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The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

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  • CAS JS 328: The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
    Examines literary and historical roots of "apocalypticism" in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy.
  • CAS JS 330: Hebrew Narrative: Biblical and Modern
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH212) - Narrative techniques in the Bible and in modern Hebrew texts. Selections from Genesis II, Samuel, and the book of Jonah, as well as short stories by Agnon, Appelfeld, Yehoshua, and others. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
  • CAS JS 331: Styles and Meaning of Hebrew Poetry: Modern Hebrew Poetry
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH312) or placement examination. - An introduction to contemporary Hebrew poetry and its roots, concentrating on both style and message. Readings include Bialik, Tshernichovski, Rahel, Greenberg, Shlonsky, Alterman, Goldberg, Ratosh, Pagis, Gilboa, Amihai and Zach.
  • CAS JS 340: Classical Jewish Thought
    Basic human and religious issues as they have been understood within the classical Jewish framework of God, the people of Israel, and Torah: good and evil, creation, the relationship of human beings to God and to one another.
  • CAS JS 341: Modern Jewish Thought
    Reading Jewish thinkers from the radical Enlightenment to twentieth century existentialism and Zionism, this course introduces some of the great philosophical debates on religion and secularism, revelation and scientific reason, and ethnic particularism and universal ethics.
  • CAS JS 348: Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar; and one course from among the following: P hilosophy, Religion, Core Curriculum (CC101 and/or CC102) - A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS JS 365: Music and the Holocaust
    Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year writing seminar (CASWR 100 or 120.) - History and music of composers targeted during the Holocaust: classical music, jazz, and cabaret musical styles banned as "degenerate" by the Nazis. Particular focus on the art and music created in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp.
  • CAS JS 366: Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
    The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS JS 367: The Holocaust Through Film
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society? Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS JS 369: Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
    Levi's writings employ scientific, literary, ethical, theological and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. An examination of Levi's works both within the context of other writers such as Elie Wiesel, and within the practice of Holocaust testimony, ethics, and witnessing. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS JS 377: Gender, Sexuality, and Judaism
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores the role of gender and sexuality in Judaism and Jewish experience, historically and in the present. Subjects include constructions of masculinity and femininity, attitudes toward (and uses of) the body and sexuality, gendered nature of religious practice and authority. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS JS 379: Islamophobia and Antisemitism
    Explores historical and contemporary manifestations of Islamophobia and Antisemitism. Students are exposed to wide range of relevant written and visual texts as well as theoretical approaches. Includes active learning component and collaborative presentations by students. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • The Individual in Community
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS JS 380: Israeli Culture though Media
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH212) or equivalent. - An advanced Hebrew language course, which uses as its "textbook" Israeli newspapers, television, and online news media. Students follow current events in Israel (politics, business, sports, etc.); compare coverage in diverse outlets; speak and write knowledgeably about Israeli society. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Ethical Reasoning
  • CAS JS 383: Israeli Culture through Film (in English translation)
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH311) First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society; trials of women; war; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS JS 385: Israel and the Environment
    Natural, social, and political factors in Israeli environmental resource management, impact on vulnerable populations, and opportunities for post- conflict, cross-border cooperation, environmental justice, and equitable division of scarce resources. Considers possibilities for a new paradigm in Middle Eastern sustainable development. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning. Social Inquiry II.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS JS 387: Environmental Law in Israel and the Mediterranean
    Principles, theories and tools for environmental law and regulation, and implementation through cases in Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean. Through case studies, students critically analyze a range of environmental issues: nature protection, air pollution, marine protection, climate change and more. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
  • CAS JS 416: Biblical Fakes and Forgeries
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Religion, philosophy, or archaeology majors or minors with junior or s enior standing, or consent of instructor. - Examines issues regarding forged documents and artifacts relating to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Examples of forgeries (alleged and certain) include: book of Daniel, Letter of Aristeas, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark; forged Scrolls in museum collections. Proposed Edit: Examines forged documents and artifacts relating to Hebrew Bible and New Testament, probing historical and ethical questions they raise. Examples (alleged and certain forgeries) include: book of Daniel, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark, and forged Dead Sea Scroll fragments. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS JS 455: Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
    Interactions between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Europe's most religiously diverse region -- from the establishment of an Islamic al-Andalus in 711 CE to the final Christian "reconquest" of the peninsula and expulsion of the Jews in 1492 CE.
  • CAS JS 460: Seminar on the Holocaust
    This course will examine historical, ethical and religious issues arising from the Holocaust. We will discuss antisemitism and ideology; what communities were considered "other"; human motivation regarding collaborators, perpetrators and bystanders; the role of individuals, organizations and governments; the treatment of women; the ethics of resistance; the behavior of the Jewish Councils; and attitudes to the existence of God during and after the Holocaust. We will also compare the Holocaust to contemporary crises now occurring around the world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • CAS JS 499: Topics in Jewish Studies
    Topics vary. May be repeated for credit as topics change.

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