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Judaic Studies
(Undergraduate)

Faculty

* Year of initial appointment at Binghamton

Arkush, Allan, Associate Professor, PhD, 1988, Brandeis University: Modern Jewish intellectual history. (1987)*

Morell, Samuel, Associate Professor, PhD, 1966, Jewish Theological Seminary: Rabbinic literature. (1968)

Roemer, Rev. Carl, Adjunct Lecturer, Th.D, 1990, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago: Second temple period; Judaism and the development of early Christianity.

Shepkaru, Shmuel, Adjunct Lecturer, PhD., 1996, New York University: Hebrew language, medieval Jewish history.

Weinstein, Jack, Adjunct Lecturer, M.A., Columbia University; M.L.S., City University New York: Yiddish language.

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Program Components

The Judaic Studies Department offers two BA degrees and two minor concentrations: a major and minor in the history and culture of the Jewish people as interpreted in modern scholarship and a major and minor in Hebrew language and literature. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of Judaic studies, the department draws on faculty from other departments, including the Departments of History, Sociology, Political Science, Philosophy, and Romance Languages, in order to offer a wide variety of courses in all periods of Jewish civilization. Internships for credit in local Jewish agencies are also possible.
Judaic studies courses given by the Israeli universities in the SUNY study-abroad programs are applicable to the Judaic studies major and minor. SUNY programs in Israel are available through Albany, Buffalo, and Oneonta.

Judaic Studies Major

Judaic studies has as its subject of study the history and culture of the Jewish people. The Judaic studies major, therefore, seeks in the first instance to acquaint the student with the breadth of Jewish history, with emphasis on intellectual and cultural developments. A second focus of the major is a knowledge of Hebrew, which has always served Jews as their primary literary vehicle. With these goals in mind, and in an attempt to accommodate varied emphases, two tracks are offered within the Judaic studies major.

Common to both tracks:

Three of the following core courses:
1. JUST 241: Biblical History: Hebrew Origins to the Exile.
2. JUST 242: Jewish History: Second Temple Period.
3. JUST 243: Medieval Jewish History
4. JUST 244: Modern Jewish History

Track 1: concentration in Judaic Studies.

All four of the core courses listed above.
An additional four departmental offerings, exclusive of HEBR 101 through 261. Electives must be approved by the departmental advisor for their inclusion as major requirements. A senior thesis may be substituted for one of these courses.
Language Proficiency Requirement:
Hebrew language proficiency at HEBR 204 level.
TOTAL: 8 (plus language proficiency requirement).

Track 2: concentration in Hebrew.

3 of the 4 core courses listed above.
HEBR 204.
HEBR 261: Israeli Poetry and Prose. (HEBR 221, Hebrew Conversation and Composition, may be substituted with consent of the department.)
HEBR 321 or another course in biblical literature.
HEBR 331 or another course in rabbinic or medieval literature.
HEBR 351 or another course in modern Hebrew literature.
Another upper level Hebrew course,
or: a fourth core course,
or: a course in Yiddish,
or: ARAB 102.
Students who place out of HEBR 204 or 261 must substitute an equivalent number of upper level Hebrew courses. In addition, substitutions for HEBR 204 and 261 may include:
A fourth core course.
Courses in Yiddish.
ARAB 102.
TOTAL: 9

Judaic Studies Minor

Parallel to the major, two tracks are offered for a minor concentration in Judaic studies. Track 1 allows for a concentration in Judaic studies without a language requirement. Track 2 allows for a concentration in Hebrew.

TRACK 1: Minor in Judaic Studies.

Three of the following core courses:
JUST 241. Biblical History: Hebrew Origins to the Exile
JUST 242. Jewish History: Second Temple and Period.
JUST 243. Medieval Jewish History.
JUST 244. Modern Jewish History.
Three other non-language department offerings. The fourth core course may be substituted for one of them. Advanced Hebrew courses, if they are primarily literature courses rather than language courses, may be substituted with the prior consent of the department.

TRACK 2: Minor in Hebrew.

Six courses in Hebrew, at least two above the 204 level. HEBR 101 and 102 may be included among the required six courses.

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Courses Offerings


NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all undergraduate courses carry 4 credits and are usually offered every year.

