Jewish Studies*

JWST GU4145 Topics in Israeli Cinema. 3.00 points.

Israel has a unique and constantly-evolving national cinema, the product of its diverse immigrant population, influences from neighboring nations, and dramatic national history. Beginning with artistic influences from abroad and culminating with native self-examinations, this course will provide a survey of Israeli film history, recurring foci of Israeli cinema, and introductions to influential filmmakers from early director and impresario Menahem Golan to Orthodox writer/director Rama Burshtein. Each class meeting will include a complete screening of an Israeli feature film, as well as clips of related works. Readings will include critical essays and histories which elaborate on in-class screenings and cover additional topics and films. Written assignments will be three analytical essays which will encourage critical thinking, close analysis of films, and independent research beyond the materials presented in class. All readings are in English. All feature films and film clips are in Hebrew (some include Arabic), and will be presented with English subtitles. Students fluent in Hebrew and Arabic are encouraged to interpret the dialogue for additional meaning that may not be translated in the subtitles

JWST GU4990 Topics in Jewish Studies. 4.00 points.

This course approaches Jewish Studies from theoretical and pedagogical standpoints. In addition to looking back at ancient, medieval and Early Modern approaches to the study of Jewish topics and examining the theoretical, historical and religious underpinnings of Jewish Studies as a modern discipline, we will also read theoretical writings from related disciplines. The course will balance these materials with pedagogical materials and exercises. Faculty from disciplines related to Jewish Studies will visit the seminar to offer perspectives on current approaches to the field, and the class will visit the Rare Book and Manuscript Library with Jewish Studies Librarian Michelle Chesner. This course is required for students in the Jewish Studies MA program. It is open to graduate students, and advanced undergraduates may register with permission from the instructor. Please note that faculty visits will be added to the syllabus as they are scheduled

JWST GU4147 Between Tradition ＆ Innovation: Readings in Hasidic History and Literature. 3.00 points.

The popular eighteenth-century mystical revivalist movement known as Hasidism transformed the religious and cultural life of Eastern European Jewry and remains a vibrant form of Judaism to this day. This seminar will introduce students to the history, ideology and major personalities of the Hasidic movement through a close reading of a broad selection of primary texts, including mystical tracts, collections of sermons, spiritual directives, hagiographical tales and polemical writings. We will explore the mystical ideas and practices taught by the founders of the movement, the new forms of leadership they developed and the fierce controversies they aroused. We will also consider the role played by Hasidic literature in the formation and spread of the movement and the tensions it embodied between tradition and innovation, elitism and populism, and oral and written modes of communication. This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates may register with permission from the instructor

JWST GU4156 An Introduction to World Zionist Thought. 4.00 points.

In this course, students will be exposed to a range of different ideas and movements that, together, constitute(d) “Zionism.” Although Israel is frequently in the news, the ideology that lies, in many ways, at the heart of Israeli politics and society is often represented in simplistic – even superficial or inaccurate – terms. Far more than a mere example of “nationalism,” Zionism has variously been interwoven with struggles over land, labor, gender, religion, and identity in not only Palestine/Israel, but also North Africa, East Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Throughout the semester, students will read both primary and secondary sources in order to understand Zionism in its myriad meanings. Part I of the course will explore some of the basic tenets and debates of Zionism, with a focus on ideas prominent in the early twentieth century, such as socialism and Hebraism. Part II of the course will examine the ways in which Zionist ideas conceived in the Ottoman Empire and Europe diverged and took on new and renewed meaning as the Zionist movement reached global dimensions

JWST UN2155 Music, Sound, and Antisemitism. 3.00 points.

