JUD 120: Judaism and Contemporary Society

Course Description

The course will study how the Enlightenment and the Emancipation challenged pre-modern Judaism, and how Judaism has evolved from that time until our own day. It will explore such issues as liberal Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, secular Judaism, Zionism, reactions to the Holocaust, modern Israel, antisemitism, contemporary Jewish issues, and finally, postmodern Judaism.

Prerequisite

  • None

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

  1. Understand how the Enlightenment and the Emancipation affected the premodern Jewish community and the changes they brought to Judaism.
  2. Learn about the major Jewish thinkers of modern Judaism and the more contemporary postmodern period.
  3. Gain insight into issues such as various forms of religious Judaism, secular Judaism, Zionism, reactions to the Holocaust, issues in Israel, antisemitism, and contemporary Jewish issues.
  4. Learn to understand the thinking of people who advocate different forms of Judaism, particularly people with whom one disagrees.
  5. Develop an overview of how Judaism has developed in modern times in the United States, in Israel, and throughout the world.

Course Activities and Grading

AssignmentsWeight

Discussions (Weeks 1-8)

35%

Written Assignments (Weeks 1,3,5 & 6)

20%

Quizzes

15%

Final Paper (Week 8)

30%

Total

100%

Required Textbooks

  • This course uses Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are openly licensed, educational resources that can be used for teaching, learning and research. OER may consist of a variety of resources such as textbooks, videos and software that are at little or no cost for students.

Course Schedule

 

Week

SLOs

Readings and Exercises

Assignments

1

1,2,5

Topics: Pre-Modern Judaism and its Challenges

  • Review Getting Started information
  • Review course syllabus
  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Complete Written Assignment
  • Introduce yourself in discussion forum

2

2,3,4

Topics: Liberal Judaism, Changing the Tradition

  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Participate in Discussions
  • Complete Quiz

3

2,3,4

Topics: Orthodox Judaism, Maintaining the Tradition

  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Participate in Discussions
  • Complete Written Assignment

4

2,3,4

Topics: Secular Judaism

  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Participate in Discussions
  • Complete Quiz

5

2,3

Topics: Three Major Issues

  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Participate in Discussions
  • Complete Written Assignment

6

2,3,5

Topics: Contemporary Challenges

  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Participate in Discussions
  • Complete Written Assignment

7

2,5

Topics: Postmodern Judaism

  • Review the lecture material
  • Read assigned articles
  • Participate in Discussions
  • Complete Quiz

8

1-5

Topics: Final Paper
  • Readings:
    • No assigned readings this week.
  • Participate in discussions
  • Submit Final Paper
  • Complete Course Evaluation

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.