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Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures B.A.
Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures
College of Liberal Arts
Program Type: Baccalaureate
Requirements for this program are current for
Fall 2024
Required credits to graduate with this
degree: 120
Required credits within the major: 40
to 56
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures is an interdisciplinary major with two tracks: "Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures" & "Languages and Literature," reflected over four sub-plans. The major enables students to gain a broad and in-depth appreciation for the complexities of ancient Mediterranean religion and culture. Through exploration of ancient literature, archaeological sites, artifacts, inscriptions, and manuscripts, students learn about major historical figures (e.g., Egyptian rulers, Alexander the Great, Cicero, Socrates and Plato, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Roman Emperors, etc.), fascinating ancient literature (e.g., Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the Epic of Gilgemesh, Plato’s Apology and Symposium, Euripides’s Prometheus Bound and Bacchae, poetry by Catullus and Virgil, the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the Quran, etc.), and everyday ancient social realities (e.g., family, gender, status, economy, politics, agriculture, religious practice, sanctuaries, magic, etc.). You will also learn how to analyze ancient Mediterranean religions (Greek and Roman religion, ancient Israelite and Jewish religion, ancient Christianity and Islam). After some initial course requirements in one of several of our larger courses, students in the CNRC sub-plan take courses in three interrelated areas: State, Self, and Social Power; Literature and Intellectual History; and Religious Discourse, Authority, and Practice. Students in the Languages and Literature subplan take specific introductory courses and then can go on to study Greek, Latin, or Modern Hebrew. The field of classical and Near Eastern religions and cultures is at the root of many varied disciplines and careers from law and communications to non-profit work and administration. Any career that requires the skills of careful, critical analysis, deep research and understanding of cultural systems, and insight into the motivations of a plurality of religious perspectives active in the world today will benefit from this major. Our professors offer a collegial and friendly yet academically rigorous environment where you can grow in these skills and bring them to your current situation and future work.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Admission Requirements
Refer to your chosen sub-plan for more information on what preparatory courses you must complete.
All students in baccalaureate degree programs are required to complete general University and college requirements including writing and liberal education courses. For more information about University-wide requirements, see the
liberal education requirements.
Required courses for the major, minor or certificate in which a student receives a D grade (with or without plus or minus) do not count toward the major, minor or certificate (including transfer courses).
Program Requirements
Students are required to complete 4 semester(s) of
any second language.
with a grade of C-, or better, or S, or demonstrate proficiency in the language(s) as defined by the department
or college.
All CLA BA degrees require 18 upper-division (3xxx-level or higher) credits outside the major designator. These credits must be taken in designators different from the major designator and cannot include courses that are cross-listed with the major designator. The major designator for the Classics BA is CNRC.
No course may be used to fulfill more than one major requirement.
At least 18 upper-division credits in the major must be taken at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
All incoming CLA first-year (freshmen) must complete the First-Year Experience course sequence.
All incoming CLA first-year (freshmen) students earning a BA, BS, or BIS degree must complete the second-year career management course CLA 3002.
All students must complete a capstone in at least one CLA major. The requirements for double majors completing the capstone in a different CLA major will be clearly stated. Students must also complete all major requirements in both majors to allow the additional capstone to be waived. Students completing an additional degree must complete the capstone in each degree area.
Capstone
Students conduct independent research under a faculty member and produce a substantial, original research paper. Using documents or primary sources along with secondary sources, students show their mastery of disciplinary methodologies and their knowledge and understanding of ancient sources and modern scholarship related to their chosen topic.
Take exactly 1 course(s) totaling exactly 4 credit(s) from the following:
Students who double major and choose to complete the capstone requirement in their other major may waive the Classics BA capstone, but they do need to replace the 4 credits with another upper-division CNRC elective.
Students are required to take one upper division writing intensive course within the major. If that requirement has not been satisfied within the core major requirements, students must choose one course from the following list. Some of these courses may also fulfill other major requirements.
·
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
[AH, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
Program Sub-plans
Students are required to complete one of the following sub-plans.
Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures
The Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures track requires 40-45 total credits of coursework, including 3-4 credits of introductory courses and the capstone.
Introductory Course
Take exactly 1 course(s) totaling 3 - 4 credit(s) from the following:
In select cases, students with advanced proficiency may be exempt from taking one or both of these courses. Placement is determined by the Director of Classical Language Instruction.
Take exactly 4 course(s) totaling exactly 18 credit(s) from the following:
In select cases, students with advanced proficiency may be exempt from taking one or both of these courses. Placement is determined by the Director of Classical Language Learning.
Take exactly 4 course(s) totaling exactly 18 credit(s) from the following:
or
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
(3.0 cr)
or
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
(3.0 cr)
or
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
[HIS, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
[HIS, GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
(3.0 cr)
·
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
Modern Hebrew
The Modern Hebrew Languages and Literature track requires 45-50 total credits of coursework, including 6 credits of introductory courses and the capstone.
Introductory Courses
Take exactly 2 course(s) totaling exactly 6 credit(s) from the following:
·
JWST 1034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 1034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 1534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
CNRC 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible.
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
[LITR]
(3.0 cr)
Beginning and Intermediate Hebrew Courses
Take exactly 4 course(s) totaling exactly 20 credit(s) from the following:
One Stop for tuition, course registration, financial aid, academic calendars, and more
CNRC 3994 - Directed Research: Capstone
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 3994, CNES 3951W
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Research project pertaining to ancient world, using documents or primary sources along with secondary sources. Students select project in consultation with faculty member.
Prereq: Course is open to second semester juniors and seniors, major in CNRC, or RelS
Students enrolling in this directed research course will complete the University's common Directed Research contract with the faculty mentor/evaluator. The Faculty member will ensure academic standards are upheld, including:
- the work proposed is at the appropriate level for the course, academic in nature, and the student will be involved intellectually in the project.
- the project scope is reasonable for one semester and the number of credits specified (42 hours of work per credit)
- the faculty mentor is qualified to serve in this role - assessment of student learning and grading criteria are clear and appropriate
- the student will be working in a respectful, inclusive environment
The contract will include the learning objectives for the course, the methods that will be employed, and how assessment will be conducted by the faculty mentor. The contract must be approved by the DUGS/academic approver of the major before the student can register.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 1002 - World of Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Ancient Greek civilization, from second millenium BCE to Roman period. Art/archaeology, philosophy, science, literature, social/political institutions. Focuses on connections with contemporary cultures corresponding to Ancient Near East.
