H504 – Jewish History
Instructor: Stan Meyer, PhD
Location: Orbund (server11.orbund.com)
Dates: January 12 – March 16, 2025, • Fall • 2024-2025
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course, H504 Jewish History, introduces students to the beliefs, practices, and institutions of Modern Judaism from the 19th to the 21st century. It approaches Modern Judaism from a historical perspective, identifying significant Jewish movements, exploring their historical context, identifying important thinkers, and seeking to understand how each movement shaped Contemporary Jewry. The course also approaches Contemporary Judaism through the lens of Messianic Judaism, considering how Messianic Jews may engage contemporary Jewish thought.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Identify and describe the contemporary Jewish movements that shaped contemporary Jewry,
- Identify important thinkers, summarize their works, and explain how each contributed to contemporary Jewry,
- Identify and explain new beliefs and Jewish thought associated with each movement,
- Identify and describe contemporary institutions, rituals, practices, and cultural artifacts that emerged from each movement,
- Describe the contemporary Jewish context from which the Messianic Jewish Movement emerged in the latter 20th century.
- Critically evaluate each movement and its thinkers from a Messianic Jewish perspective.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE CURRICULUM
This course is required for the Master of Rabbinic Studies degree, the Master of Jewish Studies degree, the Madrikh degree program, and some certificate programs.
RELEVANCE
Jewish belief and practice do not stagnate but constantly evolve. Contemporary Jewish movements, beginning in the 19th century and continuing today, have shaped American Jewry and undergird individual Jewish outlooks, whether a person describes themselves as secular, culturally Jewish, or religious. For the Messianic Jewish community to identify as distinctly Jewish, it must engage with contemporary Jewish beliefs, practices, and thinkers.
PREREQUISITES
GR101 Introduction to Graduate School (may be taken concurrently).
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
A computer, internet access, video conferencing equipment, Zoom, and word processing software.
COURSE FORMAT
This hybrid course will meet via Zoom on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 PM (EST) from January 12 to March 16, 2025. It involves interaction with online discussion forums, reading, and assignments.
REQUIREMENTS
This course will include weekly reading assignments, short videos, discussion board posts (DQs), two class presentations, two field trips, and two one-hour online exams.
REQUIRED TEXTS & VIDEOS
Videos may be purchased from PBS.org or Amazon. They are also available by purchasing a one-month subscription to PBS Passport. The Pew Research Report is available online. Jewish Millennials is available through Barna Research’s website. There are two books titled New Age Judaism. Please purchase the one by Rothenberg.
- Cohn-Sherbock, Dan. Modern Judaism. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 1996.
- Cooperman, Alan, Becka Alper, and Anna Schiller. “Jewish Americans in 2020.” Washington DC: Pew Research Center, May 11, 2021.
- Doblmeier, Martin. Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story. [Video], 2021. 57min
- Levenson, Alan. An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers. New York: Rowen Littlefield Publishers, 2006.
- Rothenberg, Cecile. & Vallely, Anne. Eds. New Age Judaism. Portland, OR: Vallentine Mitchell, 2008.
- Wertheimer, Jack. The New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Their Religion Today. Princeton University Press. 2018.