Introduction to Jewish Studies

Instructor: Dr. Aslan Cohen Mizrahi

Tuesday/Thursday: 1:25-2:40PM

Why and how do we study Jewish religion, history, culture, philosophy, and politics? Introduction to the Jewish scholarly world over three millennia with an emphasis on modern approaches and contemporary problems. Includes ancient texts, medieval philosophy, modern Jewish literature and film, Sephardi/Mizrahi traditions, responses to the Holocaust, American Jewish culture, Israel/Palestine, etc. Several Duke professors and other experts (rabbis, curators, community leaders) lead guest sessions. Includes at least one field trip to a local museum, cultural site, or organization. Part of the Focus cluster Science & Religion in Public Life.

Introduction to Jewish Studies opens a vista to the Jewish scholarly world over three millennia with an emphasis on modern scholarship and contemporary problems and approaches. The course displays the variety of Jewish Studies disciplines as students study canonical Jewish texts (the Bible, the Talmud), modern Jewish literature and film, the diversity of Jewish diasporas and cultures over millennia, antisemitism and persecution, Jewish politics and ethics, and contemporary Jewish communities and lives. Faculty in Jewish Studies give interactive presentations on aspects of the discipline from the perspective of their own research, as do faculty from adjoining disciplines and schools, including Jewish legal and medical scholars. Local rabbis, curators, activists, and community leaders speak about the place of Judaism and Jewishness in the broader public. Readings are in selective representative works of each discipline and its primary sources. Students will emerge with a comprehensive understanding of the scholarly world of Jewish Studies, the questions scholars raise, and the history and life behind it. This is a Focus course in the Science and Religion in Public Life cluster, but it can also fulfill the Gateway requirement for Jewish Studies.

Codes: HI, IJ

MOI: CCI