From the Middle Ages to the present, individuals involved in making and writing about music, have engaged in behaviors, creations, and discourses steeped in hatred of Jews. This course examines the various ways in which these individuals have used music to perform and inscribe, symbolize, describe, and editorialize antisemitism. In so doing, it focuses on musicking—a term that encompasses all musical activity from composing to performing to listening—in the realms of art music, popular music, and non-Western traditions, as well as of genres that synthesize different styles. It also draws on sound, including language and speech as well as writings such as Wagner’s Judenthum in der Musik (1848−50/69) and Carl Engel’s The Music of the Most Ancient Nations (1864). All of these will serve as a window through which to address the types of Jew-hatred that have become known since the mid-nineteenth century as antisemitism—religious, national and ethnic, political, populist, economic, and institutional—as well as hate speech or “hate talk” and the Jewish responses to it. A basic familiarity with music is helpful for this course, but it is not required as long as there is an openness to listening to music and a commitment to basic aural analysis. You do not need to know Jewish history to take this class, nor do you need to be able to read music. Translations will be provided, and musical analysis will be well explained. Suggested prerequisites: Music Humanities (Columbia University) or An Introduction to Music (Barnard)

MDES UN1501 1ST YR MOD HEBREW:ELEM I. 5.00 points.

This is an introductory course for which no prior knowledge is required. Equal emphasis is given to listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or paragraph writing. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES UN2501 2ND YR MOD HEBREW:INTER I. 5.00 points.

Prerequisites: 1st Year Modern Hebrew II or the equivalent and instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: 1st Year Modern Hebrew II or the equivalent and instructor's permission. Equal emphasis is given to listening, speaking, reading and writing. Regular categories of the Hebrew verb, prepositions, and basic syntax are taught systematically. Vocabulary building. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or short compositions. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES UN2516 INT HEBREW:INTENSVE GRAMMAR REV. 4.00 points.

This course focuses on Modern Hebrew grammar, and verb conjugation in particular. It is designed for students with substantial knowledge of Modern Hebrew. Over the semester, students will systematically review the grammatical patterns of regular verbs (shlemim), and learn the grammatical patterns of the irregular verbs (gzarot), as well as several other grammatical topics. After successful completion of this course, the foreign language requirement will be fulfilled (for students of Columbia College and other academic units that require a 4th-semester proficiency). Successful completion of this course also allows students to register in third-year Modern Hebrew

MDES UN2517 HEBREW FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS I. 4.00 points.

Fee: Language Resource Center Fee - 15.00

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I forms part of a year-long sequence with Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II. The course is intended for those who have developed basic speaking and listening skills through exposure to Hebrew at home or in day-school programs but do not use Hebrew as their dominant language and have not reached the level required for exemption from the Columbia language requirement. Heritage speakers differ in the degree of their fluency, but their vocabulary is often limited to topics in daily life and many lack skills in reading and writing to match their ability to converse. The course focuses on grammar and vocabulary enrichment, exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics in daily life and beyond. By the end of the semester students are able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of topics. Successful completion of the year-long sequence prepares students to enroll in third-year modern Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES GU4501 READINGS IN HEBREW TEXTS I. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: (MDES GU4510) and (MDES GU4511) 3RD Year Modern Hebrew or the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: (MDES GU4510) and (MDES GU4511) 3RD Year Modern Hebrew or the instructor's permission. This course focuses on central identities shaping Israeli society and is designed to give students extensive experience in reading Hebrew. Through selected readings of contemporary literary works and media texts, students will increase their proficiency in Hebrew and enhance their understanding of Israeli culture and society. All readings, written assignments, and class discussions are in Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES GU4510 3RD YR MODERN HEBREW I. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: 2nd Year Modern Hebrew II, Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II, or the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: 2nd Year Modern Hebrew II, Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II, or the instructor's permission. This course is designed to take students from the intermediate to advanced level. Students will further develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in Hebrew through an examination of a wide range of sources, including short stories, poems, visual arts, popular music, television shows and films. All readings, written assignments, and class discussions are in Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

HIST UN2611 JEWS ＆ JUDAISM IN ANTIQUITY. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Students must also enroll in required discussion section.

  Field(s): ANC

HIST GR8132 THE JEWISH BOOK IN EARLY MOD WORLD. 4.00 points.

This course will situate the Jewish book within the context of the theoretical and historical literature on the history of the book: notions of orality and literacy, text and material platform, authors and readers, print and manuscript, language and gender, the book trade and its role in the circulation of people and ideas in the early age of print

HIST GU4641 HOLOCAUST GENOCIDE-AMER CULTRE. 4.00 points.

