Approved Courses

JUDAIC 125: Jewish Women and the Body of Tradition - Exploration of gender, the body, and religious tradition.

JUDAIC 150: First Year Seminar in Judaic Studies - Introduction to various cultural aspects of Judaic Studies.

JUDAIC 205: What is Judaism? - Introductory survey of Jewish civilization and culture.

JUDAIC 210: Sources of Jewish History - Samples diverse sources revealing continuities and ruptures in Jewish history.

JUDAIC 216: Social Sciences Topics in Judaism - Interdisciplinary course on culture, literature, and history.

JUDAIC 217: Topics in the Hebrew Bible - Interdisciplinary focus on The Bible.

JUDAIC 218: Humanities Topics in Judaism - Lower-level course on philosophy, film, and literature.

JUDAIC 220: Intermediate Classical Hebrew I - Refines knowledge of Classical Hebrew syntax.

JUDAIC 221: Intermediate Classical Hebrew II - Reading and analysis of Biblical and extra-Biblical texts.

JUDAIC 222: Jewish Folk Song - Learning diaspora history through song and musical styles.

JUDAIC 223: The Problem with the Bible - Exploration of historical problems readers have raised with the Bible.

JUDAIC 224: Sex and Sexuality in Jewish History and Culture - Understandings of sexuality and gender from antiquity to present.

JUDAIC 225: Religion, Women, and Gender - Impact of religion on women from the 20th century to present.

JUDAIC 234: Jewish Storytelling - Rabbinic Midrash, Hasidic tales, and modern short stories.

JUDAIC 235: Introduction to the Tanakh/Old Testament - Modern study of the Tanakh as a foundational document.

JUDAIC 238: The Historical Jesus in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - Critical reconstruction of the life of Jesus.

JUDAIC 240: Policing and Civil Rights in Israel and America - Lens of policing in the 20th century.

JUDAIC 244: The History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict - Origins and dynamics of the conflict from late 1800s.

JUDAIC 245: Jews and Other Others - Contacts with marginalized social groups in America.

JUDAIC 250: Screening Jewish Cultures - Concepts of race and ethnicity through film histories.

JUDAIC 253: The Mediterranean: Jewish Studies - Modern Jewish Mediterranean interconnectedness.

JUDAIC 255: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in Israeli Culture - Cultural geography through prose, poetry, and film.

JUDAIC 256: Israeli Literature and Culture - Main works from late 19th century to contemporary Israel.

JUDAIC 257: Ancient Law - Historical and comparative introduction to ancient legal cultures.

JUDAIC 258: The Bible as Literature - Literary genres and formation of the Canonical Book.

JUDAIC 259: The Book of Genesis - In-depth literary exploration of the first book of the Bible.

JUDAIC 260: Introduction to the Talmud and the Rabbis - Historical and literary analysis of the Talmud.

JUDAIC 261: Lost Books That Rewrote the Bible - Discoveries of ancient scribes and visionaries.

JUDAIC 262: The Bible and the Quran - Intertwined narratives and Jewish-Muslim relations.

JUDAIC 265: Introduction to Jewish Law - History and literature of legal traditions and philosophy.

JUDAIC 271: Contact and Conflict - Jewish experience in Eastern Europe through art and literature.

JUDAIC 280: Ladino: Language and Culture of the Sephardi Jews - Introduction to the traditional language of Sephardic Jews.

JUDAIC 281: Jews in the Modern World - Responses to cultural and political forces of modernity.

JUDAIC 282: Ladino II - Expanding on the language and culture of Sephardic Jews.

JUDAIC 290: Jews and Muslims - Interaction and coexistence from Middle Ages to present.

JUDAIC 296: Perspectives on the Holocaust - Study of the Holocaust as a historical event.

JUDAIC 310: Experiential Learning in Judaic Studies - Content-oriented field placement and seminar.

JUDAIC 316: Themes in Jewish Literature - Interdisciplinary study of diverse Jewish literatures.

JUDAIC 317: Topics in Judaic Studies - Philosophy, film, and history in Judaic Studies.

