1997-98 University Bulletin Entry for:

The Philip W. Lown School of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies

The Lown School is the center for all programs of teaching and research in the areas of Judaic studies, Ancient Near Eastern studies, and Islamic and Modern Middle Eastern studies. The school includes the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, the Hornstein Program for Jewish Communal Service, and the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies. The Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies offers academic programs in the major areas of its concern. The Hornstein Program is a professional training program leading to the Master of Arts degree in Jewish communal service. It makes full use of the academic resources of the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and other departments in the University. The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies conducts, and serves to stimulate, research and teaching in contemporary Jewish studies, primarily in the field of American Jewish studies.

Near Eastern and Judaic Studies

S = Objectives

The Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies bears a proud tradition of scholarly excellence in both of the fields it embraces: the history, languages, and cultures of the Ancient Near and Modern Middle East and the study of the Jewish people, including its history, religion, literature, and place in civilization.

Undergraduate Concentration

Undergraduate students are welcome to study in the department as concentrators, as minors, or simply to take individual courses. Concentrators may go on to have academic, diplomatic, or professional careers related to the Middle East, the rabbinate, Jewish education, and other professions in the Jewish community. Concentrators find that their NEJS background serves them well in preparation for a great variety of graduate and professional careers.

The undergraduate concentration in Near Eastern and Judaic studies is designed to combine a broad education in the various disciplines and periods that constitute this field, with a degree of specialization in one specific area. It is the intent of the major also to introduce students to the critical study of Judaic sources, classical and modern, within the academic context. Concentrators are strongly encouraged to diversify their courses within the department and to consider parallel courses in other departments in order to acquaint themselves with the different religious and cultural traditions and approaches that Near Eastern and Judaic studies embraces.

(For the concentration in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies please see under that heading in this Bulletin.)

Graduate Program in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies

The graduate program in Near Eastern and Judaic studies, leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree, is designed to train scholars and teachers in various areas of Near Eastern and Judaic studies. On the M.A. level, the department offers general and specialized programs. Also, a five-year B.A./M.A. program is available to undergraduate majors in the department. In addition, a three-year double degree program leading to the M.A. in Jewish communal service and M.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic studies is available to students of the Hornstein Program.

S = How to Become an Undergraduate Concentrator

Students who wish to concentrate in Near Eastern and Judaic studies meet with the undergraduate advising head and are assigned a faculty advisor in accordance with their individual areas of interest. Together with their advisor, they develop a plan of study designed to fulfill the requirements of the concentration and to meet their personal interests and needs. With the approval of the department, a limited amount of credit may be awarded for appropriate courses taken at other universities. For further details, please see below.

G = How to Be Admitted to the Graduate Program

The general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, as specified in an earlier section of this Bulletin, apply to candidates for admission to this program.

Program of Study

Among the main fields in the area of Near Eastern and Judaic studies in which courses are being given in the Graduate School are: Bible and ancient Near East studies, early rabbinical literature, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy and thought, the modern Middle East, contemporary Jewish studies, and modern Hebrew literature. The program regularly offers additional courses in related fields.

S = Faculty

Antony Polonsky, Chair

East European Jewish history. Holocaust studies.

Tzvi Abusch

Languages and cultures of Ancient Mesopotamia. Ancient Near Eastern religions.

Bracha Azoulay

Hebrew language.

Marc Brettler

The Bible and its interpretation.

Bernadette Brooten, M.A. Advisor

Christian studies.

Charles Cutter

Jewish bibliography.

Olga Davidson

Arabic language and literature. Persian language and literature.

Sylvia Fishman

Contemporary Jewry and American Jewish sociology.

Arthur Green

Jewish thought.

Sarah Hascal

Hebrew language.

Reuven Kimelman

Talmud. Midrash. Liturgy.

Rena Lavie

Hebrew language.

Avigdor Levy

Middle Eastern studies.

Kanan Makiya

Middle East studies

Alan Mintz, Graduate Advising Head

Hebrew literature.

Yitzhak Nakash

Middle East studies.

Bruria Nevo-Hacohen

Hebrew language.

Bonit Porath

Hebrew language.

Benjamin Ravid, Undergraduate Advising Head

Medieval and early modern Jewish history.

Jehuda Reinharz

Modern Jewish history.

Bernard Reisman

Jewish communal service.

Vardit Ringvald

Hebrew language.

Jonathan Sarna

American Jewish history.

Esther Shorr

Hebrew language.

David Wright

Biblical studies. Languages and literatures of the Ancient Near East.

The following members of other departments are affiliated with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies:

Joyce Antler (AMST), Alan Avery-Peck (Department of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross), Gerald Bernstein (FA), Eugene Black (HIST), Jacob Cohen (AMST), Gordon Fellman (SOC), Gregory Freeze (HIST), Sherry Israel (JCS), Patricia Johnston (CLAS), Edward Kaplan (ROMCL), Ann Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS), Wellington Nyangoni (AAAS), Joseph Reimer (JCS), Shulamit Reinharz (SOC), Sharon Rivo (National Center for Jewish Film), Benson Saler (ANTH), Susan Shevitz (JCS), Lawrence Sternberg (JCS), Ibrahim Sundiata (AAAS), Robert Szulkin (GSL), Stephen Whitfield (AMST).

S = Requirements for the Undergraduate Concentration

A. Students must complete NEJS 1a (Foundational Course in Judaic Studies). It should be taken as early as possible in the concentration.

B. At least seven other courses in Near Eastern and Judaic studies. At least four of the eight (NEJS 1a and seven other) required courses must be taught by members of the NEJS faculty. Up to four may be cross-listed courses or courses taken at other universities. Courses used to fulfill the Hebrew requirement (E below) do not count toward the fulfillment of this requirement.

C. Students must select one of the following areas as their field of specialization. In that area, students must complete at least three courses:

1. Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

2. Early Post-Biblical Judaism, Early Christianity, Rabbinic and

Medieval Jewish Studies

3. Modern and Contemporary Jewish Studies (including Yiddish)

4. Hebrew Language and Literature

5. Jewish Philosophy and Thought

6. Jewish History

7. Israeli Studies

8. Independent Focus (with the approval of the undergraduate

advising head)

The following courses may not be used toward the field of specialization: YDSH 10a (Beginning Yiddish), YDSH 20b (Continuing Yiddish), PRSN 10a (Beginning Persian), PRSN 20b (Continuing Persian), ARBC 10a (Beginning Literary Arabic), and ARBC 20b (Continuing Literary Arabic).

D. Students must complete at least one course in each of the three chronological periods (1, 2, and 3 above) covered by the department.

E. Students must complete the following Hebrew language requirement: (1) any fourth semester Hebrew course (except HBRW 42a), and (2) HBRW 101a or 101b or any Bible or rabbinics course in which the texts studied are in Hebrew, and (3) HBRW 110a, 110b, 111a, or 111b or any Hebrew literature course in which the texts studied are in Hebrew. In exceptional cases, with the permission of the director of the Hebrew Language Program, other courses may be substituted to fulfill this requirement. In no case may courses used to fulfill the Hebrew requirement count toward fulfillment of any other departmental requirement.

Honors

Satisfactory completion of NEJS 99d (Senior Research) is required of candidates for degrees with honors. Students proposing to seek honors should petition the department no later than September of their senior year.

Combined B.A./M.A. Program

Qualified Brandeis University seniors are invited to apply for admission to the department's five-year program leading to a master's degree in the fifth year. To qualify for admission to the program, students must have spent at least two years in residence at Brandeis, and must complete all B.A. requirements, including NEJS concentration requirements, by the end of their fourth year. Students accepted into the program may apply toward the master's degree up to seven NEJS courses (or approved cross-listed courses) numbered 100 or above in which they have received at least the grade of B-. During their fifth year, which must be spent in residence, students must complete seven additional courses with a grade of at least B-, of which four must be in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, as well as their qualifying examination. Fulfillment of the departmental B.A. language requirement constitutes fulfillment of the B.A./M.A. language requirement. Students must obtain prior approval from the M.A. advisor before taking courses outside of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. An undergraduate honors thesis will not be accepted as a master's thesis.

S = Evaluation of Transfer Credits

A. By departmental rule a maximum of four semester course credits for courses taken at other universities may be accepted toward the departmental concentration requirements. Each course transferred from another university must have the approval of the department in order to be acceptable for credit toward the concentration requirements. This rule applies to courses completed at any other institution, whether in the United States or abroad.

B. No more than two courses taken at special programs for overseas students may be applied. Students are encouraged to seek advanced approval from the department's undergraduate advisor for all courses intended for transfer credit.

C. For courses taken in Israeli universities, one Brandeis semester credit is considered equivalent to the following: a three-hour-per-week one-semester course; a two-semester, two-hour-per-week course; or two, two-hour-per-week, one-semester courses. Credit is not granted for Ulpan courses, however Hebrew courses at Ulpan Akiva are the exception. Students are free to take the Hebrew Placement Test administered at Brandeis.

S = Hebrew Language Program

The Hebrew Language Program offers a variety of courses from introductory to advanced levels. Each of these courses emphasizes a different aspect of the language. Students in the program are encouraged to develop their level of proficiency by choosing to concentrate on either the cultural aspects of the language, or by improving the four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. The main options and conditions for studying Hebrew are the following:

A. Courses that emphasize the four basic skills are appropriate for most students. HBRW 10a, 20b, 34a, 44b.

B. Honors courses, which are more intensive than the previous set of courses. Students are placed in these courses by the director of the Hebrew Language Program following the recommendation of the Hebrew language instructor. HBRW 29b, 39a.

