JEWISH FOLKLORE Fall 2016 GSD 360 (37315) / Ant 325L (30560)/ JS 363/ RS 357 (42790) / REE 325 (43740) TTh 12:30 2:00 PM Room: GDC 2.402 Instructor: Dr. Itzik Gottesman itzikgottesman@gmail.com Office 917-930-0295 Office Hours: T Th 2-3:30 PM. Office: Burdine 308 Flags: Writing, Global Cultures. Course Description Dybbuks, golems, evil eye are just some of the more well-known aspects of Jewish folklore, but this course will also examine the folklife of the Jews, their world view, their folk beliefs and fears. Call it folk religion if you will; many of these practices were dismissed by the "offical" Jewish religion as unjewish, but the "folk" persisted and eventually the practice became Judaized and accepted. Using literary sources, ethnographic memoirs, historical documents, films (among them "The Dybbuk" 1939), folklore collections and field trips (among them - to the oldest Austin Jewish cemetery), we will focus on what makes Jewish folklore Jewish. Among the folklore genres to be examined -folktale, legend, folksong, folk music, custom, belief and of course, Jewish humor. This year the course will cover the Jewish Festivals as well. All required articles will either be on the class Canvas site or handed out. Grading Policy Final grades in this class will be based on a +/- system defined and calculated by the University of Texas. Please note that, in this system, there is no A+. An A=94-100; A- = 90-93.9; B+ = 87-89.9; B= 84-86.9; B- = 80-83.9. Attendance and class participation: 20% 2 short papers 3 pages 30% (first one an interview, second one on Jewish humor) - 1 -
2 longer papers 6 pages 50% (first one on a custom, second one is open topic) One shorter paper and one longer paper will be written in two stages, a first draft and a final rewrite. No electronic devices in class Required Texts: Please buy them all thru Amazon Books. Some copies of "Jewish Magic" at the Co-op. 1) Joshua Trachtenberg Jewish Magic and Superstition (at Co-op) 2) Joachim Neugroschel Great Tales of Jewish Fantasy and the Occult (please purchase through Amazon) 3) Hayyim Schauss The Lifetime of a Jew 4) Hayyim Schauss Jewish Festivals 5) Bible IMPORTANT REFERENCE WORKS: On reserve in PCL Jewish Folklore: An Annotated Bibliography Eli Yassif On-line reference at UT Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utexas/detail.action?docid=10674760 Jewish Encyclopedia on line (1906) http://jewishencyclopedia.com/ (ibasic Jewish concepts clearly presented, including folklore) YIVO Encyclopedia on line http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/ (anything related to Eastern European Jewry) Weekly assignments. Thursday August 25 Introduction to Jewish Folklore - "What's Jewish about Jewish Folklore?" In class video: Gefilte Fish. Tuesday August 30 Folklore in the Bible - 2 -
Read all of Genesis in the Bible: 1) Be ready to discuss - In the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are there any narratives that repeat themselves? 2) article in Canvas by Dan Ben-Amos Jewish Folklore Studies, section A - Folklore and the Hebrew Bible. pages 19-22 3) In Canvas: article: "The Formation of the Biblical Narrative" Thursday Sept. 1 Midrash 1: Folklore and the Bible - Handout from Tsene-Rene: the Woman s Bible Tuesday Sept 6 Midrash 2: The Legend of The Ten Lost Tribes Classic Jewish Legends: The Ten Lost Tribes Abraham Gross The Expulsion and the Search for the Ten Lost Tribes in Canvas.. Thursday Sept. 8 Classic Jewish Legends: The Story of the Jerusalemite, The Jewish Pope *Proposal for first short paper due: Interview with person on Jewish folklore. On Canvas Five Versions of the Story of the Jerusalemit. In Great Works read The Jewish Pope In Canvas read The Enduring Legend of the Jewish Pope:. Tuesday Sept. 13 The Golem The Golem: pages 162 to 225 in Great Tales of Jewish Fantasy. in Canvas, article Golem! The Making of a Modern Myth. Thursday 15 Golem continued In class: Film Golem Golem in Popular Culture: in Canvas Golem and Marvel Comics Discussion of first paper: interview on Jewish Folklore with older Jew. Tuesday Sept. 20 Folktales How to analyze folktales: readings on motif and tale type. Handout: Jewish versions of the Grimm stories - 3 -
Thursday Sept. 22 Read: Four tales from Great Tales of Jewish Occult and Fantasy :The Rabbi Who Was Turned into a Werewolf" "Conversation of Two Ghosts" "Haninah and the Frog". Complete Ben-Amos article on Jewish Folk Literature page 192 - end. 2 paragraphy reaction paper - What do these tales tell us about the community that told them and wanted to hear them? Tuesday Sept 27 *Short paper due: interview with person on Jewish folklore. Discussion of interviews and papers looked at in class. Thursday Sept 29 Customs of Yom-kipper, Rosh-Hashone Customs of the High Holidays: Read in Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions. Rosh Hashonah and Yom kippur In Schauss Festivals: chapters 13-17 Tuesday, Oct 4 Customs of Yom-kipper, Rosh-Hashone cont. topic of 1st long paper on custom due Thursday, Oct 6, Jewish Themes in Folklore: Messianism In Great Tales The Messiah of the House of Ephraim pages 269 300. In Canvas: Messiah Ben Joseph in the Babylonian Talmud. Tuesday, Oct 11, Messianism part 2 Messiah of the House of Ephraim: 301 - end Canvas: Apocalyptic Messianism Thursday Oct 13 Class to be held in Sukkah. Sukkoth customs. Read Sukkah Sukkoth in Jewish Encyclopedia, and Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditon. In Schauss: chapters 18-20 - 4 -
Tuesday Oct. 18 Jewish Magic chapters 1-3 Theme: Jewish Mysticism Trachtenberg Jewish magic chapters 1-3 Thursday Oct 20 Solomon in Jewish Folklore read: in the Bible in book of Kings 1-11. and "King Solomon and Asmedai" in Great Works Tuesday Oct 25 *1st long paper on Custom due. Discussion, oral presentations. Thursday Oct 27 in class film The Dybbuk Tuesday Nov 1 Jewish Occult The Dybbuk - read Dybbuk tales in Great Tales of Thursday Nov. 3 Jewish Humor In class Jewish humor on TV. In Canvas: articles on Jewish Humor HumorMelBrooks.pdf HumorDialect.pdf HumorCurb.pd HumorJewishWomen.pdf Short paper on Jewish humor: Discussion of papers. Everyone tells a joke. Tuesday Nov. 8 Jewish Folk Life 1 Read:Schauss: part one "A Jewish Child is Born" Thursday Nov. 10 Jewish Folklife 2 Meet with instructor on final paper. Film: Last Jews of Radautz Read: Schauss part two: The Child Grows Birth and Circumcision customs. Tuesday Nov. 15 Jewish Folklife 3 Read: Schauss part three: Courtship and Marriage Thursday Nov. 17-5 -
Jewish Folklife 4 Read: Schauss part four. Burial Customs Tuesday Nov 22 Trip to Austin Jewish Cemetery Proposal for final longer paper due. Thursday Nov 24 Thanksgiving - no class Tuesday Nov 29 Death and Burial customs Jewish material culture: gravestones, kettuboth. handouts. Canvas articles: gravestones, synagogue art. Thursday Dec 1 Last Class Presentation of research on final papers.. First draft of longer paper due. Teacher's comments on drafts will be outside office. Burdine 308 Wednesday Dec. `12 Final Papers Due at Noon Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 512-471-6259, http://www. utexas.ed u/di versity /ddce/ssd/ - 6 -