Courses - Fall 2026
JWST141
Cross-listed with: HIST106.
Credit only granted for: HIST106 or JWST141.
History of the Jews in America from Colonial times to the present. Emphasis on the waves of migration from Germany and Eastern Europe; the changing nature of the American Jewish community and its participation in American social, economic, and political life.
JWST171
Cross-listed with: RELS171.
Credit only granted for: JWST171 or RELS171.
Jewish identity can be framed in terms of ethnicity, culture, and religious practice, but also in terms of more contemporary social constructions including social action, political engagement, and intellectual pursuit. In the context of such diverse social and individual frames, what does it mean to identify Judaism as a religion? Attention to Jewish society in historical and global perspective will provide a backdrop for a particular focus on contemporary Jews in the United States and Israel.
JWST219L
Special Topics in Jewish Studies; The 'Jew' in American Literature and Culture
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross listed with ENGL289L and CINE299L. Credit only granted for JWST219L or ENGL289L or CINE299L.
An exploration of the role played by literature in the development of American Jewish ethnic identity. Primary materials include essays, poetry, plays, short stories, novels, films and music.
An exploration of the role played by literature in the development of American Jewish ethnic identity. Primary materials include essays, poetry, plays, short stories, novels, films and music.
JWST225
Religions of the Ancient Near East
Cross-listed with: RELS225, HIST219I.
Credit only granted for: JWST225, HIST219I, RELS225, or RELS219A.
Formerly: RELS219A.
Introduction to ancient Near Eastern religious systems and mythology, from the third millennium BCE through the fourth century BCE. Particular emphasis on Mesopotamia and ancient Israel.
JWST230
Inventing Traditions: The Making of Rabbinic Judaism
Cross-listed with: HIST281, RELS230.
Credit only granted for: HIST281, JWST230, RELS219C or RELS230.
Formerly: RELS219C.
Introduces the dramatic literary and cultural (as well as political and demographic) innovations that reshaped Judaism in late antiquity. Examines the fundamental works and genres of rabbinic literature and the religious movement that produced them. Special emphasis on the rabbinic uses of "tradition" to enhance authority and legitimacy, and to foster group identity.
JWST262
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Cross-listed with: ENGL262, HEBR298B.
Credit only granted for: JWST262, HEBR298B, or ENGL262.
Origins of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), with attention to literary formations, archaeology, and social-political settings. Explorations of major questions, including who wrote the Bible, and when; relationships of the biblical tradition to the mythology and religious structures of ancient Israel's near eastern neighbors; and dynamics of politics, religious leadership, and law.
JWST274
Jerusalem in Antiquity: The History of Sacred Space in a Holy City
Cross-listed with: RELS274.
Credit only granted for: JWST274, RELS274, JWST289J or RELS289J.
Formerly: JWST289J, RELS289J.
Examines the complex history of Jerusalem's status as a holy city, with a focus on constructions of sacred space in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
JWST289E
Civil Discourse or Urban Riot: Why Cities Don't (Often) Explode
Cross-listed with: HIST135.
Credit only granted for: HIST135 or JWST289E.
An examination of the mechanisms that promote peaceful co-existence in urban societies and a discussion of how and why city streets sometimes become violent.
JWST319Y
Archaeological Methods and Practice
Prerequisite: ANTH240, ARTH200, CLAS180, or CLAS190.
Cross-listed with: ANTH305, ARTH305, CLAS305.
Credit only granted for: ANTH305, ARTH305, CLAS305, or JWST319Y.
A team-taught, interdisciplinary course discussing theories, methods, and ethical issues in the practice of archaeology.
JWST319Z
Special Topics in Jewish Studies; Jewish Identity: An Interdisciplinary Challenge
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS319Z. Credit only granted for RELS319Z or JWST319Z.
Academic Jewish Studies has explored the construction of Jewish identity from multiple vantage points. This course considers the modern construction of Jewishness in light of philosophical and social psychological theories of identity; historical approaches to religion, ethnicity, and nationhood; educational approaches to Jewish identity; and sociological treatments of assessment and measurement.
Academic Jewish Studies has explored the construction of Jewish identity from multiple vantage points. This course considers the modern construction of Jewishness in light of philosophical and social psychological theories of identity; historical approaches to religion, ethnicity, and nationhood; educational approaches to Jewish identity; and sociological treatments of assessment and measurement.
JWST333
Martyrs & Merchants, Lawyers & Mystics, Magicians & Messiahs: Jews Between Medieval and Modern Times
Recommended: HIST287 or JWST233; HIST 332; .
Cross-listed with: HIST373.
Credit only granted for: JWST333 or HIST373.
In an era marked by traumatic expulsions, inquisitorial barbarism, and enforced ghettoization, Jews reinvented themselves. Through their international networks of trade, Jews learned how to negotiate with kings and to govern new, large urban communities in new lands. They took advantage of the printing press to reorganize their literary traditions of law, biblical studies and mysticism, and created new hierarchies of religious status. And they flocked to hear new kinds of enthusiast preachers, celebrating the man they saw as the messiah finally come. We will together explore the contradictory forces that ultimately gave birth to the modern Jew.
JWST372
Jewry of Muscle: Zionism and Jewish Masculinity
Cross-listed with: ISRL372.
Credit only granted for: JWST319K, ISRL329K, JWST372 or ISRL372.
Formerly: JWST319K or ISRL329K.
Part of the Zionist cultural project involved creating a new Jewish masculinity that would replace the diasporic "sissy Jew" with a strong, healthy new "Jewry of Muscle." Using literary and cinematic sources, we will analyze how these Zionist and Israeli cultural productions served to build (and sometimes undermine) this new model of Jewish masculinity.
JWST418
Honors Thesis Research in Jewish Studies
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
JWST498
Advanced Language Module for Jewish Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Contact department or instructor for details.
A supplementary language module for students enrolled in designated Jewish Studies classes. Language and instruction English, texts in original language.
A supplementary language module for students enrolled in designated Jewish Studies classes. Language and instruction English, texts in original language.
JWST499
Independent Study in Jewish Studies
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
JWST609
Supervised Instruction-Practicum in Jewish Studies
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
S-F
JWST799
Masters Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
Prerequisite: permission of department.
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University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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