C. Courses that emphasize writing skills and expansion of grammar are appropriate for students who did not begin studying Hebrew at Brandeis. HBRW 31a, 41b, 106b.

D. Courses that emphasize reading skills for the purpose of research and scholarly work. HBRW 102a, 102b, and independent study HBRW 98a.

E. Culture courses include: Israeli films, Israeli theater, Hebrew drama, Jerusalem, Israeli women, history of the Hebrew language, literature, and classical Hebrew.

F. Students may enroll in only one 10-level, only one 20-level, and no more than two 30-level Hebrew language courses for credit.

There are a wide variety of courses that have 30-level or 40-level Hebrew courses as prerequisites:

Conversational Hebrew HBRW 42a, 103a, 105a, 106b

Classical Hebrew HBRW 101a, 101b

Advanced Composition HBRW 41b, 106b, 108b

and Grammar

Modern Hebrew Literature HBRW 110a, 110b, 111a, 111b

Modern Israeli Culture HBRW 44b, 104a, 104b, 107a, 107b, 109a

Entering first year and transfer students are required to take the Hebrew Placement Test if they plan to enroll in any Hebrew course. Complete beginners should place themselves in Hebrew 10 and fill out a questionnaire. Students who are placed above third semester (i.e. Hebrew 31, 33, 34) will have fulfilled the Brandeis language requirement and will be exempted.

NEJS majors need to take one of the following fourth semester courses: HBRW 41 or HBRW 44. (HBRW 42 does not satisfy the language requirement for the NEJS concentration.)

The Hebrew Language Program also offers summer courses at Brandeis and at Ulpan Akiva in Israel and a Hebrew Teacherís Certificate.

S = Classification of Courses

Hebrew

HBRW 10a, 20b, 23b, 29b, 31a, 34a, 39a, 41b, 42a, 44b, 49b, 98b, 101a, 101b, 102a, 102b, 103a, 104a, 104b, 105a, 106b, 107a, 107b, 108b, 109a, 110a, 110b, 111a, 111b

Yiddish

YDSH 10a, 20b, 30a, 40b, 86b

Persian

PRSN 10a, 20b, 30a

Arabic

ARBC 10a, 20b, 30a, 40b, NEJS 103a, 103b

General and Introductory Courses

IMES 104a, NEJS 1a, 63b, 68b, 73b, 111a, 127b, 164b, 173b, 181b

Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

NEJS 72a, 104b, 106b, 107a, 108a, 108b, 109a, 109b, 110b, 111a, 112a, 113a, 113b, 114a, 114b, 115a, 115b, 117a, 117b, 118b, 122b, 131b, 142b, 156b

Talmud and Rabbinic Literature

NEJS 53b, 120b, 125b, 126b, 127b

Jewish Philosophy and Thought

NEJS 73b, 116b, 123b, 124b, 129a, 130b, 132b, 146a, 153a, 155b, 158b, PHIL 71a

Hebrew and Yiddish Literature

NEJS 86b, 135b, 138a, 139b, 177a, 177b, 178a, 179a, 180b, 181b, 182b, 185b

Contemporary Jewish Studies

AMST 121a, NEJS 160a, 160b, 162a, 162b, 163a, 163b, 164b, 165a, 169a, 169b, 170b, 172a, 173b, 174b, 176a, 190b, 191a, 191b, 194b

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

ANTH 134a, HIST 184a, IMES 104a, NEJS 128a, 128b, 143b, 144a, 144b, 145b, 147a, 147b, 148a, 149b, 157a, 161b, 171b, 195a, 195b

Jewish History

NEJS 68b, 140a, 140b, 141a, 151b, 152b, 157a, 165a, 165b, 166a, 166b, 167a, 167b, 168a, 168b, 169a

Christian Studies

NEJS 130a, 132a, 133b, 134b, 135a, 138a, 148b, 150a, 150b

S = Requirements for the Minor in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies

The minor consists of a coherent set of five courses in Near Eastern and Judaic studies, of which two may be cross-listed courses or courses taken at other universities.

A. Three of these courses are to be selected from one of the following fields:

1. Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

2. Early Post-Biblical Judaism, Early Christianity, Rabbinic and

Medieval Jewish Studies

3. Modern and Contemporary Jewish Studies (including Yiddish)

4. Hebrew Language and Literature (Hebrew 30a and above)

5. Jewish Philosophy and Thought

6. Jewish History

7. Israeli Studies

8. Independent Focus (with the approval of the undergraduate

advising head)

B. The additional two courses are to be selected from any of the other fields listed above. No more than two of the following semester courses may be applied toward the minor: YDSH 10a (Beginning Yiddish), YDSH 20b (Continuing Yiddish), PRSN 10a (Beginning Persian), PRSN 20b (Continuing Persian), ARBC 10a (Beginning Literary Arabic), and ARBC 20b (Continuing Literary Arabic).

C. Students are required to declare the minor in NEJS no later than the beginning of the senior year. Each student declaring a minor will be assigned a departmental advisor after conferring with the undergraduate advising head.

D. By departmental rule, a maximum of two semester course credits for courses taken at other universities may be accepted toward the minor in NEJS. Each course transferred from another university must have the approval of the department in order to be acceptable for credit toward the minor requirements. This rule applies to courses completed at any other institution, whether in the United States or abroad. No more than two courses taken at special programs for overseas students may be applied. Students are encouraged to seek advanced approval from the department's undergraduate advisor for all courses intended for transfer credit. For courses taken in Israeli universities, one Brandeis semester credit will be given for a three-hour-per-week semester course, a two-semester, two-hour-per-week course, or two, two-hour, one-semester courses. Credit is not granted for Ulpan courses, however Brandeis Hebrew courses at Ulpan Akiva are the exception. Students are free to take the Hebrew Placement Test administered at Brandeis.

G = Requirements for the Diploma in Jewish Studies

Residence Requirement

One year of full-time study, consisting of eight courses tailored to the needs of the student.

Comprehensive Exam

The student will be examined at the end of the year.

G = Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts

Residence Requirement

Ordinarily, two years of full-time residence are required at the normal course rate of seven courses each academic year. At least eight of these required courses must be offered by members of the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Department. Students may not include courses taken to prepare for the M.A. language examination (HBRW 102 and below, or ARBC 40 and below) among these eight courses, but may include them among the required fourteen courses. Students must obtain prior approval from the M.A. advisor before taking courses outside of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Students who enter with graduate credit from other recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit for up to four courses, or, with prior approval of the M.A. advisor, candidates may receive transfer credit for up to four courses for study at a university abroad.

Language Requirement

All candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in biblical or modern Hebrew or Arabic. Candidates may not apply toward their required courses any language courses taught outside of NEJS, without advanced permission.

Comprehensive Examination

All candidates for the Master of Arts degree are required to pass a comprehensive examination.

Thesis

Students may petition to write, or in the field of modern Middle East, may be required to write, a thesis, which must be submitted no later than April 1 of the year in which the degree is to be conferred. A thesis is not required in other fields in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.

G = Requirements for the Three-Year Double Master's Program: Hornstein/NEJS

Program of Study

This degree is for students accepted into the Hornstein Program who seek a more intensive level of Judaic studies than is normally available in the two-year curriculum (especially for students specializing in Jewish education). Students who enroll in the three-year program devote most of their first year to general Judaic studies and must take at least one additional NEJS course in each of their remaining two years. These must be regular graduate (100- or 200-level) NEJS courses and HBRW courses, not courses primarily geared for Jewish communal service students, and only one of the courses may deal primarily with the contemporary period. NEJS and HBRW course selections must be approved by the NEJS faculty member overseeing this program.

In their first year, students must complete six NEJS courses and JCS 205a (Introduction to Jewish Communal Service). In their second year, students must complete one NEJS course and seven JCS courses and in the summer complete the Israel Seminar (JCS 350a) and individualized Judaica study in Israel (SSIP). In their third year, students must complete one NEJS course (that may be a reading course to prepare for the comprehensive exam) and six JCS courses. All candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in biblical or modern Hebrew. Graduates of the double degree program receive two masters degrees.

G = Requirements for the Joint Degree of Master of Arts in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Women's Studies

Students interested in the joint two-year terminal M.A. degree program must first be admitted to the M.A. degree program in NEJS in the regular manner.

Program of Study

Courses must include a designated foundational course in women's studies, one women's studies course in NEJS, one women's studies course outside of NEJS, and the year-long, noncredit, eight-part Women's Studies Colloquium Series. The remaining courses must be jointly approved by each student's NEJS advisor and by the NEJS women's studies advisor.

Residence Requirement

Ordinarily, two years of full-time residence are required at the normal course rate of seven courses each academic year. Students who enter with graduate credit from other recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit for up to four courses, or, with prior approval of the M.A. advisor, candidates may receive transfer credit for up to four courses for study at a university abroad.

Language Requirement

All candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in biblical or modern Hebrew or in Arabic.

Comprehensive Examination

All candidates for the Master of Arts degree are required to pass a comprehensive examination.

