HIST 387: The History of Judaism
Spring 2005
(as a MSWord Doc)
Dr. Richard Chess
KH 219
251-6576
rchess@bulldog.unca.edu
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10:00 a.m. to
11:00 a.m.
Required Texts
Judaism, Michael Fishbane
A History of the Jews, Paul Johnson
Jewish Study Bible
Introduction
In this class, we’ll focus primarily on the history of
Judaism, which is to say the development of Jewish belief, thought, and
practice. Because Judaism itself is a responsive and adaptive religion,
however, we’ll also take into consideration major events throughout Jewish and
world history that have had a shaping influence on Judaism. So, while our
primary focus will be on the history of Judaism itself, we’ll also be learning
about the history of the Jews as a people.
The class material is organized in strands. One strand is
based on Judaism, by Michael Fishbane. This text is divided into three
main sections. The first surveys the history of Jewish belief, thought, and
practice. The second section offers a broad introduction to Jewish ritual. The
final section presents a brief though useful introduction to major developments
in modern and contemporary Jewry.
Our second strand is based on readings from Tanakh,
an acronym that stands for Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im
(the Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings)—the three components of Jewish
scripture. The Tanakh is the foundational text for Jewish life. As
such, we need to read and study selected portions from it to gain an
understanding of how the text has directed/informed/shaped Jewish life as well
as how Jews have interpreted the Torah throughout the ages.
A third strand of the course is based on the documentary
film series Heritage: Civilization and The Jews. In these films, we are
introduced to the Jewish experience in the context of world history. The
information presented in the series will add to, complement, and reinforce
information we pick up in our readings and course discussion. I’ve scheduled
screenings of five of the nine parts of the series. If we find the films
helpful, we can watch more parts, or you can watch the rest of the series on
your own: it can be found in the media center.
Websites
You can find information on almost any aspect of Jewish
life on the web. I’m sorry that I don’t have a website for the course, but I am
happy to provide you with a list of starting places to explore further topics
that are of particular interest to you. Here are some places to begin:
www.myjewishlearning.com
This is an informative website
with in-depth material organized in the following categories: history &
community; daily life & practice; holidays, lifecycle; texts; ideas & beliefs;
and culture.
Click on the “resources” tab and
you’ll be taken to a page that is a gateway to thousands of others sites of
Jewish interest on the web. On the left hand column of the “resources” page
itself, you’ll find a long list of topics. Click on “Movements” to be taken to
a page with links to the websites of the major movements of contemporary world
Jewry. You can explore some of the other topics on your own.
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
According to the producers of the
site, the
Jewish Virtual Library is the most comprehensive online Jewish encyclopedia
in the world, covering everything from anti-Semitism to Zionism. I have found
it very useful.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/
and
http://www.info.gov.il/eng/mainpage.asp
These are the homepages for the
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israel Government Gateway. These
sites offer lots of accurate information, including photographs and other
graphics, about modern and ancient Israel.
www.haaretzdaily.com
Ha’aretz is a major daily
newspaper in Israel. It’s the paper that U.S. journalists, print and broadcast,
often consult for story ideas and refer to when reporting on news from Israel.
The newspaper is published in Hebrew and, for the last ten years or so, in
English. It’s one of my favorite newspapers.
www.jpost.com
The Jerusalem Post is an
English language only newspaper. It also is a very good newspaper.
www.forward.com
Published in New York, the
Forward was once the leading Yiddish language newspaper in the United
States. About 15 years ago, they began publishing a weekly, English language
edition of the paper. It’s an excellent source of Jewish world news and
culture. The Forward also has a page of media links.
www.nextbook.org
This website is a “gateway to
Jewish literature, culture & ideas.” In addition to providing original essays,
links to articles and reviews of new books, plays, films, dance performances and
other cultural events of Jewish interest, it also offers a page of “resource
links”.
These sites should get you going. If you are interested in
a particular subject and need some help locating credible websites with
information on that subject, please ask me.
Requirements
You will write two papers. The first will be a close
reading of a biblical text. This close reading must include traditional and
contemporary rabbinic (or other professional) commentary as well as your own
commentary. The second paper should reflect on an issue in contemporary Jewish
life, identifying the historical antecedents of the issue and analyzing the
issue in relation to relevant aspects of Jewish history.
There will be a mid-term and a final exam.
