The Lown School is the center for all programs of teaching and research in the areas of Judaic studies, Ancient Near Eastern studies, Islamic and Modern Middle Eastern studies, and Jewish communal 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. Also housed in the Lown School is the National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF), the premier archive and circulating library of Judaic film and video in the Diaspora. The NCJF collection is a valuable resource for the study and documentation of Jewish history, art, and culture.

The microfilm collection of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives at Brandeis University, housed in the University's library, includes a vast array of primary sources bearing on American Jewish life, and supports the NEJS department's American Jewish history program. For detailed descriptions of the individual centers and institutes associated with the Lown School, please see under the heading "Research Centers and Institutes" elsewhere in this Bulletin.

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 East and the Modern Middle East, and the study of the Jewish people, including its history, religion, literature, and place in civilization.

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

The undergraduate concentration in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, divided into two parallel tracks (see next page), 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 Near Eastern and Judaic sources, classical and modern, within the academic context. Concentrators are strongly encouraged to diversify their courses within the department and to consider related courses in other departments in order to acquaint themselves with the different disciplines 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.)

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. A joint Ph.D. program is also offered in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and sociology. 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. A two-year joint M.A. program is offered in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and sociology, and Near Eastern and Judaic studies and women's studies. In addition, a three-year joint 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. The Benjamin S. Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service also offers Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Ph.D. students who have completed their residence and at least one comprehensive examination the opportunity to apply for a one-year Certificate in Jewish Education.

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.

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.

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 Eastern 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. In exceptional situations, the department will accept students whose main area of interest is not outlined above. In such cases, the requirements for the student's program will be worked out in writing during his/her first year of graduate study. Where the proposed program is similar to one of the programs listed above, the student's advisor, faculty in related areas, the graduate chair, and the department chair must approve of the program. In other cases the entire departmental faculty needs to approve of the proposed program.

Faculty

The Bible and its interpretation.

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

Hebrew language.

Hebrew literature.

Christian studies.

Contemporary Jewry and American Jewish sociology.

East European Jewish history.

Jewish thought.

Hebrew language.

Yiddish.

Talmud. Midrash. Liturgy.

Hebrew language.

Middle Eastern studies.

Middle Eastern studies.

Middle Eastern studies.

Hebrew language.

Hebrew language.

East European Jewish history. Holocaust studies.

Hebrew language.

Medieval and early modern Jewish history.

Modern Jewish history.

Hebrew language.

Arabic language.

American Jewish history.

Modern Jewish history and thought.

Hebrew language.

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), Sharon Feiman-Nemser (JCS), Gordon Fellman (SOC), Gregory Freeze (HIST), Sherry Israel (JCS), Patricia Johnston (CLAS), Susan Kahn (HRIJW), Edward Kaplan (ROCL), Ann Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS), Wellington Nyangoni (AAAS), Joseph Reimer (JCS), Shulamit Reinharz (SOC), Sharon Rivo (National Center for Jewish Film), Carl Sheingold (JCS), Susan Shevitz (JCS), Lawrence Sternberg (JCS), Stephen Whitfield (AMST).

Requirements for the Undergraduate Concentration

The department offers two parallel tracks for concentration as follows:

1. Judaic Studies

2. Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies

A. Students must complete NEJS 1a (Foundational Course in Judaic Studies) as early as possible in the concentration. This course is usually offered every year.

B. Students must complete at least seven other courses in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, at least three of which 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 (D below) do not count toward the fulfillment of this requirement.

C. Students must complete at least one of their seven courses in each of the following three chronological periods: 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).

D. In addition students must complete the following three Hebrew language requirements: (1) Any fourth semester Hebrew course except HBRW 42a. Exemptions will be granted only to those students who place out on the basis of the Hebrew placement test administered by the Hebrew program at Brandeis. (2) One course in classical Hebrew from among the following: NEJS 53b, 72a, 110b, 114a, 114b, 115a, 117b, 118b, 120b, 122b, 123b, 125b, 126b, 131b, HBRW 101a, HBRW 101b. (3) One course in modern Hebrew literature from among the following: NEJS 138a, 139b, 177a, 178a, 180b, 182b, HBRW 104b, 107a, 107b, 108b, 109a, 110a, 110b, 111a, 111b. In no case may courses used to fulfill the Hebrew requirement count toward fulfillment of any other departmental requirement.

