JUDAIC STUDIES COURSE OFFERINGS
Winter 2001

The following list includes courses offered by faculty associated with the Frankel 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.

We will study selected texts written by Jews from the mid-nineteenth century until the eve of World War II, a
period marked by the breakdown of traditional Jewish culture and by the construction and questioning of modern Jewish identities. To explore this cultural landscape that transcends linguistic and national boundaries, we will ask such questions as: How can we define Jewish literature? How is Jewish modernity understood and configured in these texts? How do writers from the Diaspora relate to a Jewish homeland, to Jewish tradition and history, to other national literatures, to the various languages in which they write? Possible authors will include: Sholem Aleykhem,
I. L. Peretz, Franz Kafka, Isaac Babel, Bruno Schulz, Marcel Proust, H. N. Bialik, S. Y. Agnon, I. B. Singer, Else Lasker-Schuler, Gertrud Kolmar, Anzia Yezierska, Kadya Molodovsky. When appropriate, we also will draw on examples from film, music, and the visual arts. Requirements: participation, one group-led discussion (if class size permits), frequent short response papers, one longer paper, and a final. This course satisfies the New Traditions requirement for English concentrators. Cost: 2–3 (Nysenholc: jnysenho@umich.edu) TTh 2:30–4p

Beginning with the rise of the "New York intellectuals" and concluding with the Klezmer revival, this senior seminar traces the development of Jewish culture in America during the last half-century. We will examine a
wide range of cultural forms, including literary works, essays, plays, films, stand-up comedy, and musical recordings. Among the themes to be discussed are the tensions between "high" and popular culture, American assimilation and its discontents, classical Jewish themes in modern forms, and the problem of representing the Holocaust. Among the figures we will consider are Alfred Kazin, Micky Katz, Grace Paley, Saul Bellow, Lenny Bruce, Philip Roth, Allen Ginsberg, Cynthia Ozick, Art Spiegelman, Irene Klepfisz, and Tony Kushner. Students will write a number of short response papers and one 8–12 page paper. (Levinson: jlevinso@umich.edu) TTh 2:30–4p

"To write poetry after Auschwitz is a barbaric act." This line, taken largely out of context from an essay by
T.W. Adorno has, for decades, set the terms of various debates about literary responses to the Holocaust. More recently, it has been supplanted by other debates about the overlapping, sometimes conflictual, concerns of memory and history. Holocaust literature has been at the center of questions about the limits of representation. What are the connections between imaginative literature and the historical events that motivates it? How do we understand the documentary and testimonial impulse in much of Holocaust literature? How does this literature shape a contemporary sense of exile, Diaspora, or home? How do these texts challenge our notions of national and linguistic borders? We will read poetry and fiction written in English, German, Yiddish, Hebrew, French, Polish, and Italian (all in English translation; there are no language requirements for this course). Authors will be chosen from among the following: Aharon Appelfeld, Jurek Becker, Tadeusz Borowski, Paul Celan, Yankev Glatshteyn, David Grossman, Ilona Karmel, Primo Levi, Cynthia Ozick, Nelly Sachs, Art Spiegelman, Avrom Sutskever, Andre Schwarz-Bart, Elie Wiesel, Binjamin Wilkomirski. Films and critical, theoretical, and historical texts inform each of our discussions. Everyone will be asked to give one oral report, write a final paper, and assume an energetic role in class discussions. (Norich: norich@umich.edu) MW 2:30–4p

This course explores the origins and the outcomes of the Nazi seizure of power in Germany in 1933. Because no single factor can explain why Germans consented to Nazi rule or why so few resisted Nazi persecution and genocide, we will take a multi-layered approach to this question, examining the relationships among and between political, cultural, social, and economic change. First exploring the vibrant culture and fractured politics of the Weimar Republic in which the Nazis rose to power, we will analyze the ideologies and practices of the Nazi "racial state" and the forces that drove it into war and genocide. Students also will examine the blurry lines between consent and dissent, complicity and resistance in the everyday lives of both perpetrators and victims of the regime. Team-taught by two professors from History and German, course materials will include not only historical texts,
but also film, art, literature, and personal memoirs from the Weimar and Nazi periods. Requirements include midterm, final, and one 10–12-page paper that draws upon at least one book that is not required for the course.
(A bibliography and list of suggested topics will be provided in the second or third week of the term.) Grades are calculated as follows: section and class participation, 1/4; paper, 1/4; midterm and final, 1/2. No prerequisites. Canning (kcanning@umich.edu) and Spector (spec@umich.edu) MW 11:30a–1p, plus one section. HU