When the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. opened in 1993, some people asked why a "European" catastrophe was being memorialized alongside shrines to Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln while there was still no museum documenting the experience of African slaves in the United States or the effort to exterminate the Native Americans on this continent. How American intellectuals have thought about the Nazi regime and the Holocaust in Europe since before the Second World War and in the latter half of the twentieth century is te focus on this course. The course will also compare the ways the United States narrates, conceptualizes and deals with the Holocaust as oppsed to other genocidal events. This course is comparative at its core as it examines how intellectuals and institutions spanning from Hannah Arendt to the United Nations to the US Holocaust Museum have woven this event into American culture

CLGR UN3458 Netflix Culture. 3.00 points.

Netflix Culture “Whether you are in Sydney or St. Petersburg, Singapore or Seoul, Santiago or Saskatoon, you now can be part of the internet TV revolution. No more waiting. No more watching on a schedule that’s not your own. No more frustration. Just Netflix.” (Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, 2016) The word “Netflix” refers not simply to the American online video store that became a streaming service in the twenty-first century＆#39;s first decade and an international production company in the second. It is a synecdoche for the widespread popularization of Internet TV seen in the success of SVODs (subscription video-on-demand services) like Amazon Prime Video, Disney , and Apple TV . The course will focus on the pioneering role of the Netflix streaming service and its dominant role in the creation and distribution of popular film and television content. In recent years, the success of internationally acclaimed productions has signaled a renewed interest in global histories and cultures, many of which were produced by Netflix and made available worldwide through its streaming service. The course discusses how processes of distribution and redistribution set in motion by the streaming service call for us to reconsider and reapproach ideas advanced by cultural studies that now seem unsuitable for delineating the full scope of Internet TV’s proliferation. We analyze Netflix series in the global scene and examine how global contents are tied to the emergence of unique genres. How do recent Netflix productions change, modify, or reimagine the narratives of national histories and cultures globally? Has the international online platform and film market more generally changed national images and stereotypes? More specifically, which genre conventions emerge from global politics and these new modes of streaming services? How have the series assimilated to international market conditions and audiences? Has the serial dispositive of television (as opposed to film), as well as the different viewing venues (private space of one’s home) and mode of consumption (binging), changed how global contents are presented? Each week will focus on a different genre and analyze central episodes from two different series

CLSL GU4029 Bible, Literature, Theory. 3.00 points.

This class aims to introduce the students to the field of Bible and Literature, with special attention to the Hebrew Bible and to Literary Theory. We will read portions of Genesis, Numbers, Jonah, Hosea, Ezekiel, Esther, Mark, and Revelations, and discuss it in tandem with literary theory as well as 20th Century literary texts. Literary theory, this class will argue, is central for our understanding of the Bible, and, at the same time, the Biblical text is essential for the manner in which we theorize literature. Our discussion will be guided by four loosely interconnected questions: What insights can we gain about the theology of the Biblical text from a literary analysis? What happens to theological ideas once they are dramatized and narrativized? In what way can modern literary adaptations of the Bible contribute to our understanding of the Biblical text? How does the Bible challenge and trouble some of the perceived ideas of literary theory? The syllabus is divided into three units. The first unit —Bible and Literature in Theory, offers a survey of some of the scholarly approaches to the intersection of literature and theology. We will read theory that interrogates the intersection of theological and literary concepts, focusing on omniscience, authorship, temporality, characterization, and plot. The second unit —Literature as Biblical Exegesis, shifts the focus to a reading of Biblical texts in tandem with their modern literary and cinematic interpretations, focusing on Job and Esther. What, we will ask, happen to the Biblical world once it is being refracted through a modern sensibility? How can we take literature seriously as Biblical hermeneutics? The third unit —Recent Directions, introduces some of the recent directions in the field, focusing on how literature imagines the relationship between Bible, archeology, and modernity, as well as on the intersection of Biblical literature, fantasy, and science fiction

CLSL GU4012 Holocaust Literature: Critical Thinking in Dark Times. 3.00 points.