A. Students must complete NEJS 1b (The Bible and the Ancient Near East) as early as possible in the concentration.

B. Students must complete at least seven other courses in Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, at least four of which must be taught by members of the NEJS faculty. Up to three courses may be taken in other departments at Brandeis or at other universities. Courses used to fulfill the language requirement (E below) do not count toward the fulfillment of this requirement.

C. Students must select one of the following areas as their area of specialization, and in it complete at least three courses of the above-mentioned seven courses:

1. The Hebrew Bible/Ancient Israel

2. Mesopotamia (The civilization of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria)

3. Northwest Semitic Cultures

4. Second Temple Judaisms and Early Christianity

A list of courses in each area may be found in the departmental office.

D. As part of the seven courses, students must complete at least one course in each of the following areas: (1) the Hebrew Bible/Ancient Israel; (2) Mesopotamia; (3) Christianity or Judaism in late antiquity; (4) an area outside of NEJS that broadens the contextual or methodological horizons of Near Eastern study (e.g., in classics, linguistics, anthropology or literary theory), to be determined in consultation with the student's advisor.

E. Students must study two languages of the ancient world, such as Akkadian, Aramaic, Greek, biblical Hebrew, Hittite, Ugaritic, or another approved ancient language. One language, generally Akkadian or Hebrew, must be studied to the fourth semester level, and another to the second semester level. In no case may courses used to fulfill this language requirement count toward the fulfillment of any other departmental requirement. Students who choose biblical Hebrew as the main language, after taking (or testing out of) first year modern Hebrew, must take a course in biblical grammar and a biblical text course. Grammar courses include NEJS 72a and Hebrew 101a and b. (NEJS 72a may be taken as a third semester course.)

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.

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.

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 advising head for all courses intended for transfer credit.

C. Credit is not granted for Ulpan courses, but students may take the Hebrew Placement Test administered by the Hebrew program at Brandeis.

D. Students may be offered advanced standing on the basis of studies completed elsewhere. Students with the appropriate background and ability, for example, may place out of Hebrew language requirement. However, those who wish to move into the advanced text courses, still need to take the Hebrew placement exam. In addition, students entering Brandeis for the first time, who are non-native speakers of Hebrew, who have studied at yeshivot or comparable institutions, or in other non-college-level programs, and who have demonstrated advanced knowledge in the regular Brandeis Hebrew Placement Exam will be granted the opportunity to take an additional advanced placement exam for credit. Upon successful completion of that exam, a student will receive one course credit. This opportunity is available to students only at the time they first enter Brandeis. In addition, students who pass the Jerusalem Exam with a total of 91 or greater, and who pass the Brandeis University Hebrew Placement Exam, thereby gaining exemption from the Hebrew Language program will receive one course credit.

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. At least one of the five courses must focus on the period before 1750, and one on the period after 1750.

Pre-1750: NEJS 1a, 1b, 53b. 63b, 72a, 73b, 104b, 105a, 106a, 106b, 108a, 108b, 111a, 112a, 113a, 113b, 114a, 114b, 115a, 115b, 117a, 117b, 118a, 118b, 119a, 120b, 122b, 123b, 124b, 125b, 126b, 127b, 128a, 128b, 130a, 131b, 132a, 133a, 135a, 138a, 140a, 140b, 142b, 147a, 148b, 150a, 153b, 154b, 155a, 155b, 156b, 158b, 159b, 183b, 189b, and 192b.

Post-1750: NEJS 68b, 86b, 112b, 119b, 120a, 121a, 133a, 133b, 134b, 135b, 139b, 143b, 144a, 144b, 145b, 146b, 147b, 148a, 151a, 153a, 157a, 157b, 161a, 161b, 162a, 162b, 163a, 164b, 165a, 166a, 166b, 167a, 167b, 168a, 168b, 169a, 169b, 170a, 170b, 171a, 171b, 172a, 173b, 174a, 174b, 175a, 176a, 176b, 177a, 177b, 178a, 179a, 180b, 182a, 182b, 185b, 190b, 191b, 194b, 195b, 197a, and 197b.

