2022-2023 Course Catalog

Jewish Studies

This minor is an interdisciplinary study of Jewish history, literature, religion, culture, and art.

Curriculum

+Minor Requirements

CST120 Introduction to Jewish Studies

Far from monolithic, the global Jewish experience has been one of multiculturalism, ethnic and linguistic diversity, adaptation, exile, and migration. This interdisciplinary course will consider the global Jewish experience from ancient times to the present day through a variety of lenses: Religion, diaspora, culture, language and literature, and self-representation.

3
HIS252 History of Judaism
HIS224 The Holocaust

This course surveys the destruction of two-thirds of European Jewry during World War II. Through a close reading of primary texts and secondary sources, it explores the foundations and development of Nazi policy toward the Jews. The course documents the reactions of Jews, European peoples and governments, the U.S. people and government, and various churches and political movements.

3
ENG449 Exiles

This course will examine the 20th-century condition of exile in relation to its different configurations, from European émigrés to postcolonial subjects to experiences of exile in the United States, to the relation of exile to Diaspora (African, Indian, and Jewish). Students will see how different patterns of movement define subjects variously as exiles, migrants, nomads, and tourists. They also will approach the concept of exile from psychological, geographical, and cultural angles to understand the different uses of the term, its scope, and its limitations.

3
HIS326 The Arab-israeli Conflict

This course examines the origins and issues of conflict between Arabs and Israelis over Palestine. Using primary and secondary sources, arguments of the conflict over serveral decades are considered, emphasizing the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis but also examining the role of regional and world powers.

3
SSC219 American Jewish Experience

This course surveys the experience of the Jewish community in America occasionally using Pittsburgh as a case study from the 19th century up through contemporary times. Events are placed in the context of political and social currents in America, Europe, and the Middle East.

3