Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies is an academic department, unique in North America, in which Jewish studies, Islamic studies, and Middle Eastern studies are integrated. It is an interdisciplinary department that motivates students to explore the historical experience; the literary, religious, and cultural expression; and the political and material life of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern civilizations. Whether students favor the study of language, literature, religion, history, or politics, they will find a way to deepen their appreciation and understanding of these complex and diverse societies and cultures in our courses. Students will also be inspired to explore the interaction of Jews and Muslims with neighboring societies and cultures in the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and other parts of the world.
Students completing our majors and minors have gone on to do many things after graduation. Many have entered professional schools in such fields as law, government, journalism, international affairs, education, the rabbinate or ministry, and communal or social work. Others have gone on to do graduate work in either Jewish, Islamic, or Middle Eastern studies or related disciplines. Still others have combined their interest in Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies with careers in business, medicine, or scientific research. All have found the major to be an intellectually and emotionally rewarding experience and an important component of their overall development.
The goals of the department are as follows:
- Convey an appreciation for the complexities, depth, diversity, and cultural richness of Jewish and Islamic civilizations in their historical context, from antiquity to the present.
- Explore the interaction of Jewish, Islamic, and other Middle Eastern societies and cultures with neighboring peoples both within and outside the Middle East.
- Encourage the mastery of the primary languages and literatures in which Jews and Muslims have expressed their cultures.
- Prepare students for graduate or professional studies in these or related fields.
Contact Info
| Phone: | 314-935-8567 |
| Email: | jimes@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://jimes.wustl.edu |
Chair
Jonathan Judaken
Gloria M. Goldstein Professor of Jewish History and Thought
PhD, University of California-Irvine
Director of Graduate Studies
Hayrettin Yücesoy
Director of Graduate Studies
Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies
PhD, University of Chicago
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Pamela Barmash
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Professor of Hebrew Bible and Biblical Hebrew
PhD, Harvard University
Department Faculty
Housni Bennis
Senior Lecturer in Arabic Language
MA, Washington University in St. Louis
Nancy E. Berg
Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Robert Canfield
Professor Emeritus
PhD, University of Michigan
Flora Cassen
Associate Professor of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
PhD, New York University
Ayala Hendin
Postdoctoral Research Associate
PhD, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Martin Jacobs
Professor of Rabbinic Studies
PhD and Habilitation, Free University of Berlin
Meera Jain
Lecturer of Hindi Languages and Cultures
MArch, University of Texas at Austin
Sara Jay
Lecturer in Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Mona Kareem
Assistant Professor of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
PhD, State University of New York at Binghamton
Hillel J. Kieval
Professor Emeritus
PhD, Harvard University
Erin McGlothlin
Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs in Arts & Sciences
Professor of German and Jewish Studies
PhD, University of Virginia
Nancy Reynolds
Associate Professor of History and of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
PhD, Stanford University
Joseph Schraibman
Professor Emeritus
PhD, University of Illinois
Toqeer Shah
Lecturer of Urdu
MSc, University of Peshawar
Eyal Tamir
Lecturer of Hebrew
PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Younasse Tarbouni
Teaching Professor in Arabic
PhD, L'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)
Madhavi Verma
Lecturer in Hindi Languages and Cultures
MA, Patna University
David H. Warren
Lecturer of Middle East Studies and Arabic
PhD, University of Manchester
Noa Weinberg
Lecturer of Hebrew
MA, Tel Aviv University
Courses include the following:
Arabic
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L49 Arab.
L49 Arab 1020 First-Year Seminar: The New Arab Gulf: Migrants, Weirdos, and Rebels
The Arab Gulf (also known as the Arabian Peninsula, or the Persian Gulf) is a central yet understudied region of the modern Middle East. The six oil-rich countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman) have been allies of the United States for decades, hosting some of the U.S. largest military bases, and spending billions on US arms sales every year. The Gulf region has also been a main destination for blue-collar workers from the Arab world, South and East Asia, and more recently from Africa. Historically, the region was a central point on the trade routes between the Indian subcontinent, West Asia, Africa, and into Europe. These routes involved spice and tea trades, pearl and gold trade, and what is known as the Indian Ocean slave trade. In addition to its colonial history and economic power, the Gulf region has become a place of cultural production, capital, and infrastructure, representing a shift away from the traditional centres of Arab culture like Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq. It hosts remote campuses of western universities such as New York University Abu Dhabi, Georgetown Doha, or global branches of western arts institutions like the Louvre and Guggenheim. Moreover, most of the major literary and arts awards, funds, grants, and galleries in the Arabic-speaking world are now located in the Gulf region, established and funded as government initiatives. Parallel to this growing infrastructure, the Gulf region is also a hub of ideas and movements where diverse groups come to critique and contest conceptions of identity, class, gender, and race, against official histories. This course will explore the following set of special topics to help us learn about the region, its politics, cultures, and societies: Petro-capitalism, Race and Ethnicity, Migration, Ecology, Gender and Sexuality, and Pop Culture. We will be studying the region through an interdisciplinary lens that involves fiction, non-fiction, literary criticism, scholarship, and visual arts. Course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Same as L75 JIMES 1020
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 107D Beginning Arabic I
Introduction to modern Arabic; concentrates on rapidly developing basic skills in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding. Students with previous Arabic language background must take a placement examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 108 Modern Hebrew for Arabic Speakers
Same as L74 HBRW 108
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 108D Beginning Arabic II
Continuation of Beginning Arabic I. Emphasis on enhancing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and aural comprehension of modern Arabic. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 107D Beginning Arabic I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 207D Intermediate Arabic I
Study of grammar of literary Arabic and reading of annotated classical and modern prose texts; elementary composition; practice in speaking and comprehending modern Arabic. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 108D Beginning Arabic II or placement by examination.
Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 208D Intermediate Arabic II
Continuation of Intermediate Arabic I. Study of grammar of literary Arabic and reading of annotated classical and modern prose texts; elementary composition; practice in speaking and comprehending modern Arabic. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 207D Intermediate Arabic I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 208F Introduction to Jewish Civilization: History and Identity
The anthropologist Clifford Geertz once famously invoked Max Weber in writing that "man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun. I take culture to be those webs." The main goal of this course-designed as an introduction to Jewish history, culture, and society-will be to investigate the "webs of significance" produced by Jewish societies and individuals, in a select number of historical periods, both as responses to historical circumstances and as expressions of Jewish identity. Over the course of the semester we will focus on the following historical settings: 7th century BCE Judah and the Babylonian exile; pre-Islamic Palestine and Babylonia (the period of the Mishnah and the Talmud); Europe in the period of the Crusades; Islamic and Christian Spain; Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries; North America in the 20th century; and the modern State of Israel. For each period we will investigate the social and political conditions of Jewish life; identify the major texts that Jews possessed, studied, and produced; determine the non-Jewish influences on their attitudes and aspirations; and the explore the efforts that Jews made to define what it meant to be part of a Jewish collective.
Same as L75 JIMES 208F
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 210F Introduction to Islamic Civilization
A historical survey of Islamic civilization in global perspective. Chronological coverage of social, political, economic and cultural history will be balanced with focused attention to special topics, which will include: aspects of Islam as religion; science, medicine and technology in Islamic societies; art and architecture; philosophy and theology; interaction between Islamdom and Christendom; Islamic history in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia as well as Africa; European colonialism; globalization of Islam and contemporary Islam.
Same as L75 JIMES 210C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 3075 Third-Level Arabic I
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic II. Competence in reading, writing, speaking, listening and culture is developed through intensive exposure to classical and modern standard Arabic in its written and audiovisual forms. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L49 208D or placement by examination. Note: L75 5075 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 3085 Third-Level Arabic II
This course is a continuation of Third-Level Arabic I. The continued integration of language development will occur through reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities centered around advanced authentic material. This semester will prove critical for making the transition from modern Arabic to classical Arabic, including Qur'anic Arabic. There will also be focus on the continued development of colloquial Arabic. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L49 3075 or placement by examination. Note: L75 5085 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 313C Islamic History: 600-1200
The cultural, intellectual, and political history of the Islamic Middle East, beginning with the prophetic mission of Muhammad and concluding with the Mongol conquests. Topics covered include: the life of Muhammad; the early Muslim conquests; the institution of the caliphate; the translation movement from Greek into Arabic and the emergence of Arabic as a language of learning and artistic expression; the development of new educational, legal and pietistic institutions; changes in agriculture, crafts, commerce and the growth of urban culture; multiculturalism and inter-confessional interaction; and large-scale movements of nomadic peoples.
Same as L22 History 313C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 3149 The Late Ottoman Middle East
This course surveys the Middle East in the late Ottoman period (essentially the 18th and 19th centuries, up to the First World War). It examines the central Ottoman state and the Ottoman provinces as they were incorporated into the world economy, and how they responded to their peripheralization in that process. Students will focus on how everyday people's lived experiences were affected by the increased monetarization of social and economic relations; changes in patterns of land tenure and agriculture; the rise of colonialism; state efforts at modernization and reform; shifts in gender relations; and debates over the relationship of religion to community and political identity.
Same as L22 History 3149
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 325 Introduction to Arabic Literature
A survey of the major genres and themes in Arabic literature from the pre-Islamic era to the modern period. Texts will include pre-Islamic, classical and Sufi poetry, as well as popular tales and critical prose from the Umayyad and Abbasid empires and Andalusia. The modern sections of the course will interrogate political commitment in Arabic literature and introduce students to feminist and magical realist novels from North Africa and the Levant. All readings will be in English translation. Please note: L75 525 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 329C Middle Eastern Islamic Literatures in Translation
This course will study, in English translation, several great works of Islamic literature that still influence or reflect the ways in which we perceive Islamic culture today. We will critically consider great and disparate literary works, originally written in a variety of languages including Arabic, Turkish, and Persian and stretched from Spain to India, which share the common backdrop of an urban and educated milieu in which they were produced, widely read, and circulated. The course aims at exploring the literary cultures in their historical and social context. Possible themes include court literature, politics, Sufi literature, history, theology, and literature of romance. All readings are in English.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 352 Iraqi Literature
This course introduces students to major works in Iraqi literature in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a focus on the post-World War Two period up to the present day.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 396 Islamic Philosophy, Mysticism, and Theology
How does an individual achieve access to knowledge and access to God? To what extent is such access dependent upon scripture? To what extent is such access dependent upon reason? Are there forms of truth and experience that only reveal themselves through mysticism? Questions of this sort are central to the interrelated disciplines of Islamic philosophy, Islamic theology, and Islamic mysticism (i.e., Sufism). This course examines how these three disciplines have shaped various aspects of social life within premodern Muslim communities.
Same as L23 Re St 396
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L49 Arab 4001 Capstone Seminar
The capstone course for Jewish, Islamic, & Near Eastern Studies majors, Arabic majors, and Hebrew majors. The course content is subject to change.
Same as L75 JIMES 4001
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 4041 Islam and Politics
Blending history and ethnography, this course covers politics in the Islamic world in historical and contemporary times. Topics include history of Islam, uniformity and diversity in belief and practice (global patterns, local realities), revolution and social change, women and veiling, and the international dimensions of resurgent Islam. Geographical focus extends from Morocco to Indonesia; discussion of other Muslim communities is included (Bosnia, Chechnya, sub-Saharan Africa, U.S.)
Same as L48 Anthro 4041
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Art: SSC BU: IS
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L49 Arab 4050 Diaspora in Jewish and Islamic Experience
Tensions between center and periphery; migration and rest; power and powerlessness; and exile, home, and return are easily found in the historical record of both Jews and Muslims. For Muslims, it can be said that it was the very success of Islam as a world culture and the establishment of Muslim societies in in all corners of the globe that lay at the root of this unease. However, the disruptions of the post-colonial era, the emergence of minority Muslim communities in Europe and North America, and the recent tragic flow of refugees following the Arab Spring have created a heightened sense of displacement and yearning for many. Of course, the very term "diaspora" -- from the ancient Greek, meaning "dispersion" or "scattering" -- has most often been used to describe the Jewish condition in the world. The themes of exile and return and of catastrophe and redemption are already woven into the Hebrew Bible, and they continued to be central motifs in Rabbinic Judaism in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. This occurred despite the fact that more Jews lived outside the borders of Judea than within the country many years before the destruction of Jewish sovereignty at the hands of the Romans. In the 20th century, European imperialism, nationalisms of various types, revolution, and war -- including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- have done much to underscore the continuing dilemmas of diaspora and home in both Jewish and Islamic identity. The goal of this course is to offer a comparative historical perspective on the themes of migration and displacement, center and periphery, home and residence, and exile and return and to give students the opportunity to examine in depth some aspect of the experience of diaspora. Note: This course fulfills the capstone requirement for Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. The course also counts as an Advanced Seminar for history. (Students wishing to receive history Advanced Seminar credit should also enroll in L22 491R section 19 for 1 unit.) The course is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
Same as L75 JIMES 405
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 4060 Convivencia or Reconquista? Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medieval Iberia
This seminar will explore various facets of the coexistence (convivencia) of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in medieval Spain. Its horizon stretches from the Muslim conquest of Iberia (al-Andalus) up to the turn of the 16th century when Spanish Jews and Muslims were equally faced with the choice between exile and conversion to Christianity. Until about 1100, Muslims dominated most of the Iberian Peninsula; from then onward, Christians ruled much and eventually all of what would become modern Spain and Portugal. Through a process known as reconquista (reconquest), Catholic kingdoms acquired large Muslim enclaves. As borders moved, Jewish communities found themselves under varying Muslim or Christian dominion. Interactions between the three religious communities occurred throughout, some characterized by shared creativity and mutual respect, others by rivalry and strife. The course focuses on these cultural encounters, placing them in various historical contexts. It will explore the ambiguities of religious conversion, and the interplay of persecution and toleration. Last not least, the course will address the question of how the memory of medieval Spain's diversity reverberates-and is utilized-in modern popular and academic discourse. All sources will be read in English translation; however, students are encouraged to make use of their linguistic and cultural expertise acquired in previous classes. This course serves as the capstone seminar for Jewish, Islamic & Near Eastern Studies majors, Arabic majors, and Hebrew majors. Graduate students, minors, and other interested undergrads are likewise welcome.
Same as L75 JIMES 4060
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L49 Arab 407 Fourth-Level Arabic: Modern Literature
Focused reading and discussion of texts written by modern Arab intellectuals. These texts will center on the interrelated topics of modernity, politics, and religion. The course will emphasize: (1) increasing reading speed; (2) increasing depth of reading comprehension; (3) strengthening grammar; (4) building Arabic to English translation skills. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 308D Advanced Arabic I or L49 3085 Third-Level Arabic II or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 408 Fourth-Level Arabic: Classical Literature
This class provides an overview of pre-modern Arabic-Islamic thought (i.e., Islamicate intellectual traditions expressed in the Arabic language). Topics to be covered include Pre-Islamic Poetry, Quran, Hadith, Islamic Law, Sufism, Philosophy, Natural Science, and Social Thought. Students will be introduced to these topics through focused reading and discussion of Classical Arabic texts by key thinkers like al-abari, Ibn ajar, Ibn Qudama, al-Ghazali, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, and Ibn Khaldun. In addition to reading Classical Arabic texts, students will be given select exercises designed to strengthen their grammar, expand their vocabulary, and build their translation. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 308D Advanced Arabic I or L49 3085 Third-Level Arabic II or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 465 Topics in Arabic
This course will be an in-depth study of a particular segment of Arabic literature and/or culture.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 4675 Beyond the Harem: Women, Gender, and Revolution
This course examines the history and current situations of women in Middle Eastern societies. The first half of the course is devoted to studying historical changes in factors structuring women's status and their sociopolitical roles. The second half of the course will focus on several case studies of women's participation in broad anticolonial social revolutions and how these revolutions affected the position of women in those societies.
Same as L22 History 4675
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: BA, HUM EN: H
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L49 Arab 470 Topics in Classical Arabic Literature in Translation
Various themes in Arabic religious literature and Belles-Lettres (Adab), e.g., the intertwining of religion and politics, court culture and fashions, social critiques, gender roles, etc., will be read in English.
Credit 3 units. Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH
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L49 Arab 471 Topics in Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
Modern Arabic narratives read in English translation foregrounding themes such as the conflict between tradition and modernity, civil war, poverty, alienation, religion and politics, and changing gender roles.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L49 Arab 488 Independent Work for Senior Honors
This course to be taken in the fall semester. Prerequisites: senior standing, eligibility for honors, and permission of the Department.
Credit 3 units.
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L49 Arab 489 Independent Work for Senior Honors
This course to be taken in the spring semester. Prerequisite: senior standing, eligibility for honors, and permission of the Department.
Credit 3 units.
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L49 Arab 497 Guided Readings in Arabic
Prerequisites: senior standing, and permission of instructor and Department Chair.
Credit variable, maximum 5 units.
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L49 Arab 498 Guided Readings in Arabic
Prerequisites: senior standing, and permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Credit 3 units.
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Hebrew
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L74 HBRW.
L74 HBRW 105D Beginning Modern Hebrew I
For the student with no knowledge of Hebrew. Students with background in Hebrew are required to take the placement exam. Foundation for modern conversational Hebrew. Skills for writing and speaking introduced.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 106D Beginning Modern Hebrew II
Foundation for modern conversational Hebrew. Skills for writing and speaking introduced. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 105D Beginning Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 108 Modern Hebrew for Arabic Speakers
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 179 First Year Seminar: Midrash: The Imaginative Interpretation of Biblical Texts
FRESHMAN SEMINAR. The aim of this course is to introduce students to Midrash, the highly fascinating literature of Rabbinic Biblical interpretation. Among the topics to be studied are: How did the classical Rabbis read the Bible? What is the relationship between the plain meaning of the Biblical text and the polyphone interpretations of Midrash? How can numerous, at times even contradictory interpretations of the same verse coexist? What is the function of imaginative narratives, parables, and folklore in Midrash? Initially the Midrashic logic may seem elusive from the viewpoint of a modern Western reader, in turn its creative thinking will prove to be smart, playful, at times even slippery, and yet substantial. Addressing the literary, historical, and cultural context in which Rabbinic Midrash developed, we will get to know a variety of Midrashic collections and styles covering a time span from late antiquity to the Middle Ages. All primary sources will be read in translation. Throughout the semester we will devote time to discussing practical questions such as how to use the Library's catalogue and (electronic) reference sources, as well as techniques for structuring and writing students' essays.
Same as L75 JIMES 179
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L74 HBRW 208F Introduction to Jewish Civilization: History and Identity
The anthropologist Clifford Geertz once famously invoked Max Weber in writing that "man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun. I take culture to be those webs." The main goal of this course-designed as an introduction to Jewish history, culture, and society-will be to investigate the "webs of significance" produced by Jewish societies and individuals, in a select number of historical periods, both as responses to historical circumstances and as expressions of Jewish identity. Over the course of the semester we will focus on the following historical settings: 7th century BCE Judah and the Babylonian exile; pre-Islamic Palestine and Babylonia (the period of the Mishnah and the Talmud); Europe in the period of the Crusades; Islamic and Christian Spain; Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries; North America in the 20th century; and the modern State of Israel. For each period we will investigate the social and political conditions of Jewish life; identify the major texts that Jews possessed, studied, and produced; determine the non-Jewish influences on their attitudes and aspirations; and the explore the efforts that Jews made to define what it meant to be part of a Jewish collective.
Same as L75 JIMES 208F
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 210C Introduction to Islamic Civilization
A historical survey of Islamic civilization in global perspective. Chronological coverage of social, political, economic and cultural history will be balanced with focused attention to special topics, which will include: aspects of Islam as religion; science, medicine and technology in Islamic societies; art and architecture; philosophy and theology; interaction between Islamdom and Christendom; Islamic history in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia as well as Africa; European colonialism; globalization of Islam and contemporary Islam.
Same as L75 JIMES 210C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 213D Intermediate Modern Hebrew I
Reading and discussion on the intermediate level of selected topics pertaining to contemporary Israel. Review and further study of grammar and development of conversational skills. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 106D Beginning Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
Intermediate modern Hebrew reading and discussion of modern Hebrew fiction. Development of language skills in special drill sessions. Conducted in Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 213D Intermediate Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 300 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The Hebrew Bible is the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity. It is a complex compilation of materials, reflecting great diversity in ideology, literary expression, social and political circumstances, and theology. In this course, we shall read a significant amount of the Bible in English translation. We shall study the various approaches that have been taken by scholars in trying to understand the Bible in its historical context. We shall also study how the Bible was traditionally interpreted by Jews and Christians during the last two thousand years.
Same as L23 Re St 300
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 301C Kings, Priests, Prophets, and Rabbis: The Jews in the Ancient World
We will trace Israelite and Jewish history from its beginnings in the biblical period (circa 1200 BCE) through the rise of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity until the birth of Islam (circa 620 CE). We will explore how Israel emerged as a distinct people and why the rise of the imperial powers tranformed the political, social, and religious institutions of ancient Israel. We will illuminate why the religion of the Bible developed into rabbinic Judaism and Christianity and how rabbinic literature and institutions were created.
