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Judaic Studies Current Courses

Fall 2025

Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
HEBR 101-01 Elementary Modern Hebrew
Instructor: Nitsa Kann
Course Description:
Introduction to the modern Hebrew language. Alphabet, phonics and grammatical structures. Emphasizes development of reading comprehension, composition and conversational skills.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MTWRF
EASTC 108
HEBR 201-01 Intermediate Modern Hebrew
Instructor: Nitsa Kann
Course Description:
Formal study of Hebrew language with emphasis on oral practice and writing skills. Prerequisite: 102 or the equivalent. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
EASTC 108
Courses Offered in JDST
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
JDST 224-01 Kabbalah: Healing the Soul, Repairing the Cosmos
Instructor: Nitsa Kann
Course Description:
Cross-listed with RELG 224-01. Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical doctrine, is a rich tradition of esoteric teaching and practices that have been a vital part of Judaism since late antiquity. The Kabbalistic term Tikkun Olam, i.e., repairing/mending the world/universe, became popular for its environmental, social and cultural implications. The Kabbalists believe that by healing ones soul and by doing good deeds in the world, one has a significant influence and impact on the divine. The microcosm and the macrocosm are mirroring each other and linked in the bond of creation. The course traces the history of Jewish mysticism in four continents, Asia, Africa, Europe, and America, and introduces major trends in Jewish mysticism. We will focus on Kabbalistic meditation and its practice, food and sustainability, interpretation of dreams and white magic, spiritual music, death and reincarnation, feminism and gender issues. We also explore Hasidic tales that attribute the power to reveal and to heal, alongside contemporary expressions of Kabbalistic topics in literature and movies. The course includes guest lectures and other activities and special events, including a visit to a synagogue. This course is cross-listed as RELG 224.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
EASTC 314
JDST 316-01 German Music and Politics
Instructor: Amy Wlodarski
Course Description:
Cross-listed with GRMN 350-02 and MUAC 354-01. Permission of Instructor Required. The boundaries of this course are narrow in space-Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic-but wide in the types of political topics that we will discuss: hero worship, nationalism, ethnic/racial definitions of a Volk, anti-Semitism, multimedia productions, genocide, political critique, censorship, and aesthetic debates. Students will also have an opportunity to explore a musical-political topic of their own through a short research unit.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
WEISS 212
JDST 316-02 The Holocaust
Instructor: Karl Qualls
Course Description:
Cross-listed with GRMN 250-01 and HIST 376-01. The course explores the causes of the Shoah/Holocaust, including anti-Semitism, the eugenics movement, the growth of the modern state, and the effects of war. Themes will also explore perpetrator motivation, gendered responses, bystanders and rescuers, and the place of the Holocaust among other genocides. Students will approach the Holocaust through its historiography, which will equip them to interpret facts and understand how and why scholars have shifted interpretations over time. Course taught in English.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 204
Courses Offered in GRMN
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
GRMN 250-01 The Holocaust
Instructor: Karl Qualls
Course Description:
Cross-listed with HIST 376-01 and JDST 316-02. The course explores the causes of the Shoah/Holocaust, including anti-Semitism, the eugenics movement, the growth of the modern state, and the effects of war. Themes will also explore perpetrator motivation, gendered responses, bystanders and rescuers, and the place of the Holocaust among other genocides. Students will approach the Holocaust through its historiography, which will equip them to interpret facts and understand how and why scholars have shifted interpretations over time. Course taught in English.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 204
GRMN 350-02 German Music and Politics
Instructor: Amy Wlodarski
Course Description:
Cross-listed with JDST 316-01 and MUAC 354-01. Permission of Instructor Required. The boundaries of this course are narrow in space-Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic-but wide in the types of political topics that we will discuss: hero worship, nationalism, ethnic/racial definitions of a Volk, anti-Semitism, multimedia productions, genocide, political critique, censorship, and aesthetic debates. Students will also have an opportunity to explore a musical-political topic of their own through a short research unit.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
WEISS 212
Courses Offered in HIST
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
HIST 376-01 The Holocaust
Instructor: Karl Qualls
Course Description:
Cross-listed with GRMN 250-01 and JDST 316-02. The course explores the causes of the Shoah/Holocaust, including anti-Semitism, the eugenics movement, the growth of the modern state, and the effects of war. Themes will also explore perpetrator motivation, gendered responses, bystanders and rescuers, and the place of the Holocaust among other genocides. Students will approach the Holocaust through its historiography, which will equip them to interpret facts and understand how and why scholars have shifted interpretations over time. Course taught in English. The course explores the causes of the Shoah/Holocaust, including anti-Semitism, the eugenics movement, the growth of the modern state, and the effects of war. Themes will also explore perpetrator motivation, gendered responses, bystanders and rescuers, and the place of the Holocaust among other genocides. Students will approach the Holocaust through its historiography, which will equip them to interpret facts and understand how and why scholars have shifted interpretations over time. This course is cross-listed as JDST 316. Offered occasionally.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
DENNY 204
Courses Offered in MUAC
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
MUAC 354-01 German Music and Politics
Instructor: Amy Wlodarski
Course Description:
Cross-listed with GRMN 350-02 and JDST 316-01. Permission of Instructor Required. The boundaries of this course are narrow in spaceGermany, Austria, and the Czech Republicbut wide in the types of political topics that we will discuss: hero worship, nationalism, ethnic/racial definitions of a Volk, anti-Semitism, multimedia productions, genocide, political critique, censorship, and aesthetic debates. Students will also have an opportunity to explore a musical-political topic of their own through a short research unit. This course is cross-listed as GRMN 350 and JDST 316. Offered alternate years. Prerequisite: 102 or permission of the instructor.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
WEISS 212
Courses Offered in RELG
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
RELG 224-01 Kabbalah: Healing the Soul, Repairing the Cosmos
Instructor: Nitsa Kann
Course Description:
Cross-listed with JDST 224-01. Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical doctrine, is a rich tradition of esoteric teaching and practices that have been a vital part of Judaism since late antiquity. The Kabbalistic term Tikkun Olam, i.e., repairing/mending the world/universe, became popular for its environmental, social and cultural implications. The Kabbalists believe that by healing ones soul and by doing good deeds in the world, one has a significant influence and impact on the divine. The microcosm and the macrocosm are mirroring each other and linked in the bond of creation. The course traces the history of Jewish mysticism in four continents, Asia, Africa, Europe, and America, and introduces major trends in Jewish mysticism. We will focus on Kabbalistic meditation and its practice, food and sustainability, interpretation of dreams and white magic, spiritual music, death and reincarnation, feminism and gender issues. We also explore Hasidic tales that attribute the power to reveal and to heal, alongside contemporary expressions of Kabbalistic topics in literature and movies. The course includes guest lectures and other activities and special events, including a visit to a synagogue. This course is cross-listed as JDST 224.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
EASTC 314