Spring 2015

JDS 209: Women in Jewish Literature – Noam Pines
M/W/F 10:00am–10:50am
708 Clemens Hall

The course will chart the role of women in modern Jewish literature. We will consider portrayals of women in traditional Jewish sources, and focus on the way that Jewish women authors sought to challenge or develop such portrayals in their own writings.

JDS 225/PHI 280/RSP 225: Modern Times and Religion – Richard Cohen
T/TH 12:00pm–1:50pm
708 Clemens Hall

The 19th century Industrial Revolution (steam engine, railroad, mass production) is not yet the 20th century Communications Revolution (phone, radio, movies, TV, computers, internet, Wi-Fi, cell phones, cable). The last thoughts and outlooks of a three thousand year old spiritual-intellectual heritage in the West reach their fruition and open new prospects, such as the spread of democracy, the rise of liberal religion, the growth of metropolitan culture, and the prospect of general prosperity. Seeking these breakthroughs at their sources, we will explore the old and the new in the prose and poetry of Mendelsohn, Hegel, Feuerbach, Schopenhauer, Marx, Melville, Dostoyevsky, Whitman, Comte, Darwin, Bergson, Nietzsche and Freud, among others.

JDS 253/RSP 253: Jewish, Christian, Islamic Ethics – Alexander Green
T/TH 2:00pm-3:20pm
708 Clemens Hall

How similar is Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought? Do they share a common ethics? This course will examine some central thinkers and works within each tradition, while comparing and contrasting different perspectives on God, the prophet, sacred texts, ethics, free will and tolerance for those of other faiths.

JDS 255/RSP 255: Jewish Folklore and Magic – Marla Segol
T/TH 11:00am- 12:20pm
708 Clemens Hall

Reading and writing are powerful in Judaism. Writing is a divine act in the Jewish story of the writing of the Torah, and when humans write, we both imitate divine power and evoke it. So too, are the acts of reading and storytelling. In medieval Judaism, the act of reading is one of uncovering and participating in divine power and knowledge, while storytelling performs this power. This course is an exploration of medieval Hebrew writing with a focus on medieval Jewish conceptions of storytelling, reading, writing, and performance.

JDS 264/COL 275: World Music – Noam Pines
M/W/F 2:00pm-2:50pm
708 Clemens Hall

The course will follow the careers of Jewish rebels in music, visual art, and literature in the twentieth century. We will attempt to determine the appeal of an anti-cultural stance (such as we find in Dada, Beat poetry, and Punk) to people of Jewish heritage. Discussions will include figures such as Tristan Tzara, David Bomberg, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Lou Reed, The Ramones, Martin Rev and Alan Vega and more. Please note: This course has been advertised as “Punk Jews, Rebellion and Pop Culture.”

JDS 284: Justice in Bibles, Law, and Philosophy – Sergey Dolgolpolski
T/TH 11:00am- 12:20pm
110 Capen Hall

A comparative study of the relationship between justice, law, and society in pagan, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Thought.

JDS 286/RSP 286: Prayer and Altered States – Marla Segol
T/Th 3:30pm-4:50pm
708 Clemens Hall

What is prayer and how does it work? How is it related to meditation and song? This course explores the phenomenology of prayer, meditation and religious music, their ritual function, and their effects on the brain, on personality, and community. We focus on Jewish sources, placing them in historical context and comparing them to those of other religions such as Hinduism and Christianity.

JDS 396/RSP 396: Religion and Science in Jewish Thought – Alexander Green
T/TH 9:30am-10:50am
708 Clemens Hall

What is the relationship between science and religion? Is science true and religion merely a myth? We will examine this question through an examination of the writings of classical, medieval and modern Jewish thinkers. This course is both for science and humanities students.

JDS 402/COL 716: Jewish Law in Development – Sergey Dolgopolski
TH 12:30pm-3:10pm
640 Clemens Hall

Historical, sociological, and legal concerns in early and later rabbinic literature; how Jewish life and thought relate to trends in legal interpretation though the centuries.

HEB 102: Elementary Modern Hebrew 2 - Lilia Dolgopolskaia
M/W/F – 9:00am-10:25am
109 Baldy Hall

Hebrew 102 is the second part of the Elementary Hebrew course at UB. This course aims to further present students with the basis of Modern Israeli Hebrew and to assist them in developing the fundamental linguistic skills of Hebrew aural and reading comprehension, conversation and writing in a communicative approach. To supplement the course packet, enrichment activities, ranging from traditional handouts to the use of new digital technology are incorporated in the course.

HEB 202: Intermediate Hebrew 2 - Lilia Dolgopolskaia
M/W – 11:00am-12:20pm
708 Clemens Hall

Hebrew 202 is the second part in the continuation of Intermediate Hebrew at UB. This course aims to offer students further basis of Modern Israeli Hebrew and to facilitate their communicative and linguistic skills in Hebrew aural comprehension, conversation, reading and writing. To supplement the course packet, enrichment activities, ranging from traditional handouts to the use of new digital technology are incorporated in the course.