How do you write literature in the midst of catastrophe? To whom do you write if you don’t know whether your readership will survive? Or that you yourself will survive? How do you theorize society when the social fabric is tearing apart? How do you develop a concept of human rights at a time when mass extermination is deemed legal? How do you write Jewish history when Jewish future seems uncertain? This course offers a survey of the literature and intellectual history written during World War II (1939-1945) both in Nazi occupied Europe and in the free world, written primarily, but not exclusively, by Jews. We will read novels, poems, science fiction, historical fiction, legal theory and social theory and explore how intellectuals around the world responded to the extermination of European Jewry as it happened and how they changed their understanding of what it means to be a public intellectual, what it means to be Jewish, and what it means to be human. The aim of the course is threefold. First, it offers a survey of the Jewish experience during WWII, in France, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Greece, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, the USSR, Argentina, and the United States. Second, it introduces some of the major contemporary debates in holocaust studies. Finally, it provides a space for a methodological reflection on how literary analysis, cultural studies, and historical research intersect

RELI UN2306 INTRO TO JUDAISM. 4.00 points.

A historical overview of Jewish belief and practice as these have crystallized and changed over the centuries. Special attention to ritual and worship, the forms of religious literature, central concepts, religious leadership and institutions, Israel among the nations

RELI GU4509 CRIME/PUNISHMENT-JEWISH CULTRE. 4.00 points.

Jews have stood on every imaginable side of criminal justice: accuser and accused; prosecutor, defendant, and defender; judge and judged; spectator; storyteller; journalist; critic; advocate. How did Jews approach these various roles, and what notions of crime, criminality, punishment, and justice did they bring with them? This course crosses chronological eras, geographical regions, and academic disciplines to explore configurations of crime and punishment in Jewish cultures. It strives to achieve a balance in its coverage of Ashkenaz vs. Sefarad; ancient, late ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary Judaisms; the specific and historical vs. the philosophical and theoretical; and varieties of sex, race, and gender. The role of classical Jewish texts, theology, and community in shaping Jewish approaches to criminal justice will all be considered

SOCI UN3285 ISRAELI SOC ＆ ISR-PLS CONFLICT. 3.00 points.

The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with Israeli society through the lens of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The underlying assumption in this course is that much of the social, economic, political, and cultural processes in contemporary Israel have been shaped by the 100-year Israeli- Arab/Palestinian conflict

SOCI GR6161 Dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. 4.00 points.

The seminar will explore the Israeli-Palestinian (and Israeli-Arab) conflict from the beginning of the 20th century until today. The first part of the seminar will focus on the historical background informing the conflict and leading to the Palestinian refugee problem and the establishment of a Jewish, but not Palestinian, state in 1948. The second part of the seminar focuses on Palestinian-Arab citizens in Israel, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the settlement project, and possible political solutions, as well as the USA's role and its impact on the conflict, the occupation, and the current Gaza war

YIDD UN1101 ELEMENTARY YIDDISH I. 4.00 points.

This course offers an introduction to the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, and an opportunity to discover a fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language and culture in a fun way. Using games, new media, and music, we will learn how to speak, read, listen and write in a language that is considered one of the richest languages in the world (in some aspects of vocabulary). We will also venture outside the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, Yiddish organizations, such as YIVO or Yiddish farm, and so on. We will also have Yiddish-speaking guests and do a few digital projects. At the end of the two-semester course, you will be able to converse in Yiddish on a variety of everyday topics and read most Yiddish literary and non-literary texts. Welcome to Yiddishland!

YIDD UN2101 INTERMEDIATE YIDDISH I. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: YIDD UN1101-UN1102 or the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: YIDD UN1101-UN1102 or the instructor's permission. This year-long course is a continuation of Elementary Yiddish II. As part of the New Media in Jewish Studies Collaborative, this class will be using new media in order to explore and research the fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language, and culture, and to engage in project-oriented activities that will result in creating lasting multi-media online presentations. In addition to expanding the command of the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, i.e. focusing on developing speaking, reading, writing and listening skills, and on the acquisition of more advanced grammatical concepts, students will also get some video and film editing training, and tutorials on archival research. The class will continue to read works of Yiddish literature in the original and will venture outside of the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through exciting field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, YIVO, Yiddish Farm, and so on. And we will also have the Yiddish native-speaker guest series. Welcome back to Yiddishland!

