2015/16 - Hebrew and Jewish Studies: Course Descriptions
Survey of Jewish History 1: The Ancient and Medieval Near East
Undergraduate and 2nd term JYA code: HEBR5771 - credit value: 0.5
HJS Finalists: N/A
Graduate Code: N/A
Description: An example of some of the topics that will be covered in this course are the
historiographical problems of the birth of Ancient Israel, concepts of kingship, prophecy, cult
and divinity, the protagonists of Jewish history (including Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes,
Zealots), the contribution of archaeology to our understanding of history, and the
transformation of Jewish society and culture under Christian and Islamic rule.
Duration of course:
1st term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and First term JYA: 2 essays 2 essays (1st:
nd
1,500 words, 40%, 2 : 2,500 words, 60%) Please note that students will also be expected to
do a literature review.
Survey of Jewish History 2: From Medieval to Early Modern Europe
(Prof M. Berkowitz)
Undergraduate and 2nd term JYA code: HEBR5772 - credit value: 0.5
HJS Finalists: N/A
Graduate Code: N/A
Description: This course deals with the period when it became meaningful to think and
speak about European Jewry as a distinct entity. Jewish communities within formative
nations, such as Poland, Lithuania, Spain and Portugal, and the German States, developed
particular trends and counter-trends. Our main concern will be the ways that Jews, as a
people and community of faith, attempted to adjust to changing times and conditions. Jews
repeatedly confronted the dilemma of how to respond to unprecedented situations. Among
the topics to be considered are characteristics of Ashkenazi vs Sephardi; features of Jewish
economic life; Rashi; the Crusades; the Western Church and the Jews; the Inquisition;
disputations; heresy-hunting; the "Blood Libel"; the Black Death; expulsions; Venice and
pawnbroking; Jewish decline and renewal in Muslim lands; Conversos, Spain, Portugal, and
the New World; Resettlement in England; mysticism; Shabbatai Zvi; Frankism and Donmeh;
Hasidism; women and Jewish prayer; Spinoza and biblical critisim; the Enlightenment and
Haskalah; Jews and bandits; Court Jews; background to the emergence of Moses
Mendelssohn.
Duration of course: 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and First term JYA: 2 essays (1st: 1,500
nd
words, 40%, 2 : 2,500 words, 60%) Please note that students will also be expected to do a
literature review.
Introduction to Israeli Culture, Society and Politics (Mr Seth Anziska)
Undergraduate and JYA code: HEBR5775 - credit value: 0.5
HJS Finalists: N/A
Graduate Code: N/A
Description: This course offers a concise introduction to the major factors shaping
contemporary Israeli society. It begins with an exploration of the political and cultural history
of Zionism, the encounter between Arabs and Jews in Palestine, and the 1948 War. The
course then traces internal Israeli cultural and political developments, Israel’s external
conflict with the Arab world, and the most prominent features of Israeli society today.
Themes include state formation, immigration and absorption, the revival of Hebrew culture,
the Palestinian question, religious and ideological transformations, the military, the economy,
social movements, and Israel’s place in the international arena.
Duration of course:
2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and JYA: essay 1 (40%) 1,500 words, essay 2
(60%) 2,000 words
Introduction to Hebrew Literature: Cultural and Historical Perspectives
(Dr. Tsila Ratner)
Undergraduate and JYA code: HEBR5902 - credit value: 0.5
HJS Finalists: N/A
Graduate Code: N/A
Description: The course will introduce students to the historical development of Hebrew
literature from medieval Spain, through the Jewish enlightenment in Europe, the Revival of
Hebrew in the turn of the 20th century to Modern Israeli literature. The course will place
literary works in their historical, cultural and political contexts and will use written and
cinematic works to illustrate the main features of the time. All selected texts, both literary and
non-literary, will be available in English translation.
Duration of course: 1st term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and JYA: essay 1 (40%) 1,500 words, essay 2
(60%) 2,000 words
Introduction to the Study of Judaism (Prof Sacha Stern)
Undergraduate and JYA code: HEBR5774 - credit value: 0.5
HJS Finalists: N/A
Graduate Code: N/A
Description: Judaism or Jewish religion has been, until at least the modern period, a central
and foundational part of Jewish culture and society. This course covers the key aspects of
Jewish religious beliefs and practices, including an introduction to sacred and other texts,
significant historical events, religious and ethnic diversity, and Jewish religion in the modern
world. The aim of this course is to explore how Judaism in all its facets is studied from an
academic perspective.
