Jewish Studies

jewish-israel-studies-center.northwestern.edu

Jewish Studies at Northwestern is an interdisciplinary enterprise examining Jewish life from ancient to modern times with a focus on the interaction between the Jewish people and the world. It explores Jewishness as a cultural, ethnic and/or religious identity and phenomenon. More specifically, Jewish Studies courses offer instruction in Jewish texts and languages, philosophy and literature, religion and history. Our faculty seek to develop students’ skills in critical reading, writing, and thinking, using comparative approaches, and building bridges between the universal and the particular.  In addition, our program offers course on the modern state of Israel focusing on the history, politics, culture, and economics of contemporary Israeli society as well as on Israeli technological and scientific scholarship.

You can take Jewish Studies courses to fulfill degree requirements (such as foundational disciplines), as a way to explore your identity, as a step toward bettering your critical thinking, or simply out of curiosity. The students who take Jewish Studies courses are a diverse group and many have no background in Judaism before they begin.

Jewish Studies also partners with the Middle East and North African Languages Program to provide Hebrew language classes, which are offered at three levels.

In addition to courses with the JWSH_ST prefix, Jewish Studies courses are offered by many departments and programs. The following is a sample; a list of courses being taught this academic year is available on the program website:

• COMP_LIT 270-0 Literatures in Translation (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• GNDR_ST 382-0 Race, Gender, and Sexuality (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• GERMAN 234-1 Jews and Germans: An Intercultural History I

GERMAN 234-2 Jews and Germans: An Intercultural History II

GERMAN 366-0 Yiddish Culture and the Holocaust

• HISTORY 203-1 Jewish History 750-1492

HISTORY 203-2 Jewish History II: Early Modern, 1492 - 1789

HISTORY 203-3 Jewish History III 1789-1948

HISTORY 347-0 Christians and Jews

• HISTORY 348-1 Jews in Poland, Ukraine, and Russia

• HISTORY 348-2 Jews in Poland, Ukraine, and Russia

HISTORY 349-0 The History of the Holocaust

HISTORY 393-0 Approaches to History (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

HISTORY 395-0 Research Seminar (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• POLI_SCI 395-0 Political Research Seminar (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• RELIGION 220-0 Introduction to Hebrew Bible

• RELIGION 230-0 Introduction to Judaism

• RELIGION 329-0 Topics in the Bible (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• RELIGION 330-0 Varieties of Ancient Judaism

• RELIGION 333-0 Judaism in the Modern World

• RELIGION 339-0 Topics in Judaism

• RELIGION 374-0 Contemporary Religious Thought (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• RELIGION 379-0 Topics in Comparative Religion (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

SESP 351-0 Special Topics (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

• SPANISH 397-0 Topics in Latin American, Latina & Latino, and Iberian Literatures and Cultures (Taught in English) (relevant sections; consult with DUS)

 

Below see also Hebrew Courses.  In addition, please see relevant courses listed by other academic units here.

Jewish Studies Courses

JWSH_ST 101-7 College Seminar (1 Unit)   Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and introducing skills necessary to thriving at Northwestern. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.

JWSH_ST 101-8 First-Year Writing Seminar (1 Unit)   Small, writing and discussion-oriented course exploring a specific topic or theme, and focused on the fundamentals of effective, college-level written communication. Not eligible to be applied towards a WCAS major or minor except where specifically indicated.

JWSH_ST 210-0 Jewish Studies: An Overview (1 Unit)   Introduction to the field of Jewish studies. Methodologies used to research and analyze Jewish culture, history, and religion. Ethics Values Distro Area

JWSH_ST 242-0 Imagining Modern Jewish Culture in Yiddish and German (1 Unit)   History and character of Yiddish and the development of modern German culture in general and German-Jewish culture in particular. Appreciation of the variety of "Judaisms" imagined and reimagined during modern European history. GERMAN 242-0 and JWSH_ST 242-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 266-0 Introduction to Yiddish Culture: Images of the Shtetl (1 Unit)   Analysis and discussion of the literary, visual, and filmic images of the communal life developed by Eastern European Jews and inseparably associated with them. GERMAN 266-0 and JWSH_ST 266-0 are taught together; students may receive credit for only one of these. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

JWSH_ST 278-0 Modern Hebrew Literature in Translation (1 Unit)   History of Hebrew literature. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 279-0 Modern Jewish Literature (1 Unit)   Modern European, American, and Israeli Jewish literature in historical context. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline

JWSH_ST 280-4 Topics in Israel Studies (1 Unit)   Topics in Israel Studies: History, culture and society of the modern State of Israel. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic. Topics taught under this course number may be applied towards Weinberg College distribution requirement Area IV. Historical Studies Distro Area Historical Studies Foundational Discipline

JWSH_ST 280-5 Topics in Israel Studies (1 Unit)   Topics in Israel Studies History, culture and society of the modern State of Israel. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic. Topics taught under this course number may be applied towards Weinberg College distribution requirement Area V. Ethics Values Distro Area

JWSH_ST 280-6 Topics in Israel Studies (1 Unit)   Topics in Israel Studies: History, culture and society of the modern State of Israel. Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic. Topics taught under this course number may be applied towards Weinberg College distribution requirement Area VI. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 280-7 Topics in Israel Studies (1 Unit)   Topics in Israel Studies: History, culture and society of the modern State of Israel. Content varies. Course number indicates distribution area towards which course counts. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

