Columbia University in the City of New York · Courses
JWST GU
7 courses with the subject JWST GU, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
JWST GU4145Topics in Israeli Cinema3.00
Israel has a unique and constantly-evolving national cinema, the product of its diverse immigrant population, influences from neighboring nations, and dramatic national history. Beginning with artistic influences from abroad and culminating with native self-examinations, this course will provide a survey of Israeli film history, recurring foci of Israeli cinema, and introductions to influential filmmakers from early director and impresario Menahem Golan to Orthodox writer/director Rama Burshtein. Each class meeting will include a complete screening of an Israeli feature film, as well as clips of related works. Readings will include critical essays and histories which elaborate on in-class screenings and cover additional topics and films. Written assignments will be three analytical essays which will encourage critical thinking, close analysis of films, and independent research beyond the materials presented in class. All readings are in English. All feature films and film clips are in Hebrew (some include Arabic), and will be presented with English subtitles. Students fluent in Hebrew and Arabic are encouraged to interpret the dialogue for additional meaning that may not be translated in the subtitles
The world’s most influential living film director and the most impactful creator of popular culture in the last quarter of the Twentieth Century is a Jewish-American. Steven Spielberg’s uncanny grasp of visual storytelling and his auteurist signature can be found on every film he has directed, as well as many he has produced. This course will analyze the content and formal construction of Spielberg’s films by following their thematic through-lines – family ties (strained and healthy), the implacable threat, humanity at war, man vs. the natural world, the child’s perspective, Jewish identity and others – in films as disparate as Jaws and The Color Purple. Each class meeting will include a complete screening of a feature film directed by Steven Spielberg, as well as clips of related films by Spielberg. Readings will include critical essays, histories, and interviews which elaborate on in-class screenings and cover additional topics and films. Written assignments will be three analytical essays which will encourage critical thinking, close analysis of film texts, and independent research beyond the materials presented in class
JWST GU4159Antisemitism and Resistance in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa4.00
In this course, we will not only analyze some of the key antisemitic texts and ideas of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but also consider the impact of antisemitism on Jewish lived experience in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe and the ways in which Jewish people and communities have responded to and confronted antisemitism in all three regions. Antisemitism permeates the histories of nationalism, colonialism, and religion in ways that cross borders and cultures. Often, predominantly European phenomena – from the myth of ritual murder to fascist racism – have meaningfully informed Middle Eastern and North African antisemitism. Jewish resistance movements in all three regions, meanwhile, have relied and built upon one another: Middle Eastern Jews called upon European Jewish leaders to help them confront the anti-Jewish policies of colonial bureaucracies, and North African Jewish partisans rescued European Jewish refugees during World War II. These regions, however, are typically studied in isolation from one another. In this course, we will seek to arrive at an understanding of the interconnectedness of these histories. Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Jewish life in these regions was radically transformed. Many longstanding Jewish communities – whole worlds of culture and human life – were ultimately destroyed. In our own time of rampant, well-documented antisemitism, it is especially important to learn about not only the history of antisemitism itself, but also the myriad successes and failures of those who, at every moment, found ways to resist. By learning about the past, we inherit the collective wisdom of those who have engaged with these issues before us; this may, in turn, help us to make well-informed, thoughtful decisions in the present and for the future
JWST GU4160Resilience and Resistance: North African Jews during the Colonial Period4.00
This seminar examines the multifaceted experiences of Jewish communities in the Maghreb during the colonial period, spanning from the early 19th century through the independence movements of the mid-20th century. We will explore how these communities navigated the social, political, and cultural landscape of colonial rule, focusing on key themes that shaped the Jewish experience in colonial North Africa. These themes include the impact of French colonial policies, evolving legal status, the involvement of French Jews in colonial dynamics, the rise and decline of the Judeo-Arabic press and literature, the emergence of Jewish women's writing, rabbinical responses to colonialism, and Jewish participation in anti-colonial movements. By analyzing a diverse range of primary sources—from rabbinical responsa and colonial legal documents