Judaic Studies

JUST 240 (also HIST 240). JUDAISM: A RELIGIOUS HISTORY Broad-based introduction to Judaism from its ancient lsraelite origins to present. Examines development of ideas, forms of worship and religious expression, sectarian trends and variations. Emphasis on nature of Jewish religious experience: its system of beliefs and ritual, thought and symbols, way of life. Discusses major movements, past and modern.

JUST 241 (also HIST 241). BIBLICAL HISTORY: HEBREW ORIGINS TO THE EXILE
A contextual approach to study of ancient Israel from Abraham to Deutero-Isaiah. Introduction to biblical criticism and archaeology. Theoretical reconstructions of early Hebrew story to Exodus. Conquest of Canaan. Tribal League and its institutions, kings, prophets and priests. Kingdom of Judah and Deuteronomic reformation. Babylonian exile and reinterpretation of Israel's faith. Original source material in translation. May be used to fulfill all-college distribution requirement as social science course.

JUST 242 (also HIST 242). JEWISH HISTORY: THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD-EZRA TO THE RISE OF ISLAM
Emergence of Judaism from 535 B.C. to 635 C.E. Restoration under Persian rule. Accommodation and resistance to Hellenism. Varieties of diaspora and Judean Judaism. Historical Jesus and early Christianity. Tanna'im and efflorescence of rabbinic Judaism. Amoraim and completion of Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. Original source material in translation. May be used to fulfill all-college distribution requirement as social science course.

JUST 243 (also HIST 243). MEDIEVAL JEWISH HISTORY
Jewish history from fall of Second Temple to expulsion from Spain. Medieval Jewish communities with Islamic oikoumene; communities within Byzantine and Latin Christendom. Economic and social evolution; religious, intellectual, and literary life during the period which saw the veritable crystallization and formulation of Judaism. May be used to fulfill all-college distribution requirements as social science course.

JUST 244 (also HIST 244). MODERN JEWISH HISTORY
Jewish society and culture from Spanish expulsion in 1492 to present day. Emphasis on period since 1750, and Eastern and Central European communities. Zionism, rise of Israel, American Jewish community. May be used to fulfill all-college distribution requirement as social science course.

JUST 245 (also HIST 245). THE HOLOCAUST OF THE EUROPEAN JEWS
Study of extermination of six million Jews by Nazis and their allies during World War II. History of antisemitism, rise of fascism, political structure of Nazi rule, nature of pre-war Jewish communities, Jewish resistance and response, post-war attempts to understand the Holocaust (through literature, films, theology).

JUST 247 (also HIST 247). REBIRTH OF ISRAEL
Situation of land of Israel, from Ottoman times to present, including rise of Jewish nationalism (Zionism). World War I diplomacy, British Mandate, emergence of State of Israel.

JUST 249. HOLOCAUST LITERATURE
Focuses on the writing of Holocaust survivors turned authors-Elie Wiesel, Aharon Appelfeld, Tadeusz Borowsky, Arnost Lustig, and Primo Levi.

JUST 250. AMERICAN JEWISH FICTION
An analysis of the Jewish experience through the fiction of Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Chaim Potok, Bernard Malamud, Cynthia Ozick, and the drama of Wendy Wasserstein, Barbara Lebow, and Paddy Chayevsky. Among major themes examined: assimilation, Zionism, social alienation, religion, America and the old, East European world.

JUST 261 (also HIST 261). JEWS AND JUDAISM IN THE UNITED STATES
Historical survey of Jews in America from 1654 to present. Early Sephardic settlers. German Jews and reorganization of American Jewish life. Tradition and religious reform in 19th century. Great migration of Eastern European Jews and bifurcated community. Yiddish culture in America, Jewish labor, Zionism and Conservative Judaism. Native antisemitism and Holocaust. Jewish life in suburbia. Contemporary trends and issues including mixed marriage, feminism, black-Jewish relations and neo-traditionalism.

JUST 262 (also COLI 332 and SPAN 481A). SPANISH JEWS, MARRANOS, AND SEPHARDIC CULTURE
Introduction to Hispano-Jewish and Sephardic literature and history with focus on unique characteristics of Spanish Jews in Spain and later in the Sephardic diaspora. Special emphasis on medieval antisemitism, conversion, and crypto-Judaism (marranism).

