Ithaca College Fall Semester 2004

Fall 2004
Jewish Studies 340-20200 / History 311-28503
Tuesday/Thursday 10:50-12:05
Williams 202

Professor Rebecca Lesses
Office: Gannett G-122
Office Hours: MW 2:30-4:00 and by appointment.
Telephone: 274-3556
E-mail: rlesses@ithaca.edu

"Jews in the Modern World" explores ways in which one cultural/ national/ ethnic/ religious group, which transcends national boundaries, has been affected by the great currents of intellectual and cultural change, colonialism, nationalism, wars, and migrations that have swept through the world since 1492. This course provides a focused introduction to modern Jewish history, from the expulsion of the Sephardic Jews from Spain in 1492 to contemporary Jewish life in the United States, Europe, and Israel. The course covers Jewish communities in diverse culture areas: the Ashkenazi Jewish culture of northern and eastern Europe, the diaspora Sephardic Jewish culture in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire, Jewish culture in the Islamic cultural sphere of North Africa and the Middle East, the emergence of Jewish communities in the Americas, and the founding of the state of Israel. We will discuss Jewish reactions to modernity in a variety of communities, the impact of European colonialism in North Africa and the Middle East, the effects of anti-semitism and the Holocaust, and the emergence of Jewish centers in the Americas and the state of Israel. We will pay particular attention to the history of Jewish women in the various culture areas.

IN BOOKSTORE (also on reserve in library)

Jacob Katz, Out of the Ghetto: The Social Background of Jewish Emancipation (1998) [Katz]

Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, eds., The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History (1995). [Mendes-Flohr]

Joseph Roth, The Wandering Jews (2001). [Roth]

Raymond P. Scheindlin, A Short History of the Jewish People (1998) [Scheindlin]

Reeva Spector Simon, Michael Menachem Laskier, and Sara Reguer, editors, The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in Modern Times (2003) [Simon]

Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern Times (1991) [Stillman]

COURSE READER

Available for sale in class and in Jewish Studies office, Gannett 122– all readings in the course reader are marked in the syllabus as "Course Reader."

1. Lawrence Fine, Safed Spirituality (Ramsey, NJ: Paulist Press, 1984), pp. 1-24.
2. Robert Seltzer, "Shabbetai Zevi," in Jewish People, Jewish Thought (Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall, 1980), pp. 467-474.
3. Moshe Rosman, "Innovative Tradition: Jewish Culture in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth," pp. 519-572, in Cultures of the Jews, ed. by David Biale (New York: Schocken, 2002).
4. Paula Hyman, "The Life of Glikl of Hameln," in Judaism in Practice, ed. by Lawrence Fine (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 2001), pp. 483-497.
5. David Biale, "A Journey Between Worlds: East European Jewish Culture from the Partitions of Poland to the Holocaust," pp. 799-834, in Cultures of the Jews.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Class attendance (5%): 2 unexcused absences permitted; if class is missed because of illness, student must present a doctor’s excuse; more absences will lead to a lower grade.

Class participation (10%) includes asking questions and speaking up during class discussions, participating in small group discussions, and active listening to lectures and to classmates. Since participation is dependent upon being in class, poor attendance will also reflect poorly on class participation.

Students should come to class prepared to discuss the daily assignments. Assignments should be completed before class on the day on which they are listed on the syllabus. Students should bring to class specific questions about the assignments and topics for class discussion. In preparing for class, consider the following:

Class participation is an integral part of this course. All students are expected to participate in a thoughtful, well-prepared manner that is grounded in the course assignments. All members of the class are expected to reflect critically on they ways in which they can contribute to constructive rather than destructive class dynamics. I often call upon students and may not wait for students to volunteer themselves. Take notes: you will be expected to incorporate issues raised in class discussions in your papers.

Family history paper (3 pages) (10%): due Sept. 7. For this paper, interview older family members (parents, grandparents, etc.) to discover how long your family has been in the United States and where they came from before residing in the U.S. Please try to get as much specific information as possible on the various branches of your family. If your family has been in the U.S. for many generations, discuss with your older relatives the family history within the U.S. Specify the ethnicity/religion/nationality/racial identity of the various branches of the family. The purpose of this paper is to gain an impression of your connection to the deeper past and historical events both in the U.S. and other countries. One of the questions on the final exam will ask you to consider how your view of your family history has changed in light of what you have learned throughout the course.

5 Short analysis papers (10% each) – 3 pages long. Each will address questions on a specific topic (which will be handed out in class). You will have a choice of topics (and due dates) for each paper. The papers will address a particular issue in the study of Jewish history (for example, the impact of European colonialism on Jews in the Middle East) or will ask you to refer to the primary source readings (generally, from the Mendes-Flohr volume) and analyze them in the context of a narrative historical account (for example, Katz or Scheindlin). The purpose of these paper assignments is for you to develop skills in critical thinking and analysis of historical sources. Two papers will be due before October 13 (the day before the fall break); the remaining three will be due on specific dates before the final exam.

Topics and instructions for Analysis Papers, first half of course (due before midterm)

Topics and instructions for Analysis Papers, second half of course

Topics and instructions for the analysis papers for the second half of the course will be posted soon.

There will be no midterm exam.

Final exam (25%): Thursday, December 16, 2004, 4:30 pm-7 pm.

1. ALL WRITTEN WORK MUST BE YOUR OWN. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. I refer cases of plagiarism to the Judicial Affairs Office – plagiarism may result in an F for the course and being placed on Academic Probation. Please consult pages 116-118 of the Student Handbook for a complete statement of the Ithaca College policy on plagiarism, including definitions of plagiarism and proper citation of sources.

2. ALL WRITTEN WORK MUST BE DONE IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE. This includes exams and papers.

3. IF YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR WRITING: Please come speak to me. I also recommend the Writing Center, at 228 Park, which is open 9-5 Mon.-Fri. and 7-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs. To schedule an appointment, call 274-3315.

4. ATTENDANCE POLICY. 2 unexcused absences are permitted; if class is missed because of illness, student must present a note from the health service or your doctor. More than two unexcused absences will lead to reduction of the course attendance and participation grade.

5. STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES: please approach me early in the semester and let me know your needs in terms of papers or exams. Also, please have the Office for Support Services send me a letter with your specific needs.

6. IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE IN YOUR LIFE that interferes with completing the course work (for example, a death in the family, grave illness, family discord, relationship problems) please come to me and we can talk about how to get your work done. DO NOT JUST STOP COMING TO CLASS!

[See revised reading list for second half of course]

Week 1 – August 26

Introduction: What is the course about and why is the topic important? What is Jewish history and when does the modern period in Jewish history begin?
Handout: reading questions for first week of class

Week 2: Pre-modern Jewish life in the Muslim and Christian worlds

Week 3: The dispersion of Sephardic Jewry

Week 4: Religion and Culture in Ashkenazic Jewry

Week 5:

Week 6: Western European Jewry

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12:

Week 13:

Nov. 23-25: no classes, Thanksgiving break

Week 14

Week 15

Final exam: Thursday, December 16, 2004, 4:30 pm-7 pm.

This page maintained by: Rebecca Lesses
Last revised November 4, 2004