The American Jewish Experience: From Shtetl to Suburb
Surveys American Jewish history from the 17th to 21st century, examining immigration, ethnicity, religion, political activity, social mobility, integration, exclusion, culture, and community building.
Summary
Lectures are mid-sized, with a median of 39 enrolled students in the recorded sections.
What you’ll be able to do
Discuss major trends in Jewish culture, religion, politics.
Explain how Jews have defined themselves as a community.
Describe patterns of Jewish exclusion from and inclusion in American institutions as well as the impact of this history on the present.
Recognize and question assumptions as they relate to ethnicity in the United States.
Examine and interpret historical documents.
Source: UW Guide 1· UW Guide 2
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Prerequisites
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Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
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Student experience
the class
A century and a half ago, the United States was a backwater of the Jewish world, then centered in Europe with significant Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere. Yet, by the 1950s, the United States became home to the largest Jewish community at that time. Why did millions of Jews come to the United States? How has life in a liberal political and capitalist economic order shaped the Jewish experience in the United States? In turn, how have Jews influenced American culture, politics, and society? Surveys the history of American Jews from the 17th century to the 21st century. Using Jews as the primary, though not only, case, examines themes in the history of immigration, ethnicity, and religion. Topics include patterns of political activity, social mobility, processes of integration and exclusion, Jewish culture, religion, and problems in community building. Not open to students with credit for JEWISH 219 prior to Fall 2026.
difficulty & workload
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Topics
- Immigration, ethnicity, and religion
- Political activity, social mobility, integration, exclusion, culture, and community building
- Jewish exclusion and inclusion in American institutions
Skills
- Examine and interpret historical documents
- Recognize and question assumptions about ethnicity
- Surveying historical trends in American Jewish life
Grades
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Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
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Model & dataset provenance
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