Contemporary Jewish Culture (TENTATIVE SYLLABUS) Fall 2013

Transcription

1 Contemporary Jewish Culture (TENTATIVE SYLLABUS) Fall 2013 Instructor: Hilit Surowitz-Israel Office Hours: Wednesday 1-2:30 or by appointment, Miller Hall Description: American Jewish communities are remarkably diverse, some define themselves racially, other ethnically, and some according to religious practice, or even body art. This course surveys Jewish communities in the Americas. We will explore the historical and cultural experiences that have helped define a number of Jewish communities, such as Cuban Jews, Jews of the American south, and Jews in New York. We will examine questions of race, ethnicity, community, and religion and the way in which these constructs shape identity. For examples, how do Cuban Jews in Miami understand and organize themselves vis-à-vis other Cuban and Jewish groups? Similarly, how do Ultra-Orthodox Jews in America define their community and relationship with other Jewish groups, and maintain distinction within a diverse social landscape? Among the topics discussed: diversity of Jewish life, religious dynamism, the maintenance and flexibility of social boundaries. Required Texts: Caroline Bettinger-López. Cuban-Jewish Journeys: Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, ISBN-13: Ayala Fader. Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Generation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn. Princeton: Princeton University Press, ISBN-13: Barbara Myerhoff. Number our Days: A Triumph of Continuity and Culture Among Jewish Old People in an Urban Ghetto. New York: Touchstone, ISBN-13: Other readings for the course will be available on SAKAI. Learning Goals: a. Students will develop their ability to engage in logical thinking and complex critical analysis. b. Students will develop their skills in expressing complex ideas through written and oral communication. c. Students will be able to read and analyze primary and secondary sources. 1

2 k. Students will be able to explain the development of some aspect of a society or culture over time, including the history of ideas or history of science. Assessment: Via embedded exam questions and embedded written assignments. Attendance & Participation Students are expected to attend each class on time. Attendance will be taken at each class meeting. You are permitted three unexcused absences. Following the third unexcused absence 1/3 of a letter grade will be deducted for each unexcused absence. Students who encounter any extended problem with absences, for example, for medical or family emergencies, or religious reasons, must inform me in writing about the reason and duration of the absence. Decisions on excused absences will be made on a case-by-case basis. Short quizzes may be given on a regular basis. There will be no make-ups for in-class quizzes or exams. Student participation is an integral component for the success of this class. Course participants will be expected to arrive to class on time, and prepared to discuss the assigned readings. Please bring assigned readings to class as we will frequently consult the text. Participation not only means asking questions and involving oneself in the classroom discussion, it also means actively listening to others. Course Requirements: 1) attendance and participation (10%) 2) Literature Review on topic of research (10%) 3) Observation notes and analysis (10%) 4) Interview Notes and Analysis (10%) 5) Final paper (35%) 6) Exam (25%) Course participants must submit all course requirements in order to complete the course. Written work will be graded on the basis of content, clarity of argument, quality of writing, and how well it analyzes the material and answers the questions. Written work, except for that which is a classroom assignment, must be typed (double-spaced, 12 pt. font), and spell-checked. One letter grade per day will be deducted for late papers unless you have a written medical excuse. Classroom Policies: Plagiarism and cheating will be penalized according to the full extent of University policy. Please consult Rutgers University s Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students: Students with disabilities who require accommodations should provide me with their accommodation letter from the Office of Disability Services as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Please consult the website of the Office of Disability 2

3 Services for further information: Note that I do not accept assignments submitted by . All assignments must be submitted in hard copy on the day that they are due. Evaluations will cover all course material. You must complete all course requirements in order to receive a passing grade Week 1 Wed., 9/7 Introduction to course; Schedule Thurs., 9/8 Anthropology of Jews Goldberg, Harvey. Introduction in Judaism Viewed from Within and Without. SUNY Press, 1987, pgs Week 2 Mon. 9/12 Methods & Fieldwork Behar, Ruth. The Story of Ruth, the Anthropologist. People of the Book: Thirty Scholars Reflect on Their Jewish Identity. University of Wisconsin Press, Agar, Michael. Beginning Fieldwork in The Professional Stranger. Academic Press, 1996, pgs Wed. 9/14 Defining Jews and Judaism Jew and Jewish Identity from Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 10 Markowitz, Fran. Blood, Soul, Race and Suffering: Full-Bodied Ethnography and Expressions of Jewish Belonging Anthropolog and Humanism Quarterly 31(1) 2006: p Week 3 Mon. 9/19 Defining our terms: religion, race, ethnicity, culture Goldstein, Eric. "Different Blood Flows in Our Veins': Race and Jewish Self-Definition in Late Nineteenth Century America," American Jewish History (1997). Glenn, Susan. In the Blood?: Consent, Descent, and the Ironies of Jewish Identity." in Jewish Social Studies, 8 (Winter/Spring 2002). Wed. 9/21 3