YIDD UN3333 ADVANCED YIDDISH. 3.00 points.

May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites: YIDD UN2101-YIDD UN2102 or the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: YIDD UN2101-YIDD UN2102 or the instructor's permission. Reading of contemporary authors. Stress on word usage and idiomatic expression, discussion

YIDD GU4113 Yiddish for Academic Purposes I. 3 points.

The course focuses on developing skills in reading and translating Yiddish texts for academic research. It starts with an accelerated review of Yiddish grammar, accompanied by short texts and grammar and translation exercises, and then continues with reading a variety of more advanced literary and scholarly texts. Some of the material listed on the syllabus may be substituted by texts suggested by the students. The objective of the class is to acquire solid grammar base as well as reading proficiency that goes beyond word-for-word translation, includes skills of making reasonable guessed based on the context, and develops reading strategies. The course is designed primarily for graduate students who need to conduct research in Yiddish but it is open to everyone. No knowledge of Yiddish required but some background is strongly recommended.

JWST GU4149 A History of Jewish-Muslim Encounters: From the Beginning of Islam Until Today. 4.00 points.

Much of what Americans know today about Jews and Muslims historically comes through journalistic depictions of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. This seminar will introduce students to a far longer history of the many social, cultural, political, and economic encounters and entanglements between Jews and Muslims that spans centuries and continents. We will nuance narratives of both Jews and the Middle East as we move both chronologically and thematically to trace the experiences of Jews in Arabia before and with the rise of Islam, and how Jews and Muslims shaped the theology and religious literature of one another. We will examine how the Islamic conquests brought about the need to create an institutional framework for minorities, and the histories of Jewish communities under various Islamic caliphates, moving from Babylonia, to the eastern Mediterranean, and al-Andalus (Islamic Spain). Following Sephardic Jews with their expulsion in 1492, we will trace the formation of a Sephardic diaspora across the Ottoman Empire and North Africa. Finally, we will chart modern transformations in Jewish-Muslim encounters in daily life, popular culture, religious practice, and political movements. In doing so, we will consider their encounters as part of more global and interregional processes in the Middle East and beyond, such as colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, the formation of modern nation states in the Middle East, and the Israeli-Arab conflict. Through reading scholarly literature and analyzing primary documents—including letters and petitions, newspapers and state records, literature, music, and photography—this course guides students in thinking like historians, reading texts, and formulating interpretations. By centering a wide range of historical voices, we will examine how encounters between Jews and Muslims were shaped by gender, class, race, religious practice, and regionality. In taking our guiding frameworks and approaches from different disciplines and fields, including history, anthropology, visual culture, and postcolonial studies, we will work to better understand the long history of Jewish-Muslim encounters in the Middle East and beyond

JWST GU4153 U.S. Civil and Human Rights Lawyers. 4.00 points.

What is the role of the individual in changing the legal system? To what extent, if any, can individuals transform legal norms? If transformation is possible, how do they go about it? What motivates them? Do these individuals understand themselves as having achieved their aims? This class examines these questions by exploring the work of “cause lawyers,” civil and human rights lawyers who engaged with the legal system for the purpose of changing it to better reflect their values and priorities. By studying works by and about cause lawyers and legal organizations, students will learn to identify overlooked sources of power in the U.S. and global legal system

JWST GU4154 Magic in Jewish History and Culture. 4.00 points.

The belief in the possibility of certain actions to supernaturally alter the laws of nature can be found in virtually every culture and period of human history and the Jewish tradition was no exception. Drawing on a wide range of primary texts, visual media, and ethnographical studies this course will offer an introduction to the broad variety of Jewish magical beliefs and practices from the bible to the present. Students will learn about the various kinds of magic practiced by Jews in different historical periods and cultural contexts, the tensions that existed between magic and prevailing religious and social norms, and the ways magic was integrated as an acceptable and even valued aspect of Jewish culture. The course will also highlight the symbiotic relationship between Jewish magical traditions and those of other cultures, the social functions of Jewish magicians, and the role played by women as practitioners and transmitters of magical lore

CLYD UN3500 READINGS IN JEWISH LITERATURE: American Jewish Literature: A survey. 3.00 points.

