Program in Judaic Studies
Director
Peter Schäfer
Executive Committee
Leora F. Batnitzky, Religion
David M. Bellos, French and Italian, Comparative Literature
Simeon B. Chavel, Religion
Mark R. Cohen, Near Eastern Studies
Stanley A. Corngold, German, Comparative Literature
Anthony T. Grafton, History
Jan T. Gross, History
Hendrik A. Hartog, History
Wendy Heller, Music
Daniel Heller-Roazen, Comparative Literature
Martha Himmelfarb, Religion
William C. Jordan, History
Stanley N. Katz, Woodrow Wilson School
AnneMarie Luijendijk, Religion
Deborah E. Nord, English
Anson G. Rabinbach, History
Esther Robbins, Near Eastern Studies
Gideon A. Rosen, Philosophy, ex officio
Lawrence Rosen, Anthropology
Peter Schäfer, Religion
Esther H. Schor, English
Froma I. Zeitlin, Classics, Comparative Literature
The Program in Judaic Studies provides students the opportunity to explore more than three millennia of Jewish culture, history, religion, thought, politics, and literature from the Bible to contemporary Jewish thought and society from an interdisciplinary perspective. A wide variety of courses, lectures, conferences, film series, and exhibitions taking advantage of Princeton’s rich resources in Judaic studies is offered. There is no “typical” certificate student; we serve students with a wide range of interests and welcome all who are motivated to deepen their knowledge of Judaic studies.
Program of Study
In order to receive the certificate, students take a minimum of five courses in Judaic studies and write a senior thesis that draws significantly on some aspect of Judaic studies. Students are required to take JDS 202 Great Books of the Jewish Tradition, one course in Jewish religion, one course in Jewish history, and two other courses (see “Courses” below). A sound program of study will involve both historical range (courses in pre-modern and modern periods) and disciplinary breadth. While a junior paper in the field is not required, students are encouraged to explore the field of Judaic studies in their junior-year independent work. A freshman seminar may count as one of the required courses. Occasionally, after consultation with the program director, a student with a strong grounding in classical Jewish texts may be permitted to substitute another course for JDS 202.
Seniors will participate in the program’s noncredit colloquium for thesis writers. Each student’s course of study must be approved by the program director as well as by the departmental representative in the student’s department of concentration. The certificate requirements are compatible with a concentration in any humanities or social science department; combination with other concentrations is also possible, in consultation with the director.
Study Abroad
The program encourages students to consider studying in Israel, either for a semester or for a summer. Study in Israel provides an excellent opportunity to improve one’s knowledge of Hebrew as well as to pursue other topics of interest. There are a number of intensive summer language programs in Hebrew and Yiddish in Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Courses taken abroad, other than elementary language, may count for up to two of the program’s required courses.
Language Requirement
Judaic studies has no specific language requirement apart from what is normally required by the University. However, when appropriate, students are expected to use foreign language skills in their senior thesis research. Students also are strongly urged to develop a competency in Hebrew and may use one advanced (300-level) Hebrew course, if they wish, to fulfill the general course requirements for the certificate.
Courses relevant to Judaic studies currently offered in the various departments include the following (many are cross-listed with Judaic studies). Refer to Course Offerings for additional courses.
English
*365 Topics in American Literature: Jewish American Writers
Hebrew
101, 102 Elementary Hebrew
105, 107 Intermediate Hebrew
301, 302 Advanced Hebrew Language and Style
Near Eastern Studies
220 Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Middle Ages
Religion
336 Pilgrimage, Travel, and Sacred Space: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Land of Islam
In addition to the undergraduate courses listed above, there are a number of graduate courses in the University that are relevant to Judaic studies and may be elected by undergraduates. These include 500-level courses in Hebrew literature. For a complete listing, students should consult the program office. In addition to graduate courses, undergraduate departmental seminars, student-initiated seminars in Judaic studies, and one-time-only courses offered from time to time may be used to satisfy the program’s requirements with the director’s approval. Recent examples include American Legal Theory and Jewish Law (American studies), God’s Body: Hebrew Bible, Rabbinic Literature, and Jewish Mysticism (religion), Hatred or Tolerance? Jews and Christians in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (history), The Bible in History (history), Jewish Political Thought (religion), Contemporary French-Jewish Thought (humanistic studies/religion), An Introduction to the Study of Judaism in Late Antiquity (Program in the Ancient World), and Topics in International Relations: The Arab-Israeli Conflict (Woodrow Wilson School).
Senior Thesis Colloquium
This noncredit colloquium is designed to help seniors from various fields of study formulate and carry out their senior thesis research and writing, including an initial orientation to reference aids and other research resources. Students will present work in progress for discussion by fellow students and faculty.
Certificate of Proficiency
Students who fulfill all the requirements of the program will receive a certificate of proficiency in Judaic studies upon graduation.