Same as L75 JIMES 301C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: BA, HUM
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L74 HBRW 3082 From the Temple to the Talmud: The Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism
This course offers a survey of the historical, literary, social, and conceptual development of Rabbinic Judaism from its emergence in late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. The goal of the course is to study Rabbinic Judaism as a dynamic phenomenon -- as a constantly developing religious system. Among the topics to be explored are: How did Judaism evolve from a sacrificial cult to a text-based religion? How did the "Rabbis" emerge as a movement after the destruction of the Second Temple and how could they replace the old priestly elite? How did Rabbinic Judaism develop in its two centers of origin, Palestine (the Land of Israel) and Babylonia (Iraq), to become the dominant form of Judaism under the rule of Islam? How did Jewish ritual and liturgy develop under Rabbinic influence? How were the Rabbis organized and was there diversity within the group? What was the Rabbis' view of women, how did they perceive non-Rabbinic Jews and non-Jews? As Rabbinic Literature is used as the main source to answer these questions, the course provides an introduction to the Mishnah, the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds, and the Midrash-collections -- a literature that defines the character of Judaism down to our own times. All texts are read in translation.
Same as L23 Re St 3082
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 320D Third-Level Modern Hebrew I
Designed to improve proficiency in the oral and written use of modern Hebrew through reading and discussion of short stories, Israeli newspaper articles, and other selected materials. Students will also have an opportunity to discuss, in Hebrew, current events and public issues related to contemporary Israeli society. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination. Please note: L75 520 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 3211 Conversational Hebrew
Designed to focus on and strengthen oral proficiency, we will explore a variety of different topics together based on our common interests - not limited to current affairs, space travel and exploration, advances in medical technology, climate change, pandemic preparedness, economic inequality, and the future of work. With each topic, we will learn relevant vocabulary and structures and apply them in small group discussions, individual presentations, simulated interviews, and classroom debates. Students will also listen to different to Israeli news reports and documentaries in order to learn how to present at a formal level. The course is designed to simulate a variety of real-life situations, which require the balance of both rehearsal as well as improvisation. By learning Hebrew in different contexts, students will be exposed to a wide range of vocabulary and will be prepared to use the language in a variety of situations. The language of instruction is Hebrew only. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination. Please note: L75 5211 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM
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L74 HBRW 322D Third-Level Modern Hebrew II
Designed to develop communicative skills, this course provides opportunities for students to practice the art of speaking and writing correctly, clearly, and effectively. Includes reading and discussion of selected short stories from modern Hebrew literature as well as articles from current Hebrew newspapers. Class discussions deal with literary topics as well as contemporary social and political issues related to life and institutions in Israel. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 320D Third-Level Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination. Please note: L75 522D is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 335C Becoming "Modern": Emancipation, Antisemitism and Nationalism in Modern Jewish History
This course offers a survey of the Jewish experience in the modern world by asking, at the outset, what it means to be-or to become-modern. To answer this question, we look at two broad trends that took shape toward the end of the eighteenth century-the Enlightenment and the formation of the modern state-and we track changes and developments in Jewish life down to the close of the twentieth century with analyses of the (very different) American and Israeli settings. The cultural, social, and political lives of Jews have undergone major transformations and dislocations over this time-from innovation to revolution, exclusion to integration, calamity to triumphs. The themes that we will be exploring in depth include the campaigns for and against Jewish "emancipation;" acculturation and religious reform; traditionalism and modernism in Eastern Europe; the rise of political and racial antisemitism; mass migration and the formation of American Jewry; varieties of Jewish national politics; Jewish-Gentile relations between the World Wars; the destruction of European Jewry; the emergence of a Jewish nation-state; and Jewish culture and identity since 1945.
Same as L22 History 335C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H UColl: HEU, HSM
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L74 HBRW 340 Israeli Women Writers
Study of selected novels and shorter fiction by women. Attention to the texts as women's writing and as products of Israeli literature. No knowledge of Hebrew necessary; all readings in English translation.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD, WI Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 349 Yidishkayt: Yiddish Literature in English Translation
This course will trace the emergence, development, flourish, and near-decline of Yiddish literature, beginning with some of the earliest writings to appear in Yiddish in the late middle ages and early modern period, continuing with 19th-century attempts to establish a modern Yiddish literature and the 20th-century emergence of both a classical canon and a literary avant-garde, and ending with post-Holocaust attempts to retain a Yiddish literary culture in the near absence of Yiddish-speaking communities. Focusing on the role of Yiddish as the "national" language of Ashkenaz, the course will examine the ways in which Yiddish literature has responded to the social conditions of European Jewish life, exploring among others the relationship between Yiddish and the non-Jewish cultures in which it existed, the tensions between secular trends versus religious tradition, life in the shtetl and in the metropolis, immigration from the old world to the new, and Yiddish literary responses to the Holocaust.
Same as L75 JIMES 349
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 350 Israeli Culture and Society
An examination of critical issues in contemporary Israeli culture and society, such as ethnicity, speech, humor, religious identity, and the Arab population, using readings in English translation from a variety of disciplines: folklore, literary criticism, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology. Prerequisite: sophomore standing, or permission of instructor.
Same as L75 JIMES 350
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 359 Travelers, Tricksters, and Storytellers: Jewish Travel Narratives and Autobiographies, 1100-1800
Jewish literature includes highly fascinating travel accounts and autobiographies that are still awaiting their discovery by a broader readership. In this course, we will explore a broad range of texts originating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. They were written by both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews hailing from countries as diverse as Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. Among the authors were pilgrims, rabbis, merchants, and one savvy businesswoman. We will read their works as responses to historical circumstances and as expressions of Jewish identity, in its changing relationship to the Christian or Muslim environment in which the writers lived or traveled. Specifically, we will ask questions such as: How do travel accounts and autobiographies enable their authors and readers to reflect on issues of identity and difference? How do the writers produce representations of an "other," against which and through which they define a particular sense of self? This course is open to students of varying interests, including Jewish, Islamic, or Religious Studies, medieval and early modern history, European or Near Eastern literatures. All texts will be read in English translation. Please note: L75 559 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L75 JIMES 359
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 384 Intro to Biblical Hebrew
This course will enable students to read the Bible in the original Hebrew. Review of Hebrew grammar. History of the Hebrew language. Intended for students with a foundation in modern Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II or instructor's permission. Please note: L75 584 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 385D Topics in Biblical Hebrew Texts
The topic covered in this course varies. Recent course topics include Jeremiah, The Book of Isaiah, and Biblical Poetry. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L74 384 or permission of instructor. Note: L75 585D is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 387 Topics in Jewish Studies
Consult Course Listings for current topics. Please note: L75 587 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L75 JIMES 387
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 390 Topics in Migration and Identity: Genocide and Migration: Flight and Displacement Under the Nazi Regime
The course examines migration movements that are related to the Nazi genocide in Europe. Grounded in a study of the Nazi project to reshape the European geopolitical map, students explore how the mass movement of people is impacted by geopolitics, political violence, and economical considerations. Class materials address the relationship between identity formation and social exclusion, thus opening up a critical investigation of concepts of citizenship, human rights, and their institutional frameworks (states, international organizations etc.) more generally. Students will work with a variety of sources, including primary sources, scholarly analyses, podcasts, literary works, and film to study migrations related to the prehistory, policies, and aftermath of the Nazi regime. The class provides insights into issues of expulsion, refuge, forced migration, settlement projects, ethnic cleansing and others, but also demonstrates the global impact and long-term repercussions of political and genocidal violence. Looking at the Nazi regime through the lens of migration shows that the Nazi genocide is embedded in a history of racism, colonialization, and mass violence.
Same as L97 GS 390
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 4001 Capstone Seminar
The capstone course for Jewish, Islamic, & Near Eastern Studies majors, Arabic majors, and Hebrew majors. The course content is subject to change.
Same as L75 JIMES 4001
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 4011 Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew I
Writing intensive course for the advanced student of Hebrew. We will explore the development of the personal voice in Israeli cinema. Films will be supplemented with articles, reviews, interviews, and fiction as class texts. Graduated writing assignments to help you find your voice in Hebrew. Conducted in Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 322D Third-Level Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS, WI EN: H
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L74 HBRW 401W Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew I: Seminar in Israeli Culture (Writing Intensive)
Writing intensive course for the advanced student of Hebrew. We will explore the development of the personal voice in Israeli cinema. Films will be supplemented with articles, reviews, interviews, and fiction as class texts. Graduated writing assignments to help you find your voice in Hebrew. Conducted in Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 322D Third-Level Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS, WI EN: H
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L74 HBRW 402 Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew II
Students with advanced proficiency maintain and develop reading, speaking, and writing skills. Class conducted in Hebrew. Readings focus on key works of Hebrew poetry and fiction from earlier in this century and from contemporary Israel; additional reading and discussion of essays and editorials from current Israeli press, viewing of films and current news broadcasts produced in Israel. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 401W Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 405 Diaspora in Jewish and Islamic Experience
Tensions between center and periphery; migration and rest; power and powerlessness; and exile, home, and return are easily found in the historical record of both Jews and Muslims. For Muslims, it can be said that it was the very success of Islam as a world culture and the establishment of Muslim societies in in all corners of the globe that lay at the root of this unease. However, the disruptions of the post-colonial era, the emergence of minority Muslim communities in Europe and North America, and the recent tragic flow of refugees following the Arab Spring have created a heightened sense of displacement and yearning for many. Of course, the very term "diaspora" -- from the ancient Greek, meaning "dispersion" or "scattering" -- has most often been used to describe the Jewish condition in the world. The themes of exile and return and of catastrophe and redemption are already woven into the Hebrew Bible, and they continued to be central motifs in Rabbinic Judaism in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. This occurred despite the fact that more Jews lived outside the borders of Judea than within the country many years before the destruction of Jewish sovereignty at the hands of the Romans. In the 20th century, European imperialism, nationalisms of various types, revolution, and war -- including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- have done much to underscore the continuing dilemmas of diaspora and home in both Jewish and Islamic identity. The goal of this course is to offer a comparative historical perspective on the themes of migration and displacement, center and periphery, home and residence, and exile and return and to give students the opportunity to examine in depth some aspect of the experience of diaspora. Note: This course fulfills the capstone requirement for Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. The course also counts as an Advanced Seminar for history. (Students wishing to receive history Advanced Seminar credit should also enroll in L22 491R section 19 for 1 unit.) The course is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
Same as L75 JIMES 405
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 4060 Conflict or Convivencia? Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medieval Spain
This seminar will explore various facets of the coexistence (convivencia) of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in medieval Spain. Its horizon stretches from the Muslim conquest of Iberia (al-Andalus) up to the turn of the 16th century when Spanish Jews and Muslims were equally faced with the choice between exile and conversion to Christianity. Until about 1100, Muslims dominated most of the Iberian Peninsula; from then onward, Christians ruled much and eventually all of what would become modern Spain and Portugal. Through a process known as reconquista (reconquest), Catholic kingdoms acquired large Muslim enclaves. As borders moved, Jewish communities found themselves under varying Muslim or Christian dominion. Interactions between the three religious communities occurred throughout, some characterized by shared creativity and mutual respect, others by rivalry and strife. The course focuses on these cultural encounters, placing them in various historical contexts. It will explore the ambiguities of religious conversion, and the interplay of persecution and toleration. Last not least, the course will address the question of how the memory of medieval Spain's diversity reverberates-and is utilized-in modern popular and academic discourse. All sources will be read in English translation; however, students are encouraged to make use of their linguistic and cultural expertise acquired in previous classes. This course serves as the capstone seminar for Jewish, Islamic & Near Eastern Studies majors, Arabic majors, and Hebrew majors. Graduate students, minors, and other interested undergrads are likewise welcome.
Same as L75 JIMES 4060
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 420 Topics in Modern Hebrew Literature
Various themes in Hebrew belles lettres, e.g., the intertwining of politics and literature, the survival of rabbinic metaphors.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD Art: HUM
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L74 HBRW 421 Study of Selected Texts in Modern Hebrew Literature
Major works in Hebrew belles lettres by writers such as Bialik and Agnon studied in detail and depth.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM EN: H
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L74 HBRW 440 Topics in Rabbinic Texts
The course aims to introduce students to independent reading of selected rabbinic texts in the original language. We will focus on a number of topics representing the range of rabbinic discussion, including legal, narrative, and ethical issues. At the same time, we will study the necessary linguistic tools for understanding rabbinic texts. Prereq: HBRW 385 or HBRW 401 or instructor's permission.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L74 HBRW 444 The Mystical Tradition in Judaism
What is Jewish "mysticism"? What is its relationship to the category of "religion"? Is Jewish mysticism just one form of a general phenomenon common to a variety of religious traditions or is it a specific interpretation of biblical, rabbinic, and other Jewish traditions? Taking the above questions as a starting point, this course aims at a systematic and historically contextualized analysis of a broad range of Jewish texts that are commonly classified as "mystical". (All primary texts are read in translation.) At the same time, we explore such overarching themes as: the interplay of esoteric exegesis of the Bible and visionary experiences; the place of traditional Jewish law (halakhah) within mystical thought and practice; the role of gender, sexuality, and the body in Jewish mystical speculation and prayer; the relationship between mysticism and messianism; Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions and their mutual impact on Jewish mysticism; the "absence of women" from Jewish mystical movements; esoteric traditions of an elite vs. mysticism as a communal endeavor; and the tension between innovation and (the claim to) tradition in the history of Jewish mysticism.
Same as L23 Re St 444
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L74 HBRW 488 Independent Work for Senior Honors
This course to be taken in the fall semester. Prerequisite: senior standing, eligibility for honors, and permission of the Department.
Credit 3 units.
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L74 HBRW 489 Independent Work for Senior Honors
This course to be taken in the spring semester. Prerequisite: senior standing, eligibility for honors, and permission of the Department.
Credit 3 units.
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L74 HBRW 4973 Guided Readings in Hebrew
Prerequisites: senior standing, and permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Credit variable, maximum 5 units.
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L74 HBRW 4982 Guided Readings in Akkadian
Prereq: Permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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L74 HBRW 4984 Guided Readings in Aramaic
Prereq: Permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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L74 HBRW 4985 Guided Readings in Biblical Hebrew
Prereq: Permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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Hindi
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L73 Hindi.
L73 Hindi 111D Beginning Hindi I
An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. The aim of this course is to achieve proficiency in spoken comprehension, and to enable the student to acquire the major language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing. A standard text, web-based materials, a reader prepared by the instructor, as well as audio materials are used, with equal emphasis on both spoken and written Hindi. The language presented in the course is colloquial. The Hindi (Devanagari) script will be taught as part of the same class. Please note: There are no prerequisites (no previous knowledge of Hindi is required). Students with some previous Hindi language background must take a placement examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 112D Beginning Hindi II
Continuation of Beginning Hindi I, devoted to the further development of basic skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 111D Beginning Hindi I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 121 Hindi for Heritage Students I
Designed for the student with some background in Hindi. Emphasis on review of grammar, increased fluency, and vocabulary enrichment. Student may not take this class pass/fail or audit.
Credit 3 units. BU: HUM
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L73 Hindi 130 Beginning Urdu
This course covers all five skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking, cultural competency) for beginning students. Starting with the Nastaliq script and simple greetings, we will then cover the basics of Urdu grammar while building vocabulary. The class will be conducted in Urdu. Homework is due by the beginning of class the day it is assigned. All work must be completed to pass the course. Student may not take this class pass/fail or audit.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 131 Beginning Urdu II
Beginning Urdu II is the continuation of the 130 Beginning Urdu course, devoted to the further development of basic skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near native pronunciation and intonation. The course meets 3 hours per week. Those who have not taken the sequence of Urdu courses offered by the department may be able to join this course, if they have obtained prior knowledge of the language by some other means (see instructor for placement). The course is tailored to address students' interests not only in the language, but also in the culture it is rooted in. Along with texts for script and grammar, new and additional materials will be constantly introduced, especially as the students develop increased facility and proficiency in the language. The class sequence relies heavily on student interaction, partner activities and group work. Prerequisite: Urdu-I (130) or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 150 First-Year Urdu I
This course covers all five skills -- reading, writing, listening, speaking, cultural competency -- for beginning students. Starting with the Nastaliq script and simple greetings, we will then cover the basics of Urdu grammar while building vocabulary. The course will be conducted in Urdu.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 151 First-Year Urdu II
This course is a continuation of the first semester of First-Year Urdu I. It is devoted to the further development of basic skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near native pronunciation and intonation. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 150 First-Year Urdu I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM
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L73 Hindi 201 Intermediate Hindi I
Continuation of Beginning Hindi II. This course is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development, that is, use of language in various socio-cultural contexts. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 112D Beginning Hindi II or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 202 Intermediate Hindi II
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Hindi I. In this course, special emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development, that is, use of language in various socio-cultural contexts. It is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Students engage in multiple activities such as role-playing, debate and discussion to enhance spoken language skills. A standard text, web-based materials, and a reader prepared by the instructor, as well as audio and visual materials are used. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 201 Intermediate Hindi I or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 210C Introduction to Islamic Civilization
A historical survey of Islamic civilization in global perspective. Chronological coverage of social, political, economic and cultural history will be balanced with focused attention to special topics, which will include: aspects of Islam as religion; science, medicine and technology in Islamic societies; art and architecture; philosophy and theology; interaction between Islamdom and Christendom; Islamic history in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia as well as Africa; European colonialism; globalization of Islam and contemporary Islam.
Same as L75 JIMES 210C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 218 Intermediate Hindi I
Continuation of Beginning Hindi II. This course is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development, that is, use of language in various socio-cultural contexts. In general, one fourth of the time will be devoted to reading, one fourth to conversation, one fourth to grammar, and one fourth to drills of various kinds. Standard text, web-based materials, language lab, audio-video materials, and a course reader prepared by the instructor are used. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 112D Beginning Hindi II or placement by examination. Those who have not taken the sequence of Hindi courses offered by this department may be able to join this course if they have obtained prior knowledge of the language by some other means (see the instructor for placement). Students may not take this course pass/fail or audit.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 218A Intermediate Hindi II
Continuation of Intermediate Hindi I. In this course, special emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development (i.e., the use of language in various sociocultural contexts). It is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Students engage in multiple activities such as role-playing, debate, and discussion to enhance their spoken language skills. A standard text, web-based materials, a reader prepared by the instructor, and audio and visual materials are used. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 218 or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 219 Hindi for Heritage Students
This course will focus on reading and writing for students who already speak Hindi. Starting with the Devanagari script, we will then cover the basics of Hindi grammar. After completing this course, students should take the Hindi placement test to determine their next course in Hindi.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 232A Intermediate Urdu II
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Urdu I. Those who have not taken the sequence of Urdu courses offered by this department may be able to join this course if they have obtained prior knowledge of the language by some other means (see the instructor for placement exam). This course is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development (i.e., the use of language in various sociocultural contexts) and to introducing a wide range of constructions to develop comprehension skills. Standard text, web-based materials, language lab, audio-video materials, and a course reader prepared by the instructor are used.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 250 Second-Year Urdu I
This course is the continuation of the First-Year Urdu II course, and it is devoted to the further development of basic skills -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near-native pronunciation and intonation. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 151 or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 251 Second-Year Urdu II
This course is the continuation of the Second-Year Urdu I course, and it is devoted to the further development of basic skills -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near-native pronunciation and intonation. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 250 or placement by examination.
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM
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L73 Hindi 299 Undergraduate Independent Study
Prerequisite: Hindi 202, and permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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L73 Hindi 301 Third Level Hindi I
This course is designed to help students gain advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Hindi through reading and discussion of short stories, newspaper articles, and other selected materials.. Students will engage in discussions and debates based on these readings as well as current topics, to improve spoken and conversational language skills. Group and project-based learning is encouraged to enhance students' critical thinking in Hindi. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L72 202 Intermediate Hindi II or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 302 Third Level Hindi II
A continuation of Third Level Hindi I, this course is designed to further enhance students' advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Hindi language. Students are exposed to a variety of readings such as short stories and plays by renowned authors, magazine and newspaper articles, other selected readings and visuals. Students will engage in discussions and debates based on these readings to improve spoken and conversational language skills. Group and project based learning is encouraged to enhance students' critical thinking in Hindi. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 301 Third Level Hindi I or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 305 Third-Level Urdu I
This course is a continuation of Second Year Urdu II. It has been designed to help students gain advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Urdu through the reading and discussion of stories from Urdu books, newspaper articles, topics in advanced grammar, and other selected materials. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 251 or L73 232A, or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 306 Third-Level Urdu II
This course is a continuation of Third-Level Urdu I. It is designed to help students gain advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Urdu through the reading and discussion of stories from Urdu books and newspaper articles, Topics in advanced grammar and Urdu poetry will also be included. Students will be expected to converse clearly across a wide variety of communicative tasks using diverse language strategies. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 305 or placement by examination.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L73 Hindi 307 The Writing of the Indian Subcontinent
The Indian Sub-continent has in recent years yielded a number of writers, expatriate of otherwise, whose works articulate the postcolonial experience in the "foreign" English tongue. This course is designed to be an introductory survey of such writing, drawing on select Sub-continental writers. Covering both fiction and non-fiction by several authors including R. K. Narayan, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Amitav Ghosh, Sara Suleri, Micheal Ondaatjie and Romesh Gunesekera, we will discuss such issues as the nature of the colonial legacy, the status of the English language, problems of translation (linguistic and cultural), the politics of religion, the expatriate identity and the constraints of gender roles.