JUDAIC 318: Humanities Topics in Judaism - Philosophy, film, and political science topics.

JUDAIC 319: Judaic Studies Abroad - Exploration of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on-site.

JUDAIC 320: The Jewish Graphic Novel - Seminar on graphic narratives and Jewish history.

JUDAIC 322: The Origins of Nazism - Causes and outcomes of the Nazi seizure of power.

JUDAIC 323: History of Jewish Visual Culture - Art and images from ancient Israel to contemporary times.

JUDAIC 324: Conversion and Inquisition in Early Modern Spain - Mass conversions and the Spanish Inquisition.

JUDAIC 326: Living Among Others - Jewish history in Europe and the Mediterranean (10th-17th centuries).

JUDAIC 331: Jewish Languages - Role of languages in Jewish culture and history.

JUDAIC 332: The Yiddish Classics and Modernity - Fiction of Abramovitch, Aleichem, and Peretz.

JUDAIC 333: Yiddish Literature in Translation - Novels, plays, and poetry in translation.

JUDAIC 334: The Bible as a Material Object - History of the Bible as a physical book.

JUDAIC 335: History and Religion of Second Temple Judaism - Period from Babylonian exile to Rabbinic Judaism.

JUDAIC 339: Israel Before the Exile (587 BCE) - Cultural and political histories of ancient Israel.

JUDAIC 340: Colonialism in North Africa: 1800-Present - North Africa as a center of Jewish life.

JUDAIC 341: Palestine-Israel: A History - Arab-Jewish relations from the late 19th century.

JUDAIC 342: Jerusalem: One City Three Faiths - History of Jerusalem across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Judaic Studies Courses (Continued)

JUDAIC 343: American Jews and Media Industries – Explores the role of Jews in emergent media enterprises like movies, radio, and television, and the controversies that followed.

JUDAIC 344: Passing: Race, Religion and Getting By – Examines "passing" as a survival strategy in relation to gender, race, and Jewish assimilation through history and literature.

JUDAIC 345: Jews and Fashion – Investigates the relationship between Jewish identity and the garment industry, from labor organizing to haute couture.JUDAIC 350: Race and Ethnicity in South-Eastern Europe – Analyzes Holocaust texts written in response to racist ideologies in post-Communist Eastern Europe.

JUDAIC 351: Anne Frank in Context – Uses the Diary of Anne Frank to examine the Holocaust in the Netherlands, antisemitism, and resistance movements.

JUDAIC 352: Encounters with the Undead: Golems, Ghosts, and other Monsters – Explores Jewish folklore and monsters to discuss belonging, gender, and hybridity.

JUDAIC 353: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – A historical trace of the conflict from the 19th century to the present, focusing on competing territorial claims.

JUDAIC 360: A Global History of the Jews of Spain – Examines how Sephardic Jews maintained a distinct identity and commercial ties globally after the 1492 expulsion.

JUDAIC 373: Israeli Culture and Society – A multidisciplinary study of contemporary Israeli identity and social tensions from the state's origins to today.

JUDAIC 374: Religions of the Jews – Explores the wide variety of religious expressions embraced by Jews over the last two thousand years.

JUDAIC 375: Archaeology and the Bible – Connects biblical texts with ancient archaeological remains to discuss how history is interpreted.

JUDAIC 376: Women and the Bible – Considers feminist interpretations of biblical figures like Eve, Sara, and Ruth through poetry, ritual, and music.

JUDAIC 377: Biblical Masculinities – Investigates how diverse thinkers have reconstructed the patriarchs to model different gender ideals.

JUDAIC 378: Modern Questions, Biblical Answers – Close readings of biblical texts to see how ancient authors grappled with social issues that remain relevant today.

JUDAIC 379: Jewish Photographers Picture the Modern World – Traces the history of 20th-century image-making by Jewish photographers, with a focus on documentary work.

JUDAIC 380: The Beginnings of Judaism: From Ethnicity to Religion – Introduction to the emergence of "varieties of Judaism" from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 7th century C.E.

