Courses for Fall 2022

Title Instructors Location Time Description Cross listings Fulfills Registration notes Syllabus Syllabus URL
JWST 0100-401 Elementary Modern Hebrew I Ibrahim Miari WILL 217 MTWR 3:30 PM-4:29 PM An introduction to the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew. This course assumes no previous knowledge of Hebrew. A grade of B- or higher is needed to continue in the language. HEBR0100401, HEBR0100401, HEBR0100401, HEBR5100001, HEBR5100401, HEBR5100401
JWST 0100-402 Elementary Modern Hebrew I Ibrahim Miari WILL 217 MTWR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM An introduction to the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew. This course assumes no previous knowledge of Hebrew. A grade of B- or higher is needed to continue in the language. HEBR0100402, HEBR0100402, HEBR5100402, HEBR5100402
JWST 0130-680 Studies in Ladino Daisy Braverman BENN 322 CANCELED The course will begin with and historical introduction to Sephardic Jewry. It will discuss the history and language of the Jews in Spain prior to their expulsion in 1492 and follow up with their history in the Ottoman Empire. It will then introduce the students to the phonology of the language both in a descriptive and historical perspective. There will also be discussion of the contrast with Castillian Spanish. After a discussion of the grammar, there will be lessons designed to teach the students conversational Judeo-Spanish, using dialogs, pictures, videos, music, visits with native speakers and other interactive methods.
JWST 0150-401 Elementary Biblical Hebrew I CANCELED This course is an introduction to Biblical Hebrew. It assumes no prior knowledge, but students who can begin to acquire a reading knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet before class starts will find it extremely helpful. The course is the 1st of a 4-semester sequence whose purpose is to prepare students to take courses in Bible that demand a familiarity with the original language of the text. HEBR0150401, HEBR0150401, HEBR5150401, HEBR5150401
JWST 0160-401 Beginning Yiddish I Alexander Botwinik WILL 3 TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM The goal of this course is to help beginning students develop skills in Yiddish conversation, reading and writing. Yiddish is the medium of a millennium of Jewish life. We will frequently have reason to refer to the history and culture of Ashkenazie Jewry in studying the language. YDSH0100401, YDSH0100401, YDSH5010401, YDSH5010401
JWST 0200-401 Elementary Modern Hebrew II Ibrahim Miari WILL 217 MTWR 1:45 PM-2:44 PM A continuation of first semester Elementary Modern Hebrew, which assumes basic skills of reading and speaking and the use of the present tense. Open to all students who have completed one semester of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR0200401, HEBR0200401, HEBR0200401, HEBR5200001, HEBR5200401, HEBR5200401
JWST 0300-401 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III Joseph L Benatov WILL 303 MTWR 3:30 PM-4:29 PM Development of the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew on an intermediate level. Open to all students who have completed two semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR0300401, HEBR0300401, HEBR0300401, HEBR5300401, HEBR5300401, HEBR5300401
JWST 0300-402 Intermediate Modern Hebrew III Joseph L Benatov WILL 303 MTWR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM Development of the skills of reading, writing, and conversing in modern Hebrew on an intermediate level. Open to all students who have completed two semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR0300402, HEBR0300402, HEBR5300402, HEBR5300402
JWST 0303-401 Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament Quinn Daniels FAGN 116 WR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM An introduction to the major themes and ideas of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), with attention to the contributions of archaeology and modern Biblical scholarship, including Biblical criticism and the response to it in Judaism and Christianity. All readings are in English. NELC0300401, NELC0300401, RELS0301401, RELS0301401 Cross Cultural Analysis
Humanties & Social Science Sector
JWST 0305-401 Great Books of Judaism: Medieval Jewish Bookshelf Talya Fishman BENN 139 MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM Since the early medieval period, Jews have been known as "the People of the Book". Yet the books they produced and consumed changed drastically over time and place, spanning a variety of known genres and inventing new ones. These works, in turn, shaped the texts, ideas, and lives of Jews and others for millennia, spawned vast commentary traditions, and inspired new works. This course engages prominent Jewish texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, Rabbinic Literature, the works of major medieval philosophers, pre-modern intellectuals, and modern authors, situating them in their literary, cultural, and social contexts, and examining their later reception. NELC0305401, NELC0305401, NELC5210401, NELC5210401, RELS0305401, RELS0305401 Arts & Letters Sector
Cross Cultural Analysis
JWST 0320-401 Modern Hebrew Literature and Culture in Translation: Literary Giants Pre & Post 1948 Nili R Gold COLL 318 W 10:15 AM-1:14 PM This course is designed to introduce students to the rich art of Modern Hebrew and Israeli literature and film. Poetry, short stories, and novel excerpts are taught in translation. The course studies Israeli cinema alongside literature, examining the various facets of this culture that is made of national aspirations and individual passions. The class is meant for all: no previous knowledge of history or the language is required. The topic changes each time the course is offered. Topics include: giants of Israeli literature; the image of the city; childhood; the marginalized voices of Israel; the Holocaust from an Israeli perspective; and fantasy, dreams & madness. CIMS0320401, CIMS0320401, CIMS0320401, COML0320401, COML0320401, COML0320401, NELC0320401, NELC0320401, NELC0320401 Cross Cultural Analysis