Same as L14 E Lit 307
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM
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L73 Hindi 3074 Hinduism & the Hindu Right
We are witnessing a global rise in rightwing politics, and India is no exception. In May 2019, Narendra Modi and his "Hindu Nationalist" party were elected to power for a second term. Observers in the United States and Europe may be stunned by what seems to be a new development, but observers in India have been following the rise of the Hindu Right since the early 1990s. In its wake, the Hindu Right has brought violence against minorities; curbs on free speech; and moves toward second-class citizenship for Indian Muslims. This course will track the history of the Hindu Right in India from its 19th-century roots to the present. The struggle to come to grips with the Hindu Right is of immediate political relevance. It also raises big questions about the history of religion and the politics of secularism.
Same as L22 History 3074
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 311 Sacred Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent
The built structure remains a principal visible record of the evolution of a civilization and its culture. Through this interdisciplinary course on culture, art, design, religion and society, students will be introduced to and gain a deeper insight into the rich diversity of South Asia through the study of the architecture of its significant sacred places. We will take a journey through the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Temples; the Islamic Mosque; the Sikh Gurudwara; the Zoroastrian Fire Temple; the Jewish Synagogue; and the Christian Church, tracing the evolution of these places of worship from the Indus Valley Civilization to Pre-Colonial times. Through visuals, readings, and discussions, students will learn about the different architectural styles and motifs used in sacred buildings and how they came about. We will explore the inter-relationships between the design elements through the lens of political, social, religious, regional, artistic, and technological influences and understand the ways in which evolving design principles reflect these influences overtime. This course will be of interest to students of languages and cultures, architecture, archeology, art history, history, preservation, religion, and South Asian culture, among others. Please note: At the end of the semester, students will go on a field trip to experience the diverse sacred architecture in the St. Louis region. No prior knowledge of architecture or the history of this region is required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 3171 Religion and Culture in South and Southeast Asia
Although it is now common to differentiate between South and Southeast Asia, historically these regions have often been conceptualized as part of a single geographical area. Known as the "(East) Indies", this area is marked by a rich history of (earlier) Hindu and Buddhist influences, as well as (later) Islamic and Christian influences. The present course will take an in-depth look at the four aforementioned religious traditions, and examine how they have shaped local forms of culture in premodern and modern times. Students will be introduced to host of phenomena in South and Southeast Asian societies, including religious worship, education, law, traditional governance, colonial governance, art, architecture, economic production, kinship, gender, and sexuality. Countries to be studied in the course include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD BU: ETH, IS
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L73 Hindi 3292 Topics in Politics: Modern South Asian Politics
This course will focus on the recent political history and development of South Asia. It will begin with a review of the British colonial period and the Independence movement. The remainder of the course will examine different political issues in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Topics will include political mobilization, land reform, law and politics, social movements, religious and caste politics, the rise of religious nationalism, and political control of the economy. Course website: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~polisci/parikh/asian/
Same as L32 Pol Sci 3292
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Art: SSC BU: IS
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L73 Hindi 330 Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture
An introduction to major texts of South Asian literature, both traditional and modern, in their cultural context. Specific topics, texts and themes may vary from year to year. The course assumes no previous acquaintance with the material. All readings will be in English or English translation.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L73 Hindi 3392 Topics in South Asian Religions
The topic for this course varies. The topic for fall 2017 was Hinduism and the Hindu Right.
Same as L23 Re St 3392
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 353 Understanding Indian (Hindi/Urdu) Literature: Through Text and Images (Visual)
This course focuses on the films and cultural traditions of South Asia in general and of India in particular. Students will be introduced to a variety of contemporary literary genres through visuals. Readings and class discussions will be followed by film screenings from the popular Hindi cinema (known as the Bollywood industry in India) to demonstrate how images and visuals influence modern-day cultural traditions. Students will also get a chance to work on films based on literary texts by well-known writers of the subcontinent. These readings and films focus on various social, cultural, political and historical aspects of Indian society. Students will be encouraged to explore these issues in their written assignments as well as in their class discussions.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 3670 Gurus, Saints, and Scientists: Religion in Modern South Asia
Many long-standing South Asian traditions have been subject to radical reinterpretation, and many new religious movements have arisen, as South Asians have grappled with how to accommodate their traditions of learning and practice to what they have perceived to be the conditions of modern life. In this course we consider some of the factors that have contributed to religious change in South Asia, including British colonialism, sedentarization and globalization, and new discourses of democracy and equality. We consider how new religious organizations were part and parcel with movements for social equality and political recognition; examine the intellectual contributions of major thinkers like Swami Vivekananda, Sayyid Ahmad Khan, and Mohandas Gandhi; and explore how Hindu, Islamic, and other South Asian traditions were recast in the molds of natural science, social science, and world religion.
Same as L23 Re St 3670
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH EN: H
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L73 Hindi 36CA Heroes and Saints in India: Religion, Myth, History
This course provides an introduction to the history of modern India and Pakistan through the voices of the Indian subcontinent's major thinkers. We will spend time in the company of saints, from the "great-souled" Mahatma Gandhi to the Sufi scholar Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi, and we will travel alongside the heroes of peasant politics, women's rights, and struggles for national and social freedom and equality. We will immerse ourselves in the rich narrative heritage of India -- as it has been challenged, reworked, and harnessed for present and future needs -- from the 19th century through the present. Lecture and discussion format; prior knowledge of India or Pakistan not required.
Same as L22 History 36CA
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 38C8 Religion and Politics in South Asia: Writing-Intensive Seminar
The relationship between religion, community, and nation is a topic of central concern and contestation in the study of South Asian history. This course will explore alternative positions and debates on such topics as: changing religious identities; understandings of the proper relationship between religion, community, and nation in India and Pakistan; and the violence of Partition (the division of India and Pakistan in 1947). The course will treat India, Pakistan and other South Asian regions in the colonial and post-colonial periods.
Same as L22 History 38C8
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI BU: IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 3921 Secular & Religious: A Global History
Recent years have seen a dramatic rethinking of the past in nearly every corner of the world as scholars revisit fundamental questions about the importance of religion for individuals, societies and politics. Is religion as a personal orientation in decline? Is Europe becoming more secular? Is secularism a European invention? Many scholars now argue that "religion" is a European term that doesn't apply in Asian societies. This course brings together cutting-edge historical scholarship on Europe and Asia in pursuit of a truly global understanding. Countries covered will vary, but may include Britain, France, Turkey, China, Japan, India and Pakistan.
Same as L22 History 3921
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 399 Independent Study
Prerequisite: permission of instructor and the Department.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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L73 Hindi 39SC Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar
What is the connection between the appropriation of other people's resources and the obsession with sex? Why is 'race' essential to the sexual imperatives of imperialism? How has the nexus between 'race,' sexuality, and imperial entitlement reproduced itself despite the end of formal colonialism? By studying a variety of colonial documents, memoirs produced by colonized subjects, novels, films and scholarship on imperialism, we will seek to understand the history of imperialism's sexual desires, and its continuation in our world today.
Same as L77 WGSS 39SC
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L73 Hindi 499 Independent Study
Prerequisite: permission of instructor and the Department.
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for L75 JIMES.
L75 JIMES 1020 First-Year Seminar: The New Arab Gulf: Migrants, Weirdos, and Rebels
The Arab Gulf (also known as the Arabian Peninsula, or the Persian Gulf) is a central yet understudied region of the modern Middle East. The six oil-rich countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman) have been allies of the United States for decades, hosting some of the U.S. largest military bases, and spending billions on US arms sales every year. The Gulf region has also been a main destination for blue-collar workers from the Arab world, South and East Asia, and more recently from Africa. Historically, the region was a central point on the trade routes between the Indian subcontinent, West Asia, Africa, and into Europe. These routes involved spice and tea trades, pearl and gold trade, and what is known as the Indian Ocean slave trade. In addition to its colonial history and economic power, the Gulf region has become a place of cultural production, capital, and infrastructure, representing a shift away from the traditional centres of Arab culture like Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq. It hosts remote campuses of western universities such as New York University Abu Dhabi, Georgetown Doha, or global branches of western arts institutions like the Louvre and Guggenheim. Moreover, most of the major literary and arts awards, funds, grants, and galleries in the Arabic-speaking world are now located in the Gulf region, established and funded as government initiatives. Parallel to this growing infrastructure, the Gulf region is also a hub of ideas and movements where diverse groups come to critique and contest conceptions of identity, class, gender, and race, against official histories. This course will explore the following set of special topics to help us learn about the region, its politics, cultures, and societies: Petro-capitalism, Race and Ethnicity, Migration, Ecology, Gender and Sexuality, and Pop Culture. We will be studying the region through an interdisciplinary lens that involves fiction, non-fiction, literary criticism, scholarship, and visual arts. Course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 1022 First Year Seminar: A Century of Egyptian Cinema
This First-Year-Seminar offers a survey of Egyptian Cinema, from silent film to contemporary productions. In addition to regular film screenings, we will be reading articles in film criticism, as well as in history and fiction. This course is designed to enable students to develop their academic and conceptual tools to critically approach national cinemas. Students should utilize and further advance their knowledge of major historical and theoretical themes in cinema studies, cultural studies, and literary studies and apply them to analyze Egyptian Cinema as a case study. Additionally, this course will function as a window to reflect on political, rand critical themes, such as: colonialism and postcolonialism, modernism and postmodernism, class, gender, identity, nationalism, representation among other questions.
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC EN: H
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L75 JIMES 102A An Ancient Murder Mystery: the Death of Jesus from the Gospels to Mel Gibson
When Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ" was released in 2004, it provoked a tremendous amount of public debate and divided Christians (Catholics and Protestants of all sorts) and Jews (Orthodox, Conservative, Liberal and Reform) in every possible combination. Although the virulence of the discussions may have given us the impression that this was a new issue, in reality the question of the Jews' role and involvement in Jesus' death has been disputed for almost two thousand years. The claim that the Jews are responsible for Christ's death is the subject of this class and we will study its history from the gospels to today using textual sources (historical, religious and literary works) and the visual arts (paintings and movies). But this class is not about who did or did not kill Jesus, nor is it about judging people's positions on the issue. Rather it is about the power of a story to travel through time and space, to being told and retold in different versions and with different purposes, and to affect the real lives of men and women. First-Year Seminar; Course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Same as L22 History 1021
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 105D Beginning Modern Hebrew I
For the student with no knowledge of Hebrew. Students with background in Hebrew are required to take the placement exam. Foundation for modern conversational Hebrew. Skills for writing and speaking introduced.
Same as L74 HBRW 105D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 106D Beginning Modern Hebrew II
Foundation for modern conversational Hebrew. Skills for writing and speaking introduced. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 105D Beginning Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination.
Same as L74 HBRW 106D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 107D Beginning Arabic I
Introduction to modern Arabic; concentrates on rapidly developing basic skills in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding. Students with previous Arabic language background must take a placement examination.
Same as L49 Arab 107D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 108 Modern Hebrew for Arabic Speakers
Same as L74 HBRW 108
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 108D Beginning Arabic II
Continuation of Beginning Arabic I. Emphasis on enhancing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and aural comprehension of modern Arabic. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 107D Beginning Arabic I or placement by examination.
Same as L49 Arab 108D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 111D Beginning Hindi I
An introduction to the most widely spoken language of South Asia. The aim of this course is to achieve proficiency in spoken comprehension, and to enable the student to acquire the major language skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing. A standard text, web-based materials, a reader prepared by the instructor, as well as audio materials are used, with equal emphasis on both spoken and written Hindi. The language presented in the course is colloquial. The Hindi (Devanagari) script will be taught as part of the same class. Please note: There are no prerequisites (no previous knowledge of Hindi is required). Students with some previous Hindi language background must take a placement examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 111D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 112D Beginning Hindi II
Continuation of Beginning Hindi I, devoted to the further development of basic skills--listening, speaking, reading, and writing--with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 111D Beginning Hindi I or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 112D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 121 Hindi for Heritage Students I
Designed for the student with some background in Hindi. Emphasis on review of grammar, increased fluency, and vocabulary enrichment. Student may not take this class pass/fail or audit.
Same as L73 Hindi 121
Credit 3 units. BU: HUM
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L75 JIMES 150 First-Year Urdu I
This course covers all five skills -- reading, writing, listening, speaking, cultural competency -- for beginning students. Starting with the Nastaliq script and simple greetings, we will then cover the basics of Urdu grammar while building vocabulary. The course will be conducted in Urdu.
Same as L73 Hindi 150
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 151 First-Year Urdu II
This course is a continuation of the first semester of First-Year Urdu I. It is devoted to the further development of basic skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near native pronunciation and intonation. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 150 First-Year Urdu I or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 151
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 1771 First Year Seminar: The Exodus in the Jewish Experience
This course will investigate how the Exodus has been, and continues to be, a crucial source of identity for both Jews and Judaism. We will explore how the Exodus has functioned as the primary model from which Jews have created historical self-understanding and theological meaning. We will investigate how and why this story continues to be vital to Jews throughout the unfolding of the Jewish experience. How does the Exodus remain pertinent? How has the Exodus been re-imagined multiple times throughout the history of Judaism? Why has the Passover celebration been transformed radically in different Jewish communities? We will analyze many types of expression: historical sources, liturgy, art, commentaries, theology, literature, film, mysticism, and music.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 179 First Year Seminar: Midrash: The Imaginative Interpretation of Biblical Texts
FRESHMAN SEMINAR. The aim of this course is to introduce students to Midrash, the highly fascinating literature of Rabbinic Biblical interpretation. Among the topics to be studied are: How did the classical Rabbis read the Bible? What is the relationship between the plain meaning of the Biblical text and the polyphone interpretations of Midrash? How can numerous, at times even contradictory interpretations of the same verse coexist? What is the function of imaginative narratives, parables, and folklore in Midrash? Initially the Midrashic logic may seem elusive from the viewpoint of a modern Western reader, in turn its creative thinking will prove to be smart, playful, at times even slippery, and yet substantial. Addressing the literary, historical, and cultural context in which Rabbinic Midrash developed, we will get to know a variety of Midrashic collections and styles covering a time span from late antiquity to the Middle Ages. All primary sources will be read in translation. Throughout the semester we will devote time to discussing practical questions such as how to use the Library's catalogue and (electronic) reference sources, as well as techniques for structuring and writing students' essays.
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 180 First-Year Seminar: Jewcy: Jewish Culture in the 21st Century
This course will examine cultural expressions of American Jewish identity within an ethnographic context. We will analyze processes of assimilation, Americanization, and innovation, as well as Jewish contributions to popular American culture and entertainment, from Irving Berlin to Madonna, and the 'The Joys of Yiddish' to 'jewlicious.com.' Moving from tradition to modernity, pluralism and transdenominationalism and back to tradition (sometimes with a vengeance) we explore challenges to Jewish identity and creative responses through the cultural lens. Course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 188 Beginning Coptic I
This course provides an introduction to the Coptic language in the Sahidic (southern) dialect. Coptic was the vernacular language spoken and written in Egypt during the Roman, Byzantine, and Arab periods (until about 1300 CE) and as such is important for studying the history of premodern Egypt. It preserves some of the oldest known translations of the Bible, many apocryphal and "heretical" books that illustrate the wide diversity of ancient Christianity (e.g., the Gospels of Thomas and Mary), as well as sermons, saints' lives, monastic instructions, and liturgical manuals that still constitute the literary culture of the Coptic Orthodox Church today. In addition, a plethora of "magical" papyri illustrate medical and religious practices; personal letters reveal the lives of everyday people; and troves of business documents (e.g., contracts, wills, governmental petitions, receipts) have proved important for understanding Roman and Byzantine economies. Because Roman Egypt was a highly bilingual society, there are even instances of Classical Greek literature translated into Coptic (e.g., selections of Homer and Plato), and these offer a unique witness to how such texts were received by Egyptians. The goal of this course is to cover 15 of the 20 lessons in the grammar book. The remainder will be covered in the second level of this course.
Same as L08 Classics 188
Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 189 Beginning Coptic II
After completing the remaining grammar lessons from Beginning Coptic I, we will build skill and confidence as translators by reading selections from a variety of Coptic texts: the Sahidic Gospel of Mark, the hagiographic "Life of John the Monk," selections from the Gospels of Mary and Thomas, and a unique Coptic translation of Plato's "Republic." In our readings from the Bible and Plato, those who read Classical Greek will also have the opportunity to study how ancient translators chose to render the Greek texts into Egyptian, and how, in the process of translation, they changed the meaning of the originals. Prerequisite: Classics 188 or permission of instructor.
Same as L08 Classics 189
Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 200 Internship
For students with at least one course in Jewish and Near Eastern Studies who wish to do an internship. Prerequisite: permission of the director of the program. A "learning agreement" must be submitted and approved prior to beginning internship work.
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
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L75 JIMES 200A Doctors and Terrorists: The Fictions of South Asian America
South Asians have always played an integral role in the culture, history and politics of the United States. However, for complex reasons, their presence has either been concealed, or dismissed through dangerous stereotypes, or just as inaccurately, excessively celebrated for proving the generosity of American liberalism and multiculturalism. Racially misrecognized, this large and heterogeneous group has nonetheless shaped American categories of race, sexuality, and citizenship in intriguing and powerful ways. South Asian Americans have reached to fiction, music and popular culture to craft deeply intimate and original assessments of mainstream desires. In doing so they have sought to resist the dictates of whiteness, to question US imperialism, to garner acceptance and mobility, to build solidarity with other US minorities. In this course we learn about the complex history and cultural productions of South Asians in America. How did "South Asia" become a category of identification, and who benefitted from that designation? What role have South Asians played in the economic, cultural and global ascendancy of the United States? How do South Asians connect with, and control, their countries of origin? Why do discourses of sex and intimacy rise to the surface in this history, and what is the significance of story-telling in building the archive and questioning the fiction of South Asian America? Course enrollment is limited to first-year and sophomore students.
Same as L98 AMCS 2002
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2011 Intermediate Hindi I
Continuation of Beginning Hindi II. This course is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development, that is, use of language in various socio-cultural contexts. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 112D Beginning Hindi II or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 201
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2021 Intermediate Hindi II
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Hindi I. In this course, special emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development, that is, use of language in various socio-cultural contexts. It is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Students engage in multiple activities such as role-playing, debate and discussion to enhance spoken language skills. A standard text, web-based materials, and a reader prepared by the instructor, as well as audio and visual materials are used. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 201 Intermediate Hindi I or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 202
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 207D Intermediate Arabic I
Study of grammar of literary Arabic and reading of annotated classical and modern prose texts; elementary composition; practice in speaking and comprehending modern Arabic. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 108D Beginning Arabic II or placement by examination.
Same as L49 Arab 207D
Credit 4 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 208D Intermediate Arabic II
Continuation of Intermediate Arabic I. Study of grammar of literary Arabic and reading of annotated classical and modern prose texts; elementary composition; practice in speaking and comprehending modern Arabic. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 207D Intermediate Arabic I or placement by examination.
Same as L49 Arab 208D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 208F Introduction to Jewish Civilization: History and Identity
The anthropologist Clifford Geertz once famously invoked Max Weber in writing that "man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun. I take culture to be those webs." The main goal of this course-designed as an introduction to Jewish history, culture, and society-will be to investigate the "webs of significance" produced by Jewish societies and individuals, in a select number of historical periods, both as responses to historical circumstances and as expressions of Jewish identity. Over the course of the semester we will focus on the following historical settings: 7th century BCE Judah and the Babylonian exile; pre-Islamic Palestine and Babylonia (the period of the Mishnah and the Talmud); Europe in the period of the Crusades; Islamic and Christian Spain; Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries; North America in the 20th century; and the modern State of Israel. For each period we will investigate the social and political conditions of Jewish life; identify the major texts that Jews possessed, studied, and produced; determine the non-Jewish influences on their attitudes and aspirations; and the explore the efforts that Jews made to define what it meant to be part of a Jewish collective.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2091 Scriptures and Cultural Traditions
When we think of the word "scripture" in antiquity, we might think of the texts that have been compiled in the different holy books that we currently have today. Yet the function of "scriptures" within a community, and the status given to different texts treated as "scriptural," has changed in different times and places. In this course, we will consider texts that would eventually come to be part of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and the Qu'ran as well as several of the exegetes and reading communities that shaped their various interpretations. We will explore how non-canonical sources played a role in the formation of the various canons we have today, comparing the authoritative status given to these texts to that given to other works from antiquity, such as the epics of Homer. Special attention will be played to the role of the receiving community in the development of "scripture," and the variety of the contexts in which scripture can function in the construction of and opposition to religious authority.