Courses
JDS 201 Introduction to Judaism: Religion, History, Ethics (also REL 223) — Not offered this year HA
Starting with ancient Israel’s radically new conceptions of the divine, morality, and history, this course explores the complex nature of Judaism and its development as a religion and culture over millennia—a development marked by internal debates and external challenges to continuity and survival. Emphasis is on the traditional bases of Judaism, such as religious beliefs and practices, interpretations of sacred texts, and shared communal values. Attention also to the variety of Jewish encounters with modernity, philosophy, secularism, and non-Jewish cultures. Two classes, one preceptorial. Staff
JDS 202 Great Books of the Jewish Tradition (also REL 202) — Fall HA
Introduces students to the classical Jewish tradition through a close reading of portions of some of its great books, including the Bible, rabbinic midrash, the Talmud, Rashi’s commentary on the Torah (probably the most influential Bible commentary among Jews ever), the Zohar (the central work of Kabbalah), and the Guide for the Perplexed (Maimonides’ great philosophical work). Students will consider what these works say about the relationship between revelation and interpretation in Jewish tradition and how they come to define that tradition. Two 90-minute classes. P. Schäfer
JDS 214 Masterworks of Hebrew Literature in Translation (see NES 214)
JDS 220 Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Middle Ages (see NES 220)
JDS 230 Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel (see REL 230)
JDS 231 Hebrew Bible and Earliest Judaism (see REL 231)
JDS 242 Jewish Thought and Modern Society (see REL 242)
JDS 244 Rabbinic Judaism: Literature, History, and Beliefs (see REL 244)
JDS 245 Jewish Mysticism: From the Bible to Kabbala (see REL 245)
JDS 300 Israeli History through Film (also NES 300) — Fall, Spring HA
The course provides an introduction to modern Israeli history and culture through the medium of film. It examines the transitions and changes in Israeli society over the past 60 years and presents students with some of the major themes of the Israeli experience. The history of Israel is the tale of the conflict between East and West, Arabs and Jews, the Jewish past and the Zionist ethos. It is the story of a transformation from a highly mobilized nation to a modern, self-doubting, and pluralistic society that openly questions its past and constituting myths. Israeli cinema is a reflection of this history and culture. E. Kaplan
JDS 301 Topics in Judaic Studies (also COM 321) — Fall LA
The seminar, normally taken in the junior year, explores in depth a theme, issue, or problem in Jewish studies, often from a comparative perspective. Possible topics include gender and the family, comparative diasporas, messianic ideas and movements, Jewish history, anti-Semitism, authority, leadership, and conflict in Judaism, Jewish literature, Jewish popular culture. One three-hour seminar. J. Diamond
JDS 302 Elementary Biblical Hebrew I (also NES 302, REL 302)
Students will achieve a basic ability to read the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in its original language. During the semester, students will learn the script and grammar, develop a working vocabulary, and master the standard dictionaries while reading passages from the Bible itself. Two 90-minute classes. S. Chavel
JDS 303 Elementary Biblical Hebrew II (also NES 311, REL 303) — Spring
A continuation of 302. Students will develop their ability to read the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in its original language. During the semester, students will deepen their knowledge of the grammar, expand their working vocabulary, and practice reading larger passages from the Bible. Two 90-minute classes. S. Chavel
JDS 304 German Intellectual History (see GER 306)
JDS 315 The Family in Jewish Tradition (also WOM 310) — Spring SA
This seminar will examine the historic flexibility and variability of the Jewish family in the context of selected times and places: Biblical period, early Common Era Diaspora, 20th-century Europe, contemporary United States and Israel. The major emphasis in this course will be on the different protocols and forms that may collectively be called the “Jewish Family.” One three-hour seminar. R. Westheimer
JDS 316 The Ten Commandments in Modern America (also AMS 320, CHV 316) — Spring EM
In contemporary America, few issues are as hotly debated as religion, especially when it comes to the Ten Commandments. Drawing on literature and the media (both old and new), the arts, and the law, this course contextualizes and historicizes the current debate, which has reached all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It explores the variety of ways in which this ancient text has left its mark on America of the 20th and 21st centuries. Two 90-minute classes. J. Weissman-Joselit
JDS 318 Recent Jewish and Christian Thought (see REL 318)
JDS 334 Growing Up Jewish in America, 1880s–1960s (see AMS 334)
JDS 338 The Arab-Israeli Conflict (see NES 338)
JDS 340 Ancient Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls (see REL 340)
JDS 346 Reason and Revelation in Jewish Thought (see REL 346)
JDS 347 Religion and Law (see REL 347)
JDS 349 Texts and Images of the Holocaust (see COM 349)
JDS 351 Golem: The Creation of an Artificial Man (see REL 351)
JDS 359 Modern Jewish History: 1750–Present (see HIS 359)
JDS 365 Topics in American Literature (see ENG 365)
JDS 367 Jewish Identities in France since 1945 (see FRE 347)
JDS 381 The Biblical King David: Between Myth and History (also REL 381) — Spring HA
Shepherd, hero; bandit, international power; musical therapist, prophetic liturgist; home-wrecker, dynastic and cultic founder—David plays the Bible’s richest role. Yet far from confirming his monumental accomplishments, archaeology barely acknowledges his very existence. Students will explore these two poles and the historiographical space in between them. Two 90-minute classes. S. Chavel
JDS 458 History of Zionism (also HIS 458) — Fall, Spring HA
The course examines the history of Zionism as a diverse political, social, and cultural movement. The course traces the origins of the Jewish national idea in Europe at the period of Jewish emancipation and the rise of modern anti-Semitism. The course examines the transformation of Zionism into a political and social movement in Palestine, the emergence of the Jewish-Arab conflict, and the 1948 War. The course explores the impact of Zionist ideology on the early years of Israeli independence, and, lastly, the course surveys the post-Zionist debates and the relevance of the Zionist idea today. E. Kaplan
*One-time-only course