JS and HGHRS Courses Available in the following  HUB areas (Click the link to see):

Introductory Courses

World Cultures of the Jews

CAS JS 100 (4 Credits)

MWF 10:10-11am

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. BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.

Instructor: Professor Ingrid Anderson  

Sacred Texts and Comparative Traditions 

The Bible

CAS JS 120 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 101

MWF 12:20-1:10pm, discussion B1 M 2:30-3:20pm B2 W 1:25-2:15pm B3 F 11:15am-12:05pm

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. BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.

Instructor: Professor Michael Zank

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 

CAS JS 121 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 104

MWF 11:15-12:05pm

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism in historical and cultural context, origins to the present. Examines the diversity of practices, belief systems, and social structures within these religions. It also addresses debates within and between communities as well as contemporary controversies and concerns. This course carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

Instructor: Professor Jonathan Klawans

History and Holocaust

Judaism in the Modern Period

CAS JS 255 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 328, GRS RN 628

TR 12:30-1:45pm

Exploration of complex encounters between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation to expulsion from Spain and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its consequences; assimilation, conversion, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American Jewish community, modern anti-Semitism. BU HUB areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking

Instructor: Professor Steven T. Katz 

The Holocaust

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

TR 3:30-4:45pm

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. 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) Mts w/ CAS XL 281, RN 685, COM CI 269, STH TX 899

Section A1: TR 11am-12:15pm

Section B1: TR 3:30-4:45pm

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. BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.

Instructor: Professor Nancy Harrowitz

Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy

CAS JS 366 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS LI 386, CI 386

TR 2-3:15pm

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. BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.

Instructor: Professor Nancy Harrowitz

Hebrew Language and Literature

Sixth-Semester Hebrew: Food Culture in Israel

CAS JS 282 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS LH 312

MWF 12:20-1:10pm

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. BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.

Instructor: Professor Miriam Angrist 

Contemporary Jewish Societies and Cultures, incl. Israel Studies

Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity

CAS JS 285 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS HI 392

TR 9:30-10:45am

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. BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.

Instructor: David Lehrer

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 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. BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship, and Intercultural Literacy.

Instructor: Professor Ingrid Anderson  

Gender, Sexuality, and Judaism

CAS JS 377 (4 Credits) Mts w/ CAS RN 337

Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).

R 3:30-6:15pm

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. BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.

Instructor: Professor Deeana Klepper 

Jewish Literature and Thought

Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives

CAS JS 348 (4 Credits) Mts w/  CAS RN 338, PH 408, 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. BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship, and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings. 

Instructor: Professor Diana Lobel

* Students may count up to two courses in the Hebrew language toward the degree in Jewish Studies. These may include any JS, or LH course taught in Hebrew. For a full list of Fall 2021 Hebrew Language courses, please see the course planner.

**Writing seminars do not count towards Jewish Studies Minor Requirements.