Same as L93 IPH 209
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 210C Introduction to Islamic Civilization
A historical survey of Islamic civilization in global perspective. Chronological coverage of social, political, economic and cultural history will be balanced with focused attention to special topics, which will include: aspects of Islam as religion; science, medicine and technology in Islamic societies; art and architecture; philosophy and theology; interaction between Islamdom and Christendom; Islamic history in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia as well as Africa; European colonialism; globalization of Islam and contemporary Islam.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 213D Intermediate Modern Hebrew I
Reading and discussion on the intermediate level of selected topics pertaining to contemporary Israel. Review and further study of grammar and development of conversational skills. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 106D Beginning Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination.
Same as L74 HBRW 213D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
Intermediate modern Hebrew reading and discussion of modern Hebrew fiction. Development of language skills in special drill sessions. Conducted in Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 213D Intermediate Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination.
Same as L74 HBRW 214D
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2157 Freshman Seminar: The Meaning of Pakistan: History, Culture, Art
Pakistan is the second largest Muslim nation and the sixth most populous country in the world. First imagined as an anti-majoritarian and anti-imperial idea, the nation came to be split between East and West Pakistan, with a hostile Indian nation dividing the country. The subsequent emergence of Bangladesh, from within, exposed the complexities of US imperial and Indian power, colonialism, identity, ethnicity, race, nationalism and repression. More recently, the War on Terror has once again exploited the ethnic and cultural conflicts produced by world histories of power and resistance. The events of the past two hundred years have undoubtedly and violently exacerbated the politicization of social and cultural identities. This course situates Pakistan in the context of pre-colonial social formations, British colonialism, internal colonialism, US imperialism, the Cold War, Soviet interests, Indian regional hegemony and then turns to the powerful and diverse struggles launched by its own citizens against these external forces. How did successive empires construct and politicize social identities, and how did people contest and adapt these? How did caste, gender, race and religion shape empire and anti-imperial histories? Our sources will be historical, ethnographic, and literary. We will cover topics such as colonial fantasies, decolonization, the political uses of social categories of tribe, caste, language and gender, the political economy of militarism, terrorism, 'development', activism, diasporic formations, poetry, music and art. The course will deepen our collective understanding of a critical series of developments in world history. Just as crucially, we will build a framework within which to address the stereotypes about Pakistan that dominate popular and media discourses today.
Same as L22 History 2157
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 218A Intermediate Hindi II
Continuation of Intermediate Hindi I. In this course, special emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development (i.e., the use of language in various sociocultural contexts). It is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Students engage in multiple activities such as role-playing, debate, and discussion to enhance their spoken language skills. A standard text, web-based materials, a reader prepared by the instructor, and audio and visual materials are used. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 218 or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 218A
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 219 Hindi for Heritage Speakers
This course will focus on reading and writing for students who already speak Hindi. Starting with the Devanagari script, we will then cover the basics of Hindi grammar. After completing this course, students should take the Hindi placement test to determine their next course in Hindi.
Same as L73 Hindi 219
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 224 Islamic Religion: An Introduction
Survey of the development of Islamic practice and thought from the emergence of Islam in early seventh century CE to the present.
Same as L23 Re St 224
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2242 Ampersand: Migration Policies and Colonialism: Refugee Resettlement and Integration
This Course will continue our investigation of the Dynamics of Migration in the MENA and African countries primarily and re-orient the discussions towards a/the much-overlooked cause of migration: Colonialism. To achieve genuine refugee/ Migrant oriented reform policies, the Global North needs to reconcile with its colonial past. Towards this end, we will highlight how the history of Migration is deeply entangled with colonialism. Our readings-based discussions will focus on analyzing how colonial logics continue to shape the dynamics of migration as well as fuel the growing Xenophobia and Anti-migration rhetoric in the Global North towards intercontinental human mobility. To understand the enduring legacies of colonialism on the contemporary politics of migration, our discussions will argue the premise that colonial histories should be central to migration studies today for there to be real reform in refugee, asylum, and migrant policies. We will explore a wide range of inspiring and challenging perspectives on migration and learn what postcolonial and decolonial scholarships can offer us studying international migration today. We will address these areas through our weekly readings of Migration Studies and Colonialism as a primary source; we will also survey a selection of articles as a secondary source. To supplement the readings, we will watch short documentaries addressing the topic as well as hear from activists, journalists, and specialists in the field. Course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Same as L61 FYP 2242
Credit 3 units. A&S: AMP A&S IQ: LCD, SSC BU: BA EN: S
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L75 JIMES 2243 Ampersand: Mediterranean Migration: Dymanics and Consequences on the EU and MENA
First course in the Ampersand: Safe Asylum program. What are the causes, dynamics and consequences of international population movements? What are the key trends and patterns of migration in the major world region? How does migration trends form both destination and origin societies? What are the effects of migration and increasing ethnic diversity on national identity and politics? How has the Global North elected to manage the forced flow of people from the Global South? We will address these questions among others and survey the critical assessments of the policies whereby the host nations try to manage these flows and discourage mobility. The readings of the first weeks of the Spring semester - based on our main textbook the Age of Migration- will give us a profound understanding of the theories of migration, and empirical research from a variety of disciplines; namely Sociology, Political science, history, anthropology and geography. We will also have an opportunity to hear from some of the leading scholars and Journalists, lawyers specialized in international migration law...We will also watch short documentaries to get a closer sense of cases in the EU and MENA regions. Our End of the Semester project will be exploring success stories of migrants in St. Louis; this could be building on your project in the Fall semester; or we could agree on identifying success stories of refugees/ migrant communities in the state. E.g. the Iraqi, Senegalese, Bosnian communities. Besides the planned travel to Konstanz, Germany to get a closer look at the public-civic interaction in facilitating refugee incorporation, we will discuss our planned visits to Morocco as one of the main key crossing border states linking both sides of the Mediterranean.
Same as L61 FYP 2243
Credit 3 units. A&S: AMP A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2250 Topics in AMCS: Arabs in America: Transcending the Colonial Imaginary
The topic of this course varies from semester to semester. Please see the Course Listings for a description of the current offering.
Same as L98 AMCS 225
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2300 Jews and Jewishness in Black American Thought
The history of what has been called "Black-Jewish relations" in the United States has a rich and contested history. The stories told about this relationship feature solidarity, controversy, and betrayal. This course will look at this history by attending to the role of Jews and Jewishness in Black thought. How has Jewishness featured in the self-understanding of Black thinkers? Have Jews been regarded as allies or adversaries, role models or competitors? What role have Jewish texts or narrative paradigms played in Black religion and Black politics? What have Black writers made of the Jewish project of national liberation i.e. Zionism? The course will likely include readings from W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X among others.
Same as L57 RelPol 230
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SC, SD BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 232A Intermediate Urdu II
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Urdu I. Those who have not taken the sequence of Urdu courses offered by this department may be able to join this course if they have obtained prior knowledge of the language by some other means (see the instructor for placement exam). This course is designed to further develop skills in speaking and reading comprehension. Emphasis is given especially to communicative skill development (i.e., the use of language in various sociocultural contexts) and to introducing a wide range of constructions to develop comprehension skills. Standard text, web-based materials, language lab, audio-video materials, and a course reader prepared by the instructor are used.
Same as L73 Hindi 232A
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2396 The "Orient": Europe and Islamic Art from 1851 to Today
In the 19th century, the expansion of British and French colonial rule in North Africa, the Middle East, and India facilitated a variety of cultural exchanges, including the movement of Islamic carpets, textiles, manuscripts, ceramics, metalwork, and other artforms to European collections. These collections, both public and private, presented a new repertoire of forms, motifs, and techniques that dramatically transformed cultural production in the west. Taking the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London as its starting point, this course explores the relationships between Islamic art, European modernism, and the artistic currents that traverse the globe today by examining the ways in which Islamic art has been circulated, acquired, understood, appreciated, utilized, and imitated in the west. As a result, students will gain a better understanding of the particular relationship between modern cultural production, museology, and colonialism, and obtain a good overall grasp of the artistic phenomena associated with the interaction between Islam and the West from the Modern Era to the present day. Prerequisite
Same as L01 Art-Arch 2396
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: AH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 240 Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film
As the Holocaust recedes into the historical past, our knowledge of the event becomes increasingly dominated by literary and cinematic representations of it. This course focuses on such depictions of the Holocaust in literature and film and raises a number of provocative questions: What does it mean to represent the horror of the Holocaust? Can one effectively depict the event in realistic terms, or do unrealistic representations work better? What happens to the history of the Holocaust when it becomes the subject of a fictional text? Who is authorized to speak for the victims? Are representations of perpetrators appropriate? What types of representations will help us to remember the Holocaust in the twenty-first century? We will grapple with these challenging questions by examining both literary texts by American, European and Israeli authors from a range of genres, including survivor memoirs, fictional narratives, a graphic novel, drama and poetry, and a number of films that depict the Holocaust.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: BA, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2400 Jewish Political Thought
The question of Jewish belonging in the Christian West has played a defining role in the formation of the modern state, and the afterlives of "the Jewish question" in Europe, America, and Israel continue to have significant influence on how political life is understood and evaluated. This course begins with classical Jewish sources on politics--including the nature of authority, national belonging, and territory--and then moves to a consideration of several crucial modern Jewish thinkers likely including Spinoza, Marx, and Arendt. The course will consistently consider topical contemporary questions about liberal democracy, totalitarianism, nationalism, Zionism, race, and secularism.
Same as L57 RelPol 240
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2401 First-Year Seminar: Sex and the Bible
What does the Bible say about sex and sexual desire? Gender and gender identity? Bodies and bodily pleasure? This class critically examines sex, gender, and sexuality as they are constructed in the Bible. We will consider biblical ideas of sexuality and desire, laws regulating sex and the body, homoeroticism and homosexuality, trans representation, the portrayal of women, and queer characters and moments in the Bible. We will also explore how key biblical texts about gender and sexuality (Adam and Eve, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Whore of Babylon, etc) have been interpreted over time. Our methods of interpretation will include feminist, womanist, postcolonial, queer, and trans reading strategies; biblical texts will come from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. This class is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Same as L23 Re St 2401
Credit 3 units. A&S: FYS A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 250 Zionism
Zionism is often thought of as a commitment to the principle that the Jewish People, as a distinct "people," has a right to self-determination in its own historical land of the biblical Palestine. Yet the history of the term and the set of ideologies show a much more complex understanding. In this course we trace the emergence of a number of different "Zionisms" that would lead to the creation of the modern state of Israel. And we explore how the political principles at the core of these ideologies have fared in the 65 years since the founding of the modern Jewish state. The course is at its heart applied political theory: a case study of the way that ideas emerge from historical events, take on a life of their own, and then shape real outcomes in the world. The readings will weave together history, philosophy, literature and government.
Same as L57 RelPol 250
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Arch: SSC Art: SSC BU: BA EN: S
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L75 JIMES 2500 Second Year Urdu I
This course is the continuation of the First-Year Urdu II course, and it is devoted to the further development of basic skills -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near-native pronunciation and intonation. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 151 or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 250
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 251 Second Year Urdu II
This course is the continuation of the Second-Year Urdu I course, and it is devoted to the further development of basic skills -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- with a particular emphasis on the acquisition of speaking proficiency. Training in spoken Urdu emphasizes speaking and listening at normal speed with near-native pronunciation and intonation. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 250 or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 251
Credit 5 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM
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L75 JIMES 263 Democracies & Dictatorships in the Middle East
What makes a country a democracy? A dictatorship? How do we know? In this course, we take a comparative approach toward the regimes of the Middle East and North Africa in order to critically examine the history, politics, religions, demographics, and economies of different case studies. Students will learn to identify key characteristics of contemporary governments of prominent Middle Eastern countries, the extent to which they can be called democratic, and the different degrees and nuances of authoritarianism. With the 2011 Arab Spring and its aftermath in mind, students will also explore academic debates over why regimes do, or do not, respond to popular pressure for change as they continually adapt and upgrade their capacities to remain in power.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 285 Islam in America
This course explores various Muslim discourses and practices in America with a special focus on the intersections of race, gender, and religion. In this course, students will first study the history of Islam and Muslims in America in light of the narratives of enslaved West African Muslims and some of the early narratives of immigrant Muslims. Students will then explore some later historical narratives that represent the impact of religious and racial structures on identity formations, such as the formation of the Nation of Islam, and transnational religious connections in Cold War America. Students will also examine the construction of Muslim identities and institutions in light of some of the US structures and discourses about Islam and Muslims, with regard to the racialization of Muslims, and in connection to the broader Americas. Students will also use popular culture as a site to observe the intersection of race, religion, and gender in Muslim practices.
Same as L57 RelPol 285
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, ETH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 288 Muslims in the Media and Popular Culture
In the post 9/11 context of the United States, Muslims have been a constant presence in news media, typically cast in a negative light as political others who are backwards, threatening, and inherently prone to violence. This pattern has long been replicated in films in which Muslims serve as static and dehumanized perpetrators of violence and/or as symbols of a backwards and depraved culture, antithetical to U.S. values and interests. In recent years, however, Muslims have become increasingly visible in the entertainment industry as protagonists and producers of their own media, including G. Willow Wilson's "Ms. Marvel," Hulu's "Ramy," and Netflix's "Man Like Mobeen." This course explores a selection of recent media projects created by Muslim writers, actors, musicians, and comedians. We will be pairing films, television shows, music, and comics with scholarship on Islam and religion in the media to analyze Muslim representation and storytelling in contemporary popular culture. We will evaluate these works on their own terms, noting the ways in which gender and racial hierarchies dictate who gets to represent American Muslims while also assessing how these new media both disrupt and further reify Muslims' construction as religious and political outsiders.
Same as L57 RelPol 288
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, ETH
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L75 JIMES 290 Islamophobia & U.S. Politics
The presence of Muslim minorities in the West is increasingly divisive as political leaders appeal to voters' fear of the 'Other' to promote Islamophobic agendas that reshape immigration and asylum policies and redefine Western identity as Christian. Politicians further exploit the rise of extremist groups like ISIS to justify anti-Muslim rhetoric and critique multiculturalism, claiming that Islam and the West are inherently antithetical. In this course we examine the phenomenon of Islamophobia as a form of anti-Muslim racism that parallels hostility towards other religious and racial minorities in the US. We explore how while the post-9/11 context gave way to an increase in incidents of anti-Muslim violence, contemporary manifestations of Islamophobia are deeply rooted in state level anti-black racism from the early twentieth century, as well as in anti-Muslim attitudes that date back to the colonial period. By examining academic literature, political speeches, and news media sources, we situate Islamophobia within its historical context and also analyze how US anxieties about Islam and Muslims are not only gendered and racialized, but also exist across the political spectrum.
Same as L57 RelPol 290
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 2910 Racism and Antiracism
When President Obama was elected, it ignited a debate about whether America had finally become "post-racial." This assertion was belied by an entrenched underclass of Blacks and others from immigrant backgrounds; by the regular killing of innocent, young Black men alongside their mass incarceration, along with a whole series of other social indicators; by the dramatic rise in anti-Semitic incidents and Islamophobia globally; and most evidently by the discourse used during the Trump era that weaponized white Christian nationalism. At the end of four years of the Trump presidency defined by racist discourse and policies, it culminated in an insurgent riot on the Capitol designed to block the peaceful transfer of power, the basis of American democracy. This course provides the long view to understanding this recent period in American and global history. We begin by defining key terms in the discussion around racism today, including what we mean by racism and what unites anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism and Islamophobia, but also notions like privilege, cultural appropriation, and microaggressions. We then move on to the long history of the category of race. We start with a unit on race and religion and then move on to the role of the discovery of the "New World" and the development of the Atlantic slave system, and its impact on the Enlightenment, which was the incubator for the concept of race. From there, we consider how fundamental race was to European and American colonial dominance by the end of the nineteenth-century and the role it played in racial states like Nazi Germany and South Africa. The last portion of the class will focus on struggles to dismantle racism over the the last century, considering the anti-colonial and Civil Rights movement, and the anti-apartheid struggle. Along the way, we will have addressed the overlaps and disconnects between anti-Black, anti-Jewish, and anti-Islamic racism and read a number of key thinkers and activists who can help us in the fight against racism.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SC
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L75 JIMES 300 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
The Hebrew Bible is the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity. It is a complex compilation of materials, reflecting great diversity in ideology, literary expression, social and political circumstances, and theology. In this course, we shall read a significant amount of the Bible in English translation. We shall study the various approaches that have been taken by scholars in trying to understand the Bible in its historical context. We shall also study how the Bible was traditionally interpreted by Jews and Christians during the last two thousand years.
Same as L23 Re St 300
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 301 Third Level Hindi I
This course is designed to help students gain advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Hindi through reading and discussion of short stories, newspaper articles, and other selected materials.. Students will engage in discussions and debates based on these readings as well as current topics, to improve spoken and conversational language skills. Group and project-based learning is encouraged to enhance students' critical thinking in Hindi. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L72 202 Intermediate Hindi II or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 301
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3012 Biblical Law and the Origins of Western Justice
This course will explore how law developed from the earliest periods of human history and how religious ideas and social institutions shaped law. The course will also illuminate how biblical law was influenced by earlier cultures and how the ancient Israelites reshaped the law they inherited. It will further analyze the impact of biblical law on Western culture and will investigate how the law dealt with those of different social classes and ethnic groups, and we will probe how women were treated by the law.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 301C Kings, Priests, Prophets, and Rabbis: The Jews in the Ancient World
We will trace Israelite and Jewish history from its beginnings in the biblical period (circa 1200 BCE) through the rise of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity until the birth of Islam (circa 620 CE). We will explore how Israel emerged as a distinct people and why the rise of the imperial powers tranformed the political, social, and religious institutions of ancient Israel. We will illuminate why the religion of the Bible developed into rabbinic Judaism and Christianity and how rabbinic literature and institutions were created.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: BA, HUM
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L75 JIMES 3020 Third Level Hindi II
A continuation of Third Level Hindi I, this course is designed to further enhance students' advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Hindi language. Students are exposed to a variety of readings such as short stories and plays by renowned authors, magazine and newspaper articles, other selected readings and visuals. Students will engage in discussions and debates based on these readings to improve spoken and conversational language skills. Group and project based learning is encouraged to enhance students' critical thinking in Hindi. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L73 301 Third Level Hindi I or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 302
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3025 Topics in JIMES: Race, Class, and Ethnicity in Israel
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3030 Topics in JIMES: Education in Divided Societies - the Israeli Case
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3034 Jews in French History and Culture
This course will explore the rich history of the representations of Jews within French culture and contributions to French history. The class will consider how French Jews served as incubators of cultural modernity. France was the first country in Europe to emancipate Jews from their ghettos, offering them civil rights and civic equality. But at the same time, France was a crucible for the development of modern anti-Semitism. Jews appear as characters in novels, hosts of intellectual salons, as actors on the French stage, as icons of financial capitalism, as examples of the limits and possibilities of immigration, integration, and even assimilation, as authors and intellectuals, as quintessentially French and Other to France. We will navigate these tensions through literature, art, film, theater, and in their diverse historical contexts.
Same as L22 History 3034
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3035 Antisemitism: History, Causes, Consequences
Why do people hate other people? Why have religion, race, gender, ethnicity and so on led to sectarian violence with terrifying regularity throughout history? Focused on antisemitism from Biblical times to today, this class will grapple with those questions. Please note: L75 5035 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3050 Third Level Urdu I
This course is a continuation of Second Year Urdu II. It has been designed to help students gain advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Urdu through the reading and discussion of stories from Urdu books, newspaper articles, topics in advanced grammar, and other selected materials. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 251 or L73 232A, or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 305
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3060 Third Level Urdu II
This course is a continuation of Third-Level Urdu I. It is designed to help students gain advanced proficiency in the oral and written use of Urdu through the reading and discussion of stories from Urdu books and newspaper articles, Topics in advanced grammar and Urdu poetry will also be included. Students will be expected to converse clearly across a wide variety of communicative tasks using diverse language strategies. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L73 305 or placement by examination.
