Jewish Studies
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CAS JS 100: World Cultures of the Jews
Introduces students to the study of Judaism in its many forms, by exploring Jewish communities across the globe today, their different historical origins and cultural contexts, and strategies of preserving cohesion and transnational solidarity. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CAS JS 110: Judaism
Systematic and historical introduction to doctrines, customs, literature, and movements of Judaism; biblical religion and literature; rabbinic life and thought; medieval mysticism and philosophy; modern movement and developments. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 120: The Bible
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students will learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS JS 121: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism in historical and cultural context, origins to the present. Examines diversity of practices, belief systems, and social structures within these religions. Also addresses debates within and between communities as well as contemporary controversies and concerns. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS JS 130: Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (in English translation)
Narrative prose by major writers from the revival of Hebrew culture in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to present-day Israel, including works of Peretz, Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shalev, Keret, Kashua, and Castel-Bloom. Special focus on the struggle to forge modern identity in the domains of family, nation, religion and in the broader Middle East. Required for the minor in Hebrew. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS JS 136: Jewish Literature
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120). - How do changing notions of ethnicity and race, religion, and gender, as well as geographical place define Jewish family and community? Topics include immigration, diaspora, and national culture; patriotism, antisemitism, and multiculturalism; Jewish identities and gender; conversion, assimilation, and acculturation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS JS 210: The Hebrew Bible
Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the religious traditions to which these writings bear witness within the context of the history of the ancient Israelite community. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 211: From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
Introduces the texts of the New Testament and other early Christian writings: first, to place Jesus of Nazareth in the religious and social context of Second Temple Judaism and the Roman empire; and second, to explain the origins and growth of Christian beliefs, practices, and social formations up to the second century. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 214: Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Chronological exploration of rabbinic Judaism's major documents, using a modern scholarly anthology. The Mishnah; legal and legendary selections from the midrashim and both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. Themes: monotheism, sin and atonement, heaven and hell, conceptions of gender, the impact of rabbinic texts on medieval and modern Judaism. -
CAS JS 244: Early Jewish Mystical Thought
Analysis of the development of Jewish mysticism from the biblical to the early medieval era. Emphasis on the forms of mysticism--and the texts in which they are embedded--from the rabbinic era. No knowledge of Hebrew is required. -
CAS JS 246: Jewish Mysticism
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - This course explores the rich world of Jewish Mysticism from its earliest roots to its contemporary expressions in the 21st century. We look at the interaction between Jewish mystics and major western schools of thought such as Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, and Sufism. The course also introduces students to the Kabbalistic tradition and its various historical manifestations. No prior knowledge of Hebrew or other themes in Jewish studies required. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CAS JS 250: Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
Transformation of an ordinary ancient city into the holy city of Jews, Christians, and Muslims; and development of modern Jerusalem, as shaped by British rule, Zionism, and Palestinian nationalism. Jerusalem's past, present, and meanings considered through analyses of religious and secular rhetoric. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 252: History of Judaism
This class surveys Jewish history from the classical period to modern times. It covers: the destruction of the 1st Temple; the encounter with Hellenism; the Roman period; the destruction of the 2nd Temple; the rise and influence of rabbinic Judaism; the medieval era under Muslim and Christian rule; medieval antisemitism; Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah); and philosophy (Maimonides). For the modern era we discuss: the Renaissance; the Reformation; the complex issue of Emancipation; coming to America; the growth of American Judaism; religious reform; modern antisemitism; and Zionism. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 255: Modern Judaism
Encounters between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation; the Spanish expulsion and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its consequences; assimilation, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American Jewish community, non-European communities, Jewish global migration, and modern antisemitism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 257: Antisemitism after the Holocaust
Are there new forms of antisemitism that have developed since the Holocaust? How have old forms persisted and reappeared indifferent guises? Did the Holocaust change our understanding of possible consequences of bigotry and hatred? These questions are discussed, along with similarities to other forms of bigotry and racism, and the relationship of anti-Zionism to antisemitism. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 260: The Holocaust
Rise of German (and European) antisemitism; rise of Nazism; 1935 Nuremberg Laws; the initial Jewish reaction; racial theory; organizing mass murder including ghettos, concentration camps, killing squads, and gas chambers; bystanders and collaborators (countries, organizations, and individuals); Jewish resistance; post-Holocaust religious responses; moral and ethical issues. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CAS JS 261: Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies? Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness. -
CAS JS 280: Israeli Popular Music
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH212) or equivalent. - Advanced-intermediate Hebrew language and culture course for those who have completed at least four semesters' college Hebrew or equivalent. Introduction to Israeli cultural history through music. Students expand vocabulary and further develop writing, reading, listening, and conversational skills in Hebrew. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS JS 281: Advanced Modern Hebrew: Voices in Israeli Society
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH212) or the equivalent as determined by placement test. - This course provides advanced language practice and introduction to globally diverse groups in Israeli society: Orthodox and secular, immigrants and veteran immigrants, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews, Arab-Israelis and more. Through reading a variety of academic and newspapers articles, short stories, poems and viewing interviews, documentaries and movies, students will enhance their interpretation, writing and oral skills while acquiring fundamental knowledge about ethnic/religious/national/social diversity in Israel. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression. -
CAS JS 282: Sixth-Semester Hebrew: Food Culture in Israel
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH311) or placement test results. - This course is taught in Hebrew. Israel has a rich cuisine that reflects the diversity of Israeli society, Jewish and Arab culinary traditions, and a wide range of regional influences. Through reading/viewing a variety of authentic materials, students will enhance their language and cultural proficiency. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