This year has been designated the three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Jewish life in America. In examining the work of some of the greatest Jewish writers to live in America – writers in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish, some well known, some less so – this course hopes to answer several related questions. How are the changing fortunes of American Jews reflected in their literary creativity? How does Jewish multilingualism – not only seen in different works, but within the same work – affect modes and styles of Jewish writing? And, perhaps most importantly, how does one define American Jewish writing in an age of increasingly complex affiliations and identifications among American Jews?

ENGL GU4938 HISTORY OF HORROR. 3.00 points.

This course will take a longue durée approach to one of the most widely-attested, and least studied, genres in the western canon: horror. We will take as an orienting assumption the idea that horror is a serious genre, capable of deep and sustained cultural, political, and historical critique, despite its contemporary status as “pulpy” or “pop culture.” We will ask what horror is as an affective and cognitive state, and we will also ask what horror means as a genre. We will ask how horror gets registered in narrative, drama, and in poetic form, and we will address how horror evolves over the centuries. Indeed, the course will range widely, beginning in the early 14th century, and ending in the second decade of the 21st. We will explore multiple different sub-genres of horror, ranging from lyric poetry to film, to explore how horror afforded authors with a highly flexible and experimental means of thinking through enduring questions about human life, linguistic meaning, social connectedness, connectedness with The Beyond, scientific inquiry, and violence. We will explore a series of through-lines: most notably that of cultural otherness, with Jewishness as a particularly archetypal other, thus the pronounced treatment of Jewish literature throughout the course. Other through-lines will include the ideas of placelessness, violence toward women, perverse Christian ritual, and the uncanny valley that separates humans from non-humans. Ultimately, we will try to map out the kinds of social, political, and historical work that horror can do

HIST UN3120 Censorship and Freedom of Expression in Early Modern Europe. 4 points.

In this course we will examine theoretical and historical developments that framed the notions of censorship and free expression in early modern Europe. In the last two decades, the role of censorship has become one of the significant elements in discussions of early modern culture. The history of printing and of the book, of the rise national-political cultures and their projections of control, religious wars and denominational schisms are some of the factors that intensified debate over the free circulation of ideas and speech. Indexes, Inquisition, Star Chamber, book burnings and beheadings have been the subjects of an ever growing body of scholarship. Field(s): EME

HIST UN3604 Jews and the City. 4 points.

Priority given to majors and concentrators, seniors, and juniors.

Prerequisites: the instructor's permission.

Over the course of the nineteenth century, millions of Jews uprooted themselves from their places of birth and moved to cities scattered throughout the world.  This mass urbanization not only created new demographic centers of world Jewry, but also fundamentally transformed Jewish political and cultural life.  In this course, we shall analyze primary source material, literary accounts as well as secondary sources as we examine the Jewish encounter with the city, and see how Jewish culture was shaped by and helped to shape urban culture.  We shall compare Jewish life in six cities spanning from Eastern Europe to the United States and consider how Jews’ concerns molded the urban economy, urban politics, and cosmopolitan culture.  We shall also consider the ways in which urbanization changed everyday Jewish life.  What impact did it have on Jewish economic and religious life?  What role did gender and class play in molding the experiences of Jews in different cities scattered throughout the world?

MUSI GU4113 Medieval Mediterranean Love Songs. 4.00 points.

This seminar will focus on love poetry in the medieval western Mediterranean. Readings will consist primarily of medieval lyric in Old Occitan, Galician Portuguese, Old French, Italian, and Castilian in conversation with concurrent kindred forms of the lyric in classical Arabic and medieval Hebrew from medieval Iberia and Italy. Most weeks will include listening examples but a background in music is not a prerequisite. All texts will be available in translation; originals will also be made available. We will emphasize close reading and analysis, often addressing the relationship between text and music

RELI GR6420 RELIGION ＆ PUBLIC LIFE. 4.00 points.