Same as L73 Hindi 306
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3070 The Writing of the Indian Subcontinent
The Indian Sub-continent has in recent years yielded a number of writers, expatriate of otherwise, whose works articulate the postcolonial experience in the "foreign" English tongue. This course is designed to be an introductory survey of such writing, drawing on select Sub-continental writers. Covering both fiction and non-fiction by several authors including R. K. Narayan, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Amitav Ghosh, Sara Suleri, Micheal Ondaatjie and Romesh Gunesekera, we will discuss such issues as the nature of the colonial legacy, the status of the English language, problems of translation (linguistic and cultural), the politics of religion, the expatriate identity and the constraints of gender roles.
Same as L14 E Lit 307
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM
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L75 JIMES 3073 The Global War on Terrorism
This course presents an historical assessment of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) from the perspective of its major participants: militant Sunni Islamist jihadists, especially the Al-Qaeda network, and the nation states that oppose them, particularly the United States and its allies. The course then concludes by analyzing the current state and future of Islamist jihad and the GWOT.
Same as L22 History 3073
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3074 Hinduism & the Hindu Right
We are witnessing a global rise in rightwing politics, and India is no exception. In May 2019, Narendra Modi and his "Hindu Nationalist" party were elected to power for a second term. Observers in the United States and Europe may be stunned by what seems to be a new development, but observers in India have been following the rise of the Hindu Right since the early 1990s. In its wake, the Hindu Right has brought violence against minorities; curbs on free speech; and moves toward second-class citizenship for Indian Muslims. This course will track the history of the Hindu Right in India from its 19th-century roots to the present. The struggle to come to grips with the Hindu Right is of immediate political relevance. It also raises big questions about the history of religion and the politics of secularism.
Same as L22 History 3074
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3075 Third-Level Arabic I
This course is a continuation of Intermediate Arabic II. Competence in reading, writing, speaking, listening and culture is developed through intensive exposure to classical and modern standard Arabic in its written and audiovisual forms. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L49 208D or placement by examination. Note: L75 5075 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L49 Arab 3075
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3082 From the Temple to the Talmud: The Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism
This course offers a survey of the historical, literary, social, and conceptual development of Rabbinic Judaism from its emergence in late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. The goal of the course is to study Rabbinic Judaism as a dynamic phenomenon -- as a constantly developing religious system. Among the topics to be explored are: How did Judaism evolve from a sacrificial cult to a text-based religion? How did the "Rabbis" emerge as a movement after the destruction of the Second Temple and how could they replace the old priestly elite? How did Rabbinic Judaism develop in its two centers of origin, Palestine (the Land of Israel) and Babylonia (Iraq), to become the dominant form of Judaism under the rule of Islam? How did Jewish ritual and liturgy develop under Rabbinic influence? How were the Rabbis organized and was there diversity within the group? What was the Rabbis' view of women, how did they perceive non-Rabbinic Jews and non-Jews? As Rabbinic Literature is used as the main source to answer these questions, the course provides an introduction to the Mishnah, the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds, and the Midrash-collections -- a literature that defines the character of Judaism down to our own times. All texts are read in translation.
Same as L23 Re St 3082
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3085 Third-Level Arabic II
This course is a continuation of Third-Level Arabic I. The continued integration of language development will occur through reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities centered around advanced authentic material. This semester will prove critical for making the transition from modern Arabic to classical Arabic, including Qur'anic Arabic. There will also be focus on the continued development of colloquial Arabic. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L49 3075 or placement by examination. Note: L75 5085 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L49 Arab 3085
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3101 The Problem of Evil: The Holocaust and Other Horrors
The question of how God can allow evil to occur to the righteous or innocent people has been a perennial dilemma in religion and philosophy. We study the classic statement of the problem in the biblical book of Job, the ancient Near Eastern literature on which Job is based, and traditional Jewish and Christian interpretation of Job. We study the major approached to the problem of evil in Western philosophical and religious thought.
Same as L23 Re St 3101
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3110 Sacred Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent
The built structure remains a principal visible record of the evolution of a civilization and its culture. Through this interdisciplinary course on culture, art, design, religion and society, students will be introduced to and gain a deeper insight into the rich diversity of South Asia through the study of the architecture of its significant sacred places. We will take a journey through the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Temples; the Islamic Mosque; the Sikh Gurudwara; the Zoroastrian Fire Temple; the Jewish Synagogue; and the Christian Church, tracing the evolution of these places of worship from the Indus Valley Civilization to Pre-Colonial times. Through visuals, readings, and discussions, students will learn about the different architectural styles and motifs used in sacred buildings and how they came about. We will explore the inter-relationships between the design elements through the lens of political, social, religious, regional, artistic, and technological influences and understand the ways in which evolving design principles reflect these influences overtime. This course will be of interest to students of languages and cultures, architecture, archeology, art history, history, preservation, religion, and South Asian culture, among others. Please note: At the end of the semester, students will go on a field trip to experience the diverse sacred architecture in the St. Louis region. No prior knowledge of architecture or the history of this region is required.
Same as L73 Hindi 311
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 312 Introduction to the History and Cultures of Turkey
Since ancient times, the Anatolian Peninsula, the land surrounded by the Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean Seas, has been a home and a passageway to a multitude of diverse peoples. This course is intended to offer an overview of Turkey, its history, peoples, cultures, socio-economic, and political structures and institutions within the context of modern and contemporary global trends since the 19th century through the prism of long duree developments and processes. As an introductory and preparatory course, it aims primarily at familiarizing students with scholarly themes, questions, and problems which will aid those who wish to further delve into studying the deep and complex fabric of the Turkish society, culture, and history.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3120 South Asian Religious Traditions
In this course we will learn the basic vocabulary (conceptual, ritual, visual) needed to become conversant with the various religious traditions that are important to personal, social, and political life on the Indian subcontinent and beyond. We will first encounter each tradition through narrative, with the support of visual media. We will then explore how contemporary adherents make these traditions meaningful for themselves -- in their everyday lives, in their struggles for social change, and in their political statements and contestations. Students will also become familiar with the analytical categories and methodologies that make up the basic toolkit of the religion scholar. Prior knowledge of India or Pakistan is not required. FIrst year students are welcome to enroll in this course.
Same as L23 Re St 312
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H UColl: CD
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L75 JIMES 3122 From Country to Heavy Metal: Ancient Civilizations of the Old World
This course will explore the archaeology of Europe, the Near East, and Central Asia from approximately 10,000 years ago to classical times (ending before Ancient Greece). This prehistoric epoch saw major developments among various civilizations of the Old World, such as the introduction of agriculture, animal domestication, the growth of cities, and technological developments such as pottery, metallurgy, and horse-riding. A major focus will be the trajectory of cultural innovations of regional populations through time, and the complexity of their social, political, and ritual practices. We will also investigate the variation in human adaptive strategies to various environmental and social contexts, from hunter/gatherers to early Neolithic farmers, to the interactions between nomadic populations and larger scale, urban societies in the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Same as L48 Anthro 3122
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Arch: SSC Art: SSC BU: IS EN: S
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L75 JIMES 313C Islamic History 600-1200
The cultural, intellectual, and political history of the Islamic Middle East, beginning with the prophetic mission of Muhammad and concluding with the Mongol conquests. Topics covered include: the life of Muhammad; the early Muslim conquests; the institution of the caliphate; the translation movement from Greek into Arabic and the emergence of Arabic as a language of learning and artistic expression; the development of new educational, legal and pietistic institutions; changes in agriculture, crafts, commerce and the growth of urban culture; multiculturalism and inter-confessional interaction; and large-scale movements of nomadic peoples.
Same as L22 History 313C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3140 Global Circuits: Religion, Race, Empire
This seminar explores how American entanglements of race and religion shape and are part of larger global processes. Over the course of the semester, we will investigate these entanglements through conceptual, historical, and ethnographic questions and insights on the remapping of religious traditions and communal experiences onto imperial terrain. We will examine this through a range of problem spaces including: colonial rule, missions, and racial hierarchies; migration and its relationship to religion; the racialization of religion; diaspora and empire; and persecution and power.
Same as L57 RelPol 314
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Arch: SSC Art: SSC BU: BA, ETH EN: S
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L75 JIMES 3149 The Late Ottoman Middle East
This course surveys the Middle East in the late Ottoman period (essentially the 18th and 19th centuries, up to the First World War). It examines the central Ottoman state and the Ottoman provinces as they were incorporated into the world economy, and how they responded to their peripheralization in that process. Students will focus on how everyday people's lived experiences were affected by the increased monetarization of social and economic relations; changes in patterns of land tenure and agriculture; the rise of colonialism; state efforts at modernization and reform; shifts in gender relations; and debates over the relationship of religion to community and political identity.
Same as L22 History 3149
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 314C Islamic History: 1200-1800
An introduction to Islamic polities and societies from the Mongol conquests to the thirteenth century to the collapse and weakening of the colossal "gunpowder" empires of the Ottomans, Safavids and Mughals in the early eighteenth century. Broadly speaking, this course covers the Middle Period (1000-1800) of Islamic history, sandwiched between the Early and High Caliphal Periods (600-100) on the one hand and the Modern Period (1800-Present) on the other hand. Familiarity with the Early and High Caliphal periods is not assumed. The course will not be a "survey" of this period but a series of "windows" that will allow you to develop both an in-depth understanding of some key features of Islamic societies and a clear appreciation of the challenges (as well as the rewards!) that await historians of the Middle Period. Particular attention is given to the Mamluk and Ottoman Middle East, Safavid Iran and Mughal India.
Same as L22 History 314C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS
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L75 JIMES 3150 The Middle East in the 20th Century
This course surveys the history of the Middle East since World War I. Major analytical themes include: colonialism; Orientalism; the formation of the regional nation-state system; the formation and political mobilization of new social classes; changing gender relations; the development of new forms of appropriation of economic surplus (oil, urban industry) in the new global economy; the role of religion; the Middle East as an arena of the Cold War; conflict in Israel/Palestine; and new conceptions of identity associated with these developments (Arabism, local patriotism, Islamism).
Same as L22 History 3150
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3160 Beauty & Aesthetics In Islam: Islamicate Literature, Material Art, & Architecture
This course provides an introduction to beauty and aesthetics in Muslim societies from across the world. The course focuses on Islamicate literature (e.g., poetry, narrative, biography), material art (e.g., textiles, ceramics, decorated manuscripts), and architecture (e.g., palaces, built gardens, mosques, mausoleums). Some attention is also given to performing arts (e.g., dance, music, plays, puppetry). Various types of material will be considered, ranging from religious to non-religious. Material will be drawn from across the Muslim world, including the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Although the course is primarily concerned with the premodern period, it will also consider the impact of modernity on Muslim literature, art, and architecture.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM, VC BU: ETH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3171 Religion and Culture in South and Southeast Asia
Although it is now common to differentiate between South and Southeast Asia, historically these regions have often been conceptualized as part of a single geographical area. Known as the "(East) Indies", this area is marked by a rich history of (earlier) Hindu and Buddhist influences, as well as (later) Islamic and Christian influences. The present course will take an in-depth look at the four aforementioned religious traditions, and examine how they have shaped local forms of culture in premodern and modern times. Students will be introduced to host of phenomena in South and Southeast Asian societies, including religious worship, education, law, traditional governance, colonial governance, art, architecture, economic production, kinship, gender, and sexuality. Countries to be studied in the course include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
Same as L73 Hindi 3171
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD BU: ETH, IS
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L75 JIMES 3183 The Jews of North Africa
This course examines the colonial and postcolonial experiences of Jews living in North Africa (mainly Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt) in the context of the region's connections with and relationships to the European powers in the 19th and 20th centuries. We will focus on how the intrusion of foreign powers disrupted and shifted long-standing relationships between Jews and their non-Jewish neighbors, particularly the Muslim populations. We will also explore changes that occurred within the Jewish community as Jews negotiated their place within the new European Imperial system and its subsequent dismantling. Students will have the opportunity to engage with European ideas of "regenerating" North African Jews living under Ottoman Rule, the changing political and social statuses of Jews throughout the French and British regions, the changing relationship between Jews and their non-Jewish neighbors, the rupture caused by both World Wars, and how Jews coped with and responded to the dismantling of European empires and the birth of nation-states in the region, including Israel.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3184 A Rainbow Thread: A History of Queer Identities in Judaism and Islam
The notion that gender and sexuality minorities are forbidden or simply do not exist within traditional judaism and islamic traditions is an assumption that has been questioned in recent years. For these scholars and activists, it is not up for debate whether someone can be queer and Jewish or queer and Muslim. Therefore, what follows is an exploration of how to resurrect gender non-conforming interpretations of religious texts and rediscover the spectrum of gender and sexual identities that have always existed within Judaism and Islam. The course is divided into three parts. First, we will examine the religious textual traditions of both faiths to establish the space for queer identities in both the Qur'an and Torah as well as the traditions of Hadith and Talmud. Second, we will study key communities such as medieval Iberia, the Ottoman Mediterranean, Hasidic communities in Eastern Europe, Qajar Iran, and the colonial empires of the Middle East. This survey will show the influence European christian dominance had (or did not have) on the evolution of jewish and islamic gender and sexual norms from pre-modern times through the 20th century. Finally, we will examine the 21st century by reading the memoirs of trans muslims and trans Jews in order to analyze the ways in which contemporary queer jewish and islamic individuals frame their experiences and tell their stories of faith with agency, in their own words.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3185 The Jewish Experience in the United States: A History of Exceptions and Exceptionalism
This course surveys American Jewish life from the colonial settlement of the new world to the present day with special emphasis on configurations of the Jewish Question in a variety of historical and geographical contexts. We will explore the paradox between American Jewish social and economic success over the last three and a half centuries and the sense of ambivalence many Jews feel toward their place in American society. As a class, we will consider key moments in American Jewish history, including the converso community that arrived alongside early spanish settlers, the role of jews in the slave trade and plantation complex, Jewish appeals for acceptance and equality within the American colonies and early republic, as well as how Jews coped with a divided union during the Civil War. We will analyze successive waves of Jewish immigration from different countries, the building of Jewish communal structures, and the evolution of Judaism and Jewish identity within the United States. Jewish contributions to American culture will also be an important focus of the class as we explore the birth of American popular culture through music, film, television, and fiction. Throughout the course we will be cognizant of the regional, religious, ethnic, racial, class, gender, and sexual differences that comprise American Jewish society from its early inception to the present. We will observe how Jews have been simultaneously welcomed as well as excluded from political, economic, and social realms of the American community. As often as possible we will engage in a multitude of case studies and primary sources so we can gain specific regional expertise, while maintaining a national, and often transnational lens for analyzing these central questions.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3192 Modern South Asia
This course will cover the history of the Indian sub-continent in the 19th and 20th centuries. We shall look closely at a number of issues including colonialism in India; anti-colonial movements; the experiences of women; the interplay between religion and national identity; and popular culture in modern India. Political and social history will be emphasized equally.
Same as L22 History 3192
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3194 Environment and Empire
In this course we study British imperialism from the ground up. At bottom, the British empire was about extracting the wealth contained in the labour and the natural resources of the colonized. How did imperial efforts to maximize productivity and profits impact the ecological balance of forests, pastures, and farm lands, rivers and rainfall, animals and humans? We'll ask, with environmental historians of the U.S., how colonialism marked a watershed of radical ecological change. The course will cover examples from Asia to Africa, with a focus on the "jewel in the crown" of the British empire: the Indian subcontinent. We'll learn how the colonized contributed to the science of environmentalism, and how they forged a distinctive politics of environmentalism built upon local resistance and global vision, inspired by religious traditions and formative thinkers, not least Mahatma Gandhi.
Same as L22 History 3194
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3200 An Introduction to Literature and Visual Culture in the Arab World
The course aims to provide a framework within which the literary and image cultures of the Arabic-speaking peoples have developed. This is done through a combination of contextual analysis and close reading of seminal texts and films. Our starting points are foundational sources such as the Quran and classical prose and poetry. From the later period, emphasis will be put on fiction and cinema.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 320D Advanced Modern Hebrew I
Designed to improve proficiency in the oral and written use of modern Hebrew through reading and discussion of short stories, Israeli newspaper articles, and other selected materials. Students will also have an opportunity to discuss, in Hebrew, current events and public issues related to contemporary Israeli society. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination. Please note: L75 520 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L74 HBRW 320D
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3211 Conversational Hebrew
Designed to focus on and strengthen oral proficiency, we will explore a variety of different topics together based on our common interests - not limited to current affairs, space travel and exploration, advances in medical technology, climate change, pandemic preparedness, economic inequality, and the future of work. With each topic, we will learn relevant vocabulary and structures and apply them in small group discussions, individual presentations, simulated interviews, and classroom debates. Students will also listen to different to Israeli news reports and documentaries in order to learn how to present at a formal level. The course is designed to simulate a variety of real-life situations, which require the balance of both rehearsal as well as improvisation. By learning Hebrew in different contexts, students will be exposed to a wide range of vocabulary and will be prepared to use the language in a variety of situations. The language of instruction is Hebrew only. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination. Please note: L75 5211 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L74 HBRW 3211
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM
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L75 JIMES 3221 Topics: The Jewish Experience in Italy
This course will examine the social and political history of the Jews of Italy from the period of Italian unification through the end of the Second World War. We will look through two different prisms: first, the constant of Jews' minority status in a Catholic country at a time when Church doctrine was hostile to them and second, their changing status during significant moments in the brief history of the Italian monarchy. Under the latter rubric we will study the rehabilitation of the Jews under liberal political philosophies, their problematic relationship with Fascism, and finally the arrival of the Holocaust in Italy and efforts to defend Jews against Nazi genocide. We will approach these topics wherever possible through primary texts, including essays, memoirs, and novels. Reading knowledge of Italian is not required. Readings in English; some readings in Italian for Italian majors. Discussion in English. Prerequisite for Italian majors: Italian 307D; no prerequisite for students in other majors. Three five-page papers. PLEASE NOTE: THE L75 5221 CROSS-LISTING COURSE IS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY.
Same as L36 Ital 3221
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 322D Third-Level Modern Hebrew II
Designed to develop communicative skills, this course provides opportunities for students to practice the art of speaking and writing correctly, clearly, and effectively. Includes reading and discussion of selected short stories from modern Hebrew literature as well as articles from current Hebrew newspapers. Class discussions deal with literary topics as well as contemporary social and political issues related to life and institutions in Israel. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 320D Third-Level Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination. Please note: L75 522D is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L74 HBRW 322D
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3230 Jews & Christians in the Premodern World
In modern times, it is common to think of Judaism and Christianity as two distinct, if historically connected, "religions." Increasingly, however, historians of ancient religions have thought more deeply about the implications of taking Christianity and Judaism in antiquity as more fluid and porous than we tend to think of them. In this upper division course, we will explore the ways in which the boundaries that early Christians attempted to draw between Christianity and Judaism remained unstable and incomplete. While the various efforts to establish early Christian identity led to the production of a variety of hermeneutical representations of the Judaioi, these literary representations nevertheless often reflected, to various degrees, engagement with actual historical Jews/Judeans, who shared political, economic, and intellectual worlds with Christians. We will consider how early Christian discourse about Jews and Judaism informed and was informed by intra-Christian disputes and their negotiations of their relationships with the wider Greco-Roman culture. We will explore how Christian efforts to establish both continuity and difference between Judaism played a role in the construction of 'orthodoxy' and 'heresy,' as well as the way in which Christians re-appropriated Jewish texts, rituals, and ideas in their efforts to construct a Christian identity. We will also explore how this continued dynamic of difference and continuity continued into the Middle Ages.
Same as L23 Re St 323
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3231 Jews and Jewishness in Black American Thought
The history of what has been called "Black-Jewish relations" in the United States has a rich and contested history. The stories told feature solidarity, controversy, and betrayal. This course will look at that history by attending to the role of Jews and Judaism in Black thought. How has Jewishness featured in the self-understanding of Black writers? Have Jews been regarded as allies or adversaries, role models or competitors? What role have Jewish texts or narrative paradigms played in Black religion? What have Black writers made of the Jewish project of national liberation?