CNRC 1003 - World of Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring
In this course we will ask ourselves: why does ancient Rome refuse to go away? What is it
about ancient Rome that has captured the imaginations of Shakespeare and the framers of
the U.S. Constitution as well as HBO, Hollywood, and the video game industry? The course
examines the world of ancient Rome from early Etruscan and eastern origins to the
emergent Christian Rome of later antiquity. We will study the diverse mix of cultures in
this vast multi-ethnic empire that spanned from the Near East and Africa to Europe. As we
chart the rise of this ancient superpower, we will examine Roman imperialism, colonialism,
and the dynamics of cultural identity. Through art, literature, and archeology we will
explore politics, religions, slavery and social structures, gender and sexuality, sports and
entertainment, economics and trade, as well as the rhythms of daily life.
CNRC 1042 - Greek and Roman Mythology
(AH)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 1042/CNES 1042H
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Introduction to stories/study of Greek/Roman mythology.
CNRC 1042H - Honors Course: Greek and Roman Mythology
(AH)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 1042/CNES 1042H
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Introduction to stories/study of Greek/Roman mythology.
prereq: Honors or instr consent
CNRC 1082 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 1082 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 1082 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible.
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 1203 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 1203 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
HIST 3061 - "Bread and Circuses": Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
HIST 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
prereq: Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Historical method/sources for ancient Near Eastern history. Historical traditions. Historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of the ancient Near East, secondary emphasis on their relationship to works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of ancient Near East.
prereq: Prev coursework in ancient Near Eastern history recommended
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3171.
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
AKKA 5011 - Elementary Akkadian I
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Introduction to cuneiform script. Basics of Old Babylonian morphology and syntax. Written drills, readings from Hammurabi laws, foundation inscriptions, annals, religious and epic literature.
prereq: Adv undergrads with instr consent or grads
AKKA 5012 - Elementary Akkadian II
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Continuation of 5011. Readings include The Gilgamesh Epic, The Descent of Ishtar, Mari Letters, Annals of Sennacherib and Essarhaddon, Sargon II.
prereq: 5011
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3950 - Topics in Ancient Culture
Credits:
3.0
[max 9.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Selected topics in the cultural history of antiquity (e.g., women in antiquity, Roman diplomacy, slavery, education). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
CNRC 3993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 16.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
prereq: instr consent
CNRC 5713 - Introduction to Ugaritic
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform script, morphology, and syntax. Reading of representative samples of Ugaritic literature. Attention to linguistic and cultural issues and links to biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
prereq: Adv Hebrew, previous study of biblical texts or instr consent
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 5993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
GRK 3003 - Intermediate Greek Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3003/Grk 3113/Grk 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Athenian prose authors of 5th/4th centuries BCE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Greek texts (history, speeches). Review of grammar/vocabulary. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Greek culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
GRK 3004 - Intermediate Greek Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3004/Grk 5004
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Greek epic poetry. Readings of selections from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Homer's poetry.
prereq: dept consent
GRK 5100 - Advanced Reading
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Reading in Greek texts/authors. Texts/authors vary.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Must contact Classical and Near Eastern Studies department for permission to register.
GRK 5200 - Advanced Readings in Greek Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Greek prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, oratory, novel),
theme (e.g. medicine, Athenian politics of the 5 th /4 th centuries, religious innovation), period (e.g.
classical period, Second Sophistic), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary
from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be
assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department (CNRC) with any questions.
HEBR 3011 - Intermediate Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3011/Hebr 4011
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Prepares students for CLA language requirement. Speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension of modern Hebrew. Students read/discuss prose, poetry, news, and film. Important features of biblical/classical Hebrew. Taught primarily in Hebrew.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1002 or 4002] or instr consent
HEBR 3012 - Intermediate Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr3012/Hebr 4012
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Extensive reading of simplified modern Hebrew prose selections. Students discuss poetry, newspaper, film, and TV in Hebrew. Israeli cultural experiences. Hone composition, listening comprehension, and speaking skills to prepare for proficiency exams. Biblical prose, simple poetic texts. Taught in Hebrew. Meets with 4012.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in in 3011 or instr consent
HEBR 3101 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3101/HEBR 4106
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible. Basic research tools/commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1102 or 4105] or instr consent
HEBR 3102 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3102/Hebr 4107
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible, basic research tools and commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies. Meets with 4107.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in 3101 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5200 - Advanced Classical Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In-depth reading, analysis, and discussion of classical Hebrew texts. Grammar, syntax. Introduction to text-criticism, history of scholarship, and scholarly tools. Format varies between survey of themes (e.g., law, wisdom, poetry) and extended concentration upon specific classical texts.
HEBR 5300 - Post-Biblical Hebrew: Second Temple Period
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Readings in late-/post-biblical Hebrew literature of Persian, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods (e.g., Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls, apocrypha, pseudepigrapha). Focuses on historical development of Hebrew language and literature in relation to earlier biblical sources.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
HIST 3052 - Ancient Civilization: Greece
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
A broad survey of ancient Greek culture and history from the third millennium B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.
HIST 3053 - Ancient Civilization: Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring & Summer
A broad survey of the culture and history of Rome from its origins to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the third and fourth centuries A.D.
HIST 3054 - Ancient Egypt and its Neighbors
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 3054 / CNRC 3054
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Ancient Egypt exerts fascination upon modern societies, as it did upon its ancient
contemporaries. The decipherment of the hieroglyphic script, in the early 19th century CE,
opened the way to recovering its history all the way back to the invention of the writing system
more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt has meanwhile been a special focus of racialized
interpretations of civilization, from the birth of modern Egyptology onward. Europeans of the
colonial age saw Egyptian civilization as an anomaly in Africa, measured excavated skulls to
prove its extraneous origins, and segregated it from its geographic context.
HIST 5053 - Doing Roman History: Sources, Methods, and Trends
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Survey of major scholarship in field of Roman history since Mommsen. Political, cultural, social, military, and economic history. Focuses on methodological problems posed by evidence. Ways in which these issues shape research.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
LAT 3003 - Intermediate Latin Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3003/Lat 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Latin prose authors of 1st centuries BCE/CE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Latin texts (history, speeches, letters). Review of grammar/vocabulary as needed. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Roman culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
LAT 3004 - Intermediate Latin Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3300/Lat 5004/Lat 3114/Lat
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Roman epic poetry. Readings of selections from Vergil's Aeneid. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Vergil's poetry.
LAT 5100 - Advanced Readings in Latin Poetry
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin poets connected by genre (e.g. epic, dramatic, lyric), theme (e.g. heroism and the hero,
the body, the good life), period (e.g. Augustan, late Antique), or the like. Primary readings and
critical approach will vary from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern
secondary reading will be assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student
written work.
prereq: [3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department with any questions.
LAT 5200 - Advanced Readings in Latin Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, religious texts),
theme (e.g. Epicureanism and Stoicism, Christian apologetics, grammarians), period (e.g.
Republican, Late Imperial), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary from
year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be assigned
to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [LAT 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures department (CNRC) with any questions.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
HIST 3061 - "Bread and Circuses": Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3171.