4 Discuss fieldwork project-guidelines, ethics Week 4 Mon. 9/26 Jews and diaspora Clifford, James. Diasporas Cultural Anthropology 9 (3) 1994 pp Andre Levy Introduction in Homelands and Diasporas: Holy Lands and Other Places Wed. 9/28 (literature review on topic due by 5pm-submit electronically) Geertz, Clifford. "Notes on the Balinese Cockfight" in The Interpretation of Cultures, Basic Books, Week 5 Mon. 10/3 selections from Let jasmine Rain Down: Song and Remembrance Among Syrian Jews by Kay Kaufman Shelemay, University of Chicago Press 1998 "Hip-Hop Judaica: The Politics of Representin' Heebster Heritage." Popular Music 28, #1 (Winter 2009): pgs Wed. 10/5 Jews & Race Goldschmidt, Henry. The Voices of Jacob on the Streets of Brooklyn. American Ethnologist 33 (3) Week 6 Mon. 10/10 Jews and Race Azoulay, Katya. Black, Jewish, and Interracial. Duke University Press, 1997, pgs Wed. 10/12 Film: Brownsville Black and White Week 7 Mon. 10/17 film: Fires in the Mirror comparative analysis Wed. 10/19 Passing and Blending Kaye/Kantrowitz, Melanie. "Jews in the US: The Rising Costs of Whiteness." Womens Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5. (2010 ):

5 Week 8 (observation notes & analysis due in class) Mon. 10/24 Caroline Bettinger-López, Cuban-Jewish Journeys: Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami. 2000, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press Wed. 10/26 Caroline Bettinger-López, Cuban-Jewish Journeys: Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami. 2000, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, (cont.) Week 9 Mon. 10/31 Caroline Bettinger-López, Cuban-Jewish Journeys S:earching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami. 2000, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, (cont.) Wed. 11/2 (interview notes due in class) Caroline Bettinger-López, Cuban-Jewish Journeys: Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami. 2000, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, (cont.) Week 10 Mon. 11/7 Identity and the Researcher Virginia Dominguez Different and Difference, Anthropology and Humanism Quarterly 14(1) 1989 pgs Stephen Pastner Good Jew, Bad Jew Anthropology and Humanism Quarterly 14(1) 1989 pgs Molly Schuchat On Partisan Observation Anthropology and Humanism Quarterly 14(1) 1989 pgs Wed. 11/9 Methods II Sanjek, Roger. On Ethnographic Validity in Fieldnotes. Cornell University Press, 1990, Week 11 Gender Mon. 11/14 Sacred Categories and Social Relations: The Visibility and Invisibility of Gender in an American Jewish Community by Riv-Ellen Prell from Judaism Viewed from Within and Without by Harvey Goldberg, SUNY Press,

6 Fader, Ayala. Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Genreation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn. Princeton University press, Wed. 11/16 Fader, Ayala. Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Genreation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn. Princeton University press, Week 12 Mon. 11/21 Fader, Ayala. Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Genreation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn. Princeton University press, (cont.) Wed. 11/23 (***Papers Due by 5pm-submit electronically; details forthcoming) Fader, Ayala. Mitzvah Girls: Bringing Up the Next Genreation of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn. Princeton University press, (cont.) Week 13 Mon. 11/28 Myerhoff, Barbara. Number our Days. Touchstone, (cont.) Number Our Days documentary film Wed. 11/30 In-class Exam Week 14 Mon. 12/5 Myerhoff, Barbara. Number our Days. Touchstone, Wed. 12/7 Myerhoff, Barbara. Number our Days. Touchstone, (conclusion) Surviving Stories: Reflections on Number Our Days from Between Two Worlds (Kugelmass) 6