There is no shortage of spilled ink, popular media coverage, scholarly inquiry, and academic institutes—including right here at Columbia University—dedicated to examining the intersection of religion and public life. From narratives of religion’s predicted decline during the twentieth century to its much-discussed global resurgence at the turn of the twenty-first, the concept of public religion continues to occupy popular imagination. Through the lens of public religion, we are able to examine pressing issues such as the revitalization of, or disillusionment toward, institutional forms and political establishments in our questionably secular age. What happens when religion “goes public”? Correspondingly, what assumptions about the category of religion and its role in public places do discussions of public religion promote? Over the course of the semester, we will investigate the possibilities, pitfalls, and practicalities of understanding religion in terms of public life. The coursework will draw from scholarship, policy documents, and real-world case studies on issues ranging from climate crisis to conspiracy. Focusing on examples of advocacy, considerations of democratic renewal and decline, and competing claims of power and authority, this seminar considers the ways in which our definitions of religion impact lived, embodied, and practiced forms of religion and secularism in our current moment

MDES UN1502 1ST YR MOD HEBREW:ELEM II. 5.00 points.

Prerequisites: MDES UN1501, or the equivalent, based on performance on the placement test.
Prerequisites: MDES UN1501, or the equivalent, based on performance on the placement test. Continued introduction to Hebrew, with equal emphasis on all languages skills. (See MDES UN1501.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES UN2502 2ND YR MODERN HEBREW II. 5.00 points.

Prerequisites: Second Year Hebrew: Intermediate I or instructor permission.
Prerequisites: Second Year Hebrew: Intermediate I or instructor permission. Equal emphasis is given to all language skills. Irregular categories of the Hebrew verb, prepositions and syntax are taught systematically. Vocabulary building. Daily homework includes grammar exercises, short answers, reading, or writing short compositions. Frequent vocabulary and grammar quizzes. (Students completing this course fulfill Columbia College and Barnard language requirement.) No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES UN2516 INT HEBREW:INTENSVE GRAMMAR REV. 4.00 points.

This course focuses on Modern Hebrew grammar, and verb conjugation in particular. It is designed for students with substantial knowledge of Modern Hebrew. Over the semester, students will systematically review the grammatical patterns of regular verbs (shlemim), and learn the grammatical patterns of the irregular verbs (gzarot), as well as several other grammatical topics. After successful completion of this course, the foreign language requirement will be fulfilled (for students of Columbia College and other academic units that require a 4th-semester proficiency). Successful completion of this course also allows students to register in third-year Modern Hebrew

MDES UN2518 HEBREW FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I
Prerequisites: Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II forms the second part of a year-long sequence with Hebrew for Heritage Speakers I. The course is intended for those who have developed basic speaking and listening skills through exposure to Hebrew at home or in day-school programs but do not use Hebrew as their dominant language and have not reached the level required for exemption from the Columbia language requirement. Heritage speakers differ in the degree of their fluency, but their vocabulary is often limited to topics in daily life and many lack skills in reading and writing to match their ability to converse. The course focuses on grammar and vocabulary enrichment, exposing students to a variety of cultural and social topics in daily life and beyond. By the end of the semester students are able to read and discuss simple texts and write about a variety of topics. Successful completion of the year-long sequence prepares students to enroll in third-year modern Hebrew. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES GU4511 3RD YR MODERN HEBREW II. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: Third Year Modern Hebrew I or Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II
Prerequisites: Third Year Modern Hebrew I or Hebrew for Heritage Speakers II Focus on transition from basic language towards authentic Hebrew, through reading of un-adapted literary and journalistic texts without vowels. Vocabulary building. Grammar is reviewed in context. A weekly hour is devoted to practice in conversation. Daily homework includes reading, short answers, short compositions, listening to web-casts, or giving short oral presentations via voice e-mail. Frequent vocabulary quizzes. No P/D/F or R credit is allowed for this class

MDES GU4532 Beyond Human in Modern Hebrew Literature. 4.00 points.