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Introduction to art and material culture of Roman world: origin, change, continuity. Progress/decay in later empire, its legacy to modern world.
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Introduction to history of Roman art, from formation of city-state of Rome under Etruscan domination, to transformation of visual culture in late antiquity under peoples influenced by the Romans.
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad?s activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad?s activities.
JWST 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
JWST 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
HIST 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
prereq: Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Historical method/sources for ancient Near Eastern history. Historical traditions. Historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of the ancient Near East, secondary emphasis on their relationship to works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of ancient Near East.
prereq: Prev coursework in ancient Near Eastern history recommended
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
CNRC 1002 - World of Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Ancient Greek civilization, from second millenium BCE to Roman period. Art/archaeology, philosophy, science, literature, social/political institutions. Focuses on connections with contemporary cultures corresponding to Ancient Near East.
CNRC 1003 - World of Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring
In this course we will ask ourselves: why does ancient Rome refuse to go away? What is it
about ancient Rome that has captured the imaginations of Shakespeare and the framers of
the U.S. Constitution as well as HBO, Hollywood, and the video game industry? The course
examines the world of ancient Rome from early Etruscan and eastern origins to the
emergent Christian Rome of later antiquity. We will study the diverse mix of cultures in
this vast multi-ethnic empire that spanned from the Near East and Africa to Europe. As we
chart the rise of this ancient superpower, we will examine Roman imperialism, colonialism,
and the dynamics of cultural identity. Through art, literature, and archeology we will
explore politics, religions, slavery and social structures, gender and sexuality, sports and
entertainment, economics and trade, as well as the rhythms of daily life.
GRK 1001 - Beginning Classical Greek I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to grammar/vocabulary of classical Greek as written in Athens in 5th/4th centuries BCE. Forms/simple constructions. Some reading of simple, heavily adapted passages from ancient texts.
GRK 1002 - Beginning Classical Greek II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Continuation of Greek 1001. More complex constructions, including participles, clauses, indirect discourse. Some reading of adapted passages from ancient texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1001 or dept consent
GRK 3003 - Intermediate Greek Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3003/Grk 3113/Grk 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Athenian prose authors of 5th/4th centuries BCE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Greek texts (history, speeches). Review of grammar/vocabulary. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Greek culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
GRK 3004 - Intermediate Greek Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3004/Grk 5004
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Greek epic poetry. Readings of selections from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Homer's poetry.
prereq: dept consent
GRK 5100 - Advanced Reading
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Reading in Greek texts/authors. Texts/authors vary.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Must contact Classical and Near Eastern Studies department for permission to register.
GRK 5200 - Advanced Readings in Greek Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Greek prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, oratory, novel),
theme (e.g. medicine, Athenian politics of the 5 th /4 th centuries, religious innovation), period (e.g.
classical period, Second Sophistic), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary
from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be
assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department (CNRC) with any questions.
AKKA 5011 - Elementary Akkadian I
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Introduction to cuneiform script. Basics of Old Babylonian morphology and syntax. Written drills, readings from Hammurabi laws, foundation inscriptions, annals, religious and epic literature.
prereq: Adv undergrads with instr consent or grads
AKKA 5012 - Elementary Akkadian II
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Continuation of 5011. Readings include The Gilgamesh Epic, The Descent of Ishtar, Mari Letters, Annals of Sennacherib and Essarhaddon, Sargon II.
prereq: 5011
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3950 - Topics in Ancient Culture
Credits:
3.0
[max 9.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Selected topics in the cultural history of antiquity (e.g., women in antiquity, Roman diplomacy, slavery, education). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
CNRC 3993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 16.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
prereq: instr consent
CNRC 5713 - Introduction to Ugaritic
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform script, morphology, and syntax. Reading of representative samples of Ugaritic literature. Attention to linguistic and cultural issues and links to biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
prereq: Adv Hebrew, previous study of biblical texts or instr consent
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 5993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
GRK 5100 - Advanced Reading
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Reading in Greek texts/authors. Texts/authors vary.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Must contact Classical and Near Eastern Studies department for permission to register.
GRK 5200 - Advanced Readings in Greek Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Greek prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, oratory, novel),
theme (e.g. medicine, Athenian politics of the 5 th /4 th centuries, religious innovation), period (e.g.
classical period, Second Sophistic), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary
from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be
assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department (CNRC) with any questions.
GRK 5701 - Prose Composition
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Moving step by step through Ancient Greek grammar, starting with simple sentences and progressing to complex ones. Course ends with students translating short passages of modern English prose into Greek.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
HEBR 3011 - Intermediate Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3011/Hebr 4011
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Prepares students for CLA language requirement. Speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension of modern Hebrew. Students read/discuss prose, poetry, news, and film. Important features of biblical/classical Hebrew. Taught primarily in Hebrew.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1002 or 4002] or instr consent
HEBR 3012 - Intermediate Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr3012/Hebr 4012
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Extensive reading of simplified modern Hebrew prose selections. Students discuss poetry, newspaper, film, and TV in Hebrew. Israeli cultural experiences. Hone composition, listening comprehension, and speaking skills to prepare for proficiency exams. Biblical prose, simple poetic texts. Taught in Hebrew. Meets with 4012.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in in 3011 or instr consent
HEBR 3101 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3101/HEBR 4106
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible. Basic research tools/commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1102 or 4105] or instr consent
HEBR 3102 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3102/Hebr 4107
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible, basic research tools and commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies. Meets with 4107.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in 3101 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5200 - Advanced Classical Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In-depth reading, analysis, and discussion of classical Hebrew texts. Grammar, syntax. Introduction to text-criticism, history of scholarship, and scholarly tools. Format varies between survey of themes (e.g., law, wisdom, poetry) and extended concentration upon specific classical texts.
HEBR 5300 - Post-Biblical Hebrew: Second Temple Period
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Readings in late-/post-biblical Hebrew literature of Persian, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods (e.g., Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls, apocrypha, pseudepigrapha). Focuses on historical development of Hebrew language and literature in relation to earlier biblical sources.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
HIST 3051 - Ancient Civilization: Near East and Egypt
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
-4.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
A broad survey of ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian history and culture from the prehistoric to the rise of Persia around 550 B.C.
HIST 3052 - Ancient Civilization: Greece
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
A broad survey of ancient Greek culture and history from the third millennium B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.
HIST 3053 - Ancient Civilization: Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring & Summer
A broad survey of the culture and history of Rome from its origins to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the third and fourth centuries A.D.
