Spring 2008 (5768), TR 9:30-10:45 HOLT 268
jwyrick@csuchico.edu (but please use WebCT Vista course email for all official course business)
Trinity 239A
x-6379
Office Hours: W 11-12, Th 11-12 and 1-2; F by appt. only
Course Aims:
The goal of this course is to gain a familiarity with the origins of Judaism, its practices and beliefs, and major moments in the history of the tradition. We will explore the textual basis of Judaism, including important parts of the Hebrew Bible, known in Christianity as the “Old Testament.” We will also read passages from the formative and authoritative texts of rabbinic Judaism, such as the Talmud and Midrash. Central Jewish beliefs and religious practices (including prayer, holidays, and the life cycle) will be surveyed, and attention will be given to literary texts written by Jewish authors that explore the Jewish experience.
Each of these aspects of the religion would require a lifetime of study to treat fully. Scholars who specialize in ancient Judaism might need to become proficient in ancient languages like biblical and rabbinic Hebrew, Aramaic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and ancient Greek; those studying medieval or modern Judaism would need to know Hebrew and some combination of Yiddish and Ladino, Arabic and Spanish, German and French, or Russian and Polish. Studying Jewish legal texts (such as the Talmud) requires expertise in Hebrew and Aramaic as well as the skills and instincts of a well-trained lawyer. Some scholars in Judaic Studies specialize in Jewish philosophy and theology, others in literature, and others in the study of inscriptions and ancient manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some focus on the history of Judaism in the Muslim world, in medieval Christian Europe, or the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Still others specialize in the Holocaust, Zionism and the State of Israel, or the Arab-Israeli conflict.
One goal of this course will be to gain skills in the "close-reading" of texts, as well as to consider the representation of Jews and issues facing Judaism in literature and film. Another will be to gain a feeling of empathy for the practitioners of this religion—to imagine what it might be like to be a Jew. This course will also cover highlights in Jewish history. Discussion of the consensus and division among Jewish practitioners throughout history will make up a significant component of this course.
Requirements:
Attendance: 100 points (minus 10 for each missed class)
Class Participation (= intelligent questions, comments in class, GE 4 cultural events): 50 points
Analysis paper on Jewish Midrash: 200 points
Analysis Paper on Hasidism or Holocaust Theology: 200 points
Short Test on Genesis, Exodus, Trepp: 50 points
Test on Tevye the Dairyman: 50 points
Test on The Chosen: 50 points
Midterm multiple-choice exam: 150 points
Portfolio of 3 articles from Ha-Aretz and discussion: 50 points
Final Exam: 100 points
[Extra Credit: response paper discussing your visit to a Jewish service, in Chico or elsewhere, this semester: 25 points]
Total: 1000 + points
Policies:
Late papers may be penalized up to 1/3 of a grade per day, unless prior permission has been granted. All papers are required; you cannot pass the course without handing in all of them. You are required to keep a back-up copy of each essay you submit, either in a computer disk or in hard-copy, to be printed out and resubmitted upon my request. Any paper not resubmitted on request will be considered as not having been completed. Alternately, submit both a hardcopy of your paper and electronic version on WebCT Vista at the due date.
You will lower your attendance grade by 10 points every time you miss class. Legitimate excuses (e.g. a doctor's note or a note from another professor about a class related activity) will be accepted, provided that they are accompanied by a 1/2 page written discussion of the readings assigned for that day. It is your responsibility to inform me at the end of class if you missed roll call.
General Education Course Requirements (C-3):
Because this is a General Education course (area C, section 3), you will be expected to attend 4 cultural events during the semester. Part of your class participation requirement will be met when you hand in a single document detailing each event you attended in a description of one sentence or more. One of these "events" may be one of the recommended films listed on this syllabus under the appropriate dates. Other events might include television documentaries related to Judaism, serious musical performances, plays, or lectures, attended this semester. Except for the films or documentaries, they need not relate to Judaism or religion. The observation of a Jewish service may count for GE as well as for extra credit (an extra credit submission requires a 1-page response paper).