Thesis

In areas of NEJS that do not require an M.A. thesis, students receiving a joint M.A. degree in women's studies and NEJS must complete a research project on an issue connected to women's studies.

Research Project

This project must be at least 25 pages long, in a format suitable for submission to a specific journal or for presentation at a professional conference. It may be a revision of a paper previously completed while enrolled in the M.A. degree program at Brandeis. It must concern a topic relevant to NEJS and to women's studies. The project is read by two faculty members within NEJS and by an additional member of the Women's Studies Program Committee. It must be defended before that three-person committee by the first week of May of the year in which the candidate intends to receive the degree. (Check the date with the Office of the University Registrar. It may vary with the academic calendar.) Once the project is found to be of acceptable M.A. degree quality, one copy of the project should be submitted to the women's studies office, and an additional copy should be deposited in the Brandeis Library.

G = Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Residence Requirement

Three years of full-time residence are required at the normal rate of at least seven term courses each academic year. Students who enter with graduate credit from other recognized institutions may apply for transfer credit. By rule of the Graduate School, a maximum of one year of credit may be accepted toward the residence requirement on the recommendation of the chair of the program.

Funding and Annual Evaluation

Scholarships and fellowships are generally renewable for three additional years (four for students in the program in Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies), subject to evaluation by their professors at the conclusion of each academic year. These evaluations will be shared with the students and will be part of their official file, along with their grades. Additionally, University Dissertation Fellowships are available on a University-wide competitive basis for the final year.

Language Requirements

Candidates are required to establish competence in Hebrew or Arabic as well as in two European languages, normally French and German. These exams are administered by the students' advisors. Additional languages may be required as necessary for research in each individual candidate's program.

Candidates are not normally admitted to any Ph.D. program in Jewish studies, including modern and American Jewish studies, until they demonstrate reading knowledge of modern Hebrew. Students who require additional work in this area should apply for the Degree of Master of Arts.

Consortium

Students should also discuss with their advisors the desirability of taking courses at member institutions of the Boston Consortium.

Comprehensive Examinations

All candidates for the Ph.D. degree are required to pass several comprehensive examinations. Specific requirements vary from program to program. Details may be obtained from the department office. In the semester in which students plan to take their qualifying examinations, they must sign up for reading courses with the members of the faculty who will participate in those examinations.

Dissertation Proposal

After completing all qualifying examinations and language requirements, students must submit their dissertation proposal to the department faculty by the end of the third year or the beginning of the fourth year (by the end of the fourth year for students in the program in Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies), after first obtaining the approval of their dissertation director and the other two members of the dissertation reading committee. These proposals should be up to 20 pages in length, including bibliography, and contain a clear articulation of the topic with rationale for selecting it, a summary of current research in its area, its intended contribution to scholarship, methodology, sources, structure and table of contents, preliminary bibliography, and any other relevant material.

Dissertation and Defense

The dissertation, ordinarily between 250 and 400 pages in length, must demonstrate the candidate's thorough mastery of the field and competence in pursuing independent research; it must also constitute an original contribution to knowledge. Two copies of the dissertation are to be deposited in the office of the program chair no later than March 1 of the year in which the candidate expects to earn the degree. The student must successfully defend the dissertation at a Final Oral Examination.

S = Courses of Instruction

S = (1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

NEJS 1a Foundational Course in Judaic Studies

[ hum ]

A survey of the Jewish experience and thought, focusing on the varieties of historical Judaism including its classical forms, its medieval patterns and transformations, and its modern options. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 53b Introduction to Talmud

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: A 30-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

An introduction to Treatise Sanhedrin, on the subject of judicial procedure and capital punishment. Attention will be paid to modes of argument, literary form, and development of the Talmudic text. No previous study of Talmud is presupposed. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 63b Introduction to the Gospels

[ hum ]

Meets the concentration requirement in NEJS.

A historical and textual examination of the Christian Bible, with special attention to the formation of the literary and theological traditions of the gospels and a focus on an analysis of one specific gospel. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 68b History of the Jews from 1492 to the Present

[ hum ss ]

The main trends and events in the legal, political, social, economic, and religious history of the Jewish people in the context of the general background, with emphasis on major areas of Jewish settlement. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 72a Texts from the Hebrew Bible

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Some knowledge of biblical Hebrew; students who know only modern Hebrew may enroll with the permission of the instructor.

A survey of the major genres of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Torah, history, prophecy, psalms, wisdom). Texts will be read in Hebrew; the course will be taught in English. Emphasis will be on literary and grammatical aspects of the texts. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 73b Midrash and the Religious Imagination

[ hum ]

This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken USEM 79b.

An examination of several biblical tales as they are interpreted, re-read, and transformed in the historical development of Jewish biblical exegesis. Readings from Midrash, medieval commentaries, the mystical tradition, and modern interpretations in the form of direct commentary, fiction, and poetry. All works read in translation with Hebrew originals made available for those who can read them. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Green

NEJS 86b The World of Yiddish Literature

[ hum ]

Enrollment limited to 20.

An introduction to Yiddish prose and poetry, this course will be taught in English, using texts in translation. The reading list includes classics and selections from contemporary artists. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. HarPaz

NEJS 98a Independent Study

Signature of the instructor required.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

NEJS 98b Independent Study

Signature of the instructor required.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

NEJS 99d Senior Research

Signature of the instructor required.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

G = (100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

NEJS 103a Advanced Literary Arabic

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: ARBC 40b or the equivalent.

Designed to help the student attain an advanced reading proficiency. The syllabus includes selections from classical and modern texts representing a variety of styles and genres. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 103b Advanced Literary Arabic

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: NEJS 103a or the equivalent.

Continuation of NEJS 103a. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Nakash

NEJS 104b Ezra, Daniel, and Early Aramaic Texts

[ hum ]

Prerequisites: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or permission of the instructor.

A study of the language and text of the Aramaic portions of Ezra and Daniel and of other early Aramaic documents. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1994.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 106b Elementary Ugaritic

[ hum ]

An introduction to the language with study of various texts. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 107a Biblical Prophecy

[ hum ]

A study of the prophetic figures and prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible. The emphasis will be on what these books meant in ancient Israel, and on the various approaches modern scholarship has used to understand prophecy as a religious and cultural phenomenon. No knowledge of Hebrew is presumed. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1993.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 108a Elementary Akkadian

[ hum ]

Introduction to Akkadian grammar and lexicon and cuneiform script. This course is for beginning students of Akkadian. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 108b Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages

[ hum ]

An introduction to and description of the Semitic languages, the internal relationships within this linguistic family, and the distinctive grammatical and lexical features of the individual languages. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1997.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 109a Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture I

[ cl38 nw hum NW ]

An introduction to the history and culture of the ancient Near East from the beginnings of civilization up to and including the appearance of Israel. Readings are in English. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1997.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 109b Intermediate Akkadian

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: NEJS 108a or the equivalent.

Review of grammar and reading of Old Babylonian historical inscriptions, laws, letters, and literary texts. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 110b The Hebrew Bible: Meaning and Context

[ hum ]

Prerequisites: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, permission of the instructor.

A close reading of selected biblical texts. Topics may vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1994.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 111a The Hebrew Bible

[ cl45 hum ]

A survey of the Hebrew Bible. Biblical books will be examined from various perspectives and compared to other ancient Near Eastern compositions. No knowledge of Hebrew is presumed. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 112a The Book of Genesis

[ hum ]

Close reading of the text of Genesis, with particular attention to the meaning, documentary sources, and Near Eastern background of the accounts of creation and origins of human civilization in chapters one to 11, and of the patriarchal narratives, especially those about Abraham. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 113a The Bible in Aramaic

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or permission of the instructor.

A study of the language and text of the Targumim, Qumran Aramaic Paraphrases, and the Syriac Peshitta. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1995.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 113b Near Eastern Law: Source, Sense, and Society

[ nw hum ss NW ]

A study of laws and legal ideas in biblical and Near Eastern law "codes," treaties, contracts; economic documents and narratives; the development and function of the documents and ideas; the meaning of the laws; their significance for the various societies. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1995.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 114a The Book of Amos

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or a strong reading knowledge of biblical Hebrew.

An intensive study of the Hebrew text, its historical background, and its ideas and their place in ancient Israel. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1993.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 114b Biblical Ritual and Cult

[ cl48 hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or permission of the instructor.

A study of ritual and cultic texts of the Bible (in Hebrew) and their rites and phenomena with historical-critical, Near Eastern-environmental, social-scientific, and literary analysis. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 1997.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 115a The Book of Deuteronomy

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or a strong reading knowledge of biblical Hebrew.

A close examination of the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy with special attention to its religious, legal, and compositional features. Traditions found in the Book of Deuteronomy will be compared with their counterparts elsewhere in the Pentateuch. The place of the Book of Deuteronomy in the history of the religion of Israel will be considered. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1994.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 115b Women and the Bible

[ cl37 hum ]

The Hebrew Bible, a complex work, reflects a wide range of attitudes toward women. We will examine these attitudes as they are reflected in issues such as the legal status of women, women in myths, women leaders, prostitution, and the gender of ancient Israel's deity. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1994.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 117a Job and Related Literature

[ hum ]

A close study of the Book of Job against the background of biblical and ancient Near Eastern wisdom texts. The literary structure of the book and the problem of the righteous will be focused on. An additional weekly meeting will be scheduled to read representative texts in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1996.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 117b Dead Sea Scrolls

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b or the equivalent.

