Courses

All courses can be found by searching 'Judaic' 'Yiddish' 'Ladino' or 'Hebrew' in the LSA Course Guide.

Check out our minicourses! These 1- to 2-credit courses are offered on a variety of topics, and allow greater flexibility for students looking to fill in their schedules.

Judaic 218.002 — Book of Genesis — Julian Levinson (1 credit, online, first half of term)
Judaic 218.003 — Jewish Prague — Toman Jindrich (1 credit, first half of term)
Judaic 218.005 — The Merchant of Venice — Julian Levinson (2 credits, online, second half of term)
Judaic 222 — Jewish Folk Song — Elena Luchina (1 credit, first half of term)
Judaic 331 — Jewish Languages — Elena Luchina (2 credits, online, second half of term)

Core Courses

Judaic 210 – Sources of Jewish History — Devi Mays
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

How should we study Jews? Do we consider them members of a religion? A nation? An ethnicity? A minority group? Perhaps as outsiders, others, strangers? For much of Jewish history, Jews have engaged with permutations of multiple identities. This course is organized thematically around significant texts, places, and cultural objects designed to explore multiple categories of Jewish experience.

Jewish Languages

Judaic 102 – First Year Yiddish II — Elena Luchina
Mondays/Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Judaic 202 – Second Year Yiddish II — Elena Luchina
Mondays/Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM and Fridays from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Judaic 302 – Third Year Yiddish II — Elena Luchina
Mondays/Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM

Judaic 282 – Ladino Language and Culture — Gabriel Mordoch
Mondays/Wednesdays from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Judaic 121 – Elementary Classical Hebrew II — Chris Mezger
Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Judaic 331 – Jewish Languages — Elena Luchina
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Modern Hebrew Courses – from Beginning to Advanced – various instructors

Ladino: Language and Culture of Sefardi Jews

Judaic 282/Ladino 282/Ladino 582 — Gabriel Mordoch

*HU distribution, counts as additional cognate course in Spanish minor

Ladino is a Romance language written and spoken by Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish and Portuguese background). Originating in the Iberian Peninsula, Ladino was carried abroad after Jews were expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 1490s. Ladino is based in an archaic form of Castilian Spanish, but also contains elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, French, Portuguese, Bulgarian, and Italian. Written and spoken in areas such as Israel, the Balkans, North Africa, Greece, Turkey (and sparsely in the Americas), today the language is in danger of extinction, although it is experiencing some kind of revival. Take part in this revival by learning it here at Michigan!

Modern Hebrew Courses

Courses in Modern Hebrew can count toward the Judaic Studies major and minor. Review the program requirements for more information.

Check out all of the Modern Hebrew courses.

Elementary Modern Hebrew courses: Hebrew 101 and Hebrew 102 with a focus on content-based learning and speaking.
Modern Hebrew courses: Hebrew 201 and Hebrew 202 with world-class instructors and proficiency-level learning.
Advanced Modern Hebrew: Hebrew 301 focused on speaking proficiently with advanced speakers.
Topics in Hebrew: Israel Inside Out, Hebrew 410, featuring engaging topics discussed in Hebrew.

First-Year Seminars

Judaic 130 – How to Talk Better: Dialogue from the Bible to the Internet — Rebecca Wollenberg
Mondays/Wednesdays from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Judaic 150 – Religion in Israeli and Palestinian Politics — A. Rock-Singer
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Sacred Texts and Practices

Judaic 260 – Intro to Talmud — Joel Goldstein
Mondays/Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Judaic 218.002 – Book of Genesis — Julian Levinson
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Judaic 218.007 – How Scriptures Got Their Shapes — Chris Mezger
Mondays/Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Judaic 318.001 – Heroes, Heroines, and Sinners of the Bible in Art — Shelley Perlove
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Culture and Social History

Judaic 218.006 – Jewish Foodways — Bryan Roby
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM

Judaic 218.005 – The Merchant of Venice — Julian Levinson
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Judaic 218.001 – Jewish Spirituality in Movies, Music, and Pop Culture — Andrea Gondos
Mondays/Wednesdays from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Judaic 218.003 – Jewish Prague — Toman Jindrich
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Judaic 218.004 – Arts and Cultures of Central Europe: Czech, German Jewish — Toman Jindrich
Mondays/Wednesdays from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Judaic 222 – Jewish Folk Song — Elena Luchina
Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Judaic 244 – The History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict — Derek Ide
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Judaic 318.003 – Jewish Magic and Folklore: Myths, Amulets, Demons — Andrea Gondos
Mondays/Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM

Judaic 322 – The Origins of Nazism — Kira Thurman
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Judaic 324 – Conversion and Inquisition in Early Modern Spain — Yanay Israeli
Mondays/Wednesdays from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM

Judaic 330 – Partners in Learning — Rebecca Wollenberg
Mondays/Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Judaic 352 – Encounters with the Undead — Maya Barzilai
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Judaic 351 – Anne Frank in Context — Annemarie Toebosch
Tuesdays/Thursdays from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Judaic 388 – Antisemitism and Philosemitism: Jews in Myth and Thought — Elliot Ratzman
Mondays/Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM

Judaic 417 – Jews of the Middle East — Mostafa Hussein
Mondays/Wednesdays from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Judaic 324 – JUDAIC 324 – Conversion and Inquisition in Early Modern Spain – Yanay Israeli

Mondays/Wednesdays 2:30PM - 4:00PM

This course focuses on the history of Jews in Europe and the Mediterranean region from the tenth to the seventeenth centuries, with a particular focus on their experiences as a minority group within Islamic and Christian societies. We will explore the forces and traditions that shaped Jewish life, examine the attitudes of Christians and Muslims towards Jewish communities, and analyze how Jews maintained their identity while facing exclusion and periods of persecution. Throughout the semester, students will work closely with primary sources, including court records and letters documenting the lives of ordinary Jewish individuals. Students will gain insight into how the experience of being a minority shaped the history of Jews over the span of eight centuries.

Judaic 330 – Partners in Learning: Dialogue Across the Centuries – Rebecca Wollenberg

Mondays/Wednesdays 10:00AM - 11:30AM New Grand Challenges course!

This skills-based course teaches students to facilitate challenging conversations using classical and modern communication theories. Through improv and practical exercises, you will develop leadership skills for guiding group processes. Master techniques for navigating differences, collective problem-solving, and team building to lead collaborative decision-making in any professional or community setting.