The class will be discussion oriented. In class, we will
also practice a traditional method of Jewish text study where partners work
closely together on analyzing Jewish texts. This method is called havruta.
Sometimes the texts we study will come from assigned, out-of-class readings.
But often the texts will be handouts I distribute in class. So, to contribute
to the discussion and the participate in havruta study, you must be
present in class. Any more than three absences will result in the lowering of
your final grade (one letter for each absence beyond three).
Grading Breakdown
Two papers @ 25% = 50%
Two exams @ 15% = 30%
Participation @ 20% = 20%
Schedule
Week 1
Jan 12 Introduction
Jan 14 Required Attendance at Shabbat Service
Congregation Beth HaTephila
43 North Liberty Street
Services begin at 7:30 p.m.; we’ll meet earlier than
that.
Jan 15 Required attendance at Shabbat Service
Congregation Beth
Israel
229 Murdock Avenue
Services begin at 9:30 a.m.
Week 2
Jan 17 No classes
Jan 19 Discussion of Services
Jan 21 “Chronology of Jewish History” and
“Introduction”
Fishbane
Week 3
Jan 24 “Judaism as an Ideological System,” pp.
25 - 30
Fishbane
Jan 26 The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 8 –
30 (GEN 1 – 11)
Jan 28 Heritage: Civilization and the Jews:
A People is Born
Week 4
Jan 31 “Judaism as an Ideological System: The
Emergence of Classical Judaism,”
pp. 30 – 36
Feb
2 The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 30 – 53 (GEN 12 – 25)
Feb 4 Heritage: Civilization and the Jews:
The Power of the Word
Week 5
Feb
7 “Judaism as an Ideological System: Rabbinic Judaism in
Formation,” pp.
36 – 49
Feb 9 The Jewish Study Bible pp. 102 –
125 (EX 1 – 11)
Feb 11 Heritage: Civilization and the Jews:
The Shaping of Traditions
Week 6
Feb 14 The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 125 –
152 (EX 12 – 21)
Feb 16 “Judaism as an Ideological System:
Developments in Judaism
from the Seventh
Through the Seventeenth Centuries,” pp. 49 – 58
Feb
18 The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 183 – 191 (EX 32 – 34)
Week 7
Feb
21 “Judaism as an Ideological System: Developments in Judaism from
the
Seventh Through
the Seventeenth Centuries,” pp. 58 – 63
Feb
23 The Jewish Study Bible, pp. 253 – 256 (LEV 19)
Feb 25 Heritage: Civilization and the Jews:
The Crucible of Europe
Week 7
Feb 28 “Judaism as an Ideological System:
Developments in Judaism
from the Seventh
Through the Seventeenth Centuries,” pp. 63 – 76
March 2
March 4 Mid-Term
Week 8
March 7 Spring Break
March 9 Spring Break
March 11 Spring Break
Week 9
March
14 “Judaism as an Ideological System: The Modern Period,” pp. 76 – 82
March 16 The Jewish Study Bible, Isaiah,
pp. 780 – 808 (IS 1 – 11)
March 18 Heritage: Civilization and the Jews:
Roads from the Ghetto
Week 10
March 21
“Judaism as a Ritual System,” pp. 83 – 94
March 23
March 25 Purim:
The Jewish
Study Bible, Book of Esther, pp. 1623 - 1639
Week 11
March
28 “Judaism as a Ritual System: Yearly Festivals and Sacred Days,” pp.
94 – 100
March 30 Guest Speaker; Chess at AWP
April 1 Guest Speaker; Chess at AWP
Week 12
April 4 “Judaism as a Ritual System: The Life
Cycle of Holiness,” pp. 101 – 113
April 6 Guest Speaker; Chess at Miami/Dade
College
April 8 Guest Speaker; Chess at Miami/Dade
College
Week 13
April 11 “Jews and Judaism in Modern Times,” pp.
114 – 132
April 13 Undergraduate Research Symposium
April 15 The Jewish Study Bible, Isaiah,
pp. 860 – 895 (IS 40 – 55)
Week 14
April 18 “Jews and Judaism in Modern Times,” pp.
132 - 140
April 20
April 22
Week 15
April 25 Passover (April 24 – May 1)
April 27 The New Jewish Study Bible, The Song
of Songs, pp. 1564 - 1577
April 29 Psalms (selections to be
announced)
Week 16
May 2 Last Day of Class
May 4 – 12 Finals
*
May 14 Commencement
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