Studies in the literature of Qumran texts, with particular attention to the exegetical literature. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1996.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 118b The Book of Psalms

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or a strong reading knowledge of biblical Hebrew.

Selected readings of biblical psalms. Special attention will be paid to religious ideas, literary forms, and poetics. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1990.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 120a Modern History of East European Jewry

[ hum ]

A comprehensive survey of the history (economic, socio-political, and religious) of the Jewish communities in Eastern Europe from the middle of the 18th century until World War II, with emphasis placed on the Jews of Poland and Russia. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 120b Intermediate Talmud

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: A 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

Tractate Sanhedrin, chapter three, which deals with the issue of voluntary and compulsory arbitration and the binding nature of gambling agreements. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 121a Polish-Jewish Relations in the Twentieth Century

[ hum ]

In the Jewish world, Poland has often been seen as a byword for anti-Semitism. Most Poles reject this analysis as one-sided and over-simplified. We examine how these two diametrically opposed views of Polish-Jewish relations have come to be current and how much truth lies behind the stereotypes. Usually offered every third year.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 122b Biblical Narrative Texts: The Book of Judges

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 101a or b, NEJS 72a, or a strong reading knowledge of biblical Hebrew.

An examination of the Hebrew book of Judges. The basic tools for biblical research and the literary study of the Bible will be explored. Topics vary from year to year and this course may be repeated for credit. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 123b Classical Biblical Commentaries

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Advanced reading knowledge of Hebrew.

An intensive study of the French and Spanish schools of Jewish commentators on selected books of the Bible. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1994.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 124b Introduction to Jewish Mysticism

[ cl48 hum ]

A study of Jewish mysticism of the Middle Ages, primarily as presented in its most important work, The Zohar. While investigating the nature of mysticism and the transformation of key motifs of Judaism into a mystical key, the course will also be concerned with how to read a Jewish mystical text. All readings are in English. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Green

NEJS 125b Midrashic Literature: Sifre Deuteronomy

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: A 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

An analysis of the midrashic method of the Sifre Deuteronomy. Emphasis will be placed on a close reading of the text, with a view to developing in the students the capacity to do independent analysis. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1993.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 126b Agadic Literature: Avot De Rabbi Natan

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: A 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

A study of the "talmudic" commentary to Mishnah Avot, which alone of the Mishnaic tractates deals exclusively with aggadah. The class will focus primarily on literary and historical questions. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1995.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 127b The Jewish Liturgy

[ cl48 hum ]

Prerequisite: A 20-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

A study of the literature, theology, and history of the daily and Sabbath liturgy. Emphasis will be placed on the interplay between literary structure and ideational content, along with discussion of the philosophical issues involved in prayer. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1993.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 128a Explorations in Islamic Literature I: The Arab World

[ nw hum NW ]

Enrollment limited to 25.

A comprehensive view of Islamic literature, presenting the full chronological, regional, ethnic, socioeconomic, linguistic, and ideological breadth of the Islamic world, studied in the historical and social context. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Davidson

NEJS 128b Explorations in Islamic Literature II: The Persian World

[ cl38 nw hum NW ]

Enrollment limited to 25.

See NEJS 128a for course description. NEJS 128a is not a prerequisite for 128b. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Davidson

NEJS 130a The New Testament: A Historical Introduction

[ cl45 hum ]

An introduction to the New Testament and to related early Christian literature as sources for the history and theology of the early church, with an emphasis on development and diversity. Focus on the function of the New Testament within current church discussion, e.g., feminism and Jewish-Christian relations. Weekly workshops on exegetical method and interpretive issues. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 131b Biblical Poetry: Love and Death

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: NEJS 72a, HBRW 101a or b, or a strong reading knowledge of biblical Hebrew.

A close reading of biblical poetic texts, with a consideration of what makes these texts poetic. Texts will be chosen primarily from Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Topics will vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 132a Introduction to Christianity

[ hum ]

An introduction to Christian beliefs, liturgy, and history. Surveys the largest world religion: from Ethiopian to Korean Christianity, from Black theology to the Christian right. Analyses Christian debates about God, Christ, and human beings. Studies differences among Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 132b Ethics and the Jewish Political Tradition

[ hum ]

A study in the structures of authority, power, and leadership in Jewish politics from Biblical to modern times that focuses on the change from sovereignty to incorporated community to voluntary association. Issues include the problems of nationalism, the limits of government, the right of revolution, the legitimacy of terrorism, and the ethics of war. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Kimelman

NEJS 133b Seminar: Religion and Law

[ hum ]

Enrollment limited to 12.

Analysis of recent U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning the free exercise of religion and the establishment of religion. Focus is on the ways in which the Christian Bible and the Jewish Bible are discussed in these cases. Discussion of "amicus curiae" briefs filed by religious groups. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten (NEJS) and Ms. Davis (LGLS)

NEJS 135a Jesus of Nazareth and the Christian Faith

[ cl45 hum ]

An introduction to the life and teachings of Jesus set within the context of first-century Judaism and its political situation. Focus on the methodological problems of ascertaining Jesus' message and of properly locating him within his historical context. A survey of the variety of Christian dogmas and teachings concerning Jesus. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 135b The Construction of Gender in Modern Hebrew and Yiddish Literature

[ hum ]

Utilizes modern Hebrew and Yiddish fiction and poetry to understand the ways in which the conceptions of masculinity and femininity changed during the great transformation of Jewish society in the 19th and 20th centuries. Readings from Abramowitch, Shalom Aleichem, Devora Baron, Shulamith Hareven, A.B. Yehoshua, and others. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 138a Bialik and His Age

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 110a or b or the equivalent.

An examination of the works of Hayyim Nahman Bialik, the great poet of the Hebrew Renaissance, in relation to preceding and contemporary Hebrew literature. Some attention will be given to Bialik's fiction and essays and his work in cultural retrieval. Texts and discussions in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1996.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 139b Yehuda Amichai and Contemporary Hebrew Poetry

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 110a or b or permission of the instructor.

Critical analysis of trends and aesthetic values of Hebrew poetry from the War of Independence to the present. Texts and discussion in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1994.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 140a History of the Jews from the Maccabees to 1492

[ hum ss ]

A study of Judea during the Second Commonwealth; Jews in the Roman Empire; origins of anti-Semitism; Jewish religious heritage; Islam and the Jews; the Jewish community; church, state, society, economy, and the Jews; the expulsion from Western Europe. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 140b The Jews in Europe to 1791

[ hum ]

In addition to examining the historical background for the period in question, this course considers the following topics: church, crusades, state, economy, society, and the Jews; religious and intellectual life; family and community; England, France, and the Germanic lands; Spain, Spanish exile, and Iberian diaspora; Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation; Eastern Europe and Hasidism; the return to the West; and the Enlightenment and emancipation. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 142b Dealing with Evil in Ancient Babylon and Beyond: Magic and Witchcraft in Antiquity

[ cl48 hum ]

Surveys and analyzes magical literature, activities, and beliefs in the ancient Near East. Magic in Israel and in cultures of late antiquity will also be examined. We will try to gain some understanding and sympathy for the human situation and the magical activities and beliefs that human life call forth. Such topics as demonology, illness, witchcraft, prayer, and exorcism are covered. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 143b The World of Shi'i Islam

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: IMES 104a, NEJS 145b, NEJS 147a. Enrollment limited to 15.

Who are the Shi'i Muslims? We will address this question by focusing on the Shi'i communities of Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Lebanon, and India. We will examine the social, cultural, and religious life of these communities, as well as their political development in modern times. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Nakash

NEJS 144a Jews in the World of Islam

[ nw hum NW ]

A social and cultural history of Jewish communities in the Islamic world. Special emphasis is placed on the Jewish communities in the Middle East since 1492. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 144b Nationalism and Islam in the Modern Middle East

[ cl27 hum ]

Prerequisites: A course on the modern Middle East or on Islam. Enrollment limited to 50.

This course examines the development of nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East in the 20th century and their relations and interactions, with particular emphasis on Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1994.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 145b The Making of the Modern Middle East

[ cl27 nw hum ss NW ]

Discusses the processes that led to the emergence of the modern Middle East: disintegration of Islamic society; European colonialism; reform and reaction; the rise of nationalism and the modern states. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Nakash

NEJS 146a Ideas of Revelation in Judaism

[ hum ]

Enrollment limited to 30.

This course traces the development of the key theme of revelation in Jewish theology from the Bible to modern times. Classical rabbinic views are seen in their historical context and as re-interpreted by the philosophical, mystical, and Hasidic traditions. Also explored are challenges to the theology of revelation beginning with Spinoza, and the views of such modern thinkers as Mendelssohn, Steinheim, and Rosenzweig. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1995.

Mr. Green

NEJS 147a The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1800

[ cl3 nw hum ss NW ]

Enrollment limited to 30.

A historical survey of the Middle East from the establishment of the Ottoman Empire as the area's predominant power to 1800. Topics include Ottoman institutions and their transformation; the Ottoman Empire as a world power. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 147b The Arab-Israeli Conflict

[ cl40 hum ss ]

Consideration of Arab-Jewish relations, attitudes, and interactions from 1880 to the present. Emphasis on social factors and intellectual currents and their impact on politics. Examines the conflict within its international setting. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 148a Radical Islam

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: IMES 104a, NEJS 145b, or NEJS 147a. Enrollment is limited to 15.