Same as L57 RelPol 3230
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3232 Religion & Nationalism in the Middle East & South Asia
How does religion shape national identity? How and why do some religious traditions become intertwined with the identities of national communities, often at the expense of others? In this course we explore how Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity have interacted with modern nationalism to shape the nation-states of the Middle East and South Asia in profound ways. Throughout the course, we examine a range of case studies to compare and contrast, for example, the complex interaction between religion and nationalism in the creation of Pakistan and Israel in 1947 and 1948 as Muslim and Jewish national homes, the rise of the Hindu Right in India, religion and race in Iran, or the significance of Christianity and Islam for Palestinians and Iraqis. As we do so, we investigate how national movements have selectively and creatively engaged religious traditions over time in order to redefine communal boundaries, narrate new histories, exclude minorities, and reread sacred texts to draw the borders of their national homelands, which have often overlapped at great cost.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3250 Introduction to Arabic Literature
A survey of the major genres and themes in Arabic literature from the pre-Islamic era to the modern period. Texts will include pre-Islamic, classical and Sufi poetry, as well as popular tales and critical prose from the Umayyad and Abbasid empires and Andalusia. The modern sections of the course will interrogate political commitment in Arabic literature and introduce students to feminist and magical realist novels from North Africa and the Levant. All readings will be in English translation. Please note: L75 525 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L49 Arab 325
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3273 Introduction to Israel Studies
An exploration of Israel in the Jewish experience from antiquity to modernity and in the history and culture of the Middle East. Special attention will be paid to the modern state of Israel and current issues in its politics, economy, and society. L75 5273 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3292 Topics in Politics: Modern South Asian Politics
This course will focus on the recent political history and development of South Asia. It will begin with a review of the British colonial period and the Independence movement. The remainder of the course will examine different political issues in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Topics will include political mobilization, land reform, law and politics, social movements, religious and caste politics, the rise of religious nationalism, and political control of the economy. Course website: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~polisci/parikh/asian/
Same as L32 Pol Sci 3292
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Art: SSC BU: IS
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L75 JIMES 3293 Religion and Society
We will take a broad and practice-oriented view of 'religion', including uttering spells, sacrificing to a god, healing through spirit possession, as well as praying and reciting scripture. We will consider religious practices in small-scale societies as well as those characteristic of forms of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and other broadly-based religions. We give special attention to the ways religions shape politics, law, war, as well as everyday life in modern societies.
Same as L48 Anthro 3293
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC Art: SSC BU: ETH EN: S
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L75 JIMES 330C Topics in AMCS: TBD
This course topic changes; see semester listing for current course offering.
Same as L98 AMCS 330C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SD Arch: HUM Art: CPSC, HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 331 Topics in Holocaust Studies: Children in the Shadow of the Swastika
This course will approach the history, culture and literature of Nazism, World War II and the Holocaust by focusing on one particular aspect of the period-the experience of children. Children as a whole were drastically affected by the policies of the Nazi regime and the war it conducted in Europe, yet different groups of children experienced the period in radically different ways, depending on who they were and where they lived. By reading key texts written for and about children, we will first take a look at how the Nazis made children-both those they considered "Aryan" and those they designated "enemies" of the German people, such as Jewish children - an important focus of their politics. We will then examine literary texts and films that depict different aspects of the experience of European children during this period: daily life in the Nazi state, the trials of war and bombardment in Germany and the experience of expulsion from the East and defeat, the increasingly restrictive sphere in which Jewish children were allowed to live, the particular difficulties children faced in the Holocaust, and the experience of children in the immediate postwar period. Readings include texts by Ruth Klüger, Harry Mulisch, Imre Kertész, Miriam Katin, David Grossman and others. Course conducted entirely in English. OPEN TO FRESHMEN. STUDENTS MUST ENROLL IN BOTH MAIN SECTION AND A DISCUSSION SECTION.
Same as L21 German 331
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3341 Religion, Race, and Migration: Borders of Difference?
This seminar is an experiment in studying the intersections of religion, race, and migration through the idea of difference. We discuss how particular understandings of religion, race, and migration inform contemporary scholarship and shape national and international legal and governmental practices. Specifically, this course explores how difference-of community, body, and place-produces conditions of possibility. Over the semester, we will investigate various borders of difference, using binaries to guide our analysis. We will examine this through a range of problem spaces including: religion/secularism; race/ethnicity/sect; terrorist/citizen; and refugee/migrant. Ultimately, this course aims to critically unpack the relations of power by which people, places, and ideas are differentially constructed, maintained, and transformed
Same as L57 RelPol 334
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, ETH
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L75 JIMES 334C Crusade, Conflict, and Coexistence: The Jews in Christian Europe
This course will investigate some of the major themes in the history of the Jews in Europe, from the Middle Ages to the eve of the French Revolution. Jews constituted a classic, nearly continuous minority in the premodern Christian world-a world that was not known for tolerating dissent. Or was it? One of the main purposes of the course is to investigate the phenomenon of majority/minority relations, to examine the ways in which the Jewish community interacted with and experienced European societies, cultures, and politics. We will look at the dynamics of boundary formation and cultural distinctiveness; the limits of religious and social tolerance; the periodic eruption of persecution in its social, political, and religious contexts; and the prospects for Jewish integration into various European societies during the course of the Enlightenment era.
Same as L22 History 334C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD BU: ETH, HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 335C Becoming "Modern": Emancipation, Antisemitism and Nationalism in Modern Jewish History
This course offers a survey of the Jewish experience in the modern world by asking, at the outset, what it means to be-or to become-modern. To answer this question, we look at two broad trends that took shape toward the end of the eighteenth century-the Enlightenment and the formation of the modern state-and we track changes and developments in Jewish life down to the close of the twentieth century with analyses of the (very different) American and Israeli settings. The cultural, social, and political lives of Jews have undergone major transformations and dislocations over this time-from innovation to revolution, exclusion to integration, calamity to triumphs. The themes that we will be exploring in depth include the campaigns for and against Jewish "emancipation;" acculturation and religious reform; traditionalism and modernism in Eastern Europe; the rise of political and racial antisemitism; mass migration and the formation of American Jewry; varieties of Jewish national politics; Jewish-Gentile relations between the World Wars; the destruction of European Jewry; the emergence of a Jewish nation-state; and Jewish culture and identity since 1945.
Same as L22 History 335C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H UColl: HEU, HSM
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L75 JIMES 336C History of the Jews in Islamic Lands
This course is a survey of Jewish communities in the Islamic world, their social, cultural, and intellectual life from the rise of Islam to the Imperial Age.Topics include: Muhammad, the Qur'an and the Jews; the legal status of Jews under Islam; the spread of Rabbinic Judaism in the Abbasid empire; the development of new Jewish identities under Islam (Karaites); Jewish traders and scholars in Fatimid Egypt; the flourishing of Jewish civilization in Muslim Spain (al-Andalus); and Sephardi (Spanish) Jews in the Ottoman empire. On this background, we will look closely at some of the major Jewish philosophical and poetical works originating in Islamic lands. Another important source to be studied will be documents from the Cairo Genizah, reflecting social history, the status of women, and other aspects of daily life.
Same as L22 History 336C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3392 Topics in South Asian Religions
The topic for this course varies. The topic for fall 2017 was Hinduism and the Hindu Right.
Same as L23 Re St 3392
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 340 Israeli Women Writers
Study of selected novels and shorter fiction by women. Attention to the texts as women's writing and as products of Israeli literature. No knowledge of Hebrew necessary; all readings in English translation.
Same as L74 HBRW 340
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD, WI Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 341 The Jewish People in America
History of the Jews in North America from the colonial era to the present. Close reading of primary sources, with an emphasis on the central issues and tensions in American Jewish life; political, social, and economic transformations; and religious trends.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3411 Children and Childhood in World Religions
This course will investigate the roles children play in some of the world's major religious traditions and how those traditions construct their concepts of childhood. From child disciples to child martyrs, from the miraculous childhoods of religious founders to the rites marking childhood's end, and from divine commandments involving fertility to those mandating celibacy, we will explore a wide range of different religions' teachings about children and childhood. We will combine primary and secondary sources including written texts, movies/video, and web-based content in order to learn more about the complex relationships between children and the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
Same as L66 ChSt 341
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3421 Childhood, Culture, and Religion in Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean World
From child saints to child scholars and from child crusaders to child casualties, the experience of childhood varied widely throughout the European Middle Ages. This course will explore how medieval Jews, Christians, and Muslims developed some parallel and some very much divergent concepts of childhood, childrearing, and the proper cultural roles for children in their respective societies. Our readings will combine primary and secondary sources from multiple perspectives and multiple regions of Europe and the Mediterranean World, including a few weeks on the history and cultural legacy of the so-called Children's Crusade of 1312. We will conclude with a brief survey of medieval childhood and its stereotypes as seen through contemporary children's books and TV shows. This course fulfills the Language & Cultural Diversity requirement for Arts & Sciences.
Same as L66 ChSt 342
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3422 Art of the Islamic World
This course surveys the art and architecture of societies in which Muslims were dominant or in which they formed significant minorities from the seventh through the 20th centuries. It examines the form and function of architecture and works of art as well as the social, historical, and cultural contexts; patterns of use; and evolving meanings attributed to art by the users. The course follows a chronological order, and selected visual materials are treated along chosen themes. Themes include the creation of a distinctive visual culture in the emerging Islamic polity; the development of urban institutions; key architectural types such as the mosque, madrasa, caravanserai, palace, and mausoleum; art objects and the art of the illustrated book; cultural interconnections along trade and pilgrimage routes; and Westernization and modernization in art and architecture.
Same as L01 Art-Arch 3422
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: AH, GFAH, HUM BU: IS EN: H UColl: CD
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L75 JIMES 345 Mesopotamian Mythology: Stories from Ancient Iraq
In this course we will read, explore, and interpret various ancient myths originating from the fertile crescent, especially ancient Iraq, between the years 2500 and 400 BCE. The Epic of Gilamesh, the Enuma Elish, myths of the goddess Ishtar as well as various flood and creation accounts will be among those we read. Cultural background information will be examined to situate each myth in its ancient context. Various theories of interpreting myth will also be explored in order to appreciate the power and the many uses of these multivalent stories. Several basic questions will underlie all that we do throughout the semester: What is myth?, How should we understand the conceptualization of the category "myth" (in other words, How does myth work?), and Does myth still play a role in our own modern cultures?
Credit 3 units. BU: HUM
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L75 JIMES 346 Islamic Law
This course will present a general overview of Islamic law and an introduction to the study of religious legal authority, which values consensus. It will then explore the formation of the major schools of law. Next, it will debate the notions of "ijtihad" and "taqlid" and discuss how open and independent legal decisions have been in the Islamic world. It will also trace the transmission of legal knowledge in religious institutions across time and place by focusing on medieval Muslim societies and by closely examining the education of a modern-day Ayatollah. Note: L75 546 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 349 Yidishkayt: Yiddish Literature in English Translation
This course will trace the emergence, development, flourish, and near-decline of Yiddish literature, beginning with some of the earliest writings to appear in Yiddish in the late middle ages and early modern period, continuing with 19th-century attempts to establish a modern Yiddish literature and the 20th-century emergence of both a classical canon and a literary avant-garde, and ending with post-Holocaust attempts to retain a Yiddish literary culture in the near absence of Yiddish-speaking communities. Focusing on the role of Yiddish as the "national" language of Ashkenaz, the course will examine the ways in which Yiddish literature has responded to the social conditions of European Jewish life, exploring among others the relationship between Yiddish and the non-Jewish cultures in which it existed, the tensions between secular trends versus religious tradition, life in the shtetl and in the metropolis, immigration from the old world to the new, and Yiddish literary responses to the Holocaust.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 350 Israeli Culture and Society
An examination of critical issues in contemporary Israeli culture and society, such as ethnicity, speech, humor, religious identity, and the Arab population, using readings in English translation from a variety of disciplines: folklore, literary criticism, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology. Prerequisite: sophomore standing, or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 351 Muhammad: His Life and Legacy
This course intends to examine the life and representations of the Prophet Muhammad from the perspective of multiple spiritual sensibilities as articulated in various literary genres from medieval to modern periods. The course is divided roughly into two parts. One part deals with the history of Muhammad and the related historiographical questions. The second part deals with the representations of Muhammad in juristic, theological, Sufi, etc. literature. Because of the availability of primary sources in English translation, there will be a healthy dose of primary source reading and analysis throughout the semester. Those students with advanced Arabic (and Persian and Turkish) skills will be encouraged to engage sources in their original language.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 352 Iraqi Literature
This course introduces students to major works in Iraqi literature in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a focus on the post-World War Two period up to the present day.
Same as L49 Arab 352
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3520 Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi: Genre-Fiction in Arabic Literature
Genre is a category, or to use Aristotle's term, a species. It is a category of literature, arts, music, and other forms of composition, to classify works of shared conventions, practices, and aesthetics. A typical example would be poetry. Subgenre is a single division of a given genre. In this example, epic poetry, the sonnet, haiku are subgenres of poetry. But who gets to decide what is genre, subgenre, and how? These would be some of the main questions we willl address in this course. Genre theory can teach us a fascinating history of how various cultures imagine their forms of creative expression. The development of genres and subgenres reveal complex histories on who has the power to define and redefine creative expression. For example, the novel, now a dominant and prestigious global literary genre, was once considered an inferior and working-class genre in Europe over a century ago. The novel genre then developed into numerous subgenres, which are today placed under one large umbrella that is "genre-fiction," such as sci-fi, fantasy, horror, gothic, mystery etc.. However, the borders between these subgenres and the larger genre itself are always contested and reformulated. Through the history of genre and subgenre, we get to learn about literary taste and literary criticism, and whose definitions and conventions have changed the course of literature and the arts, and for what reason. The dominance of the historical novel today, for example, is attributed to larger phenomenon such as decolonization, feminism, and anti-racism. The sociopolitical urge to utilize fiction to address larger issues has not only boosted the impact of the historical novel but "elevated" it to become a common form of the genre itself. Within this grand history, Arabic literature has a complex and rich story to tell about genre and subgenre. The most obvious example here, which will be our entry point in this course, is 1001 Nights (also known as The Nights, or The Arabian Nights). This multi-volumed masterpiece has influenced fiction writers across the globe, especially in the past three centuries as the novel began to formulate into a modern genre. It is an exceptional work where we see a cosmology of subgenres of storytelling, narrative, but also of poetry, and in some editions, illustration and drawing, as well as translation. The Nights is often seen as the first hybrid work of literature where subgenres and forms co-exist but also blur and converge. This dynamic, revolutionary, and mobile nature of The Nights expresses the meeting of various cultures, experiences, and traditions of storytelling during the Abbasid empire. Today, it remains ever more relevant and inspiring in a cosmopolitan world. The question and history of sub/genre, however, will guide us through an exploration of modern and contemporary Arabic literature. We will get to engage with these texts thematically, stylistically, and intellectually. The aesthetic choices made in literature are never isolated from the intellectual, political, and sociohistorical contexts of a given text. Through the assigned texts and artworks, we will also learn about colonization, gender, imperialism, class, migration, ecology, among other pressing topics. No knowledge of Arabic is necessary; all readings in English translation.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 352A Anthropology of Human Rights
This course draws on anthropological scholarship to examine doctrines, practices, and institutions associated with international human rights law. Topics to be covered include: (1) colonialism and the history of international human rights low; (2) the complex theoretical issues raised by attempts to define and apply human rights concepts in different cultural contexts; (3) the role of governments, NGOs, and other international institutions in promoting human rights and humanitarianism; (4) key human rights issues such as freedom of religion, cultural rights, women's rights, and economic rights in different cultural contexts.
Same as L48 Anthro 3521
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC Arch: SSC Art: SSC BU: BA EN: S
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L75 JIMES 353 Understanding Indian Literature through Visual Media
This course focuses on the films and cultural traditions of South Asia in general and of India in particular. Students will be introduced to a variety of contemporary literary genres through visuals. Readings and class discussions will be followed by film screenings from the popular Hindi cinema (known as the Bollywood industry in India) to demonstrate how images and visuals influence modern-day cultural traditions. Students will also get a chance to work on films based on literary texts by well-known writers of the subcontinent. These readings and films focus on various social, cultural, political and historical aspects of Indian society. Students will be encouraged to explore these issues in their written assignments as well as in their class discussions.
Same as L73 Hindi 353
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 354 Anthropological and Sociological Study of Muslim Societies
This course introduces students to anthropological and sociological scholarship on Muslim societies. Attention will be given to the broad theoretical and methodological issues which orient such scholarship. These issues include the nature of Muslim religious and cultural traditions, the nature of modernization and rationalization in Muslim societies, and the nature of sociopolitical relations between "Islam" and the "West." The course explores the preceding issues through a series of ethnographic and historical case studies, with a special focus on Muslim communities in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Case studies address a range of specific topics, including religious knowledge and authority, capitalism and economic modernization, religion and politics, gender and sexuality, as well as migration and globalization. Please note: L75 554 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC, SC, SD Arch: SSC Art: SSC BU: IS EN: S UColl: CD
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L75 JIMES 356 Genesis
Genesis, the first book of the Bible, remains among the most important literary, historical, and theological works ever written - at once beautiful, funny, perplexing, and challenging. In this class, we will take a deep dive into Genesis, while also exploring literary, historical, mythological, feminist, postcolonial, and other responses to the text. We will also consider the history of interpretation, with a particular interest in the reception of Genesis in literature and in popular culture.
Same as L23 Re St 356
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3561 Exodus
We will investigate the biblical book of Exodus in both its original significance in the ancient Near East and its later meanings for Jews, Christians, and Muslims in societies around the world. Why did its narratives and ideas about law and justice and religion resonate so strongly both in biblical times and afterwards? Which assumptions did the biblical authors make about writing stories and poetry? What is the historical reality of the Exodus? How did the biblical Israelites conceive of their religious practices and institutions? We will also explore how Exodus and the celebration of Passover has been, and continues to be, a crucial source of identity in Jewish and Christian circles. How has Exodus been re-imagined and transfigured multiple times, and how has the Passover celebration reflected transformations in the understanding of the Exodus? We will analyze many types of expression influenced by Exodus: historical sources, liturgy, art, commentaries, theology, literature, film, mysticism, and music.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM
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L75 JIMES 3581 Musica Ebraica: Jewish Identities in Western Music from 1600 to the 21st Century
The course explores Western music from the 17th century to the 21st century through the prism of musical works that were written by Jews and for Jews and of musical compositions reflecting their composers' identifying themselves as Jews. Jewish art music from these periods will be examined against the background of musical development in general, the social, political, and religious context of the composers, and written reflections about Jewish music. Examples of Jewish art music will be analyzed through different approaches in order to determine the cultural interrelationships between Jews and non-Jews, Jewish cultural autonomy, and the perception of Jewishness in music.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3582 Music in Jewish Culture and Society
The common term 'Jewish Music' raises numerous questions that emanate from the difficulty to define 'Jewish' identity of any given music. This course will deal with various approaches to the definition of Jewish music, perceived as a cultural and sociological component in the Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora. We will survey the functions in which music is performed in traditional Jewish communities, especially Jewish liturgy, and the substantial vicissitudes in these musics after the European Enlightenment, European colonialism in north-Africa, and in the Mediterranean. We will study the background and the different characteristics of selected Jewish communities - Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Italian, Yemenite, and others - as well as instrumental music, questions of gender, and the relationship between music and text." A secondary goal of this course will be the study of the bibliography and discography of Jewish musics.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3583 The Soundtrack of Israeli History
This course explores connections between Israeli history, nationality, and culture, and between Israeli art music. Such an encounter between reveals the reflection of, and responses to, local social developments in various historic and constitutive moments in Israeli history such as: the fifth Aliya (wave of immigration) in the 1930s, the statehood years, the waning of nationalistic sentiments in the late 1950s, the aftermath of Israeli wars, the negotiation between Israeli and Jewish identities, and even artistic expressions of postmodernity within the Israeli context. These histories will be surveyed through historical studies as well as through their musics and against the background of developments in 20th century music.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 358C Modern Near Eastern Literatures
This course introduces literary expressions of the struggle for love, self-realization, and liberation. Genres include romanticism, realism, and the surreal. A comparative, team-taught approach is used to instruct students in selected genres, authors, or themes in two or more Near Eastern literatures (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish) in English translation.
Same as L16 Comp Lit 358C
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 359 Travelers, Tricksters, and Storytellers: Jewish Travel Narratives and Autobiographies,
Jewish literature includes highly fascinating travel accounts and autobiographies that are still awaiting their discovery by a broader readership. In this course, we will explore a broad range of texts originating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. They were written by both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews hailing from countries as diverse as Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. Among the authors were pilgrims, rabbis, merchants, and one savvy businesswoman. We will read their works as responses to historical circumstances and as expressions of Jewish identity, in its changing relationship to the Christian or Muslim environment in which the writers lived or traveled. Specifically, we will ask questions such as: How do travel accounts and autobiographies enable their authors and readers to reflect on issues of identity and difference? How do the writers produce representations of an "other," against which and through which they define a particular sense of self? This course is open to students of varying interests, including Jewish, Islamic, or Religious Studies, medieval and early modern history, European or Near Eastern literatures. All texts will be read in English translation. Please note: L75 559 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3602 Borders, Checkpoints, and the Frontiers of Literature
Borders are some of the most strange, dangerous, and changeable places in the world. They help define not only where we are, but also who we are. This course will read literature from and about border regions around the world: the Mexican-American frontera, the Indian and Pakistani Partition line, the German Iron Curtain, the African colonial borders, and the Israeli-Palestinian divisions. Even if we live far from any international boundary, the notion of the border shapes our thinking about the world. Literature is a place where borders are vividly imagined, marked, and debated in ways that both affect preexisting frontiers and help draw new ones on the ground. We will read all texts in English.
