CJS - Courses & Degree Programs

To register for classes, click here: http://gtusonis.jenzabarcloud.com
 

Spring 2023
 

HRIR-1500  Islamic & Jewish Mysticisms
Instructor: Sam S.B. Shonkoff & Fateme Montazeri | Mondays, 2:10pm–5:00pm

Does mysticism transcend the boundaries of particular traditions, or are even the most transcendent experiences always nonetheless culturally embedded? This classic ambiguity makes mysticism a particularly illuminating case study for interreligious study. In this course, we will explore Islamic and Jewish mysticisms. On one hand, students will gain familiarity with each distinct tradition, as it unfolds from antiquity through present times. On the other hand, there will be ample opportunity to engage in comparative reflections, appreciating both similarities and differences in the theological, cultural, political, and aesthetic aspects of Jewish and Islamic mysticisms.

HSST-2026  Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Instructor: Deena Aranoff | Tuesdays, 9:40am–12:30pm

This class will serve as an introduction to rabbinic literature. We will examine selections from the vast rabbinic corpus, with a focus on Talmud and Midrash. Our goal will be to acquire familiarity with a variety of rabbinic styles, to think critically about rabbinic culture, and to acquire general access and familiarity with the classical rabbinic library. We will also consider the historical development of rabbinic Judaism in its late-antique context.

HR-2052  Neo-Hasidism
Instructor: Sam S.B. Shonkoff | Tuesdays, 2:10pm–5:00pm

Hasidism itself was a radical Jewish mystical movement that emerged in eighteenth-century Poland and spread like wildfire throughout Eastern Europe. Within just a few generations, contending with the allures of liberal secularism and assimilation, Hasidism became a cornerstone of ultra-Orthodoxy. However, starting in the twentieth-century, Hasidism also became an object of romantic enchantment among relatively secular Jews. Neo-Hasidism, the topic of this course, refers precisely to this phenomenon of non-Hasidic Jews drawing upon (appropriating?) Hasidism for purposes of spiritual-cultural renewal, from Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel through Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Marcia Prager. The paths of Neo-Hasidism intersect with stories of post-liberal countercultures, orientalism, cultural Zionism, Jewish navigations of collective trauma, identity politics, psychedelics, and feminism.

HSST-2027  Abraham Joshua Heschel and 20th Century Liberation Movements (Offered by CJS Affiliated Faculty through a Newhall Fellowship)
Instructor: Daniel Stein | Mondays, 9:40am–12:30pm

The life of rabbi, philosopher, and theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) aligns with a period of radical change and upheaval that historian Eric Hobsbawm called “the short twentieth century.” Beginning with the fall of empires on the eve of World War I and concluding with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, this epoch witnessed a world undergoing radical transformation. Heschel, remarkably, found himself at the center of many events that defined the era. Heschel’s engagement with twentieth-century liberation movements included leadership roles as an advocate for the Jewish community during World War II and the Second Vatican Council, and as strong ally during the Civil Rights and Peace movements of the 1960s. This course is designed as a practicum in which a substantial amount of in-class time will be devoted to close analysis of primary sources. While students may choose to prepare them in advance, many primary sources will be read and discussed in class.

This is an online GTU program that features a Jewish studies component. For more info, click here.