Traces the recent re-emergence of Islam by examining its position in modern Middle Eastern socioeconomic and political life. We will use Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Gaza and the West Bank, and Iran as our major test-cases for assessing the success of political Islam. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Nakash

NEJS 148b Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Jews and Christians: Sources and Interpretations

[ cl46 hum ]

Introduction to the classical Jewish and Christian sources on same-sex love and to a variety of current interpretations of them, to the evidence for same-sex love among Jews and Christians through the centuries, and to current religious and public policy debates about same-sex love. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 149b Islamic Bibliography

[ hum ]

The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with the history of oral and written communications in Islam and the Middle East. Special emphasis is placed on bibliographic literature in Western languages. No prerequisites. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1993.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 150a The Perception of the Other

[ hum ]

In this course, we consider Jewish and Christian perceptions of each other, of pagan outsiders, and of inside dissenters and deviants (e.g., heretics, witches, and homoerotic persons) from the Hellenistic period through the early Middle Ages. We also examine the pagan views of Judaism and Christianity and consider the nature of religious polemic and the meaning of difference. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 150b Paul Among Jews and Gentiles

[ cl45 hum ]

The apostle Paul, his life, work, and impact on Christianity, seen in the context of his own time when Jews and Christians had not yet parted ways and when Hellenistic Judaism attracted many gentiles. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 151a Jewish Life in Weimar Berlin, War-Time England, and the Post-War United States

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Reading comprehension of modern Hebrew; at least one course in 20th-century Jewish history. Signature of the instructor required.

Major themes, issues, and developments in 20th-century Jewish history in Germany, England, and the United States--including the establishment of Brandeis University and the history of the NEJS department--in a biographical framework, on the basis of books, articles, newspapers, published and unpublished letters, and a wide range of archival ephemera. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 151b Merchants, Moneylenders, and Ghetti of Venice

[ cl33 hum ss ]

Key problems in Jewish history in light of the experience of the Jews of Venice in the context of Venetian social, political, and economic history. Topics include the attitude of church and state toward Jews, the ghetto, Jewish merchants and moneylenders, Marranos and inquisition, raison d'état, and the admission of the Jews to Western Europe and North America. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 152b History of Anti-Semitism

[ hum ss ]

A historical survey of the phenomenon of anti-Semitism from classical antiquity to the present. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 153a Hasidism as a Religious and Social Movement

[ cl45 hum ]

The rise of East European Hasidism in the 18th century and its success. Key teachings, motifs, and religious ideals of the movement and its leadership. Changes as Hasidism struggled with modernity and destruction in the 19th and 20th centuries. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Green

NEJS 153b History of Jewish and Christian Women in the Roman Empire

[ cl12 cl37 hum ]

Social, cultural, and religious history of Jewish and Christian women under Roman rule until Constantine ("first century" BCE-"fourth century" CE), using the methods of feminist historiography. Examination of the inter-relationships between Jewish and Christian women in different parts of the Roman Empire. Focus on women's history, rather than on Jewish and Christian teachings about women. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 155b Judaism and the Religious Quest

[ hum ]

Signature of the instructor required.

Great seekers in the Jewish tradition from Philo of Alexandria to Franz Rosenzweig and several contemporary figures. The figure of Abraham depicted by tradition as a religious seeker. Tensions between personal quest and normative traditions. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Green

NEJS 156b Ancient Near Eastern Religion and Mythology

[ cl48 hum ]

An introduction to the religion, mythology, and thought of the ancient Near East. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 157a History of the State of Israel Since 1948

[ hum ]

This course examines the development of the State of Israel from its foundation to the present time. Israel's politics, society, and culture will be thematically analyzed. Last offered in the fall of 1995.

Mr. Brenner

NEJS 158b Topics in Jewish Devotional Literature of the Medieval and Later Periods

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Hebrew. Signature of the instructor required. Course may be repeated for credit.

Readings in Hebrew from such influential religio-ethical treatises as Bahya's Duties of the Hearts, DeVidas's Beginning of Wisdom, Horowitz's Two Tablets of the Covenant, and others. Topic for 1998: Levi Yizhak of Berdichev; The Man and the Legend. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Green

NEJS 160a The Making of the American Jew

[ cl10 hum ss ]

Survey of American Jewish history from the earliest settlement to the present. The emergence of the institutions, ideologies, lifestyles, and cultural norms that shaped the contemporary American Jew. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 161a American Jewish Life

[ cl10 hum ss ]

A survey of contemporary American Jewish life with special emphasis on the diverse forms of Jewish identification found in American Jewry. Topics include Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism; Jewish family life, including intermarriage; and the relationship of Jews to the general society and other ethnic groups. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 161b The Monument and the City

[ cl33 nw hum NW ]

This course explores several city "types" in the non-Western world--ancient, sacred, and modern--through the prism of ìmonumentsî or artifacts uniquely associated with particular cities (e.g., the Tower of Babel in Babylon, the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, and Saddam Hussein's 1988 Victory Arch in Baghdad). Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Makiya

NEJS 162a American Judaism

[ cl45 hum ss ]

American Judaism from the colonial period to the present, with particular emphasis on the various streams of American Judaism, the synagogue, and the rabbinate. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 162b World Jewry Since the Holocaust

[ hum ]

Examines the post-war Jewish world with special attention to Jewish communities beyond Israel and the United States. Topics include demography, the emergence of new centers, anti-Semitism, identity, and assimilation. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 163a Jewish-Christian Relations in America

[ hum ss ]

A topical approach to the history of Jewish-Christian relations in America from the colonial period to the present. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 164b The Sociology of the American Jewish Community

[ cl10 hum ss ]

This course explores transformations in modern American Jewish societies, focusing on American Jews in the second half of the 20th century. Although the class will draw primarily on social science texts, statistical studies, and memoirs, we will also make use of a broad spectrum of source materials, examining evidence from journalism, fiction, film, and other artifacts of popular culture. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 165a American Jewish Culture

[ cl10 hum ]

Examines selected aspects of American Jewish culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 166a Modern Jewish History to 1880

[ hum ]

Themes include Enlightenment and Haskalah in Eastern and Western Europe, Hasidism, emancipation, assimilation and the problem of the marginal Jew, the science of Judaism, and the development of denominationalism in Judaism. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1993.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 166b Modern Jewish History, 1880-1948

[ hum ]

Themes include integration and assimilation, migration, nationalism, Zionism, non-Zionism, anti-Zionism, diaspora nationalism, Western and Eastern Jewry in the period between the World Wars, the Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1994.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 167a East European Jewish Immigration to the United States

[ hum ss ]

A historical survey of East European Jewish immigration to the United States (1881-1924). Regular readings will be supplemented by primary sources, immigrant fiction, and films. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 167b A History of the Jews in Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna, and Odessa

[ cl33 hum ss ]

This course will examine the history of the four largest Jewish communities in the Russian Empire from the earliest settlement through the Holocaust to the present, comparing internal organization, different political and cultural allegiances, and relations with the majority population. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 168a History and Culture of the Jews in East-Central Europe to 1914

[ cl10 hum ss ]

Jewish civilization in Poland and Russia from the earliest Jewish settlements until World War I, with emphasis on attempts to create a national culture that was both "modern" and "Jewish." Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 168b History and Culture of the Jews in East-Central Europe, 1914 to the Present

[ cl10 hum ]

Topics include relations between Jews and non-Jews, Jewish politics, culture, the Holocaust, and the current revival of Jewish identity in East-Central Europe. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 169a The Destruction of European Jewry

[ hum ]

A systematic examination of the Holocaust in the context of both Jewish and modern European history. Interdisciplinary approaches to historical sociology and legal philosophy will be applied. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 169b Responses to the Holocaust

[ hum ]

Literary and cultural responses to the particular nature of the Holocaust will be considered as they have challenged ideas about God, man, the meaning of history, and Western civilization. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 170a Yiddish Literary Landscapes

[ hum ]

Explores the changing face of modern Yiddish diction from the second half of the 19th century to the present day. Selections from the prose fiction of Abramovitch-Mendele, Peretz, Sholem Aleichem, Bergelson, Weissenberg, Asch, Shapiro, Rabon, the Brothers Singer, and Grade will be read in English translation.

Staff

NEJS 170b Analyzing the American Jewish Community

[ qr hum ss ]

Prerequisites: NEJS 160a, 161a, or 164b. Enrollment limited to 30.