B. No more than two of the following semester courses may be applied toward the minor: YDSH 10a (Beginning Yiddish), YDSH 20b (Continuing Yiddish), 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. Students are encouraged to seek advance 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 one-semester course; a two-semester, two-hour-per-week course; or two, two-hour, one-semester courses. Credit is not granted for Ulpan courses, with the exception of Brandeis Hebrew courses at Ulpan Akiva, but students may take the Hebrew Placement Test administered by the Hebrew program at Brandeis.

Requirements for the Diploma in Jewish Studies

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

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

Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts

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 14 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 at a university abroad.

Students are assigned advisors from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department and from the Hornstein Program. Students must meet with their advisor(s) regularly, and before enrolling in courses, to ensure appropriate course coherency.

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 prior permission.

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

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.

Requirements for the Three-Year Joint Master's Program: Hornstein/NEJS

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 (which 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.

Students are assigned advisors from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department. Students must meet with their advisor(s) regularly, and before enrolling in courses, to ensure appropriate course coherency.

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

Requirements for the Joint Degree of Master of Arts in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Sociology

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 at a university abroad.

Students will normally take seven courses each year (14 courses in total). Six of these courses must be offered by or cross-listed with the sociology department, and must include two graduate-level courses: one in methods and one in theory. The remaining eight courses must be offered by or cross-listed with the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department, and at least six of these courses must be offered by NEJS faculty. Students may not include among these courses any courses taken to prepare for the M.A. language examination.

Students are assigned advisors from the sociology department and from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department. Both advisors will work with the student to ensure appropriate course coherency. An interdepartmental meeting involving both advisors and the student should take place at least once a year.

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

All candidates are required to pass an oral comprehensive examination, which is administered by a committee composed of faculty from the NEJS and sociology departments.

Students submit two, graduate-level research papers, which may have been previously submitted as part of their course work. These papers are read by a faculty committee from the NEJS and sociology departments.

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.

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 at a university abroad.

Courses must include the 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.

Students are assigned advisors from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department and from the Women's Studies Program. Students must meet with their advisor(s) regularly, and before enrolling in courses, to assure appropriate course coherency.

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

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

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.

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 Program office, and an additional copy should be deposited in the Brandeis Library.

Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Students admitted to the NEJS Ph.D. program are admitted to specific programs within the department. These include Bible and Ancient Near East, Judaism and Christianity in the Roman Period, Jewish History, Jewish Thought, Contemporary Jewish Life, Modern Hebrew Literature, and Middle East Studies. Movement from one program to the other is generally discouraged and is dependent upon a student's meeting the requirements for admission into that program and acceptance by that program's faculty. Movement from one advisor to another within a program is likewise dependent upon the consent of the new advisor.

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 (seven term courses) may be accepted toward the residence requirement on the recommendation of the chair of the program.

As part of the graduate training program in NEJS, all Ph.D. students are required to participate as teaching apprentices for five semesters.

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

Students are assigned advisors from the Near Eastern and Judaic studies department in the program to which they were admitted. Students must meet with their advisor(s) regularly, and before enrolling in courses, to ensure appropriate course coherency. The programs for each graduate area may be found in the departmental office, and are posted on the departmental website.

Scholarships and fellowships are generally renewable for three additional years (four for students in the program in Bible and Ancient Near Eastern studies), based on a favorable annual evaluation by each student's professors by May of each academic year. These evaluations will be shared with the students and will be part of the official file, along with grades. Additionally, University Dissertation Fellowships are available on a University-wide competitive basis for the final year.

Candidates are required to establish competence in Hebrew or Arabic as well as in two European languages, normally French and German. (Students in Modern Middle East must pass an examination in only one of these languages.) These exams are administered by the students' advisors. Additional languages may be required as necessary for research in each individual candidate's program, as determined by their field.

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.

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 may sign up for reading courses with the members of the faculty who will participate in those examinations.

