Surveys the development of American Jewish life from 1492 to the present. Students will examine cultural, religious, and migratory trends that have shaped Jews in the western hemisphere and in the United States in particular. Focus will be on the emergence of Jewish life in America, its growth into the world’s leading Jewish community in the twentieth century, and its continual transformation both in the past as well as the present.

The aim of this course is to examine and contemplate ideas about right and wrong, good and bad, excellent and corrupt as they are expressed in different religious traditions and across cultures. We will examine three different approaches to ethics and religion in a globalized world of competing stances: a foundational set of methods in religious ethics, a more specific approach to comparative religious ethics centered on stories, and an account of justice for international and cross-cultural contexts addressing disparities in wealth and power.  Students will learn to adjudicate and assess religions claims regarding what is good and right, differences across religious traditions, foundational narratives of religions, and the grounds for justice.  Topics include war and peace, inequalities in wealth and income, leadership, and more.

Grading:

Three short papers, 2 pages each; each 15% of the course grade (45% total)

Midterm exam, take-home (20%)

Final Exam, take-home, (20%)

Class Participation (15%)

Required Books (available at the University Co-Op Bookstore and in digital format whenever possible; other readings will be distributed through Canvas):

1) Fasching and DeChant, Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach to Global Ethics (2^nd edition)

2) Markham, Do Morals Matter? A Guide to Contemporary Religious Ethics (2^nd edition)

3) Sen, The Idea of Justice

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Classical Zionism declared the Jewish people a nation in need of a state, “a people without a land for a land without a people.” Today, some claim that Jewish nationhood was a fiction created with political goals in mind. This course considers the nature of nations: Are they real or imagined, “organic” or invented? Examines how history has been used and abused for political purposes in the history of Zionism, Israel/Palestine, and beyond.

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The first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—contain well known stories such as the creation of the world, the flood, promises made to Israel’s ancestors, and the revelation of divine law through Moses. Collectively known as the ‘Torah’ in Jewish tradition and the ‘Pentateuch’ in Christian tradition, these five books remain influential in debates about the purpose and nature of the deity (God), the cosmos, law, ritual, ethics, history, family, and nationhood. In this class, we will read the entirety of these five books in translation, investigate the socio-historical circumstances that give shape to these books, and consider how these five books achieve the status of sacred literature. Attention will also be given to the transmission of these five books and its continued significance for its many past and present readers. (With permission of the instructor, students may complete a portion of the course requirements by reading selections from the Hebrew text with the instructor.)

Jerusalem has a 3,000-year history, and remains a holy city to three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but given this framework, what is life like in today’s contested, rapidly growing, increasingly diverse Jerusalem? After concluding a short unit on the city’s history, students will focus on contemporary Jerusalem and design individual inquiry projects, with the support of classmates in one of four working groups: a) Culture and daily life; b) Urban planning and design c) Local organizations and social movements; d) Tourists and pilgrims; e) Business and economy. Each group will work together to identify the ethical questions that emerge during their research, and how these questions have been, or could be addressed. This hybrid course is unique in that it is taught partially on location from Jerusalem, and the instructor can provide footage of sites of interest, and introduce students directly to community members, organization leaders, residents, and academics to enrich and facilitate research and cultural understanding.