Fall 2006 Judaic Studies Courses

10 weeks - Sept, 26th - Dec. 9th
All classes open for credit or non-credit.
For community fees and registration, call 503.725.4832.
For syllabi, contact instructors directly.

*Eng 399U Jewish and Israeli Literature
T & Th 12 – 1:50 pm
Shattuck 255
CRN 15386
Michael Weingrad
weingrad@pdx.edu

This survey of modern Jewish literary creativity looks at fiction and poetry translated from Hebrew, Yiddish, French, Russian, and German.  Topics include: the relationship between sacred and secular literature; the transition from a diasporic European Hebrew literature to a national Israeli literature; the representation of the Holocaust in literature.  Authors include the Nobel prizewinning S. Y. Agnon, poets Paul Celan and Yehuda Amichai, and novelists Patrick Modiano and Amos Oz.
*UNST credit in European or Mideast Studies clusters

Hst 199/399 Introduction to Judaism
MWF 9 – 10:05 am
Cramer 158
CRN 14655/14660
Michael Weingrad
weingrad@pdx.edu

Judaism is a religion of ancient ties to a foundational text, a land, a people, and a way of life.  It is also a world civilization that has undergone surprising changes in its more than 3,000 year history.  In this course we will explore the religious beliefs and practices of Judaism, from its Biblical origins to the variety of its modern forms.  No prerequisites.

Hst 410/510 Magic in Jewish History
W 5:30 - 9:10 pm
Shattuck 145
CRN 15131/15132
Jonathan Seidel 
jonseidel@aol.com

This course surveys Jewish magical traditions from the Bible through the early modern period.  Topics include how magic is viewed in Biblical and Rabbinic law, the image of the Jewish magus in non-Jewish literature, cross-cultural discourses in Jewish magical language, and accounts of possession and exorcism.  Witchcraft, women, and gender form a key component of the class.

Hst 410 Christian-Jewish Relations after the Holocaust (1 credit)
Tuesday, Thursday Oct 17, 19, 24, 26
6:40 – 9:00 pm
Ondine 202
CRN 15127
Emmanuel Rose
rabbs1@aol.com

The Holocaust had a searing impact on the Christian conscience, raising questions about the contribution of Christian theology to the mood of hate.  Since that period there have been amazing changes in Jewish-Christian relations. How did these changes develop?  We will analyze this dramatic issue through examination of the Roman Catholic Church’s Vatican II documents of the 1960s.

Eng 318 The Bible as Literature
M & W 2:00 – 3:50 pm
Shattuck 225
CRN 11161
Lee Medovoi
medovoi@pdx.edu

How did the Bible emerge as the text we have come to know?  This course will take a historical and critical approach to the Bible, with the aim of better understanding its relationship to the origins and development of modern western religions and cultures.  Our focus will be on the Hebrew Bible, in relationship to its subsequent translations, the Christian Bible, and apocryphal texts.

Hst 407/507 Jewish Women in U.S. History
T 1 – 4 pm
Cramer 494
CRN 11568/11585
Patricia Schechter
schechp@pdx.edu

This is a history research seminar that explores recent scholarship on Jewish women and gender, mostly in the nineteenth and twentieth century U.S.  In the context of these readings, students will devise a research project based on archival holdings of the National Council of Jewish Women held at the Oregon Jewish Museum in downtown Portland.  Final products may include papers, exhibits, or on-line projects for teaching, learning, and sharing of scholarship.

Hst 385U The Middle East in Modern Times I (1700-1914)
T & Th 2:00 – 3:50 pm
PCAT Bldg 130
CRN 11562
James Grehan
grehanj@pdx.edu

Survey of social, cultural, and political trends in the middle east, including consideration of Jewish and other non-Muslim communities.

Fall Courses in
HEBREW

Heb 101 First-Year Modern Hebrew
MWF 9 – 10:05 am
Neuberger 366
CRN 11526 (non-credit 11525)
Ayal Yariv
ayalyariv@hotmail.com

First in a three-course introductory sequence of grammar and syntax, reading, writing, and speaking.  For non-native speakers of Hebrew. 

Hebrew 201 Second-Year Modern Hebrew
T & Th 6:40 – 8:30 pm
Neuberger 446
CRN 11527 (non-credit 11524)
Ayal Yariv
ayalyariv@hotmail.com

First in a three-course intermediate sequence of grammar and syntax, reading, writing, and speaking.  Prerequisite: Hebrew 103 or equivalent.  For non-native speakers of Hebrew. 

Heb 301 Third-Year Modern Hebrew
M & W 4:40 – 6:30 pm
Shattuck 211
CRN 16090 (non-credit 16091)
Ayal Yariv
ayalyariv@hotmail.com

This course advances beyond second-year modern Hebrew, developing reading, writing, and speaking skills with an emphasis on literary readings and essays. Prerequisite: Hebrew 203 or equivalent.  For non-native speakers of Hebrew. 

Heb 199 Topics in Intermediate Hebrew
2-credit Conversational Course
T 4:40 – 6:30 pm
Neuberger Hall 341
CRN 16089 (non-credit 16088)
Ayal Yariv
ayalyariv@hotmail.com

Expansion of Hebrew language skills through discussion of current events, accompanied by Israeli music and humor.