The Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program

Dr. Martin Perlmutter, Director
College of Charleston    Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: (843) 953-5682   Fax: (843) 953-7624   E-mail: jwst@cofc.edu

The Jewish Studies Minor

Earning a minor in Jewish Studies is achieved by taking eighteen credit hours within the Jewish Studies Program. Courses focus on the religion, history, philosophy, and literature of Judaism. Each semester five or six courses are offered in these disciplines and additional electives may be chosen from fields such as sociology/anthropology, political science, and language.

The College of Charleston library houses, and is developing further, an archival collection in South Carolina Jewish history that can be used to supplement the Jewish Studies minor. It also houses the Rabbi Ted Levy Library, donated by Rabbi Levy of Syracuse and Hilton Head, a large and diverse collection of Judaica books, most of which are available for checkout.

Jewish Studies Courses
The following are interdisciplinary courses that are offered by the Program in Jewish Studies. They satisfy the degree requirements in the Humanities.

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JWST 200 Introduction To Jewish Studies (3)
A multidisciplinary introduction to Jewish studies. The course examines religious, historical, literary, and sociological approaches to the study of the Jewish tradition. Readings may include religious texts, Bible commentary, Jewish philosophy, mysticism, Hasidism, Jewish literature, and modern Jewish thought.

JWST 300 Special Topics (3)
An examination of an area in Jewish studies for which no regular course is offered. The course may be repeated for credit if the content is different. The specific topic will be listed when the course is offered.

JWST 400 Independent Study (3)
Individually supervised readings and study of some work, problem, or topic in Jewish studies of the student's interest. A project proposal must be submitted in writing and approved by the director prior to registration for the course.

Other courses that fulfill the minor

Note: Courses should be selected with the approval of the director or associate director.

HBRW 101 Elementary Modern Hebrew I
HBRW 102 Elementary Modern Hebrew II
Introduces the fundamental structures of Hebrew with emphasis on acquisition of the basic language skills: reading and listening comprehension, and oral and written expression.

HBRW 201 Intermediate Modern Hebrew I
HBRW 202 Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
Develops a basic proficiency in Hebrew through practice in the use of basic language skills and acquisition of vocabulary. Prerequisite: Placement, HBRW 102 for 201; placement or HBRW 201 for 202.

HIST 213 American Jewish History: Colonial Times to the Present
A study of the major events and personalities in American Jewish history since colonial settlement; the wave of Jewish immigration and development of the contemporary Jewish community. Prerequisites: HIST 101-102 or 103-104.

HIST 244 Political and Social History of Germany from1866 to the Present
Political and social development of Germany from the eve of unification to the present. Topics include the wars of unification, the rise of Social Democracy, the Bismarckian State, Wilhelmine Society, the Weimar, the Third Reich, the FRG and GDR, and the second unification. Prerequisites: HIST 101-102 or 103-104.

HIST 258 European Jewish History
Topics include definitions of Jewish culture, medieval Jewish life and thought, early modern Jewish religious movements, modern religious reform, Zionism, and the Holocaust. Prerequisites: HIST 101-102 or 103-104.

HIST 344 Modern European Cultural History
European high and low culture from Romanticism to Existentialism. Topics include: definitions of culture, modernity, bourgeois culture, mass culture, and radical critiques of modernity. Prerequisites: Two or more upper level courses in modern European history or the permission of the instructor.

HIST 345 Modern German Cultural and Intellectual History
Intensive examination of a specific topic in Germany’s cultural history. Topics include: Fin de Sìecle Vienna and Berlin, modernism and its discontents, German culture 1870-1945, and Weimar culture. Specific topics and time periods vary each year. Prerequisites: HIST 101-102 or 103-104.

HIST 359 Modern Jewish History
Developments in Jewish civilization from 1789 to the present. Topics include: societal, economic, intellectual, cultural, political, and diplomatic developments. Treated in this course are international communities, including Israel, remnant communities in the Arab world, Latin America, North and South Africa, Europe, and the United States. Prerequisites: HIST 101-102 or 103-104.

PHIL 255 Philosophy of Religion
An examination of issues such as the nature of religious experience, arguments for the existence of God, the conflict between reason and faith, immortality, the nature of miracles, and the problem of evil.

POLS 324 Politics of the Middle East
A survey of the political, economic, and social structures and forces that make up the essence of Middle East politics and shape the region's place in the world.

RELS 201 The Old Testament: History and Interpretation
An introductory study of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, which considers the development of biblical literature in the context of ancient Near Eastern culture and history. Topics covered may include the telling of creation, the roots of monotheism, the interpretation of misfortune, prophecy and prophets, kingship and exile, the formation of the Hebrew canon, and critical methods of scriptural study.

RELS 225 The Jewish Tradition
An introduction to the Jewish religious tradition from the perspective of history and practice. The long history of Judaism will be surveyed in order to understand the development of Jewish beliefs, culture, and institutions. Customary Jewish practice in all periods also will be investigated.

 

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