Undergraduate Bulletin

Fall 2024

JDS: Judaic Studies:Social and Behavioral Sciences

JDS 225: Jewish History from Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Jewish history and the development of Judaism from Ancient Israel until the close of the Middle Ages (ca. 1000 B.C.E.- ca. 1492 C.E.). The course begins with the epic tales of the Hebrew Bible, examines the varieties of Judaism which arose under Greece and Rome, explores the "parting of the ways" between Judaism and Christianity, and ends with the rise and fall of Jewish settlements in the Muslim Middle East and across Christian Europe. This course is offered as both HIS 225 and JDS 225.

DEC:     J
SBC:     CER, GLO

3 credits

JDS 226: Modern Jewish History: Dilemmas of Difference

An examination of the emergence of modern forms of Judaism from 1492 until the present day, covering Jewish life through the Reformation, French Revolution, the emergence of democracy, two World Wars, Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel, tracing the shift both in centers of life and in the ideas that furnished those centers. This course is offered as both HIS 226 and JDS 226.

DEC:     F
SBC:     GLO, SBS

3 credits

JDS 241: Nazi Genocide and the Holocaust

The rise of modern anti-Semitism since the late 18th century and its political application in Nazi Germany. Topics include the destruction process, ghetto life, resistance, foreign response, and the war crimes trials. This course is offered as both HIS 241 and JDS 241.

DEC:     I
SBC:     GLO

3 credits

JDS 356: Zionism, Israel, and the Middle East

This course explores one of the more divisive events of the twentieth century: the establishment of the State of Israel. Beginning with the origins of the Zionist movement and its activities in nineteenth-century Europe and the Middle East, the course then moves to explore the establishment of the state in 1948 and subsequent Israeli politics and society, with an eye to its relationship with neighboring Arab states, the Palestinians, and Jews around the world. This course is offered as both HIS 356 and JDS 356.

Prerequisite: U3 or U4 standing; 1 D.E.C. F or SBS course

DEC:     I
SBC:     CER, SBS+

3 credits

JDS 447: Readings in Judaic Studies

Qualified juniors and seniors may read independently in the areas of Jewish history, culture, and society, in an approved program under the supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated.

Prerequisites: Two JDS courses, or one course each in JDS and JDH; permission of director

1-6 credits