This course is an introduction to Modern Hebrew designed only for students with no previous knowledge of Hebrew. The course is structured to build students' ability to comprehend and produce Modern Hebrew through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will learn the Hebrew alphabet, acquire basic vocabulary, gain proficiency in reading and a grasp of […]
Explores the nature of religious faith, religious language (myth and symbol) and clusters of religious beliefs through an examination of the primary texts of several major world religions. Methodologies for the study of religion will also be examined. This course is a critical study, based on classical and contemporary readings, of such issues as: the […]
An examination of the interaction of Jews and gentiles in selected periods from antiquity through the 20th century. A case study in ethnic adaptation, the course seeks to understand how Jews sometimes adapted their lives to the world around them, and at other times withdrew into themselves, and how at certain times they exerted considerable […]
This is an introductory course. It offers a general overview of the Christian tradition from its inception to the present day. From its beginnings, Christianity has been inextricably intertwined with the societies and cultures surrounding it. The focus of this course is the interaction of the Christian tradition with the political, social and cultural environments […]
This course looks at selected passages from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and their interpretative reflection in the western artistic tradition, including pictorial/representational art, music, literature, and cinema. The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is one of the most influential works of western literature. Over the course of the centuries it has been the subject of myriad interpretations. […]
This course introduces students to a variety of human religious experiences and traditions. This year we will explore the history, literature, practices and contemporary issues of the following religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese and Japanese traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We will study and critically analyze the sacred texts in translation and the various concepts […]
This course introduces the diversity of Buddhist ideas and practices in Asia. Exploring Buddhism as a living tradition, it focuses on the impact and interpretation of Buddhism in historical and contemporary cultures. After developing a background in basic Buddhist philosophy we explore Buddhism’s cultural impact in literature, art, ritual, ethics, economics, social interaction and politics. […]
This course offers a survey of much of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Christian Bible (New Testament). We begin with a discussion of pre-Israelite religion (i.e., a reconstruction of religion in Palestine before the composition of the Hebrew Bible) and its parallels in Mesopotamian and Egyptian religious practices and texts. Then, we move […]
This course examines the beliefs, doctrines and institutions that have constituted the Islamic tradition from its inception until the present. While examining some of the most important primary sources that have emerged within Islamic tradition, particular attention is placed on the variety of interpretive strategies used by Muslim exegetes, theologians, legal scholars, Sufis, feminists, etc. […]
This course explores the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of the Muslim world through the travelogues and memoirs of Muslim scholars, pilgrims, envoys and adventurers, who traversed its domains from the tenth century to the present. It problematizes essentialist perceptions of "the Muslim world" as an undifferentiated and monolithic entity, and proposes a dynamic view […]