JWSH_ST 350-0 Representing the Holocaust in Literature and Film (1 Unit)   Analysis of artistic, ethical, and historical questions about representing the Holocaust in different genres. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 366-0 Yiddish Culture and the Holocaust (1 Unit)   Analysis of modern Yiddish literature before the Holocaust as well as literary work that emerged from Yiddish-speaking writers who survived the Second World War. GERMAN 366-0 and JWSH_ST 366-0 are taught together; may receive credit for only one course. Prerequisite: None. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 379-0 Storytelling in American Jewish Literature (1 Unit)   Modern Jewish writers from diverse national and linguistic backgrounds who have reshaped the oral tradition in Judaism to their individual talents. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 390-0 Topics in Jewish Studies (1 Unit)   Addresses topics not covered by other course offerings. Content varies.

JWSH_ST 396-0 Topics in Modern Jewish Culture (1 Unit)   Analysis of major texts and figures in 20th and 21st century Jewish literature, with attention to their cultural context and import. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

JWSH_ST 399-0 Independent Study (1 Unit)   For majors selected as candidates for departmental honors. Consent of department is required to enroll.

Hebrew Courses

HEBREW 111-1 Hebrew I (1 Unit)   This sequence offers students a systematic introduction to Hebrew language and culture. Emphasizes the four modalities-speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Prerequisite: None or one year of high-school Hebrew or placement test results.

HEBREW 111-2 Hebrew I (1 Unit)   This sequence offers students a systematic introduction to Hebrew language and culture. Emphasizes the four modalities-speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Prerequisite: HEBREW 111-1 or equivalent.

HEBREW 111-3 Hebrew I (1 Unit)   This sequence offers students a systematic introduction to Hebrew language and culture. Emphasizes the four modalities-speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Prerequisite: HEBREW 111-2 or equivalent.

HEBREW 121-1 Hebrew II (1 Unit)   This sequence further develops speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills in Hebrew. Offers insights into Hebrew culture and history through written and audiovisual materials. Prerequisite: HEBREW 111-3 or equivalent.

HEBREW 121-2 Hebrew II (1 Unit)   This sequence further develops speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills in Hebrew. Offers insights into Hebrew culture and history through written and audiovisual materials. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-1 or equivalent.

HEBREW 121-3 Hebrew II (1 Unit)   This sequence further develops speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills in Hebrew. Offers insights into Hebrew culture and history through written and audiovisual materials. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-2 or equivalent.

HEBREW 211-0 Hebrew III: Language and Culture (1 Unit)   Introduction to and practice of intermediate and advanced grammatical concepts in Hebrew through authentic cultural texts and current media sources. The course focuses on speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing skills. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-3.

HEBREW 216-1 Hebrew III:Topics in Hebrew Literature (1 Unit)   Hebrew language, literature, and culture. Material includes authentic written and audiovisual material such s films, TV shows, newspaper articles and literary pieces. Review of more complex grammar including the development of reading, writing, and speaking skills. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-3 or equivalent. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

HEBREW 216-2 Hebrew III: Topics in Hebrew Literature (1 Unit)   Hebrew language, literature, and culture. Material includes authentic written and audiovisual material such s films, TV shows, newspaper articles and literary pieces. Review of more complex grammar including the development of reading, writing, and speaking skills. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-3 or equivalent. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

HEBREW 216-3 Hebrew III: Topics in Hebrew Literature (1 Unit)   Hebrew language, literature, and culture. Material includes authentic written and audiovisual material such s films, TV shows, newspaper articles and literary pieces. Review of more complex grammar including the development of reading, writing, and speaking skills. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-3 or equivalent. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

HEBREW 245-0 Current Events in Israel: Israeli Society through Online News Media (1 Unit)   This course focuses on current events in Israel through in-depth exploration of online news media sources such as foreign newspaper articles and videos. Students will gain respect for alternative ideas and diversity of views and learn how news and public opinion are chosen, disseminated, shared. The course focuses on reading, listening, discussion and on building a comprehensive Hebrew vocabulary. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121-3 or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit with different topic.

HEBREW 316-1 Hebrew IV: Advanced Topics in Hebrew Literature (1 Unit)   Literature Reading 20th-century Hebrew literature. Presentations, discussion, and essays in Hebrew. Prerequisite: Three Hebrew courses at the 200-level or consent of instructor. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

HEBREW 316-2 Hebrew IV: Advanced Topics In Hebrew Literature (1 Unit)   Literature Reading 20th-century Hebrew literature. Presentations, discussion, and essays in Hebrew. Prerequisite: Three Hebrew courses at the 200-level or consent of instructor. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

HEBREW 316-3 Advanced Topics in Hebrew Literature (1 Unit)   Literature Reading 20th-century Hebrew literature. Presentations, discussion, and essays in Hebrew. Prerequisite: Three Hebrew courses at the 200-level or consent of instructor. Literature Fine Arts Distro Area

HEBREW 399-0 Independent Study (1 Unit)   For students who have advanced with distinction beyond the regular course offerings in Hebrew. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.