Jewish Studies Courses at UNC
HEBR 101-102 [HEBR 1-2]. Elementary Modern Hebrew. The sequence 1,2 introduces the essential elements of modern Hebrew structure and vocabulary and aspects of modern Israeli culture. Aural comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing are stressed in that order.
HEBR 203-204 [HEBR 3-4]. Intermediate Modern Hebrew. Modern Hebrew 3,4 is a two-semester sequence designed to increase reading and writing skills. An introduction to representative literary works is included. Aural comprehension and speaking skills are also stressed.
HEBR 305-306 [HEBR 5-6]. Advanced Modern Hebrew. Students will read and analyze the literary works of well known Hebrew writers including Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, Aharon Meged, Savyon Liebrecht, Yehuda Amichai, S.Y. Agnon, and others.
JWST 103/RELI 103 [JWST 21/RELI 21] Introduction to Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature.
JWST 106/RELI 106 [JWST 24/RELI 24] Introduction to Ancient Judaism. This course surveys Jewish history and religion during the Second Temple and Rabbinic periods, from the destruction of the First Jewish Temple (Solomon's Temple) in 586 B.C.E. to the Muslim conquest of Palestine (640 C.E.). Magness.
JWST 110/RELI 110/CLAR 110 [JWST 28/RELI 28/CLAR 28] Archaeology of Palestine in the New Testament Period. This course surveys the archaeology of Palestine (Modern Israel and Jordan) from the Persian period (CA. 586 B.C.) to the Muslim conquest (640 A.D.). Magness. GC Non-Western/Comparative perspective.
JWST 107/RELI 107 [JWST 34/RELI 34] Introduction to Modern Judaism. The course offers a comprehensive understanding of the development of Judaism from the late middle ages to contemporary times. A&S Western Historical perspective. Ariel.
JWST 243/RELI 243 [JWST 44/RELI 44] Introduction to American Judaism. Course provides a comprehensive introduction to American Judaism, its various movements, institutions, theological and liturgical characteristics, as well as its standing within the larger framework of religious life in America. Ariel.
JWST 289/ENGL 289 [JWST 49/ENGL 49] Studies in Literary Topics: Jewish American Literature. An intensive study of Jewish American Literature. Junior, senior elective. For English majors, satisfies group F requirement, or with group letter designation, can fill requirement for groups B-E.
JWST 262/PWAD 262/HIST 262 [JWST 50/PWAD 52/HIST 50] History of the Holocaust: The Destruction of the European Jews. Antisemitism; the Jews of Europe; the Hitler Dictatorship; Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy from Persecution to the final Solution; Jewish Response; Collaborators, Bystanders, and Rescuers; Aftermath. Browning. A&S Western Historical perspective.
JWST 253/WMST 253/AMST 253 [JWST 53/WMST 53/AMST 53] Jewish Women in America: A Social History. This course examines the history and culture of Jewish women in America from their arrival in New Amsterdam in 1654 to the present day, exploring how gender shaped their experiences of immigration, assimilation, religious observance, home, work, motherhood, family, and feminism.
JWST 206/RELI 206 [JWST 57/RELI 57] Prophecy and Divination in Israel and Judah. An examination of the origins, psychology, and conventional forms of prophecy as well as the writings of major prophets of the Old Testament. Van Seters.
JWST 239/GERM 270/RELI 239 [JWST 61/GERM 61/RELI 85] German Culture and the Jewish Question. A study of the role of Jews and the Jewish Question in German culture from 1750 to the Holocaust and beyond. Discussions and texts (literary, political, theological) in English. B.A.-level Western Historical perspective.
JWST 143/RELI 143 [JWST 78/RELI 78] Judaism In Our Time. An examination of Judaism in its two major centers, demonstrating how different social and cultural environments shape very different interpretations and practices of the Jewish tradition.
JWST 343/RELI 343 [JWST 79/RELI 79] Religion In Modern Israel. Examines the major religious groups that operate in the state of Israel and influence its social and cultural development; analyzes the relationship among religion, state, and society in Israel. Ariel.
JWST 486/AMST 486 [JWST 86/AMST 86] Shalom Y’all: The Jewish Experience in the American South. This course traces the history of Jewish southerners from the colonial era to the present, exploring the “braided identity” of Jews in the South – their relationships with white and black Gentile southerners, their loyalty to the South as a region, and their embrace of southern culture through foodways and religious observance.
JWST 512/RELI 512/CLAR 512 [JWST 111/RELI 111/CLAR 110] Ancient Synagogues. Prerequisite, Religious Studies 28 or consent of instructor. This is a course on ancient synagogues in Palestine and the Diaspora from the Second Temple period to the seventh century A.D. Magness.
JWST 412/PLSH 412 [JWST 112/PLSH 112] Twentieth-Century Polish Literature and Culture. A survey of the major works of twentieth-century Polish literature and culture in English translation. Some readings in Polish for students who can use the language. Holmgren, Levine. A&S Aesthetic/Literature perspective.
RELI 401 [RELI 113] Biblical Hebrew. Introduction to the grammar and exegesis of Biblical Hebrew.
RELI 402 [RELI 114] Biblical Hebrew. Prerequisite, RELI 113 or permission of instructor. Continuation of Religion 113.
JWST 503/RELI 503 [JWST 122/RELI 122] Exploring the Dead Sea Scrolls. comprehensive introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the different Jewish groups connected with them. Lange. A&S Pre-1700 Western History perspective.
JWST 444/RELI 444 [JWST 154/RELI 154] Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism. The seminar examines the developments in gender roles and in sexuality in contemporary Judaism. Ariel.
JWST 464/SLAV 464 [JWST 164/SLAV 164] Jews in Polish and Russian Literature. Explores the fictional representation of Jewish life in Russia and Poland by Russian, Polish, and Jewish authors from the nineteenth century to the present. Holmgren, Levine. A&S Aesthetic/Literature perspective and Cultural Diversity requirement.
JWST 465/SLAV 465/PWAD 465 [JWST 165/SLAV 165/PWAD 165] Literature of Atrocity: The Gulag and the Holocaust in Russian and East European Literature. Literary representation in fiction, poetry, memoirs, and other genres of the mass annihilation and terror in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union under the Nazi and Communist regimes. Spring. Levine. B.A.-level Aesthetic perspective and Cultural Diversity requirement.
JWST 469/SLAV 469 [JWST 169/SLAV 169] Coming to America: The Slavic Immigrant Experience in Literature. Fictional and autobiographical expressions of the Slavic and East European immigrant experience in the twentieth century. Readings include Russian, Polish, Jewish, and Czech authors from early 1900s to present. Spring. Holmgren, Levine. B.A.-level Aesthetic perspective and Cultural Diversity requirement.
GERM 56 [GERM 006-I] First-Year Seminar: Germans, Jews and the History of Antisemitism.
RELI 63 [RELI 006-I] Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism.
