Jewish Studies (JWST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 29 results.

Course descriptions provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - April 13, 2026 10:10AM EDT

JWST 1101
Elementary Modern Hebrew I

An introductory course in Modern Hebrew is designed for students with no prior experience in the language. It provides a comprehensive foundation in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, gradually ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 1101

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8607 JWST 1101   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Shoer, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For scheduling conflicts, contact instructor.

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 1101

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8608 JWST 1101   SEM 102

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Shoer, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For scheduling conflicts, contact instructor.

JWST 1103
Elementary Modern Hebrew III

Intermediate Modern Hebrew is designed to strengthen students' proficiency in Modern Hebrew by advancing their reading, writing, listening, and conversation skills. The curriculum incorporates ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 1103

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8610 JWST 1103   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Shoer, S

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For scheduling conflicts, contact instructor.

JWST 1776
Elementary Yiddish I

Elementary Yiddish I is the first in a three-class sequence that will enable students to meet their Arts & Sciences language requirement in Yiddish. It provides an introduction to reading, writing, listening, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

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

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  8735 JWST 1776   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • 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 the ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  •  2405 JWST 1987   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • 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 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

  • 12253 JWST 2195   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Juni, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 12254 JWST 2195   IND 601

  •  
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies

JWST 2276
Intermediate Yiddish

Intended for intermediate students, this is the third in a three-course sequence, designed to enable students to meet the College of Arts & Sciences language requirement. Students will increase ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GERST 2005, YIDSH 2276

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 18525 JWST 2276   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Forman, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2488
Modern Israel: History, Culture, Society

This course is an introductory survey to various aspects of Israeli culture, society, and history. Through a close examination of various media (film, music, literature) as well as key events and social ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: NES 2488

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8766 JWST 2488   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Burns, R

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2522
Drinking through the Ages: Intoxicating Beverages in Near Eastern and World History

This course examines the production and exchange of wine, beer, coffee and tea, and the social and ideological dynamics involved in their consumption. We start in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and end ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ARKEO 2522, CLASS 2630, NES 2522

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8727 JWST 2522   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Monroe, C

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2599
Medicine, Magic and Science in the Ancient Near East

This course explores the history of medicine and other sciences in the ancient Near East, broadly defined. In addition to medicine, the other scientific disciplines covered in this course include mathematics, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 2599, NES 2599, RELST 2599

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8751 JWST 2599   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Mokhtarian, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2697
History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

This course examines the history of the conflict between two peoples with claims to the same land (Palestine/Israel), from the rise of their national movements at the turn of the 20th century and their ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: GOVT 2977, NES 2697

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8628 JWST 2697   LEC 001

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Brann, R

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2721
The Holocaust in Europe:A Victim-Centered History

This course offers a new way of understanding both the Holocaust and the broader history of modern Europe—from the ground up. Moving from Greece to France, and from Amsterdam to Moscow, we explore how ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: COML 2721, GERST 2721, HIST 2701

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8774 JWST 2721   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Burzlaff, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2851
Sex and Power in Jewish History

Jewish men and women in early modern Europe lived their lives within a gendered social order inherited from the Talmudic period. The relationship between sex and power remained fundamental to Jewish communal ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 2154, RELST 2154

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 12321 JWST 2851   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Litvak, O

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 2852
Judaism and the Origins of Christianity

Most people think of Christianity as the daughter religion of Judaism. In this course, we will see that what we now know as Judaism and Christianity both claimed ownership of the same textual tradition ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HIST 2852, RELST 2852

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 12210 JWST 2852   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Litvak, O

  • 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

  •  8624 JWST 3101   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Goldfeld, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3103
Advanced Hebrew Through Media

This course is intended to continue the development of all aspects of Hebrew language skills. Emphasis, however, will be placed on speaking skills and understanding through the use of various outlets in ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: HEBRW 3103

  • 2-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8741 JWST 3103   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Goldfeld, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3175
Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition: Inquisitors, Heretics, and Truth in the Early Modern World

This course uses the history of the Spanish Inquisition, and the richness of its archival records, to explore the variety of ways in which the pursuit of heresy was intertwined with transforming how knowledge ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one independent study. Combined with: HIST 3175, NES 3175, SHUM 3175

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 12266 JWST 3175   LEC 001

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Juni, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 12267 JWST 3175   IND 601

  •  
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies

JWST 3416
Geography and Genealogy in the Talmud

Who determines who can marry whom, where, and when? This is a classic problem in social anthropology. The rabbis of the Babylonian Talmud were also concerned with such questions. Their proposed answers ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ANTHR 3414, NES 3416

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  7600 JWST 3416   SEM 101

  •  
    • W
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3655
Minorities of the Middle East

This course examines the historic diversity of the modern Middle East, exploring histories of inter-communal contact and conflict. We begin by investigating the legacy of the Ottoman Empire and the impact ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •  8720 JWST 3655   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Starr, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3850
Comparative Politics of the Middle East

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.  Combined with: GOVT 3313, NES 3850

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 10224 JWST 3850   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Blackman, A

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3860
American Jewish History, 1654-Present

One hundred and fifty years ago, most of the world’s Jews lived in Europe or the Ottoman Empire. Yet by the middle of the twentieth century the United States was home to one of the largest Jewish communities ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: AMST 3865, HIST 3806

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  8787 JWST 3860   SEM 101

  •  
    • W
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 3888
Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity

This course explores the interactions between Jews, Christians, and other religious groups in late antiquity, especially in Sasanian Persia circa the first through seventh century C.E. Students pay particular ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  8744 JWST 3888   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Mokhtarian, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4310
Methods in Medieval

Topic: Writing Through the Forest in Search of Trees. Hello, Humanities Student! Are you a plotter or a pantser? Not sure? Come and join us to find out, and to gain valuable insight into what kind of a ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •  7183 JWST 4310   SEM 101

    • R
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Robinson, C

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

JWST 4540
Moses Maimonides

Moses Maimonides who was born in Cordoba (1138), moved to Fez as a youth and died in Cairo (1204) is regarded by Jewish, Islamic, and Christian tradition alike as the most important Jewish religious ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •  8681 JWST 4540   SEM 101

  •  
    • T
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Brann, R

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4550
Archaeology of the Phoenicians

The Phoenicians have long been an enigma, a people defined by distant voices. Originating from present-day Lebanon, they were Semitic speakers, renowned seafarers and transmitters of an innovative alphabet ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •  8713 JWST 4550   SEM 101

  •  
    • M
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Monroe, C

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 4721
Peace Building in Conflict Regions: Case Studies Sub-Saharan Africa Israel Palestinian Territories

No description available. view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 10647 JWST 4721   SEM 101

  •  
    • T
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Leuenberger, C

  • 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

  •  8759 JWST 4769   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

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

  •  8760 JWST 4998   SEM 101

    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Starr, D

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

JWST 6310
Methods in Medieval

Topic: Writing Through the Forest in Search of Trees. Hello, Humanities Student! Are you a plotter or a pantser? Not sure? Come and join us to find out, and to gain valuable insight into what kind of a ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  7200 JWST 6310   SEM 101

  •  
    • R
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Robinson, C

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

JWST 6888
Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity

This course explores the interactions between Jews, Christians, and other religious groups in late antiquity, especially in Sasanian Persia circa the first through seventh century C.E. Students pay particular ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  8747 JWST 6888   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Mokhtarian, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person