HIST 3054 - Ancient Egypt and its Neighbors
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 3054 / CNRC 3054
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Ancient Egypt exerts fascination upon modern societies, as it did upon its ancient
contemporaries. The decipherment of the hieroglyphic script, in the early 19th century CE,
opened the way to recovering its history all the way back to the invention of the writing system
more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt has meanwhile been a special focus of racialized
interpretations of civilization, from the birth of modern Egyptology onward. Europeans of the
colonial age saw Egyptian civilization as an anomaly in Africa, measured excavated skulls to
prove its extraneous origins, and segregated it from its geographic context.
HIST 5053 - Doing Roman History: Sources, Methods, and Trends
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Survey of major scholarship in field of Roman history since Mommsen. Political, cultural, social, military, and economic history. Focuses on methodological problems posed by evidence. Ways in which these issues shape research.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
LAT 3003 - Intermediate Latin Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3003/Lat 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Latin prose authors of 1st centuries BCE/CE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Latin texts (history, speeches, letters). Review of grammar/vocabulary as needed. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Roman culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
LAT 3004 - Intermediate Latin Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3300/Lat 5004/Lat 3114/Lat
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Roman epic poetry. Readings of selections from Vergil's Aeneid. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Vergil's poetry.
LAT 5100 - Advanced Readings in Latin Poetry
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin poets connected by genre (e.g. epic, dramatic, lyric), theme (e.g. heroism and the hero,
the body, the good life), period (e.g. Augustan, late Antique), or the like. Primary readings and
critical approach will vary from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern
secondary reading will be assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student
written work.
prereq: [3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department with any questions.
LAT 5200 - Advanced Readings in Latin Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, religious texts),
theme (e.g. Epicureanism and Stoicism, Christian apologetics, grammarians), period (e.g.
Republican, Late Imperial), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary from
year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be assigned
to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [LAT 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures department (CNRC) with any questions.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
HIST 3061 - "Bread and Circuses": Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3171.
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Introduction to art and material culture of Roman world: origin, change, continuity. Progress/decay in later empire, its legacy to modern world.
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Introduction to history of Roman art, from formation of city-state of Rome under Etruscan domination, to transformation of visual culture in late antiquity under peoples influenced by the Romans.
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad?s activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad?s activities.
JWST 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
JWST 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
prereq: Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Historical method/sources for ancient Near Eastern history. Historical traditions. Historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of the ancient Near East, secondary emphasis on their relationship to works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of ancient Near East.
prereq: Prev coursework in ancient Near Eastern history recommended
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
CNRC 1002 - World of Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Ancient Greek civilization, from second millenium BCE to Roman period. Art/archaeology, philosophy, science, literature, social/political institutions. Focuses on connections with contemporary cultures corresponding to Ancient Near East.
CNRC 1003 - World of Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring
In this course we will ask ourselves: why does ancient Rome refuse to go away? What is it
about ancient Rome that has captured the imaginations of Shakespeare and the framers of
the U.S. Constitution as well as HBO, Hollywood, and the video game industry? The course
examines the world of ancient Rome from early Etruscan and eastern origins to the
emergent Christian Rome of later antiquity. We will study the diverse mix of cultures in
this vast multi-ethnic empire that spanned from the Near East and Africa to Europe. As we
chart the rise of this ancient superpower, we will examine Roman imperialism, colonialism,
and the dynamics of cultural identity. Through art, literature, and archeology we will
explore politics, religions, slavery and social structures, gender and sexuality, sports and
entertainment, economics and trade, as well as the rhythms of daily life.
LAT 1001 - Beginning Latin I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 1001/ 1111H/ 3111/ 4001
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Latin is the genesis of modern Romance languages and is foundational to science, law, religion, education, and philosophy. The study of Latin sharpens the mind and fuels the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The Latin introductory sequence (1001/1002) will prepare you to read authentic, historical texts and will ground you in solid grammar and vocabulary. Developing your acumen in this essential ancient language will open the door to a wide range of classical, medieval, and Renaissance authors, playwrights, and poets.
LAT 1002 - Beginning Latin II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 1002/Lat 5002/Lat 1111H/La
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Continuation of Latin 1001. More complex constructions, including participles, clauses, indirect discourse. Some reading of adapted passages from ancient texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1001 or instr consent
LAT 3003 - Intermediate Latin Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3003/Lat 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Latin prose authors of 1st centuries BCE/CE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Latin texts (history, speeches, letters). Review of grammar/vocabulary as needed. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Roman culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
LAT 3004 - Intermediate Latin Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3300/Lat 5004/Lat 3114/Lat
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Roman epic poetry. Readings of selections from Vergil's Aeneid. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Vergil's poetry.
LAT 5100 - Advanced Readings in Latin Poetry
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin poets connected by genre (e.g. epic, dramatic, lyric), theme (e.g. heroism and the hero,
the body, the good life), period (e.g. Augustan, late Antique), or the like. Primary readings and
critical approach will vary from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern
secondary reading will be assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student
written work.
prereq: [3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department with any questions.
LAT 5200 - Advanced Readings in Latin Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, religious texts),
theme (e.g. Epicureanism and Stoicism, Christian apologetics, grammarians), period (e.g.
Republican, Late Imperial), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary from
year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be assigned
to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [LAT 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures department (CNRC) with any questions.
AKKA 5011 - Elementary Akkadian I
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Introduction to cuneiform script. Basics of Old Babylonian morphology and syntax. Written drills, readings from Hammurabi laws, foundation inscriptions, annals, religious and epic literature.
prereq: Adv undergrads with instr consent or grads
AKKA 5012 - Elementary Akkadian II
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Continuation of 5011. Readings include The Gilgamesh Epic, The Descent of Ishtar, Mari Letters, Annals of Sennacherib and Essarhaddon, Sargon II.
prereq: 5011
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3950 - Topics in Ancient Culture
Credits:
3.0
[max 9.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Selected topics in the cultural history of antiquity (e.g., women in antiquity, Roman diplomacy, slavery, education). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
CNRC 3993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 16.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
prereq: instr consent
CNRC 5713 - Introduction to Ugaritic
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform script, morphology, and syntax. Reading of representative samples of Ugaritic literature. Attention to linguistic and cultural issues and links to biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
prereq: Adv Hebrew, previous study of biblical texts or instr consent
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 5993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
GRK 3003 - Intermediate Greek Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3003/Grk 3113/Grk 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Athenian prose authors of 5th/4th centuries BCE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Greek texts (history, speeches). Review of grammar/vocabulary. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Greek culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
GRK 3004 - Intermediate Greek Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3004/Grk 5004
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Greek epic poetry. Readings of selections from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Homer's poetry.
prereq: dept consent
GRK 5100 - Advanced Reading
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Reading in Greek texts/authors. Texts/authors vary.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Must contact Classical and Near Eastern Studies department for permission to register.
GRK 5200 - Advanced Readings in Greek Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Greek prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, oratory, novel),
theme (e.g. medicine, Athenian politics of the 5 th /4 th centuries, religious innovation), period (e.g.
classical period, Second Sophistic), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary
from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be
assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department (CNRC) with any questions.