JUST 263 (also CLAS 221/ENG 223). THE BIBLE: PART I
The five books of Moses, followed by the history of Israel and Judah (down to the destruction of Jerusalem), and the books of prophecy. Texts read in translation. Open to majors and nonmajors.

JUST 264 (also CLAS 222/ENG 224). THE BIBLE: PART II
The third section of the Hebrew canon (the "Writings"), also selections from the Apocrypha, and the entire New Testament. Texts read in translation. Open to majors and nonmajors. No course prerequisites, but those unfamiliar with the earlier books of the Bible will have to read Genesis, Exodus, Samuel, and Isaiah or Jeremiah.

JUST 271. WOMEN IN JEWISH LAW
Explores areas of Jewish law which particularly concern women: women's observance of ritual law, and contemporary discussion of that issue; marriage and divorce; women's property rights in marriage; sexual rights and obligations in marriage; wife-beating and abortion.

JUST 280-289. SPECIAL TOPICS IN JUDAIC STUDIES
Intensive study of particular themes and problems announced in advance. May be repeated for credit if different topic is offered.

JUST 343 (also HIST 343). MIDEAST JEWS IN MODERN TIMES
Wide-ranging survey of Mideast Jewish history from arrival of Sephardi exiles in Muslim world at end of 15th century to present. Major themes: impact of Sephardim on native Jews, Muslim-Jewish relations, European mercantilism and penetration, colonialism and modernization, collision of Arab and Jewish nationalisms. Also examines Oriental Jewish culture.

JUST 381. TOPICS IN JEWISH THOUGHT AND SOCIETY: BIBLICAL TO RABBINIC PERIODS
Important problems and themes in formative period of Jewish thought and communal life: modern approaches to Bible, theodicy, apocryphal literature, messianism, rabbinic schools, relationship between Judaism and early Christianity. Specific topics announced in advance. May be repeated for credit as topic changes.

JUST 382. TOPICS IN JEWISH THOUGHT AND SOCIETY: MEDIEVAL AND MODERN PERIODS
Important problems and themes in medieval and recent Jewish life: mysticism and messianism, rationalist, existentialist, naturalist philosophies of Judaism, current American Jewish movements. Specific topics announced in advance. May be repeated for credit as topic changes.

JUST 395. INTERNSHIP
Internship opportunities are available through Hillel Academy, Jewish Community Center, The Reporter (newspaper), Judaic studies, Jewish Federation of Broome County, synagogue administration, and Chabad House. P/F only.

JUST 397. INDEPENDENT STUDY
Individual research under supervision of faculty member. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and department chair.

JUST 490 A-Z (also HIST 490 A-Z). SENIOR SEMINAR
Primarily for Judaic studies majors, dealing with particular theme or problem. Research paper required. May be repeated for credit if different topic offered. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing, or consent of instructor.

JUST 491. PRACTICUM IN COLLEGE TEACHING
Independent study through teaching in particular Judaic studies course. Course instructor directs students in preparation of syllabi, other course materials, devising and reading examinations; lecturing and/or leading discussion; academic counseling, etc. May be repeated for total of no more than eight credits. Credit may not be earned in conjunction with course in which student is currently enrolled. Does not satisfy all-college distribution requirement. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and program. Students must consult department for detailed guidelines.

JUST 499. SENIOR HONORS THESIS
Extensive research paper in some aspect of Judaic studies under supervision of faculty member. Normally taken by honors majors in second semester of senior year. Prerequisites: completion of core courses in Judaic studies, concentration requirement of two topics courses either in period or discipline of Judaic studies.

Yiddish

YIDD 101. ELEMENTARY YIDDISH I
Introductory course in which students acquire basic skills in reading, writing, and conversation. In addition to language sessions, the course covers a variety of topics in Yiddish culture such as Yiddish theater, film, music, and literature.

YIDD 102. ELEMENTARY YIDDISH II
Continuation of YIDD 101, focusing on conversational Yiddish using in-class dialogues and prepared oral exercises. Readings include stories from Weinreich's texts, folk music, short stories, holiday-related passages from the Prayer Book and the Bible. Singalongs, videotapes, Yiddish movie classics like Tevye the Milkman.

