R S 313M Jewish Civ: Begin To 1492 also listed as HIS 306N, J S 304M, MES 310 Course Description: Grading: Required Books (

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1 R S 313M Jewish Civ: Begin To 1492 also listed as HIS 306N, J S 304M, MES 310 Meets TTH 9:30am-11:00 in CMA SCHOFER, JONATHAN (jonschofer@austin.utexas.edu; Burdine 524) Associate Professor of Religious Studies Office Hours: TTH 1:30-2:30pm and by appointment in Burdine 524 Course Description: This course is a survey of Jewish civilization from the origins of Ancient Israel to 1500 C.E. All materials are in English translation. The course is taught primarily from the standpoint of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies, in the sense that the course will address both the history of Jews during this long period, and the most influential writings produced during that time. There will be some focus on the persons and writings that have been most influential for Jewish Civilization over time, including into the modern world. This course is the first half of a twosemester sequence, and another course taught regularly in Spring semester addresses Jewish Civilization from 1492 to the present. The course will be organized according to an overarching thematic image of Crisis and Response. Jewish Civilization over the time period we study, from origins in the later part of the second millennium B.C.E., to the end of the 15 th century C.E., encountered key crises including a memory of enslavement in its sacred sources, the need for sovereignty, the loss of sovereignty and a state of exile, and then continued existence only within larger empires for over two millennia. Responses to these crises were varied. In early legends, centuries of slavery were followed by liberation as The Exodus and the establishment of covenantal law (addressed in Unit 1). Later, the need for sovereignty brought the establishment of monarchy and centralized worship at a temple by the kings David and Solomon, and then a continuous period of sovereignty for over four centuries. This sovereignty ended in 587 B.C.E. and initiated the need for continued existence in exile as well as in Persian and Hellenistic polities (addressed in Unit 2). The first century C.E. brought a new crisis with the end of Temple worship due to Roman conquest, and then the most enduring and productive response for Jewish Civilization was the legal and other innovations of Classical Rabbinic Judaism (addressed in Unit 3). In the Middle Ages, the rise of Christian and Muslim empires brought new contexts for Jewish communities, but also new degrees of persecution, and these crises were intimately connected with responses in intellectual and religious life, including the development of philosophy and the mysticism of Kabbalah (addressed in Unit 4). Grading: 1) Three short papers, 2 pages each; each 15% of the course grade (45% total) 2) Midterm exam, closed-book, in-class (20%) 3) Final Exam, closed book, in-class; December 12, 2:00-5:00 pm (20%) 4) Class Participation (15%) Required Books (available at the University Co-Op Bookstore): Alexander, ed., Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism Jewish Publication Society (JTS), TaNaKh: The Holy Scriptures Robert Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought 1

2 Class Schedule: Aug. 25: Introduction Unit 1: Early History and Legends Crisis (Slavery) and Response (Exodus and Covenantal Law) Aug 30: The History of Ancient Israel, Origins to Sixth Century B.C.E. Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, 7-46 Sep. 1: The Bible: The Pentateuch, story of Creation Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Genesis 1-3 Genesis 6:5-8:22 Sep. 6: The Bible: The Pentateuch, stories of Abraham Genesis Sep. 8: The Bible: The Pentateuch, stories of Moses, The Exodus, and Sinai Exodus 1-15, (first 2-page paper assigned) Sep. 13: The Bible: Covenantal Law Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Exodus Leviticus 11, 23 (first short 2-page paper due) Unit 2: The Monarchies of Israel and Judah, and the Existence of a Temple Crisis (The Need for Sovereignty), Response (Monarchy and a Temple), and new Crisis (Exile and Life in Foreign Empires) Sep. 15: The Bible: Classical Prophecy Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Isaiah 1-6 Sep. 20: The Bible: The Deuteronomic History, David Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Samuel 17 2 Samuel 5-8; 2 Samuel (King David) Sep. 22: The Bible: The Deuteronomic History, Solomon and later kings 1 Kings 2:1-4, 1 Kings 8 (King Solomon) 2 Kings (King Hezekiah, King Josiah, and the end of the divided monarchy) Sep. 27: The Bible: Prophecy in the Babylonian Exile and the Persian Period Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Isaiah 40, 45, 65-66; Malachi 3 2

3 Sep. 29: The Bible: The Writings (Ketuvim): Song of Songs, Job, Ecclesiastes Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Song of Songs 1 Job 1-2, 42 Ecclesiastes 1-3 Oct. 4: The Bible: The Holy Days, the Temple, and Changes over the Centuries Num , Deut. 16 Please note: Oct. 4, 2016 is on the Jewish holy day of Rosh Ha-Shanah, or New Year. Please tell me in advance if you will not be able to come to class due to religious observance. Oct. 6: The Bible: The Writings (Kethuvim) and the Persian Period Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Ezra 1; The Book of Esther, Daniel 7 Oct. 11: The Hellenistic Period of Judaism Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, (review ) Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, Oct. 13: The Late Second Temple Period Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Oct. 18: MIDTERM, closed-book, in-class Unit 3: Classical Rabbinic Judaism Crisis (The End of Temple Worship) and Response (Classical Rabbinic Law, Ethics, and Liturgy) Oct. 20: History of Classical Rabbinic Judaism, to the Seventh Century C.E. Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Oct. 25: Law and Ethics in Classical Rabbinic Judaism Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, 83-90, Oct. 27: Thought and Theology in Classical Rabbinic Judaism Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Nov. 1: Liturgy and Prayer of Classical Rabbinic Judaism Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, Nov. 3: The Bible and Its Interpretation in Classical Rabbinic Judaism Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, (second 2-page paper assigned) Nov. 8: Stories of Leadership in Classical Rabbinic Judaism Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, (second 2-page paper due) 3