Duration of course: 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and JYA: essay 1 (40%) 1,500 words, essay 2
(60%) 2,000 words
Sources, Methods, Skills* (Dr. François Guesnet)
Undergraduate and JYA code: HEBR1000 - credit value: 0.5
HJS Finalists: N/A
Graduate Code: N/A
Description: This course offers a survey of the most relevant methods of academic inquiry
and argument in an academic field. Students will be introduced to the traditions and
practices of the historical-critical method, literary criticism, the learning of languages, the
analysis of visual materials including film, an appropriate use of internet and digitized
resources, the ongoing transformation of academic research through digital humanities, the
requirements for written assignments as well as oral presentations. The class will be
structured by a training of analytical skills through discussions of selected items of primary
source material in the above mentioned disciplines.
Duration of course:
1st term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and JYA: essay 1 (40%) 1,500 words, essay 2
(60%) 2000 words
*Compulsory course for HJS first year undergraduate students
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew* (Dr Lily Kahn)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR1005 - credit value: 1.0
First term JYA code: HEBR1005A - credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG045 - 30 credits
Description: This course is designed to familiarise complete beginners with Classical
(Biblical) Hebrew language and literature in a lively and enjoyable manner. By the end of the
year you will have acquired a solid grounding in Classical Hebrew grammar and vocabulary,
become familiar with an extensive range of fascinating biblical narratives, and gained the
ability to read the Hebrew Bible independently.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (40%),
coursework (60%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%), end of term test (50%)
Graduate: coursework (50%), 1 exam (50%)
*Required course for first year HJS undergraduate students
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew (Dr Lily Kahn)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7003 - credit value: 1.0
First term JYA code: HEBR7003A - credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG047 - 30 credits
Description:This course constitutes a continuation of Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. It
introduces students to the more advanced points of Biblical Hebrew syntax, hones English to
Hebrew translation skills, and provides comprehensive practice in the close reading of a
wide range of biblical texts with a focus on linguistic analysis.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (50%),
coursework (50%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%), end of term test (50%)
Graduate: coursework (50%), 1 exam (50%)
Modern Hebrew for Beginners* (Mrs Shosh Sharpe)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR1006 - credit value: 1.0
First term JYA code: HEBR1006A – credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG145 - 30 credits
Description: Basic grammatical outline; intensive acquisition of vocabulary; reading of easy
Hebrew texts (e.g. simplified newspapers); introduction to essay-writing and conversation
over a fairly limited range of topics.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%);
coursework (45%); oral skills (5%); oral exam (15%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%), end of term test (50%)
Graduate: 1 exam (35%); coursework (45%), oral assessment
(20%)
*Required course for first year HJS undergraduate students
Modern Hebrew (Lower Intermediate) (Mrs Shosh Sharpe)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7302 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7302A – credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG017 - 30 credits
Description: The course will expand vocabulary relevant to a range of everyday topics and
situations. It will develop fluency and more accurate use of basic grammatical structures and
vocabulary. Students will develop the ability to engage in more involved written and spoken
communication, such as expressing and understanding feelings and opinions.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%);
coursework (45%); oral skills (5%); oral exam (15%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%), end of term test (50%)
Graduate: 1 exam (50%); coursework (40%); oral presentation
(10%)
Modern Hebrew (Higher Intermediate) (Mrs Shosh Sharpe)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7303 - credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7303A - credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG048 – 30 credits
Description: The course aims at developing Modern Hebrew language skills that will
enable students to express themselves fluently and is open to students with sufficient
knowledge of the language (level 3). It will concentrate on developing reading, writing and
oral skills.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA : 1 exam (35%);
coursework (45%); oral skills (5%); oral exam (15%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%), end of term test (50%)
Graduate: 1 exam (50%), coursework (50%)
Advanced Modern Hebrew (Mrs Shosh Sharpe)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7304 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7304A – credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG036 - 30 credits
Description: The course aims at developing Modern Hebrew language skills that will enable
students to express themselves fluently, to read Israeli newspapers and literature. The
course is open to students with sufficient knowledge of the language (level 4) to be
determined by a placement test. It will concentrate on developing reading, writing and oral
skills.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%);
coursework (45%); oral skills (5%); oral exam (15%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%), end of term test (50%)
Graduate: 1 exam (50%), coursework (50%)
Prerequisite:
Completion of either HEBR7303 Modern Hebrew – Higher
Intermediate or HEBR7003 Further Classical Hebrew (or the
graduate course equivalents)
Elementary Yiddish (Dr Helen Beer)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7504 - credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7504A - credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG016 - 30 credits
Description: This course is designed to enable complete beginners to speak, read, write
and understand Yiddish. Each lesson will include study of new vocabulary, grammar and
various aspects of Yiddish culture. Upon completion of the course, students will have the
ability to converse confidently on a variety of everyday topics and begin reading authentic
Yiddish literature.
