Interdisciplinary Courses

World Cultures of the Jews

CAS JS 100 (4 Credits)

MWF 10:10-11:00 AM

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.

Instructor: Professor Matthew Creighton

Sacred Texts and Comparative Traditions

Judaism

CAS JS 110 (4 Credits)

MWF 11:15 AM -12:05 PM

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.

Instructor: Professor Jonathan Klawans

From Jesus to Christ: Origins of Christianity

CAS JS 211 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 202

TR 12:30-1:45pm

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.

Instructor: Professor David Frankfurter

Modern Judaism

CAS JS 255 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 328

TR 12:30-1:45 PM

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.

Instructor: Professor Steven T. Katz

Contemporary Jewish Societies and Cultures, incl. Israel Studies

Israeli Culture through Film (in English translation)

CAS JS 283 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS LH 283

TR 9:30-10:45 AM

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.

Instructor: Professor Abigail Gillman

Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity

CAS JS 285 (4 Credits) Mts w/CAS HI392 and CAS LH284

TR 3:30-4:45 PM

Using a broad array of readings, popular music, documentaries, film and art, this course explores Israel’s political system, culture, and society, including the status of minorities in the Jewish state; post-1967 Israeli settlement projects; and the struggle for Israel’s identity. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.

Instructor: Professor Lotner Lev

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

CAS JS 286 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS HI 393

TR 11am-12:15pm

History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, analysis of conflicting narratives through primary sources and film. Students present their own reflections on the conflict and debate possibilities of resolution. Counts toward majors and minors in History, International Relations, Middle East & North Africa Studies, and Jewish Studies. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

Instructor: Professor Ingrid Anderson

Israel and the Environment

CAS JS 385 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS EE385

TR 2:00-3:15 PM

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.

Instructor: Professor Lotner Lev

Jewish Literature and Thought

Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives

CAS JS 348 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 338, PH 495, STH TT 811

TR 2-3:15pm

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.

Instructor: Professor Diana Lobel

History and Holocaust

Antisemitism After the Holocaust

CAS JS 257 (4 Credits)

TR 9:30-11:00 AM

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.

Instructor: Professor Ingrid Anderson

The Holocaust

CAS JS 260 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 384

TR 3:30-4:45 PM

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.

Instructor: Professor Steven T. Katz

Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film

CAS JS 261 (4 Credits)

TR 11:00-12:15 PM

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.

Instructor: Professor Nancy Harrowitz

The Holocaust Through Film

CAS JS 367 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS XL 387

Section A1: TR 11-12:15 PM

Section B1: TR 2-3:15 PM

Prereq: 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.