JUDAIC 382: Early Modern Jewish History 1492-1700 – Surveys major trends in Jewish society, including the spread of Kabbalah and the rise of Hasidism.

JUDAIC 383: Modern Jewish History – Covers the transition from the ghetto to emancipation, demographic shifts, and the development of modern antisemitism.

JUDAIC 386: The Holocaust – Examines the destruction of European Jewry (1933-1945), its causes, effects, and representation in literature.

JUDAIC 387: History of American Jews – Explores the Jewish experience in America from the colonial era to the 21st century.

JUDAIC 388: Antisemitism and Philosemitism – Analyzes popular myths and academic ideas about "the Jew" in modern thought.

JUDAIC 389: Jewish Literature – Considers the canon of Jewish literature and its construction through the lenses of race and ethnicity.

JUDAIC 401: Readings in Yiddish Texts – Advanced study and reading of Yiddish primary sources.

JUDAIC 405: The Holocaust in Israeli Culture – Advanced Hebrew course examining how the Holocaust is represented in Israeli art, poetry, and film.

JUDAIC 406: The Church and the Jews – Analyzes the complex relationship between the Western Church and Jewish communities from antiquity to Vatican II.

JUDAIC 410: Sociology of the American Jewish Community – Explores current conflicts and struggles of American Jews maintaining identity in a pluralistic society.

JUDAIC 416: Topics in Jewish Literature – Advanced interdisciplinary study of diverse Jewish literatures throughout history.

JUDAIC 417: Topics in Judaic Studies – Seminar on selected topics such as philosophy, political science, and law.

JUDAIC 425: Reading Modern Jewish Literatures – Comparative examination of Jewish literature across various languages and genres.

JUDAIC 435: Cultural History of Russian Jews – Surveys Jewish cultural development in Russia from the 18th to the 21st century.

JUDAIC 437: Yiddish Culture in America – Explores the rich creativity of Eastern European immigrants that made New York a center of Yiddish culture.

JUDAIC 440: A History of Jews and Social Justice in the US – Examines Jewish engagement in labor, civil rights, and feminist movements.

JUDAIC 441: The History of Jews at the University of Michigan – Investigates the specific history of Jewish inclusion and exclusion in American higher education.

JUDAIC 451: The Politics and Culture of Modern East European Jewry – Focuses on how Jewish minorities interacted with states and societies in Eastern Europe.

JUDAIC 460: Protests and Conflict in Israel – Uses collective action and resistance movements to explore the history of Israel/Palestine.

JUDAIC 467: Seminar: Topics in the Study of Judaism – High-level study of modern Judaism, including theological responses to the Holocaust.

JUDAIC 468: Jewish Mysticism – A critical study of the historical development of Kabbalah and Jewish mystical traditions.

JUDAIC 478: Modern Jewish Thought – Exploration of 20th-century thinkers responding to the breakdown of traditional Jewish culture.

JUDAIC 480: Religion, Ethnicity, and Politics: The Jewish Case – Examines how Jews have defined themselves in relation to other groups.

JUDAIC 481: Desire, Destiny, and Death – A survey of Jewish artistic creativity and community representation in 20th-century Eastern Europe.

JUDAIC 489: The Cycle of the Jewish Year – Focuses on the ritual and religious nature of the Jewish calendar, holidays, and Sabbath.

JUDAIC 495/496: Independent Studies – Supervised independent research with a Judaic Studies faculty member.

JUDAIC 497/498: Senior Thesis – A two-term independent research project culminating in a senior thesis.

Graduate Courses

All 400-level courses can be considered graduate courses. 

Many 300-level courses can be considered graduate courses, with additional work and instructor consent.

JUDAIC 500: Independent Study in Judaic Studies

JUDAIC 517: Topics in Judaic Studies.

JUDAIC 601: Introduction to Methods and Topics in Judaic Studies

JUDAIC 617: Graduate Topics in Judaic Studies.

JUDAIC 640: A History of Jews and Social Justice in the United States

JUDAIC 645: At Home in America: Post WWII American Jews

JUDAIC 890: Judaic Studies Capstone Research Course