The Benjamin S. Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service also offers Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Ph.D. students who have completed their residence and at least one comprehensive examination the opportunity to apply for a one-year Certificate in Jewish Education. For information contact your advisor or the Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service.

After successfully 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 beginning of the fifth 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. Proposals should be up to 20 pages in length, including bibliography, and contain a clear articulation of the topic with rationale, 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. Additional information about the proposal is available in the department office.

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.

Requirements for the Joint Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Sociology

Residence Requirement and Program of Study

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 (seven term courses) may be accepted toward the residence requirement on the recommendation of the chair of the program.

Students must complete a total of 21 courses. Nine of these courses should be offered by the sociology department (comprising five graduate seminars and four other sociology courses). Among the sociology courses at least one must be a theory course and at least one must be in quantitative methods. At least nine courses must be taken within the NEJS department. The remaining three courses are open to student choice with the approval of the student's advisors. In addition, students in their first year are required to participate in a year-long, noncredit proseminar that introduces program faculty and their research interests.

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

Students are assigned advisors from the sociology department and from the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department. Both advisors will work with the student to ensure appropriate course coherency. An interdepartmental meeting involving both advisors and the student should take place at least once a year.

Candidates are required to establish competence in Hebrew and one modern language (normally French or German, but depending on the area of research another language may be substituted). Language examinations will be administered by the student's advisors.

Candidates are required to establish competence in statistics by successful completion of an appropriate Brandeis course in statistics.

Before proposing and writing a doctoral dissertation, students must show competence in two areas of sociology through the Graduate Accreditation Committee (GAC) process; pass a two-part written comprehensive examination in Jewish cultural literacy in the NEJS department; and pass an oral major field examination.

Candidates demonstrate Jewish cultural literacy in a two-part written examination, which has English and Hebrew components, and a follow-up oral examination. The Hebrew examination in primary sources is part of the cultural literacy examination. This examination gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their broad general knowledge of Jewish literature and cultures of the biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and early modern periods. The oral examination provides opportunity for further exploration following the written examination. Following the successful completion of the Jewish cultural literacy examinations candidates demonstrate their particular field of expertise in contemporary Jewish societies through the oral major field examination.

The Graduate Accreditation Committee (GAC) is the sociology department equivalent of comprehensive examinations. Students elect two sociological areas of interest and with the appropriate faculty member create a contract of requirements for the completion of a portfolio in the specific area. The portfolio can include such items as completed courses, papers, independent readings, or bibliographies. Faculty advisors suggest readings, written work, or independent studies. When the GAC requirement is completed there will be a comprehensive meeting to discuss the candidate's interests and direction in the field and the upcoming dissertation.

A dissertation proposal should be submitted to the dissertation committee soon after the comprehensive examinations and GACs are completed. The dissertation committee should consist of five members: two each from the sociology and the NEJS departments and a fifth member from outside those departments. After approval of the proposal by the dissertation committee it is submitted to the department faculties for approval. Two copies of the dissertation are to be deposited in the offices of the program chairs no later than March 1 of the year in which the candidate expects to earn the degree. The dissertation committee must approve the dissertation and the student must successfully defend the dissertation at a Final Oral Examination.

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

[ 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 every year.

Mr. Kimelman or Mr. Mintz

[ hum ]

An introduction to the peoples, history, religions, institutions, and culture of ancient Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Anatolia, and Egypt from prehistory to 330 BCE. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Kimelman

[ hum ss ]

Main trends and events in the legal, economic, social, cultural, 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

[ hum ]

A review of biblical Hebrew grammar followed by 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 every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Brettler

[ wi hum ]

Introduces students to Yiddish prose fiction created in the latter part of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th. Readings are drawn from the works of the Yiddish classicists and the generations that succeeded them. The course will be taught in English, using texts in translation. Students with knowledge of Yiddish may elect to read the original texts. Usually offered every fall.

Ms. Kellman

Usually offered every year.

Staff

Usually offered every year.

Staff

Usually offered every year.

Staff

Usually offered every year.

Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

[ hum ]

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 2000.

