This course introduces students to the fundamentals of the Hebrew language. We study basic vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure, and learn to read and write Hebrew. Emphasis is learning to speak the language.

Students continue to develop the skills acquired in Hebrew 2 with emphasis on speaking and on understanding the spoken language. Readings this term include short stories and articles.

This course is for advanced level students and uses Hebrew language literature, print and electronic media, film, and TV shows. Emphasis is placed on conversation, modern Hebrew literature, and composition.

The myths of the ancient near East are among the earliest written interpretations of the world and human existence. They are also among the most enduring, although they have only been unearthed in the last 200 years. In this course, we read myths from ancient Mesopotamia, Ugarit, and Israel. We study the myths as literary works, representative of the ideas and issues of the original cultural context in which they were shaped. These myths offer insight into the religious mentality of the ancient near east, as well as societal and political issues. We examine themes such as the presentation of the life of the gods, the relationship between the human and divine worlds, the issues of mortality and immortality, existence, fertility, kingship, and ethics. The primary goal of this course is to better understand these myths as they existed and developed in their ancient settings. Of course, because the myths are expressions of human thought, we may find that in studying them we also come to better understand ourselves.

With increasing interest in the Holocaust in Europe, this course focuses on the American side of the Atlantic - on issues of anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiment in this country and on America's response to the Holocaust. We will also look at some post-holocaust issues as well.

God has a history. In the earliest days of that history, God was worshiped as one of a plethora of deities controlling various spheres of cosmic activity or the human world. Students in this course will learn about this ancient pantheon - how gods functioned in society and how their presence was experienced by those devoted to them. They will then trace the evolution of the God of Israel from a mountaintop deity of the southern Levant in the late second millennium BCE to a supreme deity worshiped by a small group of absolute monotheists based in Jerusalem in the mid-first millennium BCE. Students will become more sophisticated readers of biblical texts in the process. The sources of the Hebrew Bible reflect not a homogeneous monotheism, but rather a diverse set of belief systems tending toward henotheism or even polytheism. By appropriating and reinterpreting the religious myths of their neighbors, the Israelites arrived at a character of the divine that has proven problematic to many contemporary theologians, particularly on issues of LGBT rights, women's rights, and the environment.

We analyze the Jewish experience in America since the middle of the 18th century. While that history is more than 350 years old, we will focus primarily on the 20th and 21st centuries. We will explore not just historical themes and developments, but also contemporary issues and perspectives. There will be a variety of classroom activities including meetings with community leaders, archival research, oral reports, films and guest speakers. In addition, as part of the American Jewish experience, we will plan a field trip to sample and/or prepare some traditional Jewish food! The aim of this course is to make each class provocative, lively, informative and relevant by raising issues and questions regarding the past, present and future of the American Jewish community. No prior experience in studying Jewish history is necessary; first-year students are welcome.

In this course the current cultural, political, and social situation in the German speaking countries is assessed, including the integration of refugees; the rise of extreme right-wing political parties; civic movements to stop hate-crimes, racism, and antisemitism. What are the concerns of the Germans, Austrians, and the Swiss? By concentrating on current conditions and changes of public consciousness, issues important to German speakers are debated. Materials include articles from journals and newspapers, documentaries, slides, and contemporary works of literature. All materials are in English.

This course will introduce students to the varieties of Jewish thought, which developed out the of the 19th and 20th centuries and to the present day. After exploring the historical context of the philosophical legacy of Jewish thought, we will consider how Jewish intellectuals sought to reimagine their Jewish faith and Jewish identity in response to various concerns in the 19th and 20th centuries. Specifically, we will analyze Jewish responses to modernity and secularism, Jewish engagement with Western culture and Christianity, political theory (e.g, Marxism) and matters of social justice, Jewish feminism, and the prospect of ethics and religious faith after the Holocaust.

Was the world of Europe and the Middle East before the Enlightenment a period of unending religious conflict and intolerance? Were Jews the victims of severe persecution and violence everywhere during this period? Did Christians and Muslims engage in unceasing religious wars? The answer to all three of these questions is no. While the Middle Ages were a period of conflict and competition between the three major western religious groups, they were also a time of coexistence and cooperation. This class shifts from extreme dichotomies and simplistic stereotypes to deeply examine the period in all of its complexity: what were the theological, political, and legal contexts in which Christians, Muslims, and Jews interacted in both Christian Europe and the Muslim world? How did these deeply religious societies organize themselves to tolerate the religious "Other"? When and why did toleration break down and lead to expulsion, forced conversion, or violence? What kinds of cross-cultural exchanges and cooperation take place in economic, cultural, intellectual, and social life? We will also look at new ideas of toleration (and intolerance) that emerged at the end of the Middle Ages and examine aspects of inter-religious encounters and dialogues today. We will discuss not only the significance of Jewish-Christian-Muslim interactions in the Middle Ages but also assess these encounters as a case study in the broader history of religious diversity, pluralism, and conflict.