HEBR 3011 - Intermediate Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3011/Hebr 4011
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Prepares students for CLA language requirement. Speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension of modern Hebrew. Students read/discuss prose, poetry, news, and film. Important features of biblical/classical Hebrew. Taught primarily in Hebrew.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1002 or 4002] or instr consent
HEBR 3012 - Intermediate Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr3012/Hebr 4012
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Extensive reading of simplified modern Hebrew prose selections. Students discuss poetry, newspaper, film, and TV in Hebrew. Israeli cultural experiences. Hone composition, listening comprehension, and speaking skills to prepare for proficiency exams. Biblical prose, simple poetic texts. Taught in Hebrew. Meets with 4012.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in in 3011 or instr consent
HEBR 3101 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3101/HEBR 4106
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible. Basic research tools/commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1102 or 4105] or instr consent
HEBR 3102 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3102/Hebr 4107
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible, basic research tools and commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies. Meets with 4107.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in 3101 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5200 - Advanced Classical Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In-depth reading, analysis, and discussion of classical Hebrew texts. Grammar, syntax. Introduction to text-criticism, history of scholarship, and scholarly tools. Format varies between survey of themes (e.g., law, wisdom, poetry) and extended concentration upon specific classical texts.
HEBR 5300 - Post-Biblical Hebrew: Second Temple Period
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Readings in late-/post-biblical Hebrew literature of Persian, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods (e.g., Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls, apocrypha, pseudepigrapha). Focuses on historical development of Hebrew language and literature in relation to earlier biblical sources.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
HIST 3051 - Ancient Civilization: Near East and Egypt
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
-4.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
A broad survey of ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian history and culture from the prehistoric to the rise of Persia around 550 B.C.
HIST 3052 - Ancient Civilization: Greece
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
A broad survey of ancient Greek culture and history from the third millennium B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.
HIST 3053 - Ancient Civilization: Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring & Summer
A broad survey of the culture and history of Rome from its origins to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the third and fourth centuries A.D.
HIST 3054 - Ancient Egypt and its Neighbors
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 3054 / CNRC 3054
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Ancient Egypt exerts fascination upon modern societies, as it did upon its ancient
contemporaries. The decipherment of the hieroglyphic script, in the early 19th century CE,
opened the way to recovering its history all the way back to the invention of the writing system
more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt has meanwhile been a special focus of racialized
interpretations of civilization, from the birth of modern Egyptology onward. Europeans of the
colonial age saw Egyptian civilization as an anomaly in Africa, measured excavated skulls to
prove its extraneous origins, and segregated it from its geographic context.
HIST 5053 - Doing Roman History: Sources, Methods, and Trends
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Survey of major scholarship in field of Roman history since Mommsen. Political, cultural, social, military, and economic history. Focuses on methodological problems posed by evidence. Ways in which these issues shape research.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
LAT 5100 - Advanced Readings in Latin Poetry
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin poets connected by genre (e.g. epic, dramatic, lyric), theme (e.g. heroism and the hero,
the body, the good life), period (e.g. Augustan, late Antique), or the like. Primary readings and
critical approach will vary from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern
secondary reading will be assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student
written work.
prereq: [3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department with any questions.
LAT 5200 - Advanced Readings in Latin Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, religious texts),
theme (e.g. Epicureanism and Stoicism, Christian apologetics, grammarians), period (e.g.
Republican, Late Imperial), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary from
year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be assigned
to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [LAT 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures department (CNRC) with any questions.
LAT 5703 - Epigraphy
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Practical/theoretical introduction to Latin epigraphy (study/interpretation of inscriptions). Readings/discussion of epigraphic texts. Their value as historical documents, as evidence for development of Latin language, and as literary texts.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
HIST 3061 - "Bread and Circuses": Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3171.
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Introduction to art and material culture of Roman world: origin, change, continuity. Progress/decay in later empire, its legacy to modern world.
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Introduction to history of Roman art, from formation of city-state of Rome under Etruscan domination, to transformation of visual culture in late antiquity under peoples influenced by the Romans.
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad?s activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad?s activities.
JWST 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
JWST 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
HIST 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
prereq: Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Historical method/sources for ancient Near Eastern history. Historical traditions. Historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of the ancient Near East, secondary emphasis on their relationship to works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of ancient Near East.
prereq: Prev coursework in ancient Near Eastern history recommended
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
JWST 1034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 1034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 1534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
CNRC 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible.
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
HEBR 1001 - Beginning Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1001/Hebr 4001
Typically offered:
Every Fall
For beginners whose goal is biblical or post-biblical Jewish studies or modern Israeli Hebrew. Leads to speaking, listening comprehension, and reading and writing Hebrew.
Emphasizes communication proficiency. Cultural materials are incorporated.
HEBR 1002 - Beginning Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1002/Hebr 4002
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Continuation of 1001. Leads to speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing Hebrew. Emphasizes communication proficiency. Cultural materials.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1001 or 4001] or instr consent
HEBR 3011 - Intermediate Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3011/Hebr 4011
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Prepares students for CLA language requirement. Speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension of modern Hebrew. Students read/discuss prose, poetry, news, and film. Important features of biblical/classical Hebrew. Taught primarily in Hebrew.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1002 or 4002] or instr consent
HEBR 3012 - Intermediate Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr3012/Hebr 4012
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Extensive reading of simplified modern Hebrew prose selections. Students discuss poetry, newspaper, film, and TV in Hebrew. Israeli cultural experiences. Hone composition, listening comprehension, and speaking skills to prepare for proficiency exams. Biblical prose, simple poetic texts. Taught in Hebrew. Meets with 4012.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in in 3011 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
AKKA 5011 - Elementary Akkadian I
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Introduction to cuneiform script. Basics of Old Babylonian morphology and syntax. Written drills, readings from Hammurabi laws, foundation inscriptions, annals, religious and epic literature.
prereq: Adv undergrads with instr consent or grads
AKKA 5012 - Elementary Akkadian II
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Continuation of 5011. Readings include The Gilgamesh Epic, The Descent of Ishtar, Mari Letters, Annals of Sennacherib and Essarhaddon, Sargon II.
prereq: 5011
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3950 - Topics in Ancient Culture
Credits:
3.0
[max 9.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Selected topics in the cultural history of antiquity (e.g., women in antiquity, Roman diplomacy, slavery, education). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
CNRC 3993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 16.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
prereq: instr consent
CNRC 5713 - Introduction to Ugaritic
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform script, morphology, and syntax. Reading of representative samples of Ugaritic literature. Attention to linguistic and cultural issues and links to biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
prereq: Adv Hebrew, previous study of biblical texts or instr consent
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 5993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
GRK 3003 - Intermediate Greek Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3003/Grk 3113/Grk 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Athenian prose authors of 5th/4th centuries BCE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Greek texts (history, speeches). Review of grammar/vocabulary. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Greek culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
GRK 3004 - Intermediate Greek Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3004/Grk 5004
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Greek epic poetry. Readings of selections from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Homer's poetry.
prereq: dept consent
GRK 5100 - Advanced Reading
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Reading in Greek texts/authors. Texts/authors vary.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Must contact Classical and Near Eastern Studies department for permission to register.