Mr. Wright

[ nw hum ]

The musical instruments, theory, and, in particular, the function of music in ancient Mesopotamia, Israel, Syria, Hittite Anatolia, and Egypt, as manifested in various texts and archaeological finds. No previous knowledge of the Near East or music is required. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

Investigates the philosophic underpinnings of Jewish law. Issues include tradition and change, interpretive freedom, authority, and the nature of legal consciousness. Ranging from the Talmudic to Modern periods, emphasizes the thought of Mendelssohn, Hirsch, Rosenzweig, Soloveitchik, Hartman, and Levinas. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Sendor

(Formerly NEJS 225b)

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 1999.

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

An introduction to the language with study of various texts. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1998.

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

Surveys the history of Poland from the middle of the 18th century to the recent changes since 1989. Emphasizes the specific character of the Polish lands as a borderland and as a multi-religious and multi-ethnic area. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Polonsky

[ hum ]

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

Mr. Abusch and Staff

[ 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 2000.

Mr. Wright

[ nw hum ]

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

[ hum ]

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

Mr. Abusch and Staff

[ hum ]

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. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

A survey of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). 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 second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

An in-depth study of the Book 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. The text will be read in English; no knowledge of Hebrew is assumed. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Abusch

[ hum ]

Examines Soviet Jewish history from 1917 to the present. Focuses on the tsarist legacy, Russian Revolution and civil war, new Bolshevik policies, development of Soviet-Yiddish culture, the "Great Turn" under Stalin, holocaust, post-war Judaism, anti-Semitism, emigration, and current events. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Freeze

[ hum ]

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 2001.

Mr. Wright

[ nw hum ss ]

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 1998.

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

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 fall of 1997.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

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. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Section 1 (in translation)

Section 2 (in Hebrew)

Mr. Wright

[ hum ]

A close examination of the prose and poetry 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 spring of 1999.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

The Hebrew Bible, a complex work, reflects a wide range of attitudes toward women. Examines 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 second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

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 1999.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

An introduction to the life, works, and thought of Philo of Alexandria, widely recognized to be the greatest Jewish thinker of the Hellenistic period and an important forerunner of later religious philosophers. Selections from Philo’s works will be read in translation. Special one-time offering. Was offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Birnbaum

[ hum ]

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 1999.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

Views of God, Creation, and Revelation in the classical sources of post-biblical Judaism. Emphasis on the Rabbinic Aggadah, Medieval Jewish Philosophy, and Early Kabbalah. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Green

[ hum ]

Examines attempts by leading thinkers since the 1960’s to respond to the age-old religious questions: the possibility of faith, the nature of God, revelation, human suffering, and the hope for redemption. Topics considered are Holocaust, Jewish Statehood, the changed role of women, the environmental crisis, and the implication of these for the Judaism of the new century. Usually offered every three years. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Green

[ 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 every fourth year. Last offered in the summer of 1998.

Mr. Polonsky

[ hum ]

Tractate Sanhedrin, chapter three, which deals with the issue of voluntary and compulsory arbitration and the binding nature of gambling agreements. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.

Mr. Kimelman

[ 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. Examines 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. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Polonsky

[ hum ]

A close reading of a variety of biblical "historical" texts from Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. The basic tools for biblical research and the literary study of the Bible will be explored. The newer methods of analyzing biblical "historical" texts will be discussed. Topics vary from year to year and this course may be repeated for credit. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Brettler

[ hum ]

Surveys the history of medieval Jewish philosophy from Saadiah Gaon to Spinoza. Topics include reason and revelation, divine attribute theory, cosmogony, providence, epistemology, ultimate human felicity, and the influence of philosophy in biblical exegesis, Halakhah, Kabbalah, and poetry. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Sendor

[ hum ]

An intensive study of the French and Spanish schools of Jewish commentators on selected books of the Bible. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1997.

Mr. Brettler

[ 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 every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Green

[ hum ]

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 spring of 1997.

Mr. Kimelman

[ hum ]

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 1998.

Mr. Kimelman

[ hum ]

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 1999.