Arts & Letters Sector
JWST 0350-401 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I Michael A Carasik This course will focus on using the grammar and vocabulary learned at the introductory level to enable students to read Biblical texts independently and take advanced Bible exegesis courses. We will also work on getting comfortable with the standard dictionaries, concordances, and grammars used by scholars of the Bible. We will concentrate on prose this semester, closely reading Ruth, Jonah, and other prose selections. We will begin to translate from English into Biblical Hebrew, and there will also be a unit on the punctuation marks used in the Bible. This is a suitable entry point for students who already have strong Hebrew skills. HEBR0350401, HEBR0350401, HEBR5350401, HEBR5350401
JWST 0360-401 Intermediate Yiddish I Kathryn Hellerstein WILL 438 TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM The course will continue the first year's survey of Yiddish grammar with an additional emphasis on reading Yiddish texts. The course will also develop conversational skills in Yiddish. YDSH0300401, YDSH0300401, YDSH5030401, YDSH5030401
JWST 0400-401 Intermediate Modern Hebrew IV Joseph L Benatov WILL 303 MTWR 1:45 PM-2:44 PM This course constitutes the final semester of Intermediate Modern Hebrew. Hence, one of the main goals of the course is to prepare the students for the proficiency exam in Hebrew. Emphasis will be placed on grammar skills and ability to read literary texts. Open to all students who have completed three semesters of Hebrew at Penn with a grade of B- or above and new students with equivalent competency. HEBR0400401, HEBR0400401, HEBR0400401, HEBR5400001, HEBR5400401, HEBR5400401
JWST 1100-401 Women in Jewish Literature Kathryn Hellerstein WILL 307 TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM "Jewish woman, who knows your life? In darkness you have come, in darkness do you go." J. L. Gordon (1890). This course will bring into the light the long tradition of women as readers, writers, and subjects in Jewish literature. All texts will be in translation from Yiddish and Hebrew, or in English. Through a variety of genres -- devotional literature, memoir, fiction, and poetry -- we will study women's roles and selves, the relations of women and men, and the interaction between Jewish texts and women's lives. The legacy of women in Yiddish devotional literature will serve as background for our reading of modern Jewish fiction and poetry from the past century. The course is divided into five segments. The first presents a case study of the Matriarchs Rachel and Leah, as they are portrayed in the Hebrew Bible, in rabbinic commentary, in pre-modern prayers, and in modern poems. We then examine a modern novel that recasts the story of Dinah, Leah's daughter. Next we turn to the seventeenth century Glikl of Hamel, the first Jewish woman memoirist. The third segment focuses on devotional literature for and by women. In the fourth segment, we read modern women poets in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. The course concludes with a fifth segment on fiction written by women in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. GRMN1100401, GRMN1100401, GSWS1100401, GSWS1100401, NELC0375401, NELC0375401 Arts & Letters Sector
JWST 1130-401 How to Read the Bible Steven Phillip Weitzman COHN 203 TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM The aim of this course is to explore what the Bible means, and why it means such different things to different people. Why do people find different kinds of meaning in the Bible. Who is right in the struggle over its meaning, and how does one go about deciphering that meaning in the first place? Focusing on the book of Genesis, this seminar seeks to help students answer these questions by introducing some of the many ways in which the Bible has been read over the ages. exploring its meaning as understood by ancient Jews and Christians, modern secular scholars, contemporary fiction writers, feminist activists, philosophers and other kinds of interpreter. NELC0365401, NELC0365401, RELS1130401, RELS1130401 Arts & Letters Sector
JWST 1310-401 Introduction to Modern Hebrew Literature: Short Story Reinvented Nili R Gold WILL 705 W 5:15 PM-8:14 PM The objective of this course is to develop an artistic appreciation for literature through in-depth class discussions and text analysis. Readings are comprised of Israeli poetry and short stories. Students examine how literary language expresses psychological and cultural realms. The course covers topics such as: the short story reinvented, literature and identity, and others. Because the content of this course changes from year to year, students may take it for credit more than once. This course is conducted in Hebrew and all readings are in Hebrew.Grading is based primarily on participation and students' literary understanding. COML1311401, COML1311401, NELC1310401, NELC1310401, NELC5400401, NELC5400401 Cross Cultural Analysis
Arts & Letters Sector
JWST 1610-401 Medieval and Early Modern Jewry Anne O Albert CANCELED Exploration of intellectual, social, and cultural developments in Jewish civilization from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the assault on established conceptions of faith and religious authority in 17th century Europe, that is, from the age of Mohammed to that of Spinoza. Particular attention will be paid to the interaction of Jewish culture with those of Christianity and Islam. HIST1610401, HIST1610401, HIST1610401, NELC0355401, NELC0355401, NELC0355401, RELS1610401, RELS1610401, RELS1610401 History & Tradition Sector
Cross Cultural Analysis
JWST 1710-401 Jews in the Modern World Beth S Wenger