to Judeo-Arabic literature and photographs—we will examine how Maghrebi Jews confronted, subverted, and negotiated the colonial order while reconfiguring their cultural and religious identities. By the end of the course, students will have developed a deeper understanding of the transformations in Jewish religious, cultural, and social life during the colonial period in North Africa. They will be able to evaluate the varied strategies of adaptation and resistance employed by Jewish communities in response to colonial rule. Students will also strengthen their ability to analyze a broad range of primary sources. Finally, they will learn to apply interdisciplinary approaches, drawing from history, postcolonial studies, Jewish studies, and literary analysis, to better understand Jewish life under colonial rule in the Maghreb
While Israel is perhaps one of the most discussed and debated state in the world – only few onlookers have a deep understanding of Israel’s complex and fragmented society and politics. This course invites the students into a journey to the historical and current Israeli politics and society by introducing the creation of the Israeli Democracy, the main political debates, different ideological visions, and the main cleavages and demographic divisions that have driven Israeli society from 1948 through the present days. By presenting continuation and changes in Israel history and society the students will learn about the main events in Israel history with respect to military and diplomatic issues, different groups and parties – among them, Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim), Palestinian citizens of Israel, Ethiopian Jews, Religious Zionist, Jewish settlers, Ashkenazi vs Mizrahi/Sephardic Jews – which create the fabric of Israel politics and society from its formative years to the current era. With an eye open to current developments, the course will also discuss new trends in Israeli politics. In addition to the reading and primary sources, the students will watch and review films about Israeli politics and culture. At the end of the course the students will gain a better understanding of Israel and its complexities. Course Objectives By the end of the course students will, (1) Understand Israel’s broad and diverse social and political spectrum, with an emphasis on historical events and core issues (the peace process, religion-state dynamics, etc.) 2. Be able to discuss and write intelligently about Israel’s history, politics and culture
JWST GU4602Zionism in History: Controversies Local and Global4.00
From its very inception on the stage of history, the Zionist idea has been a catalyst for intense controversy, both within the Zionist movement and the Jewish people, as well as among external critics. This course seeks to trace the major debates and controversies that have shaped Zionism from its founding to the present day, as they have manifested in the State of Israel. The curriculum examines key questions: Is Zionism a modern development of Judaism or a completely new phenomenon that marks a historical break? Should the movement have emphasized cultural identity or political sovereignty? Why did the Zionist movement choose a Western orientation over an Eastern one? We will also examine how Zionists engaged with the Arab Revolt of the 1930s, raising relevant questions such as the policy of restraint or retaliation, and analyze the core arguments of those who define Zionism as a legitimate — even one of the most justified — national movements versus those who characterize it through colonialist frameworks. Furthermore, the course will revisit Hannah Arendt’s controversial reflections on the 1961 Eichmann Trial and the subsequent accusations regarding her perceived lack of "Ahavat Yisrael" (love for the Jewish people). We will move forward to address the contemporary debate over whether anti-Zionism is inherently the same as antisemitism and explore Israeli views of anti-Zionist critiques. Throughout the course, we will place special emphasis on examining controversies surrounding Israel and Zionism in comparison to other global nationalist movements. By situating Zionist history within both global perspectives and internal debates, students will move beyond narrow political discourse to acquire a profound understanding of Israel’s past and present. Each session will be supplemented by primary sources, including films, speeches, testimonies, and interviews
This course approaches Jewish Studies from theoretical and pedagogical standpoints. In addition to looking back at ancient, medieval and Early Modern approaches to the study of Jewish topics and examining the theoretical, historical and religious underpinnings of Jewish Studies as a modern discipline, we will also read theoretical writings from related disciplines. The course will balance these materials with pedagogical materials and exercises. Faculty from disciplines related to Jewish Studies will visit the seminar to offer perspectives on current approaches to the field, and the class will visit the Rare Book and Manuscript Library with Jewish Studies Librarian Michelle Chesner. This course is required for students in the Jewish Studies MA program. It is open to graduate students, and advanced undergraduates may register with permission from the instructor. Please note that faculty visits will be added to the syllabus as they are scheduled