Jewish Communities in Chico:
Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) is located on 1336 Hemlock (at 14th St.) (phone: 342-6146). CBI is led by Rabbi Julie Danan, ordained in Jewish Renewal. Some would describe the synagogue as similar to Reform in its relaxed atmosphere and English service with Hebrew songs and prayers. Friday night services (Kabbalat Shabbat) are well attended. Services begin at 7:30pm, or at 5:45 pm on the first Friday of each month (these early Friday services are family oriented, while the 7:30 services are adult oriented). Saturday morning Shabbat services are usually the main service, and include a ceremonial chanting of the Torah portion of the week from the Torah scroll housed in the ark. Services are at 10am and last 2 hours. The Rabbi notes that it is more polite to arrive late than to leave early. Dress is informal. Men are not expected to put on a kippah or skullcap as they enter the synagogue, although these are available at the entrance and are optional for men or women. Seating is mixed (men and women are not separated). http://www.cbichico.org/
The Chico Havurah: Meetings are held at the Congregational Church, 1190 East First Ave. ( the corner of Downing & East 1st Ave.) on the first and third Fridays of every month at 7pm. The Chico Havurah is a small Reconstructionist Congregation (an offshoot of the Conservative movement) formed in 2003 to give Jews in Chico an alternative to the traditional synagogue experience. The Havurah is a creative, inclusive Jewish community that embraces "authentic democracy." Seating is mixed. Phone 530.520.3946 http://www.chicohavurah.org/
Chabad Jewish Center at Chico State and the North Valley, 526 W 4th Avenue (Phone 530-313-5511): a Hasidic, traditional orthodox Jewish center (one of over 110 campus centers in America) led by Rabbi Mendy. Chabad is an organization dedicated to engaging every Jew, regardless of background, affiliation, or personal level of observance, and providing resources to help increase their level of Jewish knowledge, enthusiasm, and commitment. Chabad presents events for students such as “Friday Night Live!” One-on-one Study, “Chana’s Kitchen,” “Girls’ Night Out,” or Holiday Parties and Services. As appropriate, interested non-Jews will be graciously welcomed at Chabad events, but their outreach is directed towards Jewish students and community members. Seating is separate.
http://www.jewishchico.com/
The Chico State Hillel/Jewish Student Union (chicohillel@sbcglobal.net), Chico's branch of this nation-wide organization for Jewish students, also sponsors events relating to Jewish holiday observances. The Hillel Center is located at 101 Salem St. # 7, above Celestino's and directly across from Taylor Hall at the corner of Salem and W. 1st St. Phone 530-879-0870. http://www.csuchico.edu/jsu/
This course counts towards the minor in Modern Jewish and Israel Studies (MJIS) (18-20 units); the major in Jewish Studies (30-32 units), and the minor and major in Religious Studies (21 units and 39 units respectively; see http://www.csuchico.edu/rs/). Students graduating with majors in these and other disciplines in the liberal arts are known for their overall educational preparation, their job flexibility, and their ultimate earning potential (receiving higher salaries on average 5 years after graduation), especially when compared to graduates receiving a more narrow, technical, or vocational undergraduate education. Graduation with a minor in the humanities provides evidence of open-mindedness, perseverance, inquisitiveness, and the ability to relate to people of other cultures as well as to those who are highly educated themselves.
Required Books:
Available at AS Bookstore:
Leo Trepp, A History of the Jewish Experience (Springfield, NJ: Behrman House, Inc., 2001).
Sholem Aleichem, Tevye the Dairyman and the Railway Stories (New York: Schocken Books, 1997).
Chaim Potok, The Chosen (Fawcett Books, 1995).
Available at Mr. Copy (Main St. at 1st St., next to the 7-Eleven):
RELS 204 Reader; Please bring it to class when it contains the readings for that day.
Recommended (Available at AS Bookstore):
Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text (Jewish Publication Society, 1985) (recommended)
You are required to read sections of the Hebrew Bible. A recommended translation is the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh. An older and more old-fashioned version is available online at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/jpstoc.html ; click on Bereshit-Genesis or Shemot-Exodus, then on Bereshit 1 or Shemot 1 (for chapter 1), then on JPS. A printed version is available at the AS Bookstore (full title: Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text [Jewish Publication Society, 1985]). Please do not use the King James version (KJV), due to its difficulty and archaic language (it may, however, be consulted as a second translation). Besides Genesis and Exodus, most other important passages will be provided in the RELS 204 Reader.