GRK 5200 - Advanced Readings in Greek Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Greek prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, oratory, novel),
theme (e.g. medicine, Athenian politics of the 5 th /4 th centuries, religious innovation), period (e.g.
classical period, Second Sophistic), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary
from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be
assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department (CNRC) with any questions.
HEBR 1101 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1101/Hebr 4104
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Hebrew Bible is one of the most important literary texts in world history, and one of the most culturally and morally influential in the development of western civilization. Most of this influence, however, has been via translation. Have you ever wondered if you can trust the translation? Does the Adam and Eve story really say what you think it does? Does the Hebrew Bible really include all the strict moral pronouncements and prohibitions that are attributed to it? This course offers the tools you need to read simple narrative texts in the Bible for yourself, while also introducing you to multiple approaches in biblical scholarship.
Biblical Hebrew also satisfies the CLA Language requirement.
HEBR 1102 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1102/Hebr 4105
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Progression to more sophisticated reading of narrative, prophetic, and legal texts. Presentation/discussion of multiple approaches to problems/issues in biblical scholarship.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1101 or 4104] or instr consent
HEBR 3101 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3101/HEBR 4106
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible. Basic research tools/commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1102 or 4105] or instr consent
HEBR 3102 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3102/Hebr 4107
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible, basic research tools and commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies. Meets with 4107.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in 3101 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5200 - Advanced Classical Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In-depth reading, analysis, and discussion of classical Hebrew texts. Grammar, syntax. Introduction to text-criticism, history of scholarship, and scholarly tools. Format varies between survey of themes (e.g., law, wisdom, poetry) and extended concentration upon specific classical texts.
HEBR 5300 - Post-Biblical Hebrew: Second Temple Period
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Readings in late-/post-biblical Hebrew literature of Persian, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods (e.g., Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls, apocrypha, pseudepigrapha). Focuses on historical development of Hebrew language and literature in relation to earlier biblical sources.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
HIST 3051 - Ancient Civilization: Near East and Egypt
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
-4.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
A broad survey of ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian history and culture from the prehistoric to the rise of Persia around 550 B.C.
HIST 3052 - Ancient Civilization: Greece
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
A broad survey of ancient Greek culture and history from the third millennium B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.
HIST 3053 - Ancient Civilization: Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring & Summer
A broad survey of the culture and history of Rome from its origins to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the third and fourth centuries A.D.
HIST 3054 - Ancient Egypt and its Neighbors
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 3054 / CNRC 3054
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Ancient Egypt exerts fascination upon modern societies, as it did upon its ancient
contemporaries. The decipherment of the hieroglyphic script, in the early 19th century CE,
opened the way to recovering its history all the way back to the invention of the writing system
more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt has meanwhile been a special focus of racialized
interpretations of civilization, from the birth of modern Egyptology onward. Europeans of the
colonial age saw Egyptian civilization as an anomaly in Africa, measured excavated skulls to
prove its extraneous origins, and segregated it from its geographic context.
HIST 5053 - Doing Roman History: Sources, Methods, and Trends
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Survey of major scholarship in field of Roman history since Mommsen. Political, cultural, social, military, and economic history. Focuses on methodological problems posed by evidence. Ways in which these issues shape research.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
LAT 3003 - Intermediate Latin Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3003/Lat 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Latin prose authors of 1st centuries BCE/CE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Latin texts (history, speeches, letters). Review of grammar/vocabulary as needed. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Roman culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
LAT 3004 - Intermediate Latin Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3300/Lat 5004/Lat 3114/Lat
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Roman epic poetry. Readings of selections from Vergil's Aeneid. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Vergil's poetry.
LAT 5100 - Advanced Readings in Latin Poetry
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin poets connected by genre (e.g. epic, dramatic, lyric), theme (e.g. heroism and the hero,
the body, the good life), period (e.g. Augustan, late Antique), or the like. Primary readings and
critical approach will vary from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern
secondary reading will be assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student
written work.
prereq: [3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department with any questions.
LAT 5200 - Advanced Readings in Latin Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, religious texts),
theme (e.g. Epicureanism and Stoicism, Christian apologetics, grammarians), period (e.g.
Republican, Late Imperial), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary from
year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be assigned
to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [LAT 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures department (CNRC) with any questions.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
HIST 3061 - "Bread and Circuses": Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3171.
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Introduction to art and material culture of Roman world: origin, change, continuity. Progress/decay in later empire, its legacy to modern world.
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Introduction to history of Roman art, from formation of city-state of Rome under Etruscan domination, to transformation of visual culture in late antiquity under peoples influenced by the Romans.
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad?s activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad?s activities.
JWST 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
JWST 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
HIST 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
prereq: Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Historical method/sources for ancient Near Eastern history. Historical traditions. Historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of the ancient Near East, secondary emphasis on their relationship to works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of ancient Near East.
prereq: Prev coursework in ancient Near Eastern history recommended
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
JWST 1034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 1034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 1534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
CNRC 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible.
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
HEBR 1001 - Beginning Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1001/Hebr 4001
Typically offered:
Every Fall
For beginners whose goal is biblical or post-biblical Jewish studies or modern Israeli Hebrew. Leads to speaking, listening comprehension, and reading and writing Hebrew.
Emphasizes communication proficiency. Cultural materials are incorporated.