(Schmidt: bschmidt@umich.edu) TTH 11:30a–1p

This course covers the rise of Jewish nationalism from its origins in the late-nineteenth century through the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the history of the Jewish state in the following half-century. Emphasis will be placed on the political context out of which Zionism developed and on the larger cultural trends that shaped the variety of ideologies within the Zionist movement. Significant time will also be devoted to examining the role of Zionist activity within the histories of major Jewish communities in the Diaspora prior to World War II and the competing ideologies and movements (socialism, strict orthodoxy, and assimilationism) that challenged the Zionist solution to the "Jewish Question." The tragic confrontation between Jews and Arabs within the Land of Israel will be explored in some depth, with particular attention being paid to the genesis of the confrontation. The last cluster of lectures will focus on the cultural, social, and political problems that have beset the State of Israel from its establishment in 1948 to the present and on the links between these and broader themes in modern Jewish history as a whole. There will be a midterm examination, a ten-page analytical paper, and a comprehensive final. (Endleman: endelman@umich.edu) MWF 2–3p

This is the second of a two-term sequence designed to develop basic skills in speaking, understanding, reading, and writing Yiddish. Active class participation is required, as are periodic quizzes, exams, a midterm and final. Prerequisite: Yiddish 101. (Norich: norich@umich.edu) MWF 12n–1p

This seminar will explore the life and culture of East European Jews before the Holocaust. In our effort to build a picture of a dynamic and multi-faceted society, we will especially focus on the transition from tradition to modernity and rely on a variety of disciplines—history, literature, art, film, music, anthropology, and linguistics. Requirements include several short response papers, research project and group-led discussion. (Nysenholc: jnysenho@umich.edu) TTh 10–11:30a

This is the fourth term of a language sequence in Yiddish. The course is designed to develop fluency in oral and written comprehension, and to offer a further understanding of the culture within which Yiddish has developed. Special emphasis will be devoted to reading material. Course grade will be based on exams, quizzes, written work, and oral class participation. Prerequisite: Yiddish 201. (Nysenholc: jnysenho@umich.edu) MWF 2–3p

277. Section 001. [Class #tba] Land of Israel Through the Ages / HJCS277. Section 001. [Class #tba] Land of Israel Through the Ages. (4)

Events in the Land of Israel have played a unique role in both Western and Near Eastern civilizations. This course will examine the most significant developments in the history of this land. We will outline the historical process and analyze the various factors (political, economic, cultural, etc.) that shaped it; and we'll get acquainted with both the nations that ruled the land and the people who inhabited its cities and villages. Sometimes we will follow the route of bloody battles. At others, we will focus our attention on individuals and groups who produced some of the great masterpieces of our age. Our approach will be exclusively historical. That being so, we shall not settle for modern accounts alone on the various periods, but read samples of primary sources (which will be provided with English translation) as well. (Eliav: yzeliav@umich.edu) TTh 10–11:30a, plus discussion session.

A study of the Holocaust as a historical event and its impact on Jewish thought and culture. We first survey the historical context: the European Jewish community on the eve of the destruction, and the events leading up to
and culminating in that destruction. We will then focus on inner Jewish (and gentile) reactions to the Holocaust, and broader philosophical and ethical implications. We ask: What are the problems (moral, emotional, conceptual) in reading and writing about the Holocaust? What are its implications for those of us who come "after"? The course is also a meditation on visions of the Other, on ethnic-religious hatred, tolerance, and healing. Course materials include memoirs, poetry, fiction, psychological literature, as well as conversations with survivors. Take-home midterm; final exam; 5–8 page paper; journal. Cost: 3–4 (Ginsburg: elgins@umich.edu) TTh 2:30–4p

(Tsoffar: rtsoffar@umich.edu) MW 2:30–4p

(Ginsburg: elgins@umich.edu) W 3–5:30p

This seminar will examine some of the most significant aspects of Jewish life in the era ranging from after the destruction of the Second Temple until the beginning of the fifth century (70–429 CE). We will concentrate on reading, analyzing and discussing the primary sources (literary, archaeological, etc., on a given subject). The major body of source material for this epoch in Jewish history is the diversified corpus called rabbinic literature. We will not confine ourselves to these texts, but instead look at a more comprehensive sampling of sources (particularly Christian and archaeological material). There is no language requirement for this course at the 400 level, and all sources will be provided with English translation. Students who wish to take the course on the 500 level will be required to demonstrate reading abilities in one ancient language (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek or Latin), and to prepare an additional paper. (Eliav: yzeliav@umich.edu) Th 4–7p

TTh 11:30a–1p

(Krahmalkov: crkrah@umich.edu) MW 10a–12n

Section. 001. [Class #4995] MWF 9–11a (Lamm: dlamm@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 101.

