Jewish Studies (JWST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 29 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2023-2024. Courses of Study 2023-2024 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - June 9, 2023 1:39PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - June 9, 2023 1:18PM EDT

JWST 1101
Elementary Modern Hebrew I

Intended for beginners. Provides a thorough grounding in reading, writing, grammar, oral comprehension, and speaking. Students who complete the course are able to function in basic situations ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 1101

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3840 JWST 1101   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR White Hall B14
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Shoer, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For scheduling conflicts, contact instructor.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 1101

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3841 JWST 1101   SEM 102

  •  
    • MTWR White Hall B14
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Shoer, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For scheduling conflicts, contact instructor.

JWST 1103
Elementary Modern Hebrew III

Sequel to HEBRW 1101-HEBRW 1102. Continued development of reading, writing, grammar, oral comprehension, and speaking skills. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 1103

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  3847 JWST 1103   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR White Hall B14
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Shoer, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For scheduling conflicts, contact instructor.

JWST 1710
The Jewish Atlantic: 1492-Present

Who were the Jews that first settled in the Americas and around the Atlantic? How did their experiences intersect with processes of colonization, empire-building, racialization, and the formation of an ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 1710, RELST 1710

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17524 JWST 1710   LEC 001

  •  
    • TR White Hall 106
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Juni, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 1776
Elementary Yiddish I

Provides an introduction to reading, writing, aural comprehension, speaking and grammar, as well as to some of the basic elements of Ashkenazi Jewish culture. view course details

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Syllabi:

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GERST 1776, YIDSH 1776

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 19439 JWST 1776   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR White Hall 114
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Forman, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 1987
FWS: Jews on Film: Visible and Invisible

Why were Jews virtually invisible in films produced during the Hollywood's "golden age"? Is this a surprise, given the leading role played by American Jews in founding the studio system? Writing about ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 20112 JWST 1987   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR White Hall B06
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Shapiro, E

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.

JWST 2001
Russian Jews and Jewish Russians in Literature and Film

Explore the ways of 19th to 21st century Russian Jewry through survey of literature and film. Learn about life in Russia from the perspective of Jewish and Russian-Jewish writers as well as through portrayal ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: RUSSL 2001

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 10986 JWST 2001   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2155
The Invention of Religion

Religion is a term with a rich history but without a precise definition. Everyone can describe a religious idea or a religious experience even though there is no agreement about what it is that makes an ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 2155, RELST 2155

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17721 JWST 2155   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW Lincoln Hall 107
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Litvak, O

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2195
Biography, History, and Modernity

Drawing on a combination of primary and secondary sources, this course explores the multiple forms and evolution of biographical writing from the Renaissance onward. We will interrogate the relationship ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one seminar and one independent study. Combined with: HIST 2195, SHUM 2195

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 18150 JWST 2195   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR McGraw Hall 145
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Juni, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 18151 JWST 2195   IND 601

  •  
    • TBA
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies

JWST 2532
Judaism and Gender

Why study Judaism and gender together? As a minority culture for most of its history and in most of its geographical areas, Judaism interacted with gender formation in the majority culture in a number ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: FGSS 2532, NES 2532, RELST 2532

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17407 JWST 2532   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2540
Zionism and Its Discontents

This course examines the history of Zionism as an idea and as a political movement in all its various forms, currents, and transformations from its origins in mid-nineteenth century Europe to the present. ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 2545, NES 2540, RELST 2540

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18677 JWST 2540   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR Uris Hall G28
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Brann, R

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2580
Imagining the Holocaust

No description available. view course details

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Syllabi:

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 2580, ENGL 2580

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18174 JWST 2580   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2724
The Jewish Bible-Old Testament in Context

The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is a repository of ancient Israelite religious, political, social, historical, and literary traditions. For the modern reader these ancient traditions are often obscured ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: NES 2724, RELST 2724

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6328 JWST 2724   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW White Hall 110
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2754
Wondrous Literatures of the Near East

This course examines Near East's rich and diverse literary heritage. We will read a selection of influential and wondrous texts from ancient to modern times, spanning geographically from the Iberian peninsula ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 2754, NES 2754, SHUM 2754

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6322 JWST 2754   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3101
Advanced Modern Hebrew I

This constitutes the first course in our third year of the Modern Hebrew language sequence.  Development of speech proficiency will be emphasized. Over the course of the semester, students will develop ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 3101

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18567 JWST 3101   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR Uris Hall 301
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3409
Telling Jewish Stories

Stories--whether orally told or written down in treasured texts, whether in Jewish languages or the languages of the myriad places where Jews have lived--are essential to the life of this age-old ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ANTHR 3409, ENGL 3909