This course will explore the use of quantitative and qualitative research techniques in recent analyses of American Jewish life. Students will learn what kinds of information can be gathered through survey research and through a variety of qualitative research techniques. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 171a Jews in Modern Central Europe

[ hum ]

This course provides an introduction to the history of the Jews in German-speaking Europe from the mid-18th century to the present. Topics to be covered include the following: Haskalah and emancipation; modern religious streams and secular Jewish culture; the rise of modern anti-Semitism; Jewish defense organizations and Zionist activities; integration and acculturation; Jewish identities in Vienna, Prague, and Alsace; Nazi policies toward the Jews and the Holocaust; post-war Jewish life in central Europe. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Brenner

NEJS 171b Describing Cruelty

[ nw hum NW ]

Enrollment limited to 15

This seminar will grapple with the difficult subject of cruelty. The focus is on political or public cruelty in the non-Western world. The method is comparative and involves critical examination of the intellectual, visual, and literary works that engage the phenomenon. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Makiya

NEJS 172a Women in American Jewish Literature

[ cl7 hum ]

This class will examine portrayals of women in American Jewish literature from a hybrid viewpoint. Using close textual analysis, we will explore changing American Jewish mores and values and the changing role of women as revealed by portrayals of women in American Jewish fiction. During this exploration, we will also focus on the development of critical reading skills to enhance our understanding of the author's intent. Thus, we will approach the stories and novels we read both as literature and as a form of social history. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 173b American Jewish Writers in the Twentieth Century

[ hum ]

American Jewish fiction in the 20th century presents a panorama of Jewish life from immigration through contemporary times. Short stories, novels, and memoirs illuminate how changing educational and occupational opportunities, transformations in family life, shifting relationships between the genders, and conflict between Jewish and American value systems have played themselves out in lives of Jewish Americans. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 174b Changing Roles of Women in American Jewish Life

[ cl36 hum ]

The lives of American Jews--and especially American Jewish women-

-have been radically transformed by demographic changes and by American Jewish feminism. These dramatic transformations affect secular and Jewish education for women, personal options and the formation of Jewish families, a growing participation of women in public Jewish life, and a new awareness of women's issues. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 175a History of Zionism

[ hum ]

The rise and development of the Zionist idea, Zionist parties, politics, and diplomacy in relation to Jewish history and international affairs from 1880 to 1950. Zionism today. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1994.

Mr. Brenner

NEJS 176a Seminar in American Jewish Fiction: Literary Readings: Roth and Ozick

[ cl7 hum ]

Prerequisite: NEJS 172a, 173b, or 181b. No prerequisites for graduate students. Signature of the instructor required.

Focusing in depth on the works of two major American Jewish writers, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick, and paying close attention both to their development as artists and to the evolution of their explorations of Jewish themes, this course will offer students the opportunity to delve into each author's oeuvre. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 177a Agnon and Interwar Hebrew Fiction

[ hum ]

Prerequisites: HBRW 110a or b or permission of the instructor.

Examines the existence and struggle of the Jews in the diaspora and Israel from World War I, as reflected in modern Hebrew literature, particularly in the works of Agnon and his contemporaries. Attention also given to parallel motifs in European literature. Texts and discussion in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1995.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 177b Responses to Catastrophe in Hebrew Literature

[ hum ]

The role of the literary imagination in overcoming events of national destruction in the history of the Jewish people from the destruction of the First Temple to the Holocaust. Readings in Hebrew; class conducted in English. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 178a The Moderna: Hebrew Poetry Between the Two World Wars

[ hum ]

Prerequisites: HBRW 110a or b or permission of the instructor.

Readings in the major modernist literary movements of Hebrew poetry after the age of Bialik: symbolism, expressionism, and imagism. The emergence of women's voices in Hebrew poetry. Poetic responses to political events in Europe and the Yishuv. Selections from Shlonsky, Alterman, U.Z. Greenberg, Vogel, Preil, Rahel, Bat-Miriam, and others. Texts and discussion in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1993.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 179a Hebrew Literature in Translation II: World War II to the Present

[ hum ]

Readings in major fiction by S. Yizhar, Megged, Oz, Yehoshua, Applefeld, Kahana-Carmon, Shabtai, Grossman, and others. Themes include war and peace, individual freedom, critiques of Zionist ideology, and the Holocaust. Texts and discussion in English. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 180b Hebrew Prose in an Era of Revival

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisites: HBRW 110a or b or permission of the instructor.

Hebrew short fiction and essays from 1881 to World War I. The critique of the shtetl; responses to the pogroms; use of the Hasidic story; loss of faith. Mendele, Feierberg, Ahad Ha'am, Brenner, Baron. Texts and discussion in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1994.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 182a Introduction to Jewish Bibliography

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Reading knowledge of Hebrew. Limited to NEJS concentrators, minors, and graduate students.

An introduction to general bibliographic tools and resources in the major subfields of Judaic studies, such as history, philosophy, Hebrew language and literature, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust studies. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Cutter

NEJS 182b The New Wave in Israeli Fiction

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 110a or b, or permission of the instructor.

Examines developments in Hebrew prose fiction from the 1960s onward, with respect to changes in fictional technique and the thematic critique of ideology. Readings include Amos Oz, A. B. Yehoshua, Amalia Kahana-Carmon, Aharon Appelfeld, Yaakov Shabtai, Shulamit Hareven, and others. Texts and discussion in Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1997.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 183b Research in Jewish Law

[ hum ]

Prerequisites: Advanced knowledge of Hebrew. Familiarity with Rabbinic texts.

An exploration of major resources for the study of Jewish law. Students will select an issue of contemporary significance and, utilizing basic texts, bibliographies, concordances, and indices (including computer data bases and CD-ROM) find and trace pertinent legal sources in biblical, Talmudic, medieval, and contemporary Halakhic literature. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Cutter

NEJS 185b The Dynamics of Modern Jewish Culture

[ hum ]

Signature of the instructor required.

Significant controversies that shaped Jewish culture from the Haskalah to the present in Eastern Europe, Israel, and America. Authors include Maimon, Mendele, Ahad Ha-am, Bialik, Berdichevsky, Peretz, Freud, Scholem, Kafka, Agnon, Kurzweil, Kaplan, and Halkin. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1996.

Mr. Mintz

NEJS 190b Images of Jews on Film

[ cl13 hum ]

Survey course focusing on moving images of Jews and Jewish life in fiction and factual films. The course will include early Russian and American one-reel silents, pre-World War II travelogs and home movies of European Jews, Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda, early Yishuv footage, Yiddish feature films, Holocaust features, and Hollywood classics. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Rivo

NEJS 191b Revisioning Jewish Life in Film and Fiction

[ cl13 hum ]

Film and fiction are prisms through which we can view transformations in American Jewish life. This course concentrates on cinematic and literary depictions of religious, socioeconomic, and cultural change over the past half century. It does this through films and fiction, both of which reflected and helped to shape shifting definitions of the American Jew. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 192b Ancient Greek-Speaking Judaism and Christianity

[ hum ]

Reading and interpretation of Greek Jewish and Christian texts that help us to understand the interrelationships between these two groups, as well as what separated them from each other. Greek track available for those with background in Greek. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Brooten

NEJS 193b Judaism and Healing

[ hum ]

Enrollment limited to 25.

Explores the vital and venerable tradition of Jewish professional involvement in medicine. We will examine the historical and cultural roots of this phenomenon and the ways in which Jewish religion and culture provide technical, moral, and spiritual resources for physicians and health care professionals. Usually offered every year.

Messrs. Krant and Sendor

NEJS 194b Film and the Holocaust

[ hum ]

Examines the medium of film--propaganda, documentary, narrative fiction--relevant to the history of the Holocaust. We begin with the films produced by the Third Reich, and continue with the representations of the events produced from 1944 to the present. The focus is on how the film medium--as a medium--works to (re)present meaning(s). We examine the use of film to shape, justify, document, interpret, and imagine the Holocaust. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Rivo

NEJS 195b The Woman's Voice in the Muslim World

[ cl34 cl37 cl45 nw hum NW ]

Study of the writings of women and the writings expressing the woman's voice, starting with pre-Islamic lamentation poetry and extending all the way to modern literature. There will be special focus on literary genres in which women's viewpoints and traditions are articulated. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Davidson

G = (200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

NEJS 201b Exodus: A Study in Method

Prerequisite: A strong reading knowledge of biblical Hebrew and previous exposure to the critical study of the Hebrew Bible.

An examination of the Hebrew text of Exodus in relation to the methodologies of modern biblical scholarship. Particular attention to source criticism, form criticism, and the text in its ancient environment. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1994.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 206a Akkadian Literary Texts

Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 206b Akkadian Literary Texts

Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 207a Akkadian Mythological Religious Texts I

Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 207b Akkadian Mythological Religious Texts II

Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 208b Advanced Akkadian: Historical Texts

Usually offered every third year.

Mr. Abusch

NEJS 210b Biblical Hebrew Composition

Prerequisite: An advanced knowledge of Biblical Hebrew.

An advanced course in biblical Hebrew grammar. The grammar of biblical Hebrew will be reviewed and extended through translation of English prose and poetry into biblical Hebrew. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1996.

Mr. Brettler

NEJS 214b Intermediate Ugaritic

Prerequisite: NEJS 106b.

A review of grammar and continued reading in various Ugaritic texts. Usually offered every third year.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 220b Introduction to the Study of American Jewish History

Focuses on bibliography, historiography, and methods. A critical survey of the literature of American Jewish history with special attention to questions of methodology. Students examine basic reference works and classics in the field and choose one subfield within American Jewish history to explore in depth. Usually offered in alternate years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 221b The American Jewish Experience: Sources and Interpretations

An in-depth examination of primary sources in selected areas of American Jewish history, with special attention to problems of interpretation and generalization. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 222b Research and Archival Methods in Modern Jewish History

A critical examination of research methodologies in the study of modern and American Jewish history, with special attention to primary sources and new historical approaches. Usually offered in even years

Mr. Sarna

NEJS 225b Northwest Semitic Inscriptions

A study of Phoenician, Hebrew, Edomite, and Moabite inscriptions. Issues of epigraphy, historical grammar, dialectology, and historical reconstruction are examined. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1996.