Section. 002. [Class #4996] MWF 11a–1p (Lamm: dlamm@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 101.

Section. 003. [Class #4997] MWF 11a–1p (Eliav: milka@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 101.

Section. 004. [Class #4998] MWF 1–3p (Eliav: milka@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 101.

Section. 001. [Class #4999] MWF 9–11a (Weizman: pauliw@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 201.

Section. 002. [Class #5000] MWF 11a–1p (Weizman: pauliw@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 201.

Section. 003. [Class #5001] MWF 11a–1p (Rosenberg: ilanr@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 201.

Section. 004. [Class #5002] MWF 1–3p (Rosenberg: ilanr@umich.edu) Prerequisite: HJCS 201.

277. Section 001. [Class #tba] Land of Israel Through the Ages. / JS277. Section 001.
[Class #tba] Topics in Judaic Studies: Land of Israel Through the Ages (4)

(Tsoffar: rtsoffar@umich.edu) MW 10–11:30a

Israel and its external affairs remain understudied despite the inordinate amount of media attention belying
its small-state status. The Jewish state, since its inception in 1948, has had intense interactions with both the immediate, regional and the global systems, thereby offering rich insight, for example, into crisis behavior, responses to the security dilemma, decision-making processes, and the conduct of foreign policy by democracies, non-great powers and Third World countries. This course addresses Israeli diplomacy within a comparative foreign policy framework. Indeed, one of the principal aims of the course is to clarify whether the State of Israel conforms to established diplomatic norms and behavior patterns, or is perhaps a unique, idiosyncratic actor. We begin by providing a number of perspectives on Israeli foreign relations, starting with their origins in the collective Jewish historical experience and the traditional question of "Israel among the nations" that has left a legacy of three alternative, competing worldviews. A second source, or explanation, lies in the pre-state experience with Zionist diplomacy, while a third variable traces to Israel's two-fold operational environment, domestic as well as international. Attention is given, therefore, to: the ends and means of Israeli statecraft; how foreign policy is made in Jerusalem, including the influence of institutions as well as leadership style and personality; and the country's strategic relationships. This first part of the course concludes with an evaluation of Israeli diplomatic successes and failures, while also analyzing the impact of recent transformatory events (termination of the Cold War, globalization, progress in Arab-Israel conflict resolution) on Israel's foreign policy prospects. The second part of the course is intended to supplement this general introduction and background by using a focused, case study approach to analyze in-depth specific issues and bilateral political relationships involving Israel in the past or at present, which can shed further light on Israeli international behavior as well as pinpoint those strategic ties determining the country's focused 21st-century geopolitical map. (Klieman: aklieman@umich.edu) M 1-3p

Three hallmarks of this particular international and regional conflict are its: (a) contentiousness, arousing strong, polarizing sentiments; (b) topicality, with sustained interest in, and concern for, ongoing peacemaking efforts, especially since the 1993 Oslo accords; (c) longevity. Course lectures and readings contend with all three characteristics. First, by encouraging an "unlearning" as well as learning process on the part of all student participants. Second, by viewing the contemporary peace dynamic from various theoretical perspectives. Third, by applying a diplomatic historical perspective in order to get at the deeper sources and causes for this protracted, evolving dispute—the Arab-Jewish struggle for mastery over Palestine—by systematically tracing its development over time through a sequence of identifiable phases, each marked by major decisional crossroads. Particular attention will be given to "missed opportunities" for terminating the conflict in its earlier stages. (Klieman: aklieman@umich.edu) MW 9-10a

This course will examine current issues and ongoing controversies within the American Jewish community as it reviews broadly the sociological literature on American Jewry. Students will study topics such as Jewish identity, inter-group and intra-group relations, group survival, and community structure and organization as the class explores the efforts, conflicts and struggles of American Jews as they strive to maintain themselves in a pluralistic society. The course will be conducted seminar style with an expectation of active student participation and presentations on book reviews and research papers. (Schoem: dschoem@umich.edu) W 2–5p