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18850 JWST 3409   SEM 101

  •  
    • T Uris Hall 254
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3711
Sitcom Jews: Ethnic Representation on Television, 1948-Present

Jews have been on TV since the beginning of the medium – over 70 years – and have made decisions about how they are represented. What kind of Jews do we put on screen, and do they actually represent Jews ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AMST 3717, PMA 3711

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17933 JWST 3711   SEM 101

  •  
    • M Morrill Hall 111
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Winitsky, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3850
Middle East Politics

What explains authoritarian resilience in the Middle East? What are the causes and consequences of Islamist political attitudes and behavior? What is the historical legacy of colonialism and empire in ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: GOVT 3313, NES 3850

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17509 JWST 3850   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17510 JWST 3850   DIS 201

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17511 JWST 3850   DIS 202

  •  
    • F Uris Hall G26
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4310
Methods in Medieval

Topic: The Late Medieval Devotional Image. A commonplace in the scholarly literature surrounding late medieval visual culture in Spain is that it was always "late".  The Spaniards lagged behind the Italians ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 17798 JWST 4310   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4346
Revolts Against the Roman Empire

This class will study an important example of resistance, that is, several armed revolts against Imperial Rome during the first two centuries of our era. Africa, Asia, and Europe all saw such rebellions. ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 18489 JWST 4346   SEM 101

    • TR Morrill Hall 111
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Strauss, B

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  • 18491 JWST 4346   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

JWST 4448
Death, Dying, and the Dead

Death is both the opposite of life and an intimate part of life. Though it comes to us all, human understandings of the process of dying and of our relations to the dead have varied widely. For many, the ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ANTHR 4448, ANTHR 7448, JWST 7448

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17647 JWST 4448   SEM 101

  •  
    • M Sibley Hall 318
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4533
The Lower East Side: Jews and the Immigrant City

American Jews have frequently been touted as a "model minority." This course will take a more critical look at the historical interactions between Jewish immigration, United States industrialization, and ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  9991 JWST 4533   SEM 101

  •  
    • T White Hall 110
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Sampson, E

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4769
Research in Jewish Studies

This course offers Jewish Studies majors a chance to write a significant research essay that allows for depth of study of a topic of interest to each individual student. Because it is a required course ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17412 JWST 4769   SEM 101

  •  
    • W Sibley Hall 318
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Restricted to Jewish Studies majors.

JWST 4998
Honors Research I

The first half of a two-semester sequence for Jewish Studies majors who wish to conduct research for an honors thesis. In this class, student research will be guided through individual meetings with the ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 19593 JWST 4998   SEM 101

    • TBA
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Permission of instructor required.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

JWST 6221
Judeo-Arabic

This seminar presents an introduction to Judeo-Arabic through the study of selected classical texts and the study of its grammar and lexicon. Because Judeo-Arabic combines elements of Hebrew and Arabic ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 17911 JWST 6221   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 6310
Methods in Medieval

Topic: The Late Medieval Devotional Image. A commonplace in the scholarly literature surrounding late medieval visual culture in Spain is that it was always "late".  The Spaniards lagged behind the Italians ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 19992 JWST 6310   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 6346
Revolts Against the Roman Empire

This class will study an important example of resistance, that is, several armed revolts against Imperial Rome during the first two centuries of our era. Africa, Asia, and Europe all saw such rebellions. ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 18500 JWST 6346   SEM 101

    • TR Morrill Hall 111
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Strauss, B

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  • 18501 JWST 6346   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

JWST 6780
Persecution and the Art of Writing

The title alludes to an essay by Leo Strauss, now modified and expanded beyond political philosophy to include literary and audio-visual media (past and present) and psychoanalysis. Persecution (via censorship ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 18746 JWST 6780   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    Enrollment limited to graduate students.

JWST 7448
Death, Dying, and the Dead

Death is both the opposite of life and an intimate part of life. Though it comes to us all, human understandings of the process of dying and of our relations to the dead have varied widely. For many, the ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ANTHR 4448, ANTHR 7448, JWST 4448

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17649 JWST 7448   SEM 101

  •  
    • M Sibley Hall 318
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 7533
The Lower East Side: Jews and the Immigrant City

American Jews have frequently been touted as a "model minority." This course will take a more critical look at the historical interactions between Jewish immigration, United States industrialization, and ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 10007 JWST 7533   SEM 101

  •  
    • T White Hall 110
    • Aug 21 - Dec 4, 2023

    • Sampson, E

  • Instruction Mode: In Person