HIS 216D - Modern Jewish History

Course Cross-listed with JS 216D
3 credit(s) High Impact Practice: Diversity and Global Learning
Jewish communities underwent enormous social, political and cultural changes in the modern period. Over the course of the semester, we will explore topics such as the changing terrain of Jewish life and practice in early modern Europe and the early modern Ottoman empire, diverse responses to Jewish emancipation, enlightenment, and assimilation, the rise of political and racial antisemitism, mass migration and the formation of new centers of Jewish life, Zionism and the emergence of Jewish nationalisms, the Holocaust, and Jewish culture and identity in the twenty-first century. We will pay careful attention to the diversity of Jewish experiences throughout this period, as well as the similarities and differences between Jewish life and practice in different areas of settlement. Curiosity about Jewish history is the only prerequisite for this course. No prior knowledge of the subject is required.

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Click here for Spring 2025 course scheduling information.