Same as L97 GS 3602
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 362 Approaches to the Qur'an
The place of the Qur'an in Islamic religion and society. Equal emphasis on text: the Qur'an's history, contents, and literary features; and context: the place of the Qur'an in everyday life, its oral recitation, artistic uses, and scholarly interpretation. Knowledge of Arabic not required.
Same as L23 Re St 366
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH
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L75 JIMES 3622 Topics in Islam
Selected themes in the study of Islam and Islamic culture in social, historical, and political context. The specific area of emphasis will be determined by the instructor. Please note: L75 5622 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H UColl: CD
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L75 JIMES 362A Islam, Gender, Sexuality
In this course, we examine discourses of gender and sexuality across historical period and geographical region. We analyze encounters with Western imperialism, investigating how gender informs social, political, religious, and family life in Islamic cultures. Our course materials include histories, ethnographies, graphic novels, and films, and we examine how these sources approach the study of Islam, gender, and sexuality through the lens of various topics: from women in the earliest years of Islam in 7th century Arabia to revolutionary Iran and American Muslim women in the 21st century. Throughout the course, we examine how notions of gender and sexuality have changed over time and played various roles in the political and social life of Muslim nations, societies, and communities. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically assess scholarly and non-scholarly (media) discussions of gender in Islam.
Same as L57 RelPol 362
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 366 The Sephardic Experience: 1492 to the Present
In the public perception, modern Jews divide into two subethnic groups: Ashkenazi and Sephardi, or European and Middle Eastern Jews. However, this is an oversimplification that does not do justice to the diversity and complex history of Jewish identities, which are often multilayered. Strictly speaking, Sephardi Jews trace their ancestral lines or cultural heritage to the medieval Iberian Peninsula, present-day Spain and Portugal. That said, according to some scholars, Sephardi Judaism did not even exist before the general expulsion of Spanish Jewry in 1492 and is the result of their subsequent migrations within the Mediterranean and transatlantic worlds. We will start with an introduction into the history of Spanish Jews prior to 1492, asking to what extent memories of pre-expulsion Iberia are at the heart of Sephardi identity. We will then follow the migratory path of Sephardi exiles to North Africa, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands, and the Americas. The questions we will explore include: in what sense did Sephardim form a transnational community? How did they transmit and transform aspects of Spanish culture in form of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) language and literature? How did they become intermediaries between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire? What was their role in Europe's transatlantic expansion and the slave trade? How did Ottoman and North African Jews respond to European cultural trends in the nineteenth century and create their own forms of modernity? How did the Holocaust impact Sephardi Jews?
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3660 Caste: Sexuality, Race, and Globalization
Be it sati or enforced widowhood, arranged or love marriage, the rise of national leaders like Indira Gandhi and Kamala Harris, or the obsession with "fair" skin, caste shapes possibilities and perceptions for billions. In this class we combine a historical understanding of the social caste structure with the insights made by those who have worked to annihilate caste. We will re-visit history with the analytic tools provided by the concepts of compulsory endogamy, "surplus woman," and "brahmanical patriarchy," and we will build an understanding of the enduring yet invisible "sexual-caste" complex. As we will see, caste has always relied on sexual difference, its ever-mutating power enabled by the intersectionalities of race, gender and class. We'll learn how caste adapts to every twist in world history, increasingly taking root outside India and South Asia. We will delve into film and memoir, sources that document the incessant injustices of caste and how they have compounded under globalization. The class will research the exchange of concepts between anti-race and anti-caste activists: how caste has shaped the work of prominent anti-racist intellectuals and activists in the United States such as W.E.B. DuBois and Isabel Wilkerson and in turn, the agenda and creativity of groups such as the Dalit Panthers. Finally, the course will build a practical guide to engaging with and interrupting caste in the context of the contemporary global world today. Waitlists controlled by Department; priority given to WGSS majors. Enrollment cap 15.
Same as L77 WGSS 366
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS
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L75 JIMES 3670 Gurus, Saints, and Scientists: Religion in Modern South Asia
Many long-standing South Asian traditions have been subject to radical reinterpretation, and many new religious movements have arisen, as South Asians have grappled with how to accommodate their traditions of learning and practice to what they have perceived to be the conditions of modern life. In this course we consider some of the factors that have contributed to religious change in South Asia, including British colonialism, sedentarization and globalization, and new discourses of democracy and equality. We consider how new religious organizations were part and parcel with movements for social equality and political recognition; examine the intellectual contributions of major thinkers like Swami Vivekananda, Sayyid Ahmad Khan, and Mohandas Gandhi; and explore how Hindu, Islamic, and other South Asian traditions were recast in the molds of natural science, social science, and world religion.
Same as L23 Re St 3670
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3681 The U.S. War in Iraq, 2003-2011
This course presents a historical assessment of the United States' eight year war in Iraq from its inception on March 20, 2003, to the withdrawal of all combat troops on December 15, 2011. Topics to be covered include: the Bush Administration's decision to make Iraq part of the "War on Terror" and the subsequent plan of attack; the combat operations; losing the victory; sectarian violence; torture; the insurgency; battling Al-Qaeda in Iraq; reassessment; the surge; the drawdown; and the end of the war. The course will conclude with an assessment of the war's effectiveness regarding the Global War on Terrorism and U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Same as L22 History 3681
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 36CA Heroes and Saints in India: Religion, Myth, History
This course provides an introduction to the history of modern India and Pakistan through the voices of the Indian subcontinent's major thinkers. We will spend time in the company of saints, from the "great-souled" Mahatma Gandhi to the Sufi scholar Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi, and we will travel alongside the heroes of peasant politics, women's rights, and struggles for national and social freedom and equality. We will immerse ourselves in the rich narrative heritage of India -- as it has been challenged, reworked, and harnessed for present and future needs -- from the 19th century through the present. Lecture and discussion format; prior knowledge of India or Pakistan not required.
Same as L22 History 36CA
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 373 Topics in Near Eastern Cultures:
The topic for this course will change each semester; the specific topic for each semester will be given in Course Listings.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 374 Of Dishes, Taste, and Class: History of Food in the Middle East
This course will cover the history of food and drink in the Middle East to help us understand our complex relation with food and look at our lives from perspectives we intuitively feel or by implication know, but rarely critically and explicitly reflect on. Food plays a fundamental role in how humans organize themselves in societies, differentiate socially, culturally, and economically, establish values and norms for religious, cultural, and communal practices, and define identities of race, gender, and class. This course does not intend to spoil, so to speak, this undeniably one of the most pleasurable human needs and activities, but rather to make you aware of the social meaning of food and reflect on how food shapes who we are as individuals and societies. We will study the history of food and drink in the Middle East across the centuries until the present time, but be selective in choosing themes, geographic regions, and historical periods to focus on. Please consult the instructor if you have not taken any course in the humanities. Enrollment priority given to seniors and juniors.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H UColl: CD
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L75 JIMES 3751 In the Beginning: Creation Myths of the Biblical World
This course will study myths and epic literature from the Bible, ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East and ancient Greece about the birth of the gods, the creation of the world and of humanity, and the establishment of societies. These masterpieces of ancient literature recount the deeds of gods and heroes and humanity's eternal struggle to come to terms with the world, supernatural powers, love, lust, and death. This course will examine how each culture borrows traditions and recasts them in a distinct idiom. The course will further examine different approaches to mythology and to the study of ancient cultures and the Bible.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 375W In the Beginning: Creation Myths of the Biblical World
This course will study myths and epic literature from the Bible, ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East and ancient Greece about the birth of the gods, the creation of the world and of humanity, and the establishment of societies. These masterpieces of ancient literature recount the deeds of gods and heroes and humanity's eternal struggle to come to terms with the world, supernatural powers, love, lust, and death. This course will examine how each culture borrows traditions and recasts them in a distinct idiom. The course will further examine different approaches to mythology and to the study of ancient cultures and the Bible.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 377 History of Slavery in the Middle East
This course examines slavery and its abolition in the Middle East and North Africa from 600 C.E. to the 20th Century. It addresses slavery as a discourse and a question of political economy. We begin with an overview of slavery in late antiquity to contextualize the evolution of this practice after the rise of Islam in the region. We then examine how it was practiced, imagined, and studied under major empires, such as the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Fatimids, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the Safavids. In addition to examining the Qur'anic discourse and early Islamic practices of slavery, to monitor change over time we address various forms of household, field, and military slavery as well as the remarkable phenomenon of "slave dynasties" following a chronological order. We discuss, through primary sources, theoretical, religious, and moral debates and positions on slavery, including religious scriptures, prophetic traditions, religious law, and a plethora of narratives from a range of genres. We highlight a distinct theme each week to focus on until we conclude our discussion with the abolition of slavery in the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics of discussion include various forms of male and female slavery, Qur'anic and prophetic discourse on slavery, legal and moral views on slavery, slavery as represented in religious literature, political, military, and economic structures of slavery, issues of race and gender as well as slave writings to reflect on the experiences of slavery from within. The goal is to enable students to understand the histories of slavery in the Middle East and eventually compare it to that of other regions and cultures, such as European and Atlantic slavery. No second language required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3810 Between Sand and Sea: History, Environment, and Politics in the Arabian Peninsula
Although it is today primarily associated with oil, the Arabian peninsula was for most of its history defined by water: its surrounding seas, its monsoon-driven winds, and its lack of water in its vast and forbidding interior deserts. As home to the major holy cities of Islam and a key source of global oil, the region has played an important role in the Western European and North American imagination. Despite being relatively sparsely populated, the peninsula hosts millions of believers each year on the annual Muslim pilgrimage, and it has been the site of major wars and military occupations by European, American, and other Middle Eastern countries for much of the 20th and 21st centuries. It has been an outpost of the Ottoman Empire, a center of British colonialism and (at Aden) an axis of its global empire, the location of Egypt's "Vietnam" (its long war in Yemen in the 1960s), the Gulf Wars I and II, and the recent wars in Yemen, to name just a few of the major conflicts. Often depicted as unchanging until caught up by the influx of massive oil wealth, this region is frequently characterized as a place of contradictions: home to some of the world's largest skyscrapers and also the most inhospitable and largest sand desert in the world, known as "the Empty Quarter"; the location of crucial American allies and the home of al-Qa'eda founder `Usama Bin Laden. In this course, we will examine the development of the peninsula historically to understand these contradictory images. We will investigate changes in the following arenas: environment and society; colonial occupation; newly independent states; the demise and development of key economic sectors (pearling; shipping; agriculture; oil; finance; piracy); political regimes; resources such as water, oil, and date palms; the growth of oil extraction infrastructure and its effects on the political regimes and societies in the region; the emergence of new Gulf cities; Islamic law; women's rights; human rights debates; and religious and ethnic minorities.
Same as L22 History 3810
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 382 The History and Politics of Middle East Studies: Producing Expert Knowledge
How do we know Muslim women need gender equality? How do we know minorities in the Middle East suffer from religious persecution, and that religious freedom is the solution? How do we know promoting human rights is a universal good? How do we know development aid improves the lives of Palestinian or Syrian refugees? Why do we need so many US military bases in the Arab Gulf? In this class, we consider the history and politics behind the answers to these kinds of questions. To do so, we examine the field of Middle East Studies in the United States, historically and today, and its role in the production of expert knowledge about the region. After learning foundational theories around knowledge production, we consider the history of US foreign policy and analyze how certain theories of the Middle East became common sense notions at the expense of other possibilities. We then investigate the history and politics of universal concepts and their promotion in the region such as human rights, gender equality, and religious freedom.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3841 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
This course will enable students to read the Bible in the original Hebrew. Review of Hebrew grammar. History of the Hebrew language. Intended for students with a foundation in modern Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 214D Intermediate Modern Hebrew II or instructor's permission. Please note: L75 584 is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L74 HBRW 384
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3843 Comparative Religion
This course provides an overview of religion from the emergence of the human species until the present. It draws on scholarship from a variety of fields including archaeology, cultural anthropology, history, religious studies, evolutionary biology, psychology, and neuroscience. The course begins with a discussion of the psychological/biological foundations of religion. It then examines hunter-gatherer religions, prehistoric agricultural/pastoral religions, and major ancient/early religions (e.g., Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Zoroastrian, Greco-Roman, Aztec). Next, students are introduced to the three major families of world religions; namely, the "Abrahamic" religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam); the "Indic" religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism), and the "East Asian" religions (Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism).
Same as L23 Re St 3843
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA, ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 385 Topics in JIMES
Consult Course Listings for current topics. Please note: L75 585A is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 385D Topics in Biblical Hebrew Texts:
The topic covered in this course varies. Recent course topics include Jeremiah, The Book of Isaiah, and Biblical Poetry. Prerequisite: Grade of B- or better in L74 384 or permission of instructor. Note: L75 585D is intended for graduate students only.
Same as L74 HBRW 385D
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 386 Topics in Jewish History
Consult Course Listings for current topics. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: BA EN: H
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L75 JIMES 387 Topics in Jewish Studies
Consult Course Listings for current topics. Please note: L75 587 is intended for graduate students only.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 38C8 Religion and Politics in South Asia: Writing-Intensive Seminar
The relationship between religion, community, and nation is a topic of central concern and contestation in the study of South Asian history. This course will explore alternative positions and debates on such topics as: changing religious identities; understandings of the proper relationship between religion, community, and nation in India and Pakistan; and the violence of Partition (the division of India and Pakistan in 1947). The course will treat India, Pakistan and other South Asian regions in the colonial and post-colonial periods.
Same as L22 History 38C8
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 390 Topics in Jewish, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
This course is intended primarily for sophomores and juniors. The topic of this course varies by semester, dependent on faculty and student interests.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC Art: SSC BU: IS EN: S
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L75 JIMES 3900 Topics in Migration and Identity
The course examines migration movements that are related to the Nazi genocide in Europe. Grounded in a study of the Nazi project to reshape the European geopolitical map, students explore how the mass movement of people is impacted by geopolitics, political violence, and economical considerations. Class materials address the relationship between identity formation and social exclusion, thus opening up a critical investigation of concepts of citizenship, human rights, and their institutional frameworks (states, international organizations etc.) more generally. Students will work with a variety of sources, including primary sources, scholarly analyses, podcasts, literary works, and film to study migrations related to the prehistory, policies, and aftermath of the Nazi regime. The class provides insights into issues of expulsion, refuge, forced migration, settlement projects, ethnic cleansing and others, but also demonstrates the global impact and long-term repercussions of political and genocidal violence. Looking at the Nazi regime through the lens of migration shows that the Nazi genocide is embedded in a history of racism, colonialization, and mass violence.
Same as L97 GS 390
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 3921 Secular & Religious: A Global History
Recent years have seen a dramatic rethinking of the past in nearly every corner of the world as scholars revisit fundamental questions about the importance of religion for individuals, societies and politics. Is religion as a personal orientation in decline? Is Europe becoming more secular? Is secularism a European invention? Many scholars now argue that "religion" is a European term that doesn't apply in Asian societies. This course brings together cutting-edge historical scholarship on Europe and Asia in pursuit of a truly global understanding. Countries covered will vary, but may include Britain, France, Turkey, China, Japan, India and Pakistan.
Same as L22 History 3921
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SD BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 396 Islamic Philosophy, Mysticism, and Theology
How does an individual achieve access to knowledge and access to God? To what extent is such access dependent upon scripture? To what extent is such access dependent upon reason? Are there forms of truth and experience that only reveal themselves through mysticism? Questions of this sort are central to the interrelated disciplines of Islamic philosophy, Islamic theology, and Islamic mysticism (i.e., Sufism). This course examines how these three disciplines have shaped various aspects of social life within premodern Muslim communities.
Same as L23 Re St 396
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 39SC Imperialism and Sexuality: India, South Asia, and the World: Writing-Intensive Seminar
What is the connection between the appropriation of other people's resources and the obsession with sex? Why is 'race' essential to the sexual imperatives of imperialism? How has the nexus between 'race,' sexuality, and imperial entitlement reproduced itself despite the end of formal colonialism? By studying a variety of colonial documents, memoirs produced by colonized subjects, novels, films and scholarship on imperialism, we will seek to understand the history of imperialism's sexual desires, and its continuation in our world today.
Same as L77 WGSS 39SC
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, WI Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4001 Capstone Seminar
The capstone course for Jewish, Islamic, & Near Eastern Studies majors, Arabic majors, and Hebrew majors. The course content is subject to change.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4011 Staging Atrocity: Theater of the Holocaust
Responding to the Holocaust has challenged artists working in every medium. Nowhere are these challenges more extreme than in the theater, where the intimacy of the space, the close proximity of live actors and audience, and the subject matter itself may serve to intensify its effect. We will read a careful selection of modern and contemporary dramas and explore the range of responses. Underneath each weekly topic reverberate the nagging question of whether one can -- or should -- make art from the Holocaust, as well as a serious exploration of the uses and effectiveness of theater to communicate on this subject. We look at the ways in which the Holocaust has been used as a subject to raise moral dilemmas, examine the limits of humanity, elicit doubt or faith, and provide political commentary. We will also discuss the ways in which playwrights have stretched the limits of the theater to meet the challenge of staging the Holocaust. Topics considered include the nationalization and personalization of the Holocaust, the role of the second generation, issues of audience, and the use of experimental forms and obscenity. The plays on the syllabus are from North America, Israel and Europe. All readings are in English (original or translation).
Same as L15 Drama 4011
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 401H Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew I: The Hebrew Graphic Novel: Word, Image, and Israeli Culture
Writing intensive course for the advanced student of Hebrew. We will explore the development of the personal voice in Israeli cinema. Films will be supplemented with articles, reviews, interviews, and fiction as class texts. Graduated writing assignments to help you find your voice in Hebrew. Conducted in Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 322D Third-Level Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination.
Same as L74 HBRW 4011
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS, WI EN: H
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L75 JIMES 401W Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew I: Seminar in Israeli Culture (Writing Intensive)
Writing intensive course for the advanced student of Hebrew. We will explore the development of the personal voice in Israeli cinema. Films will be supplemented with articles, reviews, interviews, and fiction as class texts. Graduated writing assignments to help you find your voice in Hebrew. Conducted in Hebrew. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 322D Third-Level Modern Hebrew II or placement by examination.
Same as L74 HBRW 401W
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, LS, WI EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4020 Jerusalem, the Holy City
An examination of the role that Jerusalem has played in three religious traditions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--through a study of archaeology, history, literature, politics, and theology from antiquity to contemporary times. A senior seminar in Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies. During winter break, the class will go to Jerusalem as part of the course. Student portion of travel costs tba. Students unable to make the trip will receive a reduction to four units of course credit. Preference given to seniors majoring in Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Studies. Others may enroll with instructor's permission.
Credit 5 units. EN: H
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L75 JIMES 402D Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew II
Students with advanced proficiency maintain and develop reading, speaking, and writing skills. Class conducted in Hebrew. Readings focus on key works of Hebrew poetry and fiction from earlier in this century and from contemporary Israel; additional reading and discussion of essays and editorials from current Israeli press, viewing of films and current news broadcasts produced in Israel. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L74 401W Fourth-Level Modern Hebrew I or placement by examination.
Same as L74 HBRW 402
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 404 Islam Across Cultures
In this seminar we examine the variety of historical and contemporary ways of interpreting and practicing Islam, with special attention to issues of ritual, law and the state, and gender. Cases are drawn from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and students engage in fieldwork or library research projects.
Same as L48 Anthro 4042
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Art: SSC
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L75 JIMES 4041 Islam and Politics
Blending history and ethnography, this course covers politics in the Islamic world in historical and contemporary times. Topics include history of Islam, uniformity and diversity in belief and practice (global patterns, local realities), revolution and social change, women and veiling, and the international dimensions of resurgent Islam. Geographical focus extends from Morocco to Indonesia; discussion of other Muslim communities is included (Bosnia, Chechnya, sub-Saharan Africa, U.S.)
