Fall 2022
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Jewish Studies 219: The American Jewish Experience: From Shtetl to Suburb
Description: 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.
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
Lecture: MWF 1:20-2:10PM
Prof. Tony Michels
Discussion Sections:
301 – M 4:35 – 5:25
302 – M 5:40 – 6:30
303 – T 8:50 – 9:40
304 – T 9:55 – 10:45
Credits: 4
Level: Intermediate
Gen Ed: Ethnic Studies
Breadth: Humanities
L&S Credit: Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Jewish Studies 269: Yiddish Literature and Culture in Europe
Description: Exploration of European Yiddish fiction, poetry, folklore, and cinema, with a focus on works of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
TR 9:30AM – 10:45AM
Prof. Sunny Yudkoff
Credits: 3
Level: Elementary
Breadth: Literature. Counts toward the Humanities requirement
L&S Credit: Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Jewish Studies 430-001: Jewish Humor
Description: Examines the notion of “Jewish humor” by reading a variety of texts (jokes, short stories, films, websites, conceptual art, and cultural kitsch). While the focus is on American texts from the 1880s until the present, we will also reach back in time to examine humor in classical Jewish texts, from the Hebrew Bible to the Middle Ages. The general goal of the course will be to answer the question: Is there such a thing called “Jewish humor”? (Hint: The answer may be “no.”)
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
TR 11:00AM – 12:15PM
Prof. Sunny Yudkoff
Credits: 3
Level: Intermediate
Breadth: Literature; Counts toward the Humanities requirement
L&S Credit: Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Religious Studies 401: Religion and Technology
Description: There are several “just-so stories” about religion and technology: the world’s religions are parallel systems of belief in the supernatural; technology is the application of scientific knowledge; and technology is either a threat or a handmaiden to religion. This course will challenge these understandings by introducing students to a range of ways scholars study religion, technology, and their relationships. As we progress through the semester, we will bring our knowledge out of the classroom to analyze and experiment with religion and technology across Madison and the UW campus.
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
T 1:20PM – 3:15PM
Prof. Cara Rock-Singer
Credits: 3
Level: Intermediate
Breadth: Social Science
L&S Credit: Counts as Liberal Arts and Science credit in L&S
Interested in Jewish Studies as a major or certificate?
Visit cjs.wisc.edu/undergraduate
Spring 2022
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JS 350: What is Jewish Studies?
Description: Introduces Jewish studies as an interdisciplinary field and examines Jewish history, culture, and thought through the major questions that guide the field, including: What is Jewish practice? What is a Jewish text? What is diaspora? What is antisemitism? And, who are the Jews? Explores a variety of responses offered by scholars, writers, theologians, and artists. Develop the ability to think transhistorically, bringing together biblical, medieval, modern, and contemporary perspectives. Anchor inquiries into the field of Jewish studies through the completion of a substantial research project.
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
Prof. Tony Michels
TR 2:30-3:45pm
Credits: 3
Course Level: Intermediate
Breadth: Humanities
Requisites: Sophomore standing
Fall 2021
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JS 219: The American Jewish Experience: From Shtetl to Suburb
Description: 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.
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
Prof. Tony Michels
MWF 1:20-2:10 (+W or R discussion section)
Credits: 4
Course level: Intermediate
Breadth: Humanities
Gen Ed: Ethnic Studies
JS 430: Jewish Humor
Description: Examines the notion of “Jewish humor” by reading a variety of texts (jokes, short stories, films, websites, conceptual art, and cultural kitsch). While the focus is on American texts from the 1880s until the present, we will also reach back in time to examine humor in classical Jewish texts, from the Hebrew Bible to the Middle Ages. The general goal of the course will be to answer the question: Is there such a thing called “Jewish humor”? (Hint: The answer may be “no.”)
Instructor, Meeting Times, and Other Course Info:
Prof. Sunny Yudkoff
TR 1:00PM – 2:15PM
Credits: 3
Course level: Intermediate
Breadth: Literature
Spring 2021
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Yiddish Literature and Culture in America (Jewish Studies/German/Lit Trans 279)
Course Description: American literature has never been written in one language. While English has become dominant in the United States, there has been a long tradition of American literary and cultural production in other languages. This class focuses on the Jewish immigrant experience in Yiddish—a language that brings together German, Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Latin, Aramaic, and more. We will follow Yiddish culture from the beginning of the twentieth century until today as it has been supported, neglected, or imbued with nostalgia. We will explore how Jews writing in Yiddish navigated America as members of a religious minority, identifying and analyzing points of Jewish-Christian difference, as well as investigating how Yiddish writers narrated the experiences of other minoritized groups. Reading all works in English, we will further ask: What does it mean to translate America into Yiddish and what does it mean to translate Yiddish for America? Major terms and themes to be discussed include: cultural translation, ethnicity, Jewish identity formation, migration, “Melting Pot,” multilingualism, race, and assimilation.
Jewish Literatures in Diaspora (Jewish Studies/English 539)
Course Description: What does it mean to be at home in a culture? What does it mean to live in exile? Where, in turn, is the diaspora? This course addresses these questions by looking at texts that examine Jewish American, German, Israeli, Palestinian, and Bosnian-American writing.. Readings will include poetry, prose, and essays by Philip Roth, W.G. Sebald, Edward Said, Aleksandar Hemon, and Molly Antopol.
Fall 2020
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Jewish Humor (Jewish Studies 430/ English 457)
Course description: What is humor? Why and when do people tell jokes? And what do we make of the fact that a certain form of humor has come to be labeled “Jewish”? In this course, we will examine the notion of “Jewish humor” by reading a variety of texts (jokes, short stories, films, websites, conceptual art, and cultural kitsch). The course will begin by covering a variety of theoretical explorations of humor. While our focus will be on American texts from the 1880s until the present, we will also reach back in time to examine humor in classical Jewish texts, from the Hebrew Bible to the Middle Ages. Themes to be examined include: in-group vs. out-group humor; Jewish-Christian difference; humor and the Holocaust; humor and ethnicity; the notion of self-hatred. The general goal of the course will be to answer the question: Is there such a thing called “Jewish humor”? (Hint: The answer may be “no.”)
The American Jewish Experience: From Shtetl to Suburb (Jewish Studies/History 219)
Course Description: 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.
Russia and the Jews: Literature, Culture, Religion (Jewish Studies 230/Slavic 245/Lit Trans 245)
Course Description: This course explores the rich world of Russian Jewish culture from its very foundations, focusing especially on the period from the late 1700s onward. This class will examine the processes of secularization which accompanied the rise and development of Jewish and Russian literature and culture. The course will familiarize students with important movements such as Hasidism, the Jewish Enlightenment, Zionism, and Socialism asking how and why they arose in the context of the Russian Empire. Reading literary, theological and political works by Jewish and Russian writers, our aim will be to understand the creative and often-troubled relationships among them.