Courses Archive
Fall 2025
GERMAN
Manuela Achilles | MW 10–10:50 AM | Nau Hall 211 | Lecture (3)
Detailed survey of the historical origins, political structures, cultural dynamics, and every-day practices of the Nazi Third Reich.
Manuela Achilles | MW 2–3:15 PM | Wilson Hall 214 | Lecture (3)
Explores the friend/foe nexus in German history, literature and culture, with an emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries.
Jeffrey Grossman | T 3:30–6 PM | New Cabell Hall 368 | Lecture (3)
Explores the plight of Holocaust refugees including the conditions that led to their loss of home, their attempts to flee, and the ways such displacement affected them.
HEBREW
Zvi Gilboa | MTWRF 10-10:50 AM | New Cabell Hall 411 | Lecture (4)
Gregory Goering | MW 11-12:15 PM | Gibson Hall 441 | Lecture (3)
Zvi Gilboa | MTWR 9-9:50 PM | New Cabell Hall 411 | Lecture (4)
HISTORY
TBA | TR 11–12:15 | Gibson Hall 242 | Lecture (3)
This course surveys the pre-modern Jewish historical experience from antiquity through the sixteenth century.
Sila Onder and Caroline Kahlenberg | TR 2-3:15 PM | Nau Hall 211 | Lecture (3)
What historical processes that have shaped the Middle East of today? This course focuses on the history of a region stretching from Morocco in the West and Afghanistan in the East over the period of roughly 1500 to the present. In doing so, we examine political, social, and cultural history through the lens of "media" in translation, such as manuscripts, memoirs, maps, travel narratives, novels, films, music, internet media, and more.
MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
Daniel Lefkowitz | MW 2–3:15 PM | New Cabell Hall 211 | Lecture (3)
Covers Jewish languages Yiddish, Judeo-Arabic, Ladino, and Hebrew from historical, linguistic, and literary perspectives. Explores the relations between communities and languages, the nature of diaspora, and the death and revival of languages. No prior knowledge of these languages is required. This course is cross-listed with ANTH 2470.
Sophia Solomon | T 2–4:30 PM | New Cabell Hall 132 | Lecture (3)
This course reviews key milestones of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict throughout the lends of competitive sports in the MENA regions and in Israel in particular. The course examines sports¿ role in reflecting socio-political divisions of religion, gender, class and representation struggles, while serving political interests as part of culture and identity building, as well as its utilization as a platform for ethno-nationalist violence.
Caroline Kahlenberg | W 2–4:30 PM | New Cabell Hall 315 | Lecture (3)
This course will approach the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of literature and film. We will study memoirs, short stories, documentaries, and feature films in order to think about several broader historical themes, including: the relationship between religion and nationalism, the role of colonialism in the Middle East, the links between history and memory, and the meaning of homeland.
POLITICS
Sophia Solomon | M 4:30–7 PM | Warner Hall 110 | Lecture (3)
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Jessica Andruss | TR 12:30–1:45 PM | Gibson Hall 141 | Lecture (3)
This course traces the history of Jerusalem with a focus on its significance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How has Jerusalem been experienced and interpreted as sacred within these religious communities? How have they expressed their attachments to this contested space from antiquity to modern times? Discussion will be rooted in primary texts from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources, with attention to their historical context.
Asher Biemann | TR 12:30-1:45 PM | Nau Hall 141 | Lecture (3)
Sam Shuman | W 3:30–6 PM | Nau Hall 241 | Lecture (3)
Jessica Andruss | R 2–4:30 PM | New Cabell Hall 315 | Seminar (3)
This course explores the Jewish Bible commentary in its formative period, between the ninth and twelfth centuries. Emphasis is given to the exegetical techniques and cultural significance of the genre, its engagement with the rabbinic tradition, and its parallels with Muslim and Christian hermeneutics. By comparing commentaries on a given biblical passage, we will consider the craft of Jewish commentary writing in varied historical circumstances.
Elizabeth Alexander | W 3:30–6 PM | Gibson Hall 241 | Seminar (3)
This course introduces students to midrashic literature in the original Hebrew. It gives students the interpretive skills to make sense of the texts and provides an overview of the scholarly issues pertinent to the study of midrash.