“The possibility of pogroms,” claims Theodor Adorno, “is decided in the moment when the gaze of a fatally-wounded animal falls on a human being. The defiance with which he repels this gaze—’after all it's only an animal’—reappears irresistibly in cruelties done to human beings.” This course traces the development of Modern Hebrew literature, from its fin-de-siècle revival to contemporary Israeli fiction, through the prism of animality and animalization. We will focus on human-animal relations and animalization/dehumanization of humans in literary works by prominent Hebrew authors, including M.Y. Berdichevsky, Devorah Baron, S.Y. Agnon, Amos Oz, David Grossman, Orly Castel-Bloom, Almog Behar, Etgar Keret, and Sayed Kashua. Employing posthumanist and ecofeminist theoretical lenses, we will analyze the bio-political intersections of species and gender, as well as animalization as a process of otherization of marginalized ethnic groups. Throughout the course, we will ask questions, such as: why animals abound in Modern Hebrew literature? Are they merely metaphors for intra-human issues, or rather count as subjects? What literary devices are used to portray animals? How has the depiction of human-animal relations changed in Hebrew over the last 150 years? How do cultural and political frameworks inform representations of human-animal relations? No prior knowledge of Hebrew is required; all readings and class discussions will be in English. Course participants with reading knowledge of Hebrew are encouraged to consult the original literary texts, provided by the instructor upon request

YIDD UN1101 ELEMENTARY YIDDISH I. 4.00 points.

This course offers an introduction to the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, and an opportunity to discover a fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language and culture in a fun way. Using games, new media, and music, we will learn how to speak, read, listen and write in a language that is considered one of the richest languages in the world (in some aspects of vocabulary). We will also venture outside the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, Yiddish organizations, such as YIVO or Yiddish farm, and so on. We will also have Yiddish-speaking guests and do a few digital projects. At the end of the two-semester course, you will be able to converse in Yiddish on a variety of everyday topics and read most Yiddish literary and non-literary texts. Welcome to Yiddishland!

YIDD UN1102 ELEMENTARY YIDDISH II. 4.00 points.

This course offers an introduction to the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, and an opportunity to discover a fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language and culture in a fun way. Using games, new media, and music, we will learn how to speak, read, listen and write in a language that is considered one of the richest languages in the world (in some aspects of vocabulary). We will also venture outside the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, Yiddish organizations, such as YIVO or Yiddish farm, and so on. We will also have Yiddish-speaking guests and do a few digital projects. At the end of the two-semester course, you will be able to converse in Yiddish on a variety of everyday topics and read most Yiddish literary and non-literary texts. Welcome to Yiddishland!

YIDD UN2102 INTERMEDIATE YIDDISH II. 4.00 points.

Prerequisites: YIDD UN1101-UN1102 or the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: YIDD UN1101-UN1102 or the instructor's permission. This year-long course is a continuation of Elementary Yiddish II. As part of the New Media in Jewish Studies Collaborative, this class will be using new media in order to explore and research the fabulous world of Yiddish literature, language, and culture, and to engage in project-oriented activities that will result in creating lasting multi-media online presentations. In addition to expanding the command of the language that has been spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews for more than a millennium, i.e. focusing on developing speaking, reading, writing and listening skills, and on the acquisition of more advanced grammatical concepts, students will also get some video and film editing training, and tutorials on archival research. The class will continue to read works of Yiddish literature in the original and will venture outside of the classroom to explore the Yiddish world today: through exciting field trips to Yiddish theater, Yiddish-speaking neighborhoods, YIVO, Yiddish Farm, and so on. And we will also have the Yiddish native-speaker guest series. Welcome back to Yiddishland!

YIDD UN3333 ADVANCED YIDDISH. 3.00 points.

May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites: YIDD UN2101-YIDD UN2102 or the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: YIDD UN2101-YIDD UN2102 or the instructor's permission. Reading of contemporary authors. Stress on word usage and idiomatic expression, discussion

YIDD UN3500 SURVEY OF YIDDISH LIT (ENG). 3.00 points.

For the better part of a thousand years Yiddish was the primary language of European Jewry – and the language of its most exciting and vibrant literary and cultural achievement. This class hopes to trace the history of that literature – which is at its heart a history of much of the Jewish people as it lived traditionally faced modernity and suffered catastrophe. Stories poems plays – by authors ranging from Nobel prize winners like Isaac Bashevis Singer to seventeenth century women like Gluckel of Hameln – are not only great works of art in their own right but they open a window into a largely vanished world