HEBR 1002 - Beginning Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1002/Hebr 4002
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Continuation of 1001. Leads to speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing Hebrew. Emphasizes communication proficiency. Cultural materials.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1001 or 4001] or instr consent
HEBR 3011 - Intermediate Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3011/Hebr 4011
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Prepares students for CLA language requirement. Speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension of modern Hebrew. Students read/discuss prose, poetry, news, and film. Important features of biblical/classical Hebrew. Taught primarily in Hebrew.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1002 or 4002] or instr consent
HEBR 3012 - Intermediate Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr3012/Hebr 4012
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Extensive reading of simplified modern Hebrew prose selections. Students discuss poetry, newspaper, film, and TV in Hebrew. Israeli cultural experiences. Hone composition, listening comprehension, and speaking skills to prepare for proficiency exams. Biblical prose, simple poetic texts. Taught in Hebrew. Meets with 4012.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in in 3011 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
AKKA 5011 - Elementary Akkadian I
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Introduction to cuneiform script. Basics of Old Babylonian morphology and syntax. Written drills, readings from Hammurabi laws, foundation inscriptions, annals, religious and epic literature.
prereq: Adv undergrads with instr consent or grads
AKKA 5012 - Elementary Akkadian II
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Continuation of 5011. Readings include The Gilgamesh Epic, The Descent of Ishtar, Mari Letters, Annals of Sennacherib and Essarhaddon, Sargon II.
prereq: 5011
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3081W/CNES 5081/CLCV 3081
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation
(LITR, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3082W/CNES 5082W
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3103 - Ancient Greece: Alexander and the East
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Achievements of Alexander the Great, their effect on Greek-speaking world. Greek colonization of Egypt. Hellenistic art, literature, philosophy.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an
autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world
history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor
Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major
issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda,
and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural
identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
(AH, WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3601/CNES 5601
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3950 - Topics in Ancient Culture
Credits:
3.0
[max 9.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Selected topics in the cultural history of antiquity (e.g., women in antiquity, Roman diplomacy, slavery, education). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
CNRC 3993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 16.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
prereq: instr consent
CNRC 5713 - Introduction to Ugaritic
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform script, morphology, and syntax. Reading of representative samples of Ugaritic literature. Attention to linguistic and cultural issues and links to biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
prereq: Adv Hebrew, previous study of biblical texts or instr consent
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 5993 - Directed Studies
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Guided individual reading or study.
Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
GRK 3003 - Intermediate Greek Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3003/Grk 3113/Grk 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Athenian prose authors of 5th/4th centuries BCE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Greek texts (history, speeches). Review of grammar/vocabulary. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Greek culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
GRK 3004 - Intermediate Greek Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Grk 3004/Grk 5004
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Greek epic poetry. Readings of selections from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Homer's poetry.
prereq: dept consent
GRK 5100 - Advanced Reading
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Reading in Greek texts/authors. Texts/authors vary.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Must contact Classical and Near Eastern Studies department for permission to register.
GRK 5200 - Advanced Readings in Greek Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 6.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Greek prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, oratory, novel),
theme (e.g. medicine, Athenian politics of the 5 th /4 th centuries, religious innovation), period (e.g.
classical period, Second Sophistic), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary
from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be
assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [GRK 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Greek. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department (CNRC) with any questions.
HEBR 1101 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1101/Hebr 4104
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
The Hebrew Bible is one of the most important literary texts in world history, and one of the most culturally and morally influential in the development of western civilization. Most of this influence, however, has been via translation. Have you ever wondered if you can trust the translation? Does the Adam and Eve story really say what you think it does? Does the Hebrew Bible really include all the strict moral pronouncements and prohibitions that are attributed to it? This course offers the tools you need to read simple narrative texts in the Bible for yourself, while also introducing you to multiple approaches in biblical scholarship.
Biblical Hebrew also satisfies the CLA Language requirement.
HEBR 1102 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
5.0
[max 5.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 1102/Hebr 4105
Typically offered:
Spring Even Year
Progression to more sophisticated reading of narrative, prophetic, and legal texts. Presentation/discussion of multiple approaches to problems/issues in biblical scholarship.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1101 or 4104] or instr consent
HEBR 3101 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3101/HEBR 4106
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible. Basic research tools/commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in [1102 or 4105] or instr consent
HEBR 3102 - Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hebr 3102/Hebr 4107
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
Text of Hebrew Bible, basic research tools and commentaries. Close reading of narrative biblical texts. Reading fluency, methods of research in biblical studies. Meets with 4107.
prereq: Grade of at least [C- or S] in 3101 or instr consent
HEBR 5090 - Advanced Modern Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Various authentic Hebrew texts. Comprehension/speaking. Conducted entirely in Hebrew. Emphasizes Modern Israeli Hebrew. Grammar, widening vocabulary. Contemporary short fiction, essays, articles on cultural topics, films, Hebrew Internet sites, TV.
HEBR 5200 - Advanced Classical Hebrew
Credits:
3.0
[max 12.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
In-depth reading, analysis, and discussion of classical Hebrew texts. Grammar, syntax. Introduction to text-criticism, history of scholarship, and scholarly tools. Format varies between survey of themes (e.g., law, wisdom, poetry) and extended concentration upon specific classical texts.
HEBR 5300 - Post-Biblical Hebrew: Second Temple Period
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Readings in late-/post-biblical Hebrew literature of Persian, Hellenistic, and early Roman periods (e.g., Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls, apocrypha, pseudepigrapha). Focuses on historical development of Hebrew language and literature in relation to earlier biblical sources.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
HIST 3051 - Ancient Civilization: Near East and Egypt
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
-4.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
A broad survey of ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian history and culture from the prehistoric to the rise of Persia around 550 B.C.
HIST 3052 - Ancient Civilization: Greece
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
A broad survey of ancient Greek culture and history from the third millennium B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.
HIST 3053 - Ancient Civilization: Rome
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Every Spring & Summer
A broad survey of the culture and history of Rome from its origins to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the third and fourth centuries A.D.
HIST 3054 - Ancient Egypt and its Neighbors
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 3054 / CNRC 3054
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Ancient Egypt exerts fascination upon modern societies, as it did upon its ancient
contemporaries. The decipherment of the hieroglyphic script, in the early 19th century CE,
opened the way to recovering its history all the way back to the invention of the writing system
more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt has meanwhile been a special focus of racialized
interpretations of civilization, from the birth of modern Egyptology onward. Europeans of the
colonial age saw Egyptian civilization as an anomaly in Africa, measured excavated skulls to
prove its extraneous origins, and segregated it from its geographic context.
HIST 5053 - Doing Roman History: Sources, Methods, and Trends
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Typically offered:
Fall Even, Spring Odd Year
Survey of major scholarship in field of Roman history since Mommsen. Political, cultural, social, military, and economic history. Focuses on methodological problems posed by evidence. Ways in which these issues shape research.
prereq: Grad student or instr consent
LAT 3003 - Intermediate Latin Prose
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3003/Lat 5003
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Introduction to Latin prose authors of 1st centuries BCE/CE. Readings of continuous passages of unadapted Latin texts (history, speeches, letters). Review of grammar/vocabulary as needed. Some discussion of major themes/issues in Roman culture as illustrated by texts.
prereq: Grade of at least C- or S in 1002 or 5001 or instr consent
LAT 3004 - Intermediate Latin Poetry
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Lat 3300/Lat 5004/Lat 3114/Lat
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Introduction to Roman epic poetry. Readings of selections from Vergil's Aeneid. Quantitative meter and poetic devices. Discussion of major themes and issues as developed in Vergil's poetry.
