http://judaicstudies.as.miami.edu
Dept. Code: JUS
Introduction
The George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies is a broad, flexible, interdisciplinary program designed for undergraduates to gain an understanding of Jewish civilization and its diverse cultural experiences. The program, which is non-theological in orientation, is an academic exploration of the multi-faceted, socio-historical, 4,000-year record of the Jewish people. Courses taught by, and combined with the program highlight the variety of cultural, political, social, and religious experiences of Jews in different times and places.
Educational Objectives
The program is structured to provide an in-depth liberal arts education that will constitute a foundation for advanced academic study, professional careers in a variety of fields, and a more complex and rich understanding of the Jewish world. There are a total of 5 Judaic Studies Cognates. Judaic Studies cognates meet the requirements for People & Society and Arts & Humanities Cognates in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Advanced Writing and Communication Requirement
Students majoring in Judaic Studies satisfy the college of Arts and Sciences " Writing requirement in the discipline" when they take any course in Jewish or Israeli literature offered by the Department of English and any Judaic Studies course with the Writing Credit designation.
JUS 205. Holocaust Survivor Service Internship. 3 Credit Hours.
Interns will gain meaningful experiences that will offer them an opportunity to become involved in service-oriented activities. This will give them a deep
insight and unique understanding of the historical significance of the Holocaust while providing valuable services to the survivors of Nazi atrocities.
Components: DIS.
Grading: CNC.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 231. Jewish Civilization: Society, Culture and Religion. 3 Credit Hours.
Introduction to Jewish civilization from Abraham to present.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.
JUS 234. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. 3 Credit Hours.
A survey of the archaeological evidence related to Herodian Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. Emphasis on the architectural remains, material culture and inscriptions of the period that illuminate Jewish society and religious liturgy in Jerusalem. The places associated with the Gospels and the last days of Jesus will be a focus.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 250. The Holocaust Through Film, Memoir and Testimony. 3 Credit Hours.
The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the history of the Holocaust through classroom dialogue, film, and literature analysis. Involving students in major ethical and moral issues raised in the study of the Holocaust by encouraging students to think critically, explore choices, and make decisions based on a code of conduct that reflects a commitment to humanity.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 301. Studies in Judaica. 3 Credit Hours.
Special topics offering at the 300-level for students pursuing a major/minor in Judaic Studies.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
JUS 314. The Rise of Judaism. 3 Credit Hours.
The history and literature of early Judaism, covering the period from the fall of Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE to the beginnings of rabbinic Judaism and the formation of the Mishnah (ca.200 CE).
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 324. The History of Zionism. 3 Credit Hours.
The religious, cultural, historical, political and social underpinnings of the development of Zionism that fed to the creation of the State of Israel. Through readings, analysis of speeches and essays, exploration of films and the internet, the class will move through time from the origins of the Zionist idea lo the present.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 325. Israel: The Making of a State. 3 Credit Hours.
The creation of the state of Israel in its historical context, emphasizing the period of 1945-55: The struggle for Israel's establishment, the making of the state and the early challenges Israel faced. The class will use documents, text, testimony, poetry, music and film.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 338. History of the Holocaust. 3 Credit Hours.
Focus on the roots, events and results of the Nazis nearly successful annihilation of Jewish men, women, and children living under the Swastika. We will study Hitler's political aims, his Aryan superiority mythology, his domestic and foreign policies, and his conquests. We will also investigate how Germans, admired for their culture, became instruments of mass murder. Also included in this survey are the heroism of Jewish resisters and gentile rescuers who stood in direct opposition to the silence of the Christian churches and inactivity of the nearly all nations in the face of the Jewish disaster.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
JUS 339. The Holocaust as Reflected in Film. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will examine cinematic representations of the Holocaust in the films of American and European filmmakers.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
JUS 340. History of Modern Germany Since 1815. 3 Credit Hours.
German history from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the end of the Second World War. The course concentrates on the social, political, and cultural history of Germany between Bismarck and Hitler. The main topics of discussion include: The German states before and during the revolutions of 1848, German unification and Prussian policy during the 1850s and 1860s, Bismarck’s foreign policy and the political history of the Empire from 1871 to 1914, the origins and the course of the First World War, the Versailles Treaty and the history of the Weimar Republic, Hitler's rise to power and the politics of Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1939, Germany during the Second World War and the Holocaust. To bring the past to life, lectures will occasionally be supplemented by documentary films.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 352. Panoramic View of the Middle East. 3 Credit Hours.
The course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the Middle East and a basic understanding of factors, forces, and processes shaping developments in the modern and contemporary history of this important world region.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 360. Hollywood and Popular Culture: The American Jewish Experience. 3 Credit Hours.
The image of the Jew and the Jewish experience in American Cinema.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.
JUS 365. Literature of the Holocaust. 3 Credit Hours.
The destruction of European Jewry has generated a substantial body of literature, including survivor accounts, novels, poetry, and theological and philosophical inquiries. Firstly this course will review the history of the Holocaust; then a range of works will be read and discussed in terms of questions associated with the memorialization of victims. Non-literary responses to the Holocaust will also be examined: excerpts will be shown from the films The Last of the Unjust, Shoah, and The Quarrel, and we will listen to Steve Reich's musical composition Different Trails.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 375. Religion and Democracy in Israel. 3 Credit Hours.
Israel's evolution as a nation and a society by focusing on how religion impacts ethnicity, culture, and democracy.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.
JUS 380. Archaeology of Palestine. 3 Credit Hours.
Survey of the major archaeological excavations and surveys of Palestine, how this is used to interpret biblical narrative and give context to the emergence of Judaism and Christianity.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 401. Studies in Judaica. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Designed to enable students interested in some phase of Judaic Studies to study extensively in that field of interest.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
JUS 410. Special Topics. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Content varies by semester.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
JUS 411. Special Topics. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Content varies by semester.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.
JUS 421. Internship in Judaic Studies. 1-3 Credit Hours.
Prescribed study and supervised work with practitioners in Judaic services.
Components: DIS.
Grading: CNC.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
JUS 498. Senior Thesis. 3 Credit Hours.
Partial requirement for Departmental Honors in Judaic Studies. Thesis to be a documented essay in any area of Judaic Studies written under the direction of a member of the faculty.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
JUS 499. Senior Thesis. 3 Credit Hours.
Partial requirement for Departmental Honors in Judaic Studies. Thesis to be a documented essay in any area of Judaic Studies written under the direction of a member of the faculty.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.