Alexandra Zborovsky 		FAGN 216 TR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course offers an intensive survey of the major currents in Jewish culture and society from the late middle ages to the present. Focusing upon the different societies in which Jews have lived, the course explores Jewish responses to the political, socio-economic, and cultural challenges of modernity.Topics to be covered include the political emancipation of Jews, the creation of new religious movements within Judaism, Jewish socialism, Zionism, the Holocaust, and the emergence of new Jewish communities in Israel and the United States. No prior background in Jewish history is expected. HIST1710401, HIST1710401, NELC0360401, NELC0360401, RELS1710401, RELS1710401 History & Tradition Sector
Cross Cultural Analysis 		https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST1710401
JWST 1710-402 Jews in the Modern World Beth S Wenger
Alexandra Zborovsky 		COHN 493 F 10:15 AM-11:14 AM This course offers an intensive survey of the major currents in Jewish culture and society from the late middle ages to the present. Focusing upon the different societies in which Jews have lived, the course explores Jewish responses to the political, socio-economic, and cultural challenges of modernity.Topics to be covered include the political emancipation of Jews, the creation of new religious movements within Judaism, Jewish socialism, Zionism, the Holocaust, and the emergence of new Jewish communities in Israel and the United States. No prior background in Jewish history is expected. HIST1710402, HIST1710402, NELC0360402, NELC0360402, RELS1710402, RELS1710402 History & Tradition Sector
Cross Cultural Analysis
JWST 1710-403 Jews in the Modern World Beth S Wenger
Alexandra Zborovsky 		WILL 24 F 12:00 PM-12:59 PM This course offers an intensive survey of the major currents in Jewish culture and society from the late middle ages to the present. Focusing upon the different societies in which Jews have lived, the course explores Jewish responses to the political, socio-economic, and cultural challenges of modernity.Topics to be covered include the political emancipation of Jews, the creation of new religious movements within Judaism, Jewish socialism, Zionism, the Holocaust, and the emergence of new Jewish communities in Israel and the United States. No prior background in Jewish history is expected. HIST1710403, HIST1710403, NELC0360403, NELC0360403, RELS1710403, RELS1710403 Cross Cultural Analysis
History & Tradition Sector
JWST 1710-404 Jews in the Modern World Beth S Wenger
Alexandra Zborovsky 		WILL 843 R 5:15 PM-6:14 PM This course offers an intensive survey of the major currents in Jewish culture and society from the late middle ages to the present. Focusing upon the different societies in which Jews have lived, the course explores Jewish responses to the political, socio-economic, and cultural challenges of modernity.Topics to be covered include the political emancipation of Jews, the creation of new religious movements within Judaism, Jewish socialism, Zionism, the Holocaust, and the emergence of new Jewish communities in Israel and the United States. No prior background in Jewish history is expected. HIST1710404, HIST1710404, NELC0360404, NELC0360404, RELS1710404, RELS1710404 Cross Cultural Analysis
History & Tradition Sector
JWST 2605-401 The Jewish Book from Scroll to Screen Joshua Teplitsky VANP 625 MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM Through much of their history, Jews have been known as a “people of the book” and have, often, prided themselves on such an association. The very definition of a book, what books contained, and who might use them are not so easy to define, and their study opens up new ways to think about the Jewish past. Books are perhaps the most important way people share ideas and change minds. But they are also commercial goods, collectors’ items, community memories, and cherished heirlooms.
This course offers a cultural history of communication and knowledge in Jewish experience through an exploration of the history of the book. It will use primary sources, scholarly articles, and hands-on encounters with books in different shapes and sizes to explore the way people of the past engaged with books both texts and material objects. It will also offer examples of new methods in the study of the book drawn from the digital humanities. Tracing changing conceptions and uses of the book from the ancient world until the present, we will consider the way that books have shaped religion, caused upheaval, and changed over time, even to face their possible obsolescence in our own age. 		HIST2605401, HIST2605401
JWST 4305-401 Spirit and Law Talya Fishman WILL 438 MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM While accepting "the yoke of the commandments", Jewish thinkers from antiquity onward have perennially sought to make the teachings of revelation more meaningful in their own lives. Additional impetus for this quest has come from overtly polemical challenges to the law, such as those leveled by Paul, medieval Aristotelians, Spinoza and Kant. This course explores both the critiques of Jewish Law, and Jewish reflections on the Law's meaning and purpose, by examining a range of primary sources within their intellectual and historical contexts. Texts (in English translation) include selections from Midrash, Talmud, medieval Jewish philosophy and biblical exegesis, kabbalah, Hasidic homilies, Jewish responses to the Enlightenment, and contemporary attempts to re-value and invent Jewish rituals. NELC4305401, NELC4305401, RELS4305401, RELS4305401 Cross Cultural Analysis
JWST 5810-401 Modern/Contemporary Italian Culture Carla Locatelli WILL 307 T 3:30 PM-5:29 PM Please see department website for current description at: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/italians/graduate/courses COML5811401, COML5811401, COML5811401, ITAL5810401, ITAL5810401, ITAL5810401