Mr. Kimelman

[ hum ]

A study of the main parts of the New Testament, with emphasis on the contents of the books and the historical development of early Christianity. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Brettler

[ 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. Analyzes Christian debates about God, Christ, and human beings. Studies differences among Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Brooten

[ 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 every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1998.

Mr. Kimelman

An interpretive, bibliographic, and hands-on study of the material (non-textual) culture made, used, and left by American and European Jews since 1600. Analyzes how objects, architecture, paintings, and photographs can help us understand and interpret social, cultural, and religious history. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Ms. Smith

[ hum ]

A study of principal sources of information about Jesus (the "synoptic gospels"), with emphasis on what can be known about his life and thought and on his place in first-century Judaism. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Ms. Brooten

[ 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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 fall of 1999.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 spring of 2000.

Staff

[ hum ss ]

Judea during the Second Commonwealth; Jews in the Roman Empire; origins of anti-Judaism; Jewish religious heritage; Islam and the Jews; the Jewish community; church, state, society, economy, and the Jews; the expulsion from Western Europe. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Ravid

[ hum ]

The modern articulation of collective Jewish experience in terms of a nation has taken on a variety of competing forms. We place the development of Jewish nationalist visions into historical context and study the different strands of cultural, religious, and political Zionism, as well as several non-Zionist forms such as Bundism and autonomism. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Sheppard

[ nw 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. Tries 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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Abusch

[ nw hum ]

Who are the Shi'i Muslims? Addresses this question by focusing on the Shi'i communities of Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Lebanon, and India. Examines the social, cultural, and religious life of these communities, as well as their political development in modern times. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Nakash

[ nw hum ]

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 every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Levy

[ nw hum ss ]

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 every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Nakash

[ nw hum ]

Examines the historical processes that led to the destruction of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of new states in the Balkans and the Middle East: nationalism, European imperialism, Ottoman reform and its ultimate failure. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Levy

[ nw hum ss ]

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Levy

[ 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 every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.

Mr. Levy

[ nw hum ]

Traces the recent re-emergence of Islam by examining its position in modern Middle Eastern socioeconomic and political life. Uses Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Gaza and the West Bank, and Iran as major test-cases for assessing the success of political Islam. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Nakash

[ 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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Brooten

[ hum ]

Major themes, issues, and developments in 20th-century Jewish history in Germany, England, and the United States--including the rise of nazism, the "holocaust," Zionism, Hebrew culture, and the history of the NEJS department--in a biographical framework, on the basis of published and unpublished material, and a wide range of archival ephemera. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Ravid

[ hum ss ]

Central issues 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, Renaissance and the Jews, Marranos and inquisition, raison d'état, and the admission of the Jews to Western Europe and North America. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Ravid

[ hum ss ]

A historical survey of the phenomenon of anti-Judaism from classical antiquity to the present. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1998.

Mr. Ravid

[ 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 every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Green

[ 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 every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1998.

Ms. Brooten

[ hum ]

Explores the cultural image, social role, and legal status of women in Judaic texts of the biblical, talmudic, and medieval periods. Includes cross-cultural comparisons with women in pagan, Christian, and Muslim sources and the impact of the patriarchal world view on the current issue of gender equality in the private and public domains of Jewish law and culture. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Staff

[ hum ]

An examination of Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed and Mishneh Torah focusing on his attempt to correlate traditional Judaism and contemporary Hellenism. Issues include biblical interpretation, the nature of God, creation, prophecy, miracles, providence, and the rationales for the laws. All readings are in English. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Sendor

[ hum ]

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 every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1998.

Mr. Green

[ nw hum ]

An introduction to the religion, mythology, and thought of the ancient Near East. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Abusch

[ 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. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1997.

Ms. Freeze

Israeli women face numerous obstacles in their struggle for equality. Utilizes feminist theory to analyze the historical, social, and cultural forces that impact (and constrain) the status of women in Israel. Usually offered every year.