LAT 5100 - Advanced Readings in Latin Poetry
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin poets connected by genre (e.g. epic, dramatic, lyric), theme (e.g. heroism and the hero,
the body, the good life), period (e.g. Augustan, late Antique), or the like. Primary readings and
critical approach will vary from year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern
secondary reading will be assigned to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student
written work.
prereq: [3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures Department with any questions.
LAT 5200 - Advanced Readings in Latin Prose
Credits:
3.0
[max 18.0]
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
The primary material for this course will be a selection of readings from three or more different
Latin prose authors connected by genre (e.g. historical writing, philosophy, religious texts),
theme (e.g. Epicureanism and Stoicism, Christian apologetics, grammarians), period (e.g.
Republican, Late Imperial), or the like. Primary readings and critical approach will vary from
year to year, making the course repeatable. Some modern secondary reading will be assigned
to provide a basis for discussion and a model for student written work.
prereq: [LAT 3004 or equiv], at least two yrs of college level Latin. Contact the Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures department (CNRC) with any questions.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
JWST 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
RELS 3013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
Old: Significance of religious law in Judaism. Babylonian background of biblical law. Biblical creation of the person as a legal category. Rabbinic transformations of biblical norms. Covenant in Christianity/Islam. Contemporary Jewish literature/philosophy.
RELS 5013W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
JwSt 3013W/Cnes 3016W/RelS 301
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students.
The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics.
The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
HIST 3061 - "Bread and Circuses": Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity
(HIS, CIV)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3061/Hist3061
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
RELS 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3171.
RELS 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3071/CNES 5071/RelS 3071/
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
RELS 3704 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3074/RelS 3704
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
RELS 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
HIST 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/CNES/Hist/RelS1082/H/3092
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
JWST 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
RELS 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3115/JwSt 3115/RelS 3115
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 30.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
RELS 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3221/CNES 5121/RelS 3121/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3152/CNES 3152
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Introduction to art and material culture of Roman world: origin, change, continuity. Progress/decay in later empire, its legacy to modern world.
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3162/CNES 3162
Typically offered:
Fall Odd, Spring Even Year
Introduction to history of Roman art, from formation of city-state of Rome under Etruscan domination, to transformation of visual culture in late antiquity under peoples influenced by the Romans.
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
(AH, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
JWST 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
RELS 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible
(LITR)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC1201/3201,JWST1201/3201,RE
Typically offered:
Every Fall
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
prereq: Knowledge of Hebrew not required
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
JWST 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
RELS 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3205/JwSt 3205/RelS 3205
Typically offered:
Spring Odd Year
How men, women, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Read biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
ANTH 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: an Analysis of the Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and bodies to perceived pollutions cause by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to anceint Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
JWST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Grading Basis:
OPT No Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
MEST 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
"Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
RELS 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
ANTH 3206 CNES/JwSt/MEST/RelS
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Dirt is dangerous" wrote Mary Douglas more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Her work has been influential in ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean studies when dealing with issues of sacred/profane, purity/pollution, and ritual sacrifice and purification. Douglas' work provides a framework within which to understand ancients' thinking about these concepts that range from the sacredness of space and of bodies to perceived pollutions caused by bodily leakage or liminal stages of life and death. In this course, we will examine Douglas' theory in light of ancient evidence, with special attention to ancient Israelite literature (the Tanakh or Old Testament) and ancient Jewish literature (the Dead Sea Scrolls), but we will also analyze other ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean examples of purity and pollution (from epigraphical and documentary evidence).
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
RELS 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC 1203/3213, RELS 1203/3213
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief ("Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior") to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to "secular" spiritual teachings ("Turn the other cheek"); from fine art (Salvador Dali's "Christ of Saint John of the Cross") to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric's Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
HIST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
JWST 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
RELS 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile
(WI)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3502W/Hist 3502/RelS 3502
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel.
This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible.
N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative record. No text is presumed inerrant, and all sources are subject to scrutiny, in the context of scholarly discourse. Biblical texts are treated just like all other texts, as the products of human beings embedded in a historical context, and as the subject of analysis and interpretation. Persons of all faiths and of no faith are equally welcome to participate in such scholarly discourse. However, students who feel that their own religious beliefs require an understanding of the Bible that is antithetical to the foregoing statements are cautioned that they may find themselves uncomfortable with this course.
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
JWST 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
RELS 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3504/JwSt 3504/RelS 3504
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. - 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include "biblical" literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad?s activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad?s activities.
JWST 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
HEBR 5506 - Advanced Hebrew II - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/Jwst 3506/Hebr 5506
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course will look at Mossad's activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad's activities.
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
JWST 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
HEBR 5515 - Advanced Hebrew II - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: How Communities, Ideologies, and Identities
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNRC/JwSt 3515/Hebr5515
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates.
Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
RELS 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
(AH)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3535/CNES 5535/RelS 3535/
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and afterlife found in cultures of ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
HIST 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity
(HIS, GP)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 3617Hist/MeSt 3617/RelS
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
prereq: Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended
HIST 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
CNES 5051/Hist 5051
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
Historical method/sources for ancient Near Eastern history. Historical traditions. Historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of the ancient Near East, secondary emphasis on their relationship to works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of ancient Near East.
prereq: Prev coursework in ancient Near Eastern history recommended
JWST 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
RELS 3034 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
HIST 3534 - Introduction to Jewish History and Cultures
(HIS)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies:
Hist 1534/JwSt 1034/RelS1034
Typically offered:
Every Fall
This course traces the development of Judaism and Jewish civilizations from their beginnings to the present. With over three millennia as its subject, the course must of necessity be a general survey. Together we will explore the mythic structures, significant documents, historical experiences, narratives, practices, beliefs, and worldviews of the Jewish people. The course begins by examining the roots of Judaism in the Hebrew Bible and the history of ancient Israel but quickly focuses on the creative forces that developed within Judaism as a national narrative confronted the forces of history, especially in the forms of the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Rabbinic Judaism becomes the most dominant creative force and will receive our greatest attention, both in its formative years and as it encounters the rise of Christianity and Islam. After studying the Jewish experience in the medieval world, we will turn to Judaism?s encounter with the enlightenment and modernity. The historical survey concludes by attending to the transformations within Judaism and Jewish life of the last 150 years, including a confrontation with the experience of the Holocaust. Woven throughout this historical survey will be repeated engagements with core questions: ?Who is a Jew?? ?What do Jews believe?? ?What do Jews do?? ?What do we mean by ?religion??? ?How do Jews read texts within their tradition?? And perhaps most importantly, ?How many answers are there to a Jewish question?? Students in this course can expect to come away with some knowledge of the Bible in Judaism, rabbinic literature and law, Jewish mysticism and philosophy, Jewish nationalism and Zionism, Jewish culture, ritual, and worship in the synagogue, the home, and the community, and Jewish celebrations of life cycle events and the festivals.