Mr. Wright

NEJS 228a Jewish Mystical Literature

Prerequisite: Fluency in classical Hebrew and NEJS 124b, or the equivalent. Signature of the instructor required.

Intensive reading of classical sources in the original languages. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Green

NEJS 237b Gender and Jewish Studies

Uses gender as a prism to enhance understanding of topics in Judaic studies such as Jewish history and classical Jewish texts, psychology, sexuality and gender role definition, literature and film, contemporary cultures, and religion. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Fishman

NEJS 240a Jewish Women in Medieval and Early Modern Times

Examines the status and activities of Jewish women, as well as the general attitudes held toward them in the context of the times. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 240b Seminar on Nationalism and Religion in the Middle East

Examines major issues in the development of nationalism and its interaction with religion in the Arab countries, Israel, Turkey, and Iran in the 20th century. Topics vary from year to year. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 241b Seminar: Texts, Issues, and Interpretations in Jewish History and Jewish Historiography

Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Ravid

NEJS 245b Seminar on States and Minorities in the Middle East

Examines major issues in the relations between the state and ethnic and religious minorities in the Arab countries, Israel, Turkey, and Iran in the 20th century. Topics vary from year to year. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Levy

NEJS 258b Seminar on Modern Jewish History and Historiography

Usually offered every year.

Mr. Polonsky

NEJS 259d Topics on Zionism

Usually offered every third year.

Staff

NEJS 260b Jewish Identity in the Age of Emancipation

This course introduces graduate students to major sources and secondary literature on a variety of expressions of modern Jewish identity in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. Class discussions include the emergence of Hasidism, the Haskalah, Wissenschaft de Judentums, modern religious movements, and early Zionism. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1996.

Mr. Brenner

L =

NEJS 317-368 Reading Courses

Special tutorials for advanced graduate students.

317a and b Readings in Assyriology

Mr. Abusch

318a and b Readings in Sumerian

Mr. Abusch

320a and b Readings in Jewish Bibliography

Mr. Cutter

321a and b Readings in Medieval Jewish Philosophy

Staff

326a and b Biblical Literature

Mr. Brettler

328a and b Readings in Ancient Near Eastern Languages

Mr. Abusch

329a and b Readings in Ancient Near Eastern Religions and Cultures

Mr. Abusch

331a and b Readings in Yiddish Literature

Ms. HarPaz

332a and b Readings in American Jewish History

Mr. Sarna

333a and b Readings in the History of the Jews in Europe to 1800

Mr. Ravid

334a and b Readings in Modern Jewish History

Mr. Brenner

335a and b Readings in East European Jewish History

Mr. Polonsky

336b American-Jewish Cultural Studies

Mr. Whitfield

337a and b Readings in Talmudic and Midrashic Literature

Mr. Kimelman

338a and b Readings in History of Judaism

Mr. Kimelman

339a and b Readings in Ottoman History and Civilization

Mr. Levy

340a and b Readings in Modern Middle Eastern History

Mr. Levy

341a and b Readings in Holocaust History

Mr. Polonsky

342a Readings in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Mr. Brettler

342b Readings in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Mr. Wright

343a Readings in Bible and the Ancient Near East

Mr. Wright

344a Readings in Jewish Mysticism and Literature

Mr. Green

345a and b Readings in Bible and Ancient Near East Studies

Messrs. Brettler and Wright

346a Readings in Sephardic Studies

Ms. Lida

347a and b Readings in the History of Spanish Jewry and the Iberian Diaspora in Europe

Mr. Ravid

348a and b Readings in the History of the Sephardim in the Near East

Mr. Levy

349a and b Readings in the Sephardi Experience in the New World

Mr. Sarna

350a and b Readings in Modern Middle Eastern Historiography

Mr. Nakash

356a and b Readings in American Jewish Museum Studies

Mr. Sarna

357a and b Readings in the History of Middle Eastern Jewry

Mr. Levy

359a and b Readings in Gender and Jewish Texts

Mr. Cutter

360a Readings in Arabic Literature

Mr. Levy

360b Readings in Contemporary Jewish Literature and Life

Ms. Fishman

361a Readings in Modern Jewish History

Mr. Polonsky

361b Readings in Modern Gender in Judaism

Ms. Fishman

362a Readings in Polish History 1764-1914

Mr. Polonsky

363a Readings in the History of Eastern Europe 1750-1947

Mr. Polonsky

363b Readings in the History of East-Central Europe

Mr. Polonsky

365a Readings in Islamic Literature

Ms. Davidson

366a and b Doctoral and Postdoctoral Seminar on Early Judaism and Christianity

Ms. Brooten and Mr. Kimelman

367a Readings in Modern Hebrew Literature and Modern Jewish Culture

Mr. Mintz

368b American-Jewish Women's Literature

Ms. Antler

NEJS 401d Dissertation Colloquium

Independent research for the Ph.D. degree.

Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

Staff

L =

LANGUAGE COURSES

Arabic

ARBC 10a Beginning Literary Arabic

(Formerly NEJS 101a)

A first course in literary Arabic, covering essentials of grammar, reading, pronunciation, translation, and composition. Four class-hours per week. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Davidson

ARBC 20b Continuing Literary Arabic

(Formerly NEJS 101b)

Prerequisite: ARBC 10a or the equivalent.

Continuation of ARBC 10a. Three class-hours per week. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Davidson

ARBC 30a Intermediate Literary Arabic

(Formerly NEJS 102A)

[ fl ]

Prerequisite: ARBC 20B or the equivalent.

Readings in related classical and modern texts. Study of advanced grammatical and syntactical forms. Drills in pronunciation and composition. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Davidson

ARBC 40b Advanced Intermediate Literary Arabic

(Formerly NEJS 102b)

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: ARBC 30a or the equivalent.

Continuation of ARBC 30a. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Davidson

Hebrew

HBRW 10a Beginning Hebrew

Students may not take both this course and HBRW 13a for credit. Enrollment limited to 18.

Six class hours and one additional lab hour per week. For students with no previous knowledge and those with a minimal background. Intensive training in the basics of Hebrew grammar, listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Several sections will be offered. Usually offered every semester.

Staff

HBRW 20b Intermediate Hebrew

Prerequisite: NEJS 10a or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Only one 20-level Hebrew course may be taken for credit. Enrollment limited to 18.

Six class hours and one lab hour per week. Continuation of HBRW 10a, employing the same methods. Several sections offered every semester.

Staff

HBRW 29b Intermediate Hebrew I: Honors

Prerequisite: HBRW 10a or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Only one 20-level Hebrew course may be taken for credit. Enrollment limited to 18.

This course is more intensive than HBRW 20b. Students are admitted upon recommendation of the director of the Hebrew Language Program. Usually offered every spring.

Staff

HBRW 31a Conversation and Writing Skills

[ fl ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 20b or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. This course is recommended for students who have not previously studied Hebrew at Brandeis and have been placed at this level. Enrollment limited to 18.

Four class-hours and one lab-hour per week. Continuation of HBRW 20b, developing higher-level skills in reading, and writing with a review and expansion of grammar. Frequent short essays and listening to tapes in the lab required. Usually offered every fall.

Staff

HBRW 34a Intermediate Hebrew II: Aspects of Israeli Culture

[ fl ]

Prerequisite: Any 20-level Hebrew course or the equivalent as determined by placement examination. Enrollment limited to 18.

Four class-hours and one lab-hour per week. Continuation of HBRW 20b, developing higher-level skills in reading, writing, and conversation. Contemporary cultural aspects will be stressed and a variety of materials will be used. Usually offered every semester.

Staff

HBRW 39a Intermediate Hebrew II: Honors

[ fl ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 29b or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 18.

A continuation of HBRW 29b. This course is more intensive than HBRW 34a. Students are admitted upon recommendation of the director of the Hebrew Language Program. Usually offered every fall.

Staff

HBRW 41b Conversation and Writing Skills II

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 30-level Hebrew course, or the equivalent, or placement by the director of the Hebrew Language Program. Students may not take both this course and HBRW 44a for credit. Enrollment limited to 18. This course satisfies the foreign language requirement for students who entered Brandeis prior to the fall of 1994.

Intended for students who have completed HBRW 31a or for students of appropriate background who have not previously studied Hebrew at Brandeis. Usually offered every spring.

Staff

HBRW 42a Intensive Conversational Hebrew I

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 30-level Hebrew course or the equivalent. This course satisfies the foreign language requirement for students who entered Brandeis prior to the fall of 1994. Enrollment limited to 18.

For students who have acquired an intermediate knowledge of Hebrew and who wish to develop a greater fluency in conversation. This course does not satisfy the language requirement for the NEJS concentration. Usually offered every spring.

Staff

HBRW 44b Advanced Hebrew: Aspects of Israeli Culture

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 30-level Hebrew course or the equivalent. Students may not take both this course and HBRW 41b for credit. Enrollment limited to 18. This course satisfies the foreign language requirement for students who entered Brandeis prior to the fall of 1994.

Three class-hours and one lab-hour per week. Reinforces the acquired skills of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Contemporary cultural aspects are stressed; conversational Hebrew and reading of selections from modern literature, political essays, and newspaper articles. This course is required for NEJS concentrators and is recommended for others who would like to continue studying Hebrew beyond the foreign language requirement. It is a prerequisite for many upper level Hebrew courses. Usually offered every semester.