Staff

[ hum ]

Jewish intellectuals in the United States have exerted tremendous influence on the changing landscape of American culture and society over the last century. Explores the political, cultural, and religious contours of this diverse and controversial group. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Shepard

[ hum ]

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. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Green

[ hum ]

An examination of what constitutes wisdom and what characterizes the wise in selected writings from the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, Qumran, and Philo, with special attention to the influences of Jewish tradition and Greek thought. Sources will be read in English. Special one-time offering. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Ms. Birnbaum

[ hum ss ]

A focused sociological analysis 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; the interplay of American and Jewish values; and the relationship of Jews to the general society and other ethnic groups. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Fishman

[ hum ss ]

American Judaism from the earliest settlement to the present, with particular emphasis on the various streams of American Judaism. Judaism's place in American religion and comparisons to Judaism in other countries. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Sarna

[ hum ss ]

A topical approach to the history of Jewish-Christian relations in America from the colonial period to the present. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1997.

Mr. Sarna

[ hum ss ]

A survey exploring transformations in modern American Jewish societies, including American Jewish families, organizations, and behavior patterns in the second half of the 20th century. Draws primarily on social science texts, statistical studies, and memoirs, however also makes use of a broad spectrum of source materials, examining evidence from journalism, fiction, film, and other artifacts of popular culture. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Fishman

[ hum ]

Examines selected aspects of American Jewish culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1997.

Mr. Sarna

[ 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 spring of 1999.

Mr. Sheppard

[ 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 1998.

Mr. Sheppard

[ 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 every third year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.

Mr. Sarna

[ 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 every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Mr. Polonsky

[ 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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Polonsky

[ hum ]

Topics include relations between Jews and non-Jews, Jewish politics, culture and religion, women and family, the Holocaust, and the current revival of Jewish identity in East-Central Europe. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Freeze or Mr. Polonsky

[ hum ]

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

Mr. Polonsky

[ hum ]

Summation of the historical, cultural, and religious factors, as well as the psychodynamics that seem responsible for the Holocaust as a phenomenon. Focus on issues of memory and identity formation that have emerged from the theological and literary reflections on the Shoah. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Band

[ qr hum ss ]

Explores the use of quantitative and qualitative research techniques in recent analyses of American Jewish life. Students engage in hands-on research projects, learning what kinds of information can be gathered through survey research and through a variety of qualitative research techniques. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Ms. Fishman

[ hum ]

Grapples 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 in the phenomenon. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Makiya

[ hum ]

Examines portrayals of women in American Jewish literature from a hybrid viewpoint. Using close textual analysis, explores changing American Jewish mores and values and the changing role of women as revealed by portrayals of women in American Jewish fiction. The development of critical reading skills enhances our understanding of the author's intent. We approach the fiction and memoirs we read as literature and as a form of social history. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Ms. Fishman

[ 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 every second year. Last offered in the summer of 2000.

Ms. Fishman

[ hum ]

Explores the achievements and problems of Israeli society as articulated by its leading writers read in their historical contexts. Readings in prose and poetry, including works by Amichai, Oz, Yehoshua, Grossman, Appelfeld, Shabtai, Caste-Blum, and others. Texts and discussion in English. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Band

[ 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 every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1998.

Ms. Fishman

[ hum ]

Focusing in depth on the works of two major American Jewish writers, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick, and paying close attention 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 every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1997.

Ms. Fishman

[ hum ]

A literary analysis of significant modern Hebrew literary texts read in their historical contexts. Examines how literary texts embody the cultural currents of modern Jewish life, in both the Diaspora and in Israel. Texts and discussion in Hebrew. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Band

[ hum ]

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 spring of 1999.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 2000.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 fall of 1997.

Staff

[ hum ]

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.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 fall of 1998.

Staff

[ hum ]

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 1997.

Staff

[ hum ]

Survey course focusing on moving images of Jews and Jewish life in fiction and factual films. Includes early Russian and American silents, home movies of European Jews, Yiddish feature films, Israeli cinema, independent films, and Hollywood classics. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Ms. Rivo

[ hum ]

Film and fiction are windows 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, which reflected and helped to shape shifting definitions of the American Jew. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Ms. Fishman

[ 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. Focus this year on the cities of Antioch in Syria and secondarily on Alexandria in Egypt. Greek track available for those with background in Greek. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Brooten

[ hum ]

Explores the vital and venerable tradition of Jewish professional involvement in medicine. Examines 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 second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2002.