4 Unit 4: Medieval Judaism Crisis (Continued Life Among Other Empires with Increased Persecution) and Response (New Innovations in Philosophy and Mysticism) Nov. 10: History of Medieval Judaism to 1500 Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, Nov. 15: Medieval Jewish Philosophy Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, (third 2-page paper assigned) Nov. 17: Medieval Jewish Philosophy Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, Nov. 22: Medieval Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, (third 2-page paper due) Nov. 24: NO CLASS, THANKSGIVING Nov. 29: Medieval Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah Textual Sources for the Study of Judaism, Dec. 1: Conclusion FINAL EXAM: Monday, December 12, 2:00-5:00 pm (I will request the same room as our classroom for the final exam, but this might not be granted, so I will give the room number as the end of the semester approaches). Policy Regarding Internet Study and Research The internet has very mixed information regarding the Bible and Jewish Studies, some quite useful and some misleading. For the purposes of this class, if you will do research on the internet for your short papers, please use these three sites only, and cite them when you draw from them. They will be discussed in class lecture: The Jewish Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia Judaica: Wikipedia, which builds many of its entries from The Jewish Encyclopedia. Please compare the information from these sources with Seltzer s history. Wikipedia may update information, as compared with that in Seltzer s book, but generally Seltzer is more reliable. 4

5 Classroom Policies Policy on late work If you have an illness or family emergency, please give me a note from a doctor or other authority, and I will arrange an extension. If you do not have an illness or family emergency, the following policy aims to address both the needs of any given individual student who may have to submit work late, and the need to be fair to all students including those who can hand in work on time. If you hand in a paper up to one class session late, the grade will be reduced a full letter (A to B, A- to B-, etc.). After that, and until the final exam, you can hand in late papers, but the grade will be reduced two full letters (A to C, B to D, and lower grades will be an F; note, though, that I weigh an F as stronger for your overall grade than a 0 as a paper not submitted at all). The policy emphasizes that you benefit strongly from writing the paper rather than handing in nothing at all. Policy on absences Regular attendance, careful preparation of assigned readings, and participation in class discussions are considered to be basic requirements the course. If you are sick or have a family emergency, please notify me and take care of yourself. If you have a health or family emergency that means you have to miss more than two classes in the semester, I need a note from a doctor or other authority explaining your situation. Otherwise, the class participation component of the course grade, which is 15% of the total, will be affected negatively. If you are not sick, and if you have no family emergency, I expect you to be in class and to have prepared the readings as well as papers. In grading papers and tests, I will be particularly concerned that you are learning the material and concepts that are taught in class sessions. Prior learning of Jewish sources is not a substitute for doing the work required by this course. University Policies Religious Holy Days By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. Q Drop Policy If you want to drop a class after the 12th class day, you ll need to execute a Q drop before the Q-drop deadline, which typically occurs near the middle of the semester. Under Texas law, you are only allowed six Q drops while you are in college at any public Texas institution. For more information, see: 5

6 Student Accommodations Students with a documented disability may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, (voice) or (video phone). Please request a meeting as soon as possible to discuss any accommodations Please notify me as soon as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible Please notify me if any of the physical space is difficult for you Academic Integrity Each student in the course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code: As a student of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by the core values of the University and uphold academic integrity. This means that work you produce on assignments, tests and exams is all your own work, unless it is assigned as group work. I will make it clear for each test, exam or assignment whether collaboration is encouraged or not. Always cite your sources. If you use words or ideas that are not your own (or that you have used in previous class), you must make that clear otherwise you will be guilty of plagiarism and subject to academic disciplinary action, including failure of the course. You are responsible for understanding UT s Academic Honesty Policy which can be found at the following web address: University Resources for Students The university has numerous resources for students to provide assistance and support for your learning, use these to help you succeed in your classes The Sanger Learning Center Did you know that more than one-third of UT undergraduate students use the Sanger Learning Center each year to improve their academic performance? All students are welcome to take advantage of Sanger Center s classes and workshops, private learning specialist appointments, peer academic coaching, and tutoring for more than 70 courses in 15 different subject areas. For more information, please visit or call (JES A332). The University Writing Center The University Writing Center offers free, individualized, expert help with writing for any UT student, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Consultants help students develop strategies to improve their writing. The assistance we provide is intended to foster students resourcefulness and self-reliance. Counseling and Mental Health Center The Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) provides counseling, psychiatric, consultation, and prevention services that facilitate students' academic and life goals and enhance their personal growth and well-being. 6

7 Student Emergency Services ITS Need help with technology? Libraries Need help searching for information? Canvas Canvas help is available 24/7 at Important Safety Information BCAL If you have concerns about the safety or behavior of fellow students, TAs or Professors, call BCAL (the Behavior Concerns Advice Line): Your call can be anonymous. If something doesn t feel right it probably isn t. Trust your instincts and share your concerns. Evacuation Information The following recommendations regarding emergency evacuation from the Office of Campus Safety and Security, , Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate buildings when an alarm or alert is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside, unless told otherwise by an official representative. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office. Link to information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at: 7