INTRODUCTION TO MODERN JEWISH HISTORY

JEWISH 225

Takes a comparative look at the multiple intersections between Jewish history and histories of racism. Covers relevant case studies ranging from the Bible to the present, in order to analyze the long, global trajectory that has shaped issues of race and racial inequality in the United States and beyond. Topics include the so-called "curse of Ham"; the role of "the Jew" in medieval Christian theology; the demonization of Jews and Muslims during the Crusades; the interaction between Jews, European colonialism, and transatlantic slavery; nineteenth-century debates about "Semites"; the racialization of Jews during the Holocaust; the role of race and racism in the development of Zionism and the history of the Palestinian Nakba; debates about Black-Jewish relations in the United States; the question of Jews and whiteness; as well as historical encounters between Jews and Native Americans.

HISTORY/JEWISH 219

Surveys American Jews from the eighteenth century until after WW II, examining political behavior (radicalism, liberalism, and nationalism), class formation, social mobility, culture, inter-ethnic group relations, religion, and problems in community building.

JEWISH 631

Advanced topics in Jewish history.

JEWISH 431

Intermediate topics in Jewish history.

JEWISH 231

Elementary topics in Jewish history.