The following list includes courses offered by faculty associated with the Center for Judaic STudies, as well as other courses of interest to Judaic Studies students. We try to make this list as accurate and comprehensive as possible. If you have questions about offerings or times, check with the department in which the course is listed for the latest information.
Judaic Studies 317 (Section 001)
Meets with ANTHRO 298.205
Anthropology of Contemporary Jewish Life
Tuesday/Thursday 10am-1pm
Credits 3
What does it mean to be Jewish - at particular times, and in different places? Is it a religion? A race? An ethnic group? A nationality? Jews can be found in almost every country in the world. But who are they? And what (or who) makes them Jewish? While many Jewish institutions decry intermarriage and the decline of community participation - Jewishness is alive and well in diverse communities, in institutions, in rituals, in personal histories and identities. Rather than trying to establish what is the "right" or "authentic" way to be Jewish, we will try to understand how people create and experience in a variety of Jewish identities, and how those identities are shaped by internal and external social forces. Even "traditional" or "orthodox" Jews spend the majority of their time doing things besides practicing their religion, and we will consider how, when, and why some of those things are seen, felt, and labeled as Jewish.
If you're interested in religion, race, ethnicity, cultural boundaries, immigrant experiences, inter-generatinal conflict, tradition vs. modernity, marginality, cultural responses to genocide, diaspora, collective memory, or new trends in social science, this course will give you a chance to broaden and deepen your thinking.
Back to the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies.
Back to the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies Text Page.