Please purchase your own Bible or print out the relevant chapters for that day and bring to class.
You are required to locate three articles from HaAretz (pronounced ha AH-rets), one of Israel's most important newspapers, during the course of the semester. The articles may be read on line at http://www.haaretz.com/ . You may need to register to view the articles, but there is no charge to do so. The three articles should focus on a single topic or set of ideas, but should appear in three different editions (i.e. on three different dates). You will be responsible for creating a portfolio containing copies of these three articles. You will also write a discussion of the topic presented in these articles.
Syllabus:
Note: readings or websites completely in italics are optional (book titles don't count!).
January 29: Introduction to Judaism and Israel
The Torah and Its Interpretation
January 31: From Paradise to Babel; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
February 5: Three Covenants; Israel Defined in Egypt
For class today, read:
February 7: The Akedah (the Binding of Isaac) and Jewish Midrash
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
For class today, read:
February 12: Jewish Midrash: ***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
February 14: The Oral Torah, Part 1: The Mishnah, a Code of Laws
Read for today:
February 19: The Oral Torah, Part 2: The Talmud, the Rabbis' Commentary on the Mishnah
Read for today:
February 21: Clasroom Visiting Lecture: Ismail Khaldi, Deputy Consul General of the State of Israel
February 26: Israelite Religion vs. Rabbinic Judaism; Passover the Pilgrimage vs. Passover the Seder
***Analysis Paper due: How Does Jewish Midrash Interpret the Torah?***
Read for today:
1) Trepp, Jewish Experience pp. 385-402
Jewish Observance
February 28: Prayer and Physical Mitzvot; The Life Cycle
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
***Short Test on Genesis, Exodus, Trepp, and Lecture Notes ***
March 4: Clean and Unclean Animals; Kashrut
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
1) Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14:1-21
For further research on kashrut, see:
http://www.oukosher.org/
http://www.star-k.com/consumer.htm
http://www.kosherquest.org/
March 6: Kashrut, cont.; Shabbat
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
1) Miryam Z. Wahrman, “Kosher Pork: Brave New Animals,” in Brave New Judaism: When Science and Scripture Collide, pp. 187-208 (in RELS 204 Reader)
March 11: Shabbat, cont.; The Calendar; The High Holy Days; Minor Feasts
Read for today:
Jewish Belief
March 13: Resurrection of the Dead; The World to Come; The Messiah; Redemption
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
***March 17-21: Spring Break***
March 25: Women, Sexuality, and Homosexuality in Judaism
Read for today:
Recommended films: Kadosh (Dir. Joseph Cedar, Israel, 1999); Trembling Before G-d (Dir. Sandi Simcha Dubowski, USA, 2001); Women (Dir. Rivka Gur, Israel, 1996); Yossi and Jagger (Dir. Eytan Fox, Israel, 2002)
March 27: Jewish Observance and Belief; Midterm Review
April 1: ***Midterm exam***
Modern Jewish History
April 3: Judaism in Exile (Diaspora); Introduction to Tevye the Dairyman
Read for today:
Recommended films: Tevye (Dir. Maurice Schwartz, USA, 1939); Fiddler on the Roof (Dir. Norman Jewison, USA, 1971)
April 8: Christianity and Judaism in the Medieval Period
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
2) Marvin Perry, “Ritual Murderers: Christian Blood and Jewish Matzohs,” pp. 43-72, in Antisemitism: Myth and Hate from Antiquity to the Present
To see how Judaism confronts Christian interpretations of the Bible:
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/
April 10: Mysticism and Kabbalah
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
2) Trepp, Jewish Experience, pp. 463-483 and pp. 145-159
(Traditional) Jewish Kabbalah websites:
http://www.kabbalah.com/kabbalah/home.html
http://kabbalaonline.org/
The California Kabbalah Center (Madonna, Roseanne Barr, Cher, etc.):
http://www.kabbalah.info/index.php
A radical Jewish kabbalah organization:
http://www.truekabbalah.org
Kabbalah and the Big Bang:
http://www.levity.com/alchemy/luria.html
An actual translation of the Kabbalah (the Zohar) from Aramaic:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/tku/index.htm
April 15: Hasidism and Mysticism
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
For further research:
http://hasidicnews.com/faq.shtml
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/363_Transp/Orthodoxy/Hasidism.html
On Hasidic sects (only Satmar, Belz, Lubavitch, Viznitz, Bobov):
http://hasidicnews.com/history.shtml
On Chabad (Lubavitch) Hasidism:
http://www.kesser.org/
http://www.lubavitch.com/
On Hasidic teachings:
http://www.breslov.org/teachings.html
April 17: Hasidism: The Tsaddik
***Please bring RELS 204 Reader to class***
Read for today:
For further research:
http://hasidicnews.com/faq.shtml
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/363_Transp/Orthodoxy/Hasidism.html
On Hasidic sects (only Satmar, Belz, Lubavitch, Viznitz, Bobov):
http://hasidicnews.com/history.shtml
On Chabad (Lubavitch) Hasidism:
http://www.kesser.org/
http://www.lubavitch.com/
On Hasidic teachings:
http://www.breslov.org/teachings.html
Recommended films: The Quarrel (Dir. Eli Cohen, Israel, 1992); Kadosh (Dir. Joseph Cedar, Israel, 1999); Price Above Rubies (Dir. Boaz Yakin, 1998); Left Luggage (Dir. Jeroen Krabbé, Belgium, 1998), A Stranger Among Us (Dir. Sidney Lumet, USA, 1992)
April 22: The Meaning of the Enlightenment; The Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) in Western Europe
*** Test on Sholem Aleichem, Tevye the Dairyman ***
Read for today:
2) Chaim Potok, The Chosen, cont.
April 24: Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox Denominations
Read for today:
1) Trepp, Jewish Experience pp. 181-194 and pp. 237-260
***Begin Reading Chaim Potok, The Chosen***
April 29: Anti-Semitism
Read for today:
On the Protocols of the Elders of Zion:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/prototoc.html
Anti-Semitic Legends:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/antisemitic_legends.html
Recommended films: The Believer (Dir. Henry Bean, USA, 2001), Conspiracy (Dir. Frank Pierson, USA, 2001); Night and Fog (Dir. Alain Resnais, France, 1955).
May 1: Zionism; Modern Hebrew Language; Hebrew Literature and the Holocaust
Read for today:
On Eliezar Ben Yehuda and the revival of Modern Hebrew:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ben_yehuda.html
For traditional Jews opposed to Zionism:
http://www.nkusa.org/
May 6: The Holocaust: Theological Responses
***Test on The Chosen***
Read for today:
Recommended films: Life Is Beautiful (Dir. Roberto Benigni, Italy, 1998); The Pianist (Dir. Roman Polanski, USA, 2003); Europa Europa (Dir. Agnieszka Holland, Poland, 1991)
Read for today:
May 13:Religion and Politics in Israel; Who is a Jew?
***Analysis paper: Hasidism or Holocaust Theology due ***
Recommended films: Kippur (Dir. Amos Gitai, Israel, 2000); Late Marriage (Dir. Dover Koshashvili, Israel, 2001); Time of Favor (2000; Israel)
May 15:
***Summaries of 4 cultural events due in class ***
***Extra Credit Response Paper due in class: Visit to a Jewish Service ***
***Portfolio of 3 articles from Ha-Aretz and a 1-page discussion due***
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 20, 12-1:50 pm
Plagiarism and cheating are grave violations of the academic integrity policy of the California State University, Chico. This policy (EM 04-36) is posted at http://www.csuchico.edu/prs/EMs/EM04/em04_36.htm .We view plagiarism and cheating as serious offenses. The policy of the Department of Religious Studies is that anyone found to have blatantly cheated or plagiarized on an assignment will automatically fail the course and be referred to student judicial affairs for further disciplinary action.
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. DSS is located in University Center, behind Kendall Hall. The DSS phone number is 898-5959 V/TTY or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS website at http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/ .
This syllabus is subject to revision.