YIDD 203. INTERMEDIATE YIDDISH
The third semester of Yiddish focuses on more advanced readings than those encountered in Weinreich. Selections include stories by Sholom Aleichem, Y.L. Peretz and I.B. Singer. The course also deals with more complex conversation through use of radio tapes, music tapes, and theater dialogue. Film and drama are incorporated.

YIDD 391. PRACTICUM IN COLLEGE TEACHING
Independent study through teaching Yiddish courses. Course instructor directs students in preparation of syllabi, other course materials, devising and reading examinations; lecturing and/or leading discussion; academic counseling, etc. May be repeated for total of no more than eight credits. Credit may not be earned in conjunction with course in which student is currently enrolled. Does not satisfy major or all-college requirements. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and program. Students must consult department for detailed guidelines.

YIDD 397. INDEPENDENT STUDY
Individual research under supervision of faculty member. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and department chair.

Hebrew

HEBR 101. Elementary Hebrew I
Essentials of pronunciation, grammar and syntax, basic vocabulary. Five hours a week, including language laboratory.

HEBR 102. Elementary Hebrew Ii
Continuation of Hebr 101. Five hours a week, including language laboratory. Prerequisite: Hebr 101 or equivalent.

HEBR 203. Intermediate Hebrew
Reading and discussion of unvocalized texts and active mastery of remaining grammar. Three hours a week, plus language laboratory at instructor's discretion. Prerequisite: Hebr 102 or equivalent.

HEBR 204. Readings In Hebrew
Reading of increasingly more advanced texts, and active mastery of their vocabulary and idiomatics through conversation and composition. Introduction to literary texts. Three hours a week, plus language laboratory at instructor's discretion. Prerequisite: Hebr 203 or equivalent.

HEBR 211. IntermedIate Hebrew, Advanced
For students entering with some speaking knowledge of Hebrew, but with limited grammatical training. Three hours a week, plus language laboratory at instructor's discretion. Prerequisite: some speaking knowledge of Hebrew and consent of instructor.

HEBR 221. Hebrew Conversation and CompositIon
Development of fluency in oral and written expression through discussion and frequent composition on topics of current interest. Development of comprehensive practical and idiomatic vocabulary, good style. Prerequisite: Hebr 204.

HEBR 261. ISRAELI POETRY AND PROSE
Reading and discussion of a variety of sophisticated Modern Hebrew texts with emphasis on regularly used complex sentence structures, idiomatic usages, and vocabulary. Extensive individual reading and composition. Prerequisie: Hebr 204 or equivalent.

HEBR 280-289. TOPICS IN THE HEBREW TRADITION: LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
Aspects of Hebrew literature: a particular genre or tradition; for example, short story, poetry, drama, folklore, particular author or theme. Topic to be announced. May be repeated for credit when content differs.

HEBR 321. Biblical LIterature
Particular book, genre, or theme. Topic to be announced. Hebr 321 taught in Hebrew. May be repeated for credit when content differs. Prerequisite: Hebr 204 or equivalent.

HEBR 331. Hebrew Literature BETWEEN the Bible AND the Modern Period
A single genre, or survey of representative genres, such as midrash, liturgy, poetry, Bible commentary. Topic to be announced. Prerequisite: Hebr 261 or equivalent.

HEBR 351. Topics in Modern Hebrew Literature
Aspects of Hebrew literature from the end of the 18th century to the present: short story, poetry, drama, particular author, or theme. Taught in Hebrew. May be repeated for credit when content differs. Topic to be announced. Prerequisite: Hebr 261 or equivalent.

HEBR 397. Independent Study
Independent study under supervision of faculty member. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

HEBR 398-399. Honors Thesis

HEBR 393-394. Junior Honors

HEBR 498-499. SenIor Honors
Students applying for honors should have a 3.0 GPA overall, with a majority of As in the department. The honors course includes significant reading in the appropriate language, an examination on a reading list at the end of the first semester of the course, and a thesis of approximately 50 pages due at the end of the second semester of the course.

HEBR 707. RESEARCH SKILLS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

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