Same as L48 Anthro 4041
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, SSC Art: SSC BU: IS
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L75 JIMES 4043 Race and Ethnicity in the Middle East and North Africa
This seminar explores formations, articulations, and legacies of race in the Middle East and North Africa. The main purpose is to acquaint students with different theories and methodological approaches to studies of race and racialization in the region. Given the large scope of the topic, the course will mainly focus on Egypt and Sudan, as well as the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf. In dialogue with a transnational body of scholarship, political theory, as well as artistic and literary production, we will read about the following set of topics: slavery and abolition; race and racialization; empire and colonialism; third world-ism and nationalism; revolution and solidarity; ethnicity and nationality; migration and minorities. By studying how peoples of the region have debated issues of race and racialization, from the Abbasid era to the contemporary moment, we come to realize the legibility and urgency of race as an analytics in Middle East studies. In considering pre-modern and modern articulations of race across the region, we begin to understand how race has functioned as a technology of power and hierarchization, and its intersectional role in forming categories of ethnicity, nationality, or even gender and sexuality. This section is intended for undergraduate students only. Graduate students should enroll in L75 5043.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC EN: H
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L75 JIMES 405 Diaspora in Jewish and Islamic Experience
Tensions between center and periphery; migration and rest; power and powerlessness; and exile, home, and return are easily found in the historical record of both Jews and Muslims. For Muslims, it can be said that it was the very success of Islam as a world culture and the establishment of Muslim societies in in all corners of the globe that lay at the root of this unease. However, the disruptions of the post-colonial era, the emergence of minority Muslim communities in Europe and North America, and the recent tragic flow of refugees following the Arab Spring have created a heightened sense of displacement and yearning for many. Of course, the very term "diaspora" -- from the ancient Greek, meaning "dispersion" or "scattering" -- has most often been used to describe the Jewish condition in the world. The themes of exile and return and of catastrophe and redemption are already woven into the Hebrew Bible, and they continued to be central motifs in Rabbinic Judaism in late antiquity and the Middle Ages. This occurred despite the fact that more Jews lived outside the borders of Judea than within the country many years before the destruction of Jewish sovereignty at the hands of the Romans. In the 20th century, European imperialism, nationalisms of various types, revolution, and war -- including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- have done much to underscore the continuing dilemmas of diaspora and home in both Jewish and Islamic identity. The goal of this course is to offer a comparative historical perspective on the themes of migration and displacement, center and periphery, home and residence, and exile and return and to give students the opportunity to examine in depth some aspect of the experience of diaspora. Note: This course fulfills the capstone requirement for Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies. The course also counts as an Advanced Seminar for history. (Students wishing to receive history Advanced Seminar credit should also enroll in L22 491R section 19 for 1 unit.) The course is open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4060 Conflict or Convivencia? Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medieval Spain
This seminar will explore various facets of the coexistence (convivencia) of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in medieval Spain. Its horizon stretches from the Muslim conquest of Iberia (al-Andalus) up to the turn of the 16th century when Spanish Jews and Muslims were equally faced with the choice between exile and conversion to Christianity. Until about 1100, Muslims dominated most of the Iberian Peninsula; from then onward, Christians ruled much and eventually all of what would become modern Spain and Portugal. Through a process known as reconquista (reconquest), Catholic kingdoms acquired large Muslim enclaves. As borders moved, Jewish communities found themselves under varying Muslim or Christian dominion. Interactions between the three religious communities occurred throughout, some characterized by shared creativity and mutual respect, others by rivalry and strife. The course focuses on these cultural encounters, placing them in various historical contexts. It will explore the ambiguities of religious conversion, and the interplay of persecution and toleration. Last not least, the course will address the question of how the memory of medieval Spain's diversity reverberates-and is utilized-in modern popular and academic discourse. All sources will be read in English translation; however, students are encouraged to make use of their linguistic and cultural expertise acquired in previous classes. This course serves as the capstone seminar for Jewish, Islamic & Near Eastern Studies majors, Arabic majors, and Hebrew majors. Graduate students, minors, and other interested undergrads are likewise welcome.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 407 Fourth-Level Arabic: Modern Literature
Focused reading and discussion of texts written by modern Arab intellectuals. These texts will center on the interrelated topics of modernity, politics, and religion. The course will emphasize: (1) increasing reading speed; (2) increasing depth of reading comprehension; (3) strengthening grammar; (4) building Arabic to English translation skills. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 308D Advanced Arabic I or L49 3085 Third-Level Arabic II or placement by examination.
Same as L49 Arab 407
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4081 Fourth-Level Arabic: Classical Literature
This class provides an overview of pre-modern Arabic-Islamic thought (i.e., Islamicate intellectual traditions expressed in the Arabic language). Topics to be covered include Pre-Islamic Poetry, Quran, Hadith, Islamic Law, Sufism, Philosophy, Natural Science, and Social Thought. Students will be introduced to these topics through focused reading and discussion of Classical Arabic texts by key thinkers like al-abari, Ibn ajar, Ibn Qudama, al-Ghazali, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, and Ibn Khaldun. In addition to reading Classical Arabic texts, students will be given select exercises designed to strengthen their grammar, expand their vocabulary, and build their translation. PREREQ: Grade of B- or better in L49 308D Advanced Arabic I or L49 3085 Third-Level Arabic II or placement by examination.
Same as L49 Arab 408
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD, LS Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 409 Beyond Geography: The Meaning of Place in the Near East
This course considers the importance of place in the Middle East with particular reference to Jewish and Islamic traditions. Topics to cover include the creation of holy sites, the concept of sacred space, the practice of pilgrimages, and the tropes of exile and return. Texts will range from analytical essays to novels, memoirs, and films by authors such as Edward Said, Naguib Mahfouz, Taher Ben Jelloun, Elif Shafak, A. B. Yehoshua, Shulamit Hareven, and Hanan Al-Shaykh. Requirements include participation, short assignments, and a seminar paper. This course fulfills the capstone requirement for students majoring in Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, but is open to advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Prerequisites: coursework in JINES and senior standing or permission of instructor.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4154 Decolonization to Globalization: How to End an Empire
The conventional markers of the twentieth century - imperialism, decolonization and globalization - are acutely compromised if we mobilize gender and sexuality as modes of analysis. In this course we bring questions of sexual difference and gender to the wider stories of colonialism, nationalism, decolonization, neocolonialism, US imperialism, neoliberalism, globalization, WoT, and majoritarianism. We "engender" the contradiction between enormous turning points and the lived experiences of billions. We probe how the non-profit industrial complex, development aid, and the normative family have shaped and given shape to the very idea of gender. Finally, we examine the capacious power of gender to interrupt the power of the state and to reorganize extractive relations of race and caste.
Same as L77 WGSS 4154
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 420 Topics in the Israeli Short Story
Various themes in Hebrew belles lettres, e.g., the intertwining of politics and literature, the survival of rabbinic metaphors.
Same as L74 HBRW 420
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: LCD Art: HUM
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L75 JIMES 4274 Palestine, Israel, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
This course examines the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Topics include: Palestine in the late Ottoman period; the development of modern Zionism; British colonialism and the establishment of the Palestine Mandate; Arab-Jewish relations during the Mandate; the growth of Palestinian nationalism and resistance; the establishment of the state of Israel and the dispersion of the Palestinians in 1948; the Arab-Israeli wars; both Palestinian uprisings; and the peace process.
Same as L22 History 4274
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 435 Sabbath Politics: Rest and Refusal in Religion and Politics
The Jewish Sabbath arrives every week to disrupt ordinary life with a wholly different way of living, abstaining from some activities in divinely commanded rest. Is this different way of life strictly a break from the ordinary, or also a guide to it-and to how it might require disruption, reformation, and repair? Sabbath traditions have inspired radical political action including movements against debt, income inequality, environmental destruction, and racial injustice. This course will consider the ways that 20th and 21st century American Jews have practiced Shabbat and thought about its significance in political life. Students will read a range of texts including Abraham Joshua Heschel's classic 1951 book The Sabbath, and consider them in relation to movements of contemporary radical politics that have been inspired by Sabbath traditions, including Strike Debt, reparations for the descendants of enslaved people, and agonistic democratic politics.
Same as L57 RelPol 435
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4357 The Holocaust in the Sephardic World
The course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the Holocaust, of its impact on the Sephardic world, of present-day debates on the "globalization" of the Holocaust, and of the ways in which these debates influence contemporary conflicts between Jews, Muslims and Christians in Southern Europe and North Africa. We will turn to the history of these conflicts, and study the Sephardic diaspora by focusing on the consequences that the 1492 expulsion had within the Iberian Peninsula, in Europe, and in the Mediterranean world. We will study Sephardic communities in Europe and North Africa and their interactions with Christians and Muslims before World War II. Once we have examined the history of the Holocaust and its impact on the Sephardic world in a more general sense, our readings will focus on the different effects of the Holocaust's "long reach" into Southeastern Europe, the Balkans, and North Africa, paying close attention to interactions among Jews, local communities, and the Nazi invaders. Finally, we will address the memory of the Sephardic experience of the Holocaust, and the role of Holocaust commemoration in different parts of the world. We will approach these topics through historiographies, memoirs, novels, maps, poetry, and film.
Same as L97 GS 4357
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 440 Topics in Rabbinic Texts
The course aims to introduce students to independent reading of selected rabbinic texts in the original language. We will focus on a number of topics representing the range of rabbinic discussion, including legal, narrative, and ethical issues. At the same time, we will study the necessary linguistic tools for understanding rabbinic texts. Prereq: HBRW 385 or HBRW 401 or instructor's permission.
Same as L74 HBRW 440
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 442 Empire and Memory: Approaches to Islamic Historiography (ca. 800-1250)
The subject of this course is an in-depth study of medieval Arabic historiography from the 8th through the 13th centuries, when the Mongols run over the remnants of the Abbasid caliphate, established their own rule over Eurasia, and thereby sparked new questions about the past. After the initial survey of medieval Islamic history as background, we will focus on the development of historiographical writing in its socio-political context and examine one by one the most major historiographical traditions and philosophies from the 8th through the 13th centuries: prophetic traditions, belles-lettres, annals, biographical dictionaries, and genealogical literature.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 444 The Mystical Tradition in Judaism
What is Jewish "mysticism"? What is its relationship to the category of "religion"? Is Jewish mysticism just one form of a general phenomenon common to a variety of religious traditions or is it a specific interpretation of biblical, rabbinic, and other Jewish traditions? Taking the above questions as a starting point, this course aims at a systematic and historically contextualized analysis of a broad range of Jewish texts that are commonly classified as "mystical". (All primary texts are read in translation.) At the same time, we explore such overarching themes as: the interplay of esoteric exegesis of the Bible and visionary experiences; the place of traditional Jewish law (halakhah) within mystical thought and practice; the role of gender, sexuality, and the body in Jewish mystical speculation and prayer; the relationship between mysticism and messianism; Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions and their mutual impact on Jewish mysticism; the "absence of women" from Jewish mystical movements; esoteric traditions of an elite vs. mysticism as a communal endeavor; and the tension between innovation and (the claim to) tradition in the history of Jewish mysticism.
Same as L23 Re St 444
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 445 Topics in Islam
This course aims to study political thought and practice in Islamic history through a close reading of a selection of primary sources in translation (and in their original language, if language proficiency is satisfactory). Particular attention will be given to the historical contexts in which thoughts are espoused and texts written. We plan to examine the development of political concepts and themes as articulated in diverse literary genres (e.g., legal, theological, political) from the eighth through the 13th centuries. We hope to engage various theoretical models to analyze the relationship between politics and religion and to tease out the role of power in determining sociopolitical relations, distinctions, and structures. We hope to have a better grasp on the historicity of ideas presented in timeless categories in political discourse. Advanced knowledge of Arabic preferred but not required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM BU: IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 446 History of Political Thought in the Middle East
This course aims to study political thought and practice in Islamic history through a close reading of a selection of primary sources in translation (and in their original language, if language proficiency is satisfactory). Particular attention will be given to historical contexts in which thoughts are espoused and texts written. We plan to examine the development of political concepts and themes as articulated in diverse literary genres (e.g., legal, theological, political) from the eighth through 13th centuries. We hope to engage various theoretical models to analyze the relationship between politics and religion and to tease out the role of power in determining sociopolitical relations, distinctions, and structures. We hope to have a better grasp on the historicity of ideas presented in timeless categories in political discourse. Advanced knowledge of Arabic preferred but not required.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC BU: HUM, IS
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L75 JIMES 4460 The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Through Cinema
The Israeli-Palestinian "conflict" is often considered the longest-running national conflict in the world. The "dispute," which started in the early 20th century, attracts much attention more than a hundred year later, stirring intense passions and generating controversial headlines. This course explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict though Palestinian and Israeli cinema. We examine the ways in which cinema depicts the conflict in the Middle East, starting from the British Mandate to the present day. Adopting a relational history reading, the course examines the "treatment," the influences, and the representation of major historical and political events in the region - Israeli independence/Palestinian Nakba (1948), the Six-Day War/Arab Naksa (1967), the Yum Kippur war (1973), the Lebanon War I (1982), the Palestinian uprising Intifada I (1987), the Oslo accords (1993), Intifada II (2000) - in both Israeli and Palestinian films. The course examines the social and historical processes which shape Palestinian and Israeli cinematic narratives, self-representation, the representation of the Other, the relationship to the land, diaspora, national narratives, collective memory, and trauma. This course offers a dialectical cinematic and historic journey from national films to transnational modernist and experimental films, from the collective to the individual, and from hope to despair. Required Screenings:
Same as L53 Film 446
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4675 Beyond the Harem: Women, Gender, and Revolution in the Modern Middle East
This course examines the history and current situations of women in Middle Eastern societies. The first half of the course is devoted to studying historical changes in factors structuring women's status and their sociopolitical roles. The second half of the course will focus on several case studies of women's participation in broad anticolonial social revolutions and how these revolutions affected the position of women in those societies.
Same as L22 History 4675
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD BU: BA, HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 471 Topics in Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
Modern Arabic narratives read in English translation foregrounding themes such as the conflict between tradition and modernity, civil war, poverty, alienation, religion and politics, and changing gender roles.
Same as L49 Arab 471
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 475 Screening the Holocaust
This course surveys the history of Holocaust representation on film, examining a wide range of documentary and fictional works from 1945 to the present day. Discussions will consider a number of key questions, including: What challenges does the Holocaust pose to cinematic representation, and how have filmmakers grappled with them? How have directors worked within and against notions of the Holocaust as unrepresentable, and how have they confronted the challenge of its association with a limited set of highly iconic images? What are the more general ethical and political dimensions of representing the Holocaust onscreen -- its victims as well as its perpetrators, the systematic genocidal violence that characterized it, and the sheer absence of so many dead? We will also probe the changing significance of cinematic representation of the Holocaust, exploring the medium's increasingly memorial function for audiences ever further removed from the historical moment of its occurrence. Screenings may include The Last Stage; Distant Journey; Night and Fog; Judgment at Nuremberg; Shoah; Europa, Europa; Schindler's List; Train of Life; The Specialist; Photographer; A Film Unfinished. Critical readings by figures such as Giorgio Agamben, Jean Amery, Shoshana Felman, Geoffrey Hartman, Marianne Hirsch, Sidra Israhi, Dominick LaCapra, Alison Landsberg, Berel Lang, Michael Rothberg, and James Young. Required screenings
Same as L53 Film 475
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 479 Senior Seminar in Religious Studies
The topic for this seminar differs every year. Previous topics include Religion and Violence; Governing Religion; Saints and Society; and Religion and the Secular: Struggles over Modernity. The seminar is offered every spring semester and is required of all Religious Studies majors, with the exception of those writing an honors thesis. The class is also open, with the permission of the instructor, to other advanced undergraduates with previous coursework in Religious Studies.
Same as L23 Re St 479
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, SD Arch: HUM Art: HUM BU: ETH EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4803 Advanced Seminar: Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan
The division of India and Pakistan at the time of Independence from British colonial rule was a major event that has left its mark on the lives, memories, and politics of contemporary South Asians. Why did British India break apart along apparently religious lines? Was sectarian or "communal" violence inevitable, or endemic in South Asian society? How was Partition - a time of violence, mistrust, dispossession, displacement, and mass migration -- experienced by ordinary people? How is the traumatic memory of this event borne by individual women, children, by families? How does its legacy persist, and how is it being remembered, and reckoned with, today? In this course, we will not find final answers to these difficult questions, but we will learn how to explore them responsibly, using literature, film, and other archival sources. This course provides students with a forum to discuss and explore topics of their own choosing.
Same as L22 History 4803
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD, SC Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 485 Topics in Jewish Studies
Consult Course Listings for current topic. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
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L75 JIMES 4872 Colonial Cities and the Making of Modernity
Massive urban growth has been a central result of the incorporation of many areas--both central and peripheral--into the global economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. Scholars have long theorized urbanization as a key component of modernity, but they have usually done so by looking at urbanization and modernization from the perspective of the West. This course will investigate the character of cities in the colony and then use these empirical and analytical entry points to examine critically some theories of modernity. The geographical focus of the course will be primarily on cities in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
Same as L22 History 4872
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM BU: BA, HUM, IS EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4944 Advanced Seminar: The Inquisition in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, 1200-1700
This seminar will study the history of the Inquisition from its beginnings in southern France in the first half of the 13th century up to the investigations undertaken by Dominicans and Franciscans in 17th century Mexico and Peru. Along the way the seminar will focus upon other inquisitions in Europe (especially those made in Italy, Spain, and Germany), and the hunt for heresy in Goa and the Phillipines. This course will read inquisitional manuals (books on how to conduct an inquisition), and original inquisitional documents (the records of the trials and interrogations). Consequently, the history of heresy and witchcraft, as understood by people in the past and historians in the present, will be discussed.
Same as L22 History 4941
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD Art: HUM
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L75 JIMES 497 Guided Readings in Arabic
Prerequisites: senior standing, and permission of instructor and Department Chair.
Same as L49 Arab 497
Credit variable, maximum 5 units.
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L75 JIMES 4973 Guided Readings in Hebrew
Prerequisites: senior standing, and permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Same as L74 HBRW 4973
Credit variable, maximum 5 units.
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L75 JIMES 498 Guided Readings in Arabic
Prerequisites: senior standing, and permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Same as L49 Arab 498
Credit 3 units.
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L75 JIMES 4984 Guided Readings in Aramaic
Prereq: Permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Same as L74 HBRW 4984
Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
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L75 JIMES 4985 Guided Readings in Biblical Hebrew
Prereq: Permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Same as L74 HBRW 4985
Credit variable, maximum 6 units. EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4987 Guided Readings in Akkadian
Prereq: Permission of the instructor and the Department Chair.
Same as L74 HBRW 4982
Credit variable, maximum 6 units. EN: H
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L75 JIMES 499 Study for Honors in Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Studies
PREREQUISITES: SENIOR STANDING AND PERMISSION OF THE CHAIR OF THE JEWISH, ISLAMIC AND NEAR EASTERN STUDIES PROGRAM.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 4991 Study for Honors in Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Studies
Offered in the Spring semester in conjunction with L75-499. Prerequisites: Senior standing and permission of the Chair of Jewish, Islamic and Near Eastern Department.
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM Arch: HUM Art: HUM EN: H
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L75 JIMES 49CA Advanced Seminar: Religion and the Secular: Critical Perspectives from South Asia
A generation ago, scholars and observers around the world felt assured that modernization would bring the quiet retreat of religion from public life. But the theory of secularization now stands debunked by world events, and a host of questions has been reopened. This course provides students with a forum to think through these issues as they prepare research papers on topics of their own choosing.
Same as L22 History 49CA
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 49JK Advanced Seminar: Blood & Sacred Bodies: Ritual Murder & Host Desecration Accusations
This seminar follows the history of the Ritual Murder and Host Desecration accusations from the origins in 12th and 13th century Europe to the 20th century. It pays close attention to the social and political functions of the narratives; their symbolic importance in Christianity's salviric drama; attacks on such beliefs from both within and outside the community of the faithful; the suppression and decline of the ritual murder accusation; the integration of Jews into European societies in the 19th century; and the reappearance of the blood libel in the aftermath of emancipation.
Same as L22 History 49JK
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 49NR Advanced Seminar: Egypt and the Arab Spring: Middle Eastern Revolution in Historical Perspective
The uprisings of the "Arab Spring" of 2011 captivated global media and observers. The movements brought down established regimes in Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Egypt. The focus of this course will be to understand the historical background and primary contemporary issues that have shaped Egypt's Arab Spring, and to examine the huge popular effort to document Egypt's revolution. Each student will design, research, and write a 25-page paper on a topic of his/her choice related to the Arab Spring.
Same as L22 History 49NR
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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L75 JIMES 49SC Advanced Seminar: Incredible India?
From Christopher Columbus' misguided search for a mythical notion of India, to the Incredible India branding campaign launched by the Indian State's Department of Tourism, to the allure of yoga and true love, the notion of "India" has its own history. In this Advanced Seminar we trace the invention of India - as a concept - over time. We'll learn how the fabrication of India has proceeded through the centuries, and how the many meanings of "India" coalesce, nimbly side-stepping any popular or professional narrative of Indian history. Mobilizing an array of interdisciplinary tools, we will plot how the fetishization of "India" has itself become a flexible industry, how the management of Indian exceptionalism drives caste expansion. We'll study how the process renders certain subject positions and hierarchies as neutral and hegemonic while violently discarding others; how "India" is a product collectively manufactured, circulated, and consumed by a range of people around the world; the very real work of translation in bringing "India" into our everyday lives and imaginaries. This course fulfills the History major capstone requirement as an Advanced Seminar.
Same as L22 History 49SC
Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: HUM, LCD EN: H
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