in both urban and immigrant history, examining
how a newly arrived society responded to America's signature metropolis in an urban
moment of extraordinary dynamism.