Mr. Sendor

[ hum ]

Examines the medium of film--propaganda, documentary, narrative fiction--relevant to the history of the Holocaust. The use of film to shape, justify, document, interpret, and imagine the Holocaust. Beginning with the films produced by the Third Reich, the course includes films produced immediately after the events as well as contemporary feature films. The focus will be how the film medium--as a medium--works to (re)present meaning(s). Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Ms. Rivo

[ nw hum ]

Introduces students to some of the major issues currently under sharp debate in Arab social and political thought. Topics include authenticity vs. modernity, heritage vs. renewal, secularism vs. fundamentalism, state vs. civil society, and globalization. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Staff

(Formerly NEJS 197c)

[ hum ]

Explores the way in which people make assumptions about power, authority, and justice. Focuses on Israel, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Algeria, explaining the nature of political power in these states. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1998.

Messrs. Makiya and Nakash

(200 and above) Primarily for Graduate Students

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 fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1998.

Mr. Brettler

Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Abusch

Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring 2000.

Mr. Abusch

Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Abusch

Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Abusch

Usually offered every third year.

Mr. Abusch

Explores some of the ways in which Middle Eastern writers (both Arabs and Israelis) have treated major episodes and foundation myths in the 20th century. Our focus will be on the development of collective memories and the appearance of revisionist studies that challenge earlier accounts of history. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2000.

Mr. Nakash

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 fall of 1998.

Mr. Brettler

A review of grammar and continued reading in various Ugaritic texts. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the fall of 1996.

Mr. Wright

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Sarna

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

Mr. Green

Explores the major social transformations that have marked Middle Eastern history in the 19th and 20th centuries. The discussion covers such topics as tribal settlement, the village community, land reform, the Islamic city, urbanization, modernization and modernity, the family, the concept of "class," and the position of women. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2001.

Mr. Nakash

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. Undergraduates by permission of the instructor. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Ms. Fishman

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 every third year. Last offered in the fall of 1999.

Mr. Ravid

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2001.

Mr. Levy

Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.

Mr. Ravid

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 every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2000.

Mr. Levy

Usually offered every year.

Mr. Polonsky

Usually offered every third year.

Staff

Special tutorials for advanced graduate students.

Ms. Kahn

Mr. Abusch

Mr. Abusch

Mr. Cutter

Staff

Mr. Green

Mr. Brettler

Mr. Abusch

Mr. Abusch

Ms. Freeze

Ms. Kellman

Mr. Sarna

Mr. Ravid

Mr. Polonsky

Mr. Whitfield

Mr. Kimelman

Mr. Kimelman

Mr. Levy

Mr. Levy

Mr. Polonsky

Mr. Brettler

Mr. Wright

Mr. Wright

Mr. Green

Messrs. Brettler and Wright

Mr. Ravid

Mr. Levy

Mr. Sarna

Mr. Nakash

Mr. Sarna

Mr. Sarna

Mr. Levy

Ms. Fishman

Mr. Polonsky

Ms. Fishman

Mr. Polonsky

Mr. Polonsky

Mr. Polonsky

Staff

Ms. Brooten and Mr. Kimelman

Mr. Mintz

Ms. Antler

Ms. Brooten

Ms. Ringvald

Mr. Ravid

Ms. Freeze

Ms. Ringvald

Ms. Fishman

Ms. Nevo-Hacohen

Mr. Peleg

Mr. Sheppard

Independent research for the Ph.D. degree.

Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

Staff

Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Yiddish: See under separate headings elsewhere in this Bulletin.

Cross-Listed Courses

The American Jewish Woman: 1890-1990s

Paradoxes of Peoplehood in Contemporary Israel

Archaeology of Egypt and Canaan in Ancient Times

Israel in Egypt: An Introduction to Alexandrian Jewish Literature

The Diasporic Condition in Contemporary Jewish Literature

Jewish German Women Writers

Greek and Roman Ethics: From Plato to the Stoics

Islam: Civilization and Institutions

Methods in Jewish Community Research

The Woman's Voice in the Muslim World