Duration of course:
Means of assessment:
1st and 2nd term
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%);
coursework (45%); oral skills (5%); oral exam (15%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%); end of term test (50%)
Graduate: 1 exam (50%); coursework (40%); oral presentation
(10%)
Yiddish Literature: Special Topics
(Dr Helen Beer)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7509 - credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7509A (1st term), HEBR7509B (2nd term) - credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG140 – 30 credits
Description: This course will introduce students to the breadth, depth and diversity of
modern Yiddish literature. The vast majority of Yiddish writings remain untranslated and the
course will concentrate on lesser known works. Beginning with some barely known writings
of Sholem Aleichem and I.L. Peretz, close readings of literary texts will examine a variety of
styles and subjects and their historical and cultural contexts.
The course will examine fiction, drama and some poetry focusing on works by Sholem
Aleichem, I.L. Peretz, Peretz Markish, Rokhl Faygenberg, Israel Rabon, Alexander
Shpiglblatt.
We will study the ways in which Yiddish literature mirrors historical events and social and
political change and how that is reflected in a range of literary styles including the avantgarde.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%);
coursework (45%); oral participation (5%); oral presentation
(15%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%); end of term test (50%)
Graduate: 1 exam (50%); coursework (40%); oral presentation
(10%)
Pre-requisite: Completion of Elementary Yiddish or equivalent
as all readings are in Yiddish
Introduction to Judeo-Spanish and Its Literature
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7819 - credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7819A; second term JYA code: 7819B
Graduate code: HEBRG217 – 30 credits, HEBRG155 – 15 credits
Description: This course is aimed at students who want to immerse themselves into a
language and culture of a specific Jewish group such as the Sephardim or Spanish Jews.
The course is intended mainly for students of the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies
but it is also open to other departments, particularly to students of the Department of
Spanish and Latin American Studies due to the existing historical, linguistic and cultural links
between the Sephardim and the Iberian Peninsula. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required.
The course corresponds to levels A1-A2, according to CEFR, which means acquiring basic
grammar structures of Judeo-Spanish through different literary texts; poetry, theatre and
narrative. The course will consist of lectures, interactive language work in class and
reinforcement of language work through texts of both folk and religious literature as well as
works of renowned Judeo-Spanish authors.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%); continuous
language coursework (50%); exam (50%)
First term JYA: coursework (50%); end of term test (50%)
Graduate: continuous language work (40%); 1 essay (2,500)
(20%), written exam (40%)
Talmudic Aramaic (Dr Willem Smelik)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7417 – credit value 1.0
First term JYA code: HEBR7417A - credit value 0.5
Graduate code: HEBRG126 – 30 credits
Description: The Babylonian Talmud can justifiably be described as the cornerstone of
Rabbinic Judaism, which remains relevant even today. It is written in a mixture of Hebrew
and Aramaic language, of which the Aramaic is traditionally poorly understood. Aramaic
grammars for the Talmud are extremely thin on the ground and outdated; the best grammar
to-day is only available in Modern Hebrew. Moreover, the Aramaic comprises several distinct
dialects, one of which is a genuine colloquial dialect. The relationship between these dialects
and other Near Eastern Aramaic dialects is still a topic of debate. This course will enable
students who are somewhat familiar with the Talmud, either through traditional learning or
academic training, to acquire the essential academic language skills for the Aramaic
portions. The course will focus on philology and dialectology.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd Term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 unseen exam (100%)
First term JYA: 1 essay 2-3,000 words (100%)
Graduate: 1 exam (80%) 1 essay (4,000 words)(20%)
[Introduction to] Syriac (Dr Gillian Greenberg)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7416 – credit value 1.0 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG083 – 30 credits
Description: The course will include a comprehensive introduction to Syriac grammar and
syntax and study of a wide range of texts including passages from the Peshitta, the Syriac
translation of the Hebrew Bible and of the New Testament; commentary from the period of
the Church Fathers and from secular texts.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 3 tests during the course
of year) (100%)
Graduate: 1 exam (100%)
Women in the Jewish Tradition (Course Convenor Dr Tsila Ratner)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7732 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7732A; Second term JYA code: HEBR7732B – credit 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG037 – 30 credits
Description: This team taught course will examine the position of women in the Jewish
tradition from a variety of thematic and historical perspectives. We will follow the
representation of women in the Bible, the Talmud, in Hasidism, in literature from medieval
poetry to modern literary works as we study questions of inclusion and exclusion, sexual and
national politics, compliance and dissent. These questions will be discussed and debated
from traditional, historical and contemporary points of view reflecting the wide range of
research specializations of the participating members of staff. All primary texts will be
available in English translations.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 2 essays (2,000 words,
60%), 3-hour exam (40%)
JYA one term: 1 essay (3,500 words, 100%)
Graduate: 2 essays (3,000 words each, 60%), 3-hour exam
(40%)
Moses Maimonides in Jewish Thought and History (Dr Tali Loewenthal)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7216 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7216A; Second term JYA code: HEBR7216B – credit 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG216 – 30 credits
Description: Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) is a key, if controversial, figure in Jewish
thought and history. This course aims to provide an informed outline of his Hebrew and
Judeo-Arabic writings, using English translations, with discussion of the tensions between
simplistic faith and intellectualist spirituality. We will critically consider his ideas and some of
the responses to them in his own time and in subsequent centuries into the present. This
will include exploring his works of Jewish law, letters responding to communal crises, his
‘Thirteen Principles of Faith’, his philosophical Guide for the Perplexed and the controversies
about it, his ethical teachings and his relationship with Jewish mysticism, as well as his
views on women. We will also consider more recent responses to him by rationalists,
reformers, Talmudists and Hasidim.
Duration:
year
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (35%), 2 essays
(2,500 words each) (65%)
First or Second term JYA: 1 essay (3,000 words)
Graduate: 2 essays (4,500 words each) (100%)
Prerequisite:
None
Modern approaches to the Talmud (Prof. Sacha Stern)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7411 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7411A - credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG072 – 30 credits
Description: For students well experienced in Talmud study, this course offers an introduction
to modern, academic approaches to the Talmud, including textual criticism (e.g. based on
medieval manuscripts), redaction criticism (the study of how the Talmud was redacted), and
relating to the Talmud to its broader historical and cultural context. These approaches can
improve our understanding and appreciation of the Talmudic text as well as of its medieval and
later rabbinic commentators. Lectures will be focused on the Babylonian Talmud, and more
specifically on tractate Qiddushin 2a-6a.
Duration:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 2 essays (2,000 words
each, 60%), unseen 3-hour exam (40%)
First term JYA: 1 essay 3,500 words (100%)
Graduate: 1 exam (40%), 2 essays (3,000 words)(60%)
Pre-requisite: BA course ‘Introduction to the Babylonian
Talmud, or ability to learn the Talmud with its commentaries.
Better worlds? Jewish migration and settlement in Britain and America
(Prof. Michael Berkowitz)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7725 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7725A; Second term JYA code: HEBR7725B – credit 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG065 – 30 credits
Description: This course largely concerns the history of Jewish migration and acculturation
in Britain and the United States. The main area of focus is the processes by which Jews
were transformed, and transformed themselves into new generations of "American" and
"British" Jews though emigration. English Jewry originates in medieval times, and a more
comparative approach with North America begins in the 17th century. The stress will be on
the periods of mass immigration and adjustment to the respective areas of settlement.
Therefore the greatest share of the course will consist of comparing the "immigrant
experiences" in different settings and subsequent migrations. As opposed to considering
these communities