Fall 2012
REL 300 - Special Topic: Archaeology of Israel, Pt. II
T 6:30-9:50 pm
M. Pytlik
This course begins with an overview of how archaeology is done in Israel (methods, concepts and practices). We begin with the Roman Destruction of the Second Temple and how it affected Judaism and early Christianity. We will ask how Judaism reacted and changed after the Temple's destruction: we'll focus on how the ancient rabbis made the transition from sacrifice to prayer by focusing on topics like the Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls community), the reshaping of the Passover story and how and why the rabbis chose to "de-militarize" Judaism and its holidays like Hanukkah. Then, we move on to the archaeology of New Testament sites and about how archaeology has been used to tell the stories that are central to both Christianity and Judaism. Next, we'll learn about the Byzantine period and how some religious sties were discovered or "made". We'll also learn about the spread of Islam into the region and some associated Muslim holy places. What is the Muslim view of archaeology in Israel? Also, the Crusades left a significant mark on the land and its history, and we will study conditions in Jerusalem during this time and how Jerusalem was forever changed by both Moslems and Christians as they fought over this cherished city. Finally, a few case studies about antiquities law, fraud, and how archaeology and history are used in concepts of religious identity and Zionism. This course combines archaeology, history, religious history and theology as well as more recent concepts of the state of Israel and its citizens. The course will be taught using primary and secondary readings, in-class discussions and visual presentations of Jewish, Christian and Moslem sites.
REL 300 - Special Topic: History of Anti-Semitism
TR 10:00-11:47 am
I. Greenspan
This course will focus on the ways in which Jewish religion, history, culture and identity have been shaped by centuries of persecution, violence, struggle, hatred, and wide-spread fear and identification of the Jews as a societal "other". Although we will take a rough chronological approach to the topic, we will primarily engage in a comparative method with respect to the various significant themes of the course: the myth of the blood libel, prevalent outsider/insider distinctions, social and economic isolation, political and societal exclusion, pogroms, scapegoating and holy crusades, social dislocation, episodic panic/fear and epidemiological scares, the pressures of conformity and the emergence of self-hatred, concepts of racial purity, eugenics and genocide, and the evolution of Jewish culture in response to the changing patterns of anti-semitism. Also to be considered are the ways in which anti-semitism was developed and disseminated through evolving forms of media, propaganda, stereotyping, myth-making and current political controversies and conflicts. Requirements will include weekly book reviews/analysis, one short paper and one longer research paper. Students will be expected each week to read selections from our two textbooks and will typically be assigned several chapters from a book, articles or other types of media (film, newspapers, etc.). Class time will be devoted to discussions, debates and group consideration of various in-class sources.
REL 300 - Special Topic: Vampire: Eastern Europe/American Culture
TR 1:00-2:47 pm
C. Hart
How did the vampire evolve from eastern European folk sybol of evil to romantic hero to western sex symbol and adorable Muppet? Using the mythology of the vampire in the folk cultures of eastern Europe we will examine how this enduring symbol was transmitted to western European and late, American popular culture. We will examine the philosophical discussions of "evil" and its causes or whether it exists at all. The cultural atmosphere of western Europe at the time of the "discovery"of the vampire and the cultural scene during its subsequent transmission to the United States will also be explored.
Winter 2013
REL 300 - Special Topic: Archaeology of Israel, Pt.
R 6:30-9:50 pm
M. Pytlik
Come and learn about one of the most ancient and important places on Earth! Did you know some excavations in Israel started back in 1890 when researches traveled to the Holy Land to look for evidence of the Bible? In this course we will learn about the methods of archaeology on sites that have up to twenty levels of human occupation. We will see how the Bible was used and misused for early and modern explorers. We also learn about the long process of the emergence of the Israelites—where did they come from? How did they live? The history of the region is long and includes invasions and conquests by almost every ancient society.
REL 300 - Special Topic: Life of Prophet Muhammad
TR 1-2:47 pm
S. Saatchi
This course is first an introduction to the historical Muhammad in the context of religious,
political, social and economic life of seventh century Arabia. For this
purpose, however, it is important to understand what makes history, and more
importantly, what defines a historical figure? The biography (sira) is a literary device that gives
meaning to and elucidates the lives of individuals, but in that process, so too
does a biography inform the context and author of that piece of literature. As
students move through this course, they will understand the complexity that both
defines and shrouds the life of Prophet Muhammad.
REL 300 - Special Topic: Talmud and American Law
TR 10-11:47 am
S. Polter
The study of factors (cultural and juristic) in the development of Jewish Law, especially in the Talmudic and medieval periods; relationship between “religious” and “civil” law; the legal codes and decision-making process of the rabbinic courts. Some legal texts will be submitted to intensive examination. The course begins with an historical introduction to the literary and formal sources of the law and then turns to juristic interpretation of Biblical texts on Lex Talionis and the law of Agency. Among the topics taken up in the course are Harms, Domains in Harms, Causation, Morality and Law, The Duty to Rescue, Contracts of Employment, Marriage and Divorce, Jewish Public Law and other Legal Systems.
REL 300 - Special Topic: The Book of Genesis
MWF 12:00-1:07 pm
J. Klein
A close reading of the Book of Genesis as a literary text. Though acknowledging its development according to the Documentary Hypothesis, this course examination presumes that the final version was meant to be read as a unified text. Discussions will incorporate archaeology, rabbinic and Christian commentary. Required texts will include biblical commentaries, a selection of articles, and Bible of the student’s choice.
REL 300 - Special Topic: Religion and Politics
W 6:30-9:50 pm
N. Asmussen
This course examines how the diverse religious landscape of the United States influences its politics. First, the course will focus on the role of religion in political participation, voting behavior, and social movements, both in contemporary politics and over the course of American history. Second, the course will examine religious influences on national political institutions, such as Congress, the courts and the presidency.