Ms. Ringvald

HBRW 98a Independent Study

Signature of the instructor required.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

HBRW 98b Independent Study

Signature of the instructor required.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

HBRW 101a Introduction to Classical Hebrew I

(Formerly NEJS 15a)

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent, except HBRW 42a, as approved by the director of the Hebrew Language Program. This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 15a in previous years. Enrollment is limited to 18.

Three class-hours per week. Primarily intended for NEJS concentrators. Concentrates on the study of biblical and classical Hebrew literary works; written and oral expression in modern Hebrew are also stressed. Different primary texts will be studied in HBRW 101a (fall) and HBRW 101b (spring). Usually offered every fall.

Ms. Nevo-Hacohen

HBRW 101b Introduction to Classical Hebrew II

(Formerly NEJS 15b)

[ hum ]

This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 15b in previous years. Enrollment is limited to 18.

See HBRW 101a for special notes and course description. Usually offered every spring.

Ms. Nevo-Hacohen

HBRW 102a Developing Reading Proficiency and Comprehension

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Intermediate knowledge of Hebrew reading. Primarily intended for NEJS graduate students. Enrollment is limited to 18.

Stresses the skills needed to read scholarly literature in modern Hebrew. Grammatical presentations and drills supplement readings chosen from scholarly journals, covering different fields in Jewish studies. The class is conducted in English. Usually offered every fall.

Ms. Nevo-Hacohen

HBRW 102b Advanced Reading Proficiency and Comprehension

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 102a or high intermediate reading knowledge of Hebrew. Enrollment is limited to 18.

A continuation of HBRW 102a. Different materials and texts are studied. This class is conducted in English. Usually offered every spring.

Ms. Nevo-Hacohen

HBRW 103a Intensive Conversational Hebrew II

(Formerly NEJS 18a)

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent. This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 18a in previous years.

For students who have acquired a basic knowledge of conversational Hebrew and wish to develop greater fluency in conversation. Role playing, vocabulary building, and guided speaking activities develop conversational skills for various situations. Reading and discussion of contemporary texts assist in vocabulary building. One additional hour of lab work or speaking practice is required weekly. Topics may vary from semester to semester and the course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor. Usually offered every semester.

Ms. Azoulay

HBRW 104a Israeli Films

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

The course will be concerned with the various aspects of Israeli society as they are portrayed in Israeli television and films. In addition to viewing films, the students will be asked to read Hebrew background materials, to participate in class discussions, and to write in Hebrew about the films. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Peleg

HBRW 104b Israeli Theater

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent. Signature of the instructor required.

This course helps students to develop proficiency in the areas of creative writing, speaking, reading, and listening. This is accomplished by reading and viewing (in video) plays from the Israeli theater. Three class-hours and two additional weekly hours of lab work are required. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Azoulay

HBRW 105a Advanced Hebrew Conversation

(Formerly NEJS 105a)

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required. This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 105a in previous years.

For advanced students who want to work on accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary building. Reading of contemporary texts and newspaper articles and listening to Israeli videos will serve as a basis for building higher level speaking proficiency. One additional weekly hour of lab work or speaking practice is required. Usually offered every fall.

Ms. Lavie

HBRW 106b Advanced Conversation and Writing Skills

(Formerly NEJS 105b)

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent. Signature of the instructor required. This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 105b in previous years.

For advanced students who wish to enhance their proficiency and accuracy in writing and speaking. Plays, essays, current articles from Israeli newspapers and films provide the basis for written assignments and discussions. Usually offered every spring.

Ms. Lavie

HBRW 107a The Voices of Jerusalem

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent. Signature of the instructor required.

This course aims to develop students' proficiency in creative writing, speaking, reading, and listening through the analysis of selected materials which depict the unique tradition, history, politics, art, and other features of Jerusalem's culture. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Hascal

HBRW 107b Portrait of an Israeli Woman

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: A 40-level HBRW course or its equivalent.

Focuses on the role and image of the Israeli woman and the changes which helped to shape her throughout the 1900s from the kibbutz to feminism, from farmer to soldier, homemaker versus career woman and so forth. Materials include short stories, films, newspaper and journal articles, and plays. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Hascal

HBRW 108b History of the Hebrew Language

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent, as determined by the director of the Hebrew Language Program. Signature of the instructor required.

Surveys the origins of the Hebrew language and its development throughout the centuries, focusing on its major stages (biblical, Rabbinic, medieval, and modern). Explores the unique phenomenon of its revival as a spoken language and its adaptation to the modern world. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Porath

HBRW 109a Hebrew Drama - Language through Creativity and Action

[ ca hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 30-level HBRW course or its equivalent, as determined by the director of the Hebrew Language Program. Signature of the instructor required.

Focuses on the process and various aspects of creativity, improvisations, drama, performance and relaxation techniques, movement, imagination, and other basic skills necessary to act out scenes from various plays in the Hebrew language. Creative writing assignments and self-critique all enhance the studentsí skills in language acquisition. The course culminates in the writing of one-act plays in Hebrew along with a theatrical performance and production. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Azoulay

HBRW 110a Introduction to Modern Hebrew Literature I

(Formerly NEJS 16a)

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent, as determined by the director of the Hebrew Language Program. This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 16a in previous years.

An introduction to modern Hebrew prose and poetry stressing major trends. Topics include Biblical motifs and love, among others. Students are expected to acquire fluency in reading, writing, and conversation. Usually offered every fall.

Ms. Hascal

HBRW 110b Introduction to Modern Hebrew Literature II

(Formerly NEJS 16b)

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or its equivalent, as determined by the director of the Hebrew Language Program. This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken NEJS 16b in previous years.

An introduction to modern Hebrew prose and poetry, stressing major trends. Topics include the Holocaust and the relationship between parents and children, among others. Students are expected to acquire fluency in reading, writing, and conversation. Usually offered every spring.

Ms. Hascal

HBRW 111a Advanced Survey of Hebrew and Israeli Literature I

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: Any 40-level Hebrew course or the equivalent.

Focuses on the themes and unique style of young Israeli writers, stressing the various trends and reactions to different aspects of Israeli daily life during the last two centuries. In addition to reading, class participation and written assignments will be required. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Hascal

HBRW 111b Advanced Survey of Hebrew and Israeli Literature II

[ wi hum ]

Prerequisite: HBRW 111a, any 40-level Hebrew course, or the equivalent.

A continuation of HBRW 111a. Different materials and texts are used. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Hascal

Persian

PRSN 10a Beginning Persian

(Formerly NEJS 23a)

Enrollment limited to 25.

Introduction to classical and modern spoken Persian. Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Davidson

PRSN 20b Continuing Persian

(Formerly NEJS 23b)

Readings will include selections from contemporary and classical prose, to be followed, toward the end, by selections from Sa'adi's Golestan (a superb array of prose and poetry). Usually offered in odd years.

Ms. Davidson

PRSN 30a Intermediate Persian

(Formerly NEJS 195a)

[ fl ]

Prerequisites: PRSN 20b or the equivalent.

Selected readings, in the original Persian, from the poetry of Hafez, Ferdowsi, and Rumi and the like as well as from modern poetry and from prose texts, both classical and modern. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Davidson

Yiddish

YDSH 10a Beginning Yiddish

(Formerly NEJS 21a)

The first of a four-semester sequence, this course develops basic conversation and reading skills and introduces the essentials of Yiddish grammar. In addition, the class incorporates cultural and historical elements through music, film, and literature. Usually offered every fall.

Staff

YDSH 20b Continuing Yiddish

(Formerly NEJS 21b)

Prerequisite: YDSH 10a or permission of the instructor.

The second in a four-semester sequence, this course is a continuation of YDSH 10a. It enhances comprehensive reading and writing skills with emphasis on interactive communicative skills. Cultural and historical elements of the language are continually incorporated through music, film, and literature. Usually offered every spring.

Staff

YDSH 30a Intermediate Yiddish

(Formerly NEJS 24a)

[ fl ]

Prerequisite: YDSH 20b or permission of the instructor.

This course is the third in a four-semester sequence. Selected readings in Yiddish literature, including short stories, poetry, and some prose, are read and discussed in class with regard to their historical and cultural significance and literary merit. This course develops advanced Yiddish grammar as well as reading, writing, comprehension, and conversation skills. Usually offered every fall.

Staff

YDSH 40b Advanced Intermediate Yiddish

(Formerly NEJS 24b)

[ hum ]

Prerequisite: YDSH 30a or permission of the instructor.

The fourth in a four-semester sequence, this class reads from selected classic and contemporary Yiddish texts, films, and songs. The class has the structure of a reading seminar with continued reinforcement of advanced Yiddish grammar and an emphasis on interaction and participation in discussion. Usually offered every spring.

Staff

S = Cross-Listed Courses

AMST 121a

The American Jewish Woman: 1890-1990s

HIST 140b

The Jews in Europe Since 1945

HIST 184a

Arabs and Jews in Palestine, 1840-1948

HOID 108b

Greek and Roman Ethics: From Plato to the Stoics

IMES 104a

Islam: Civilization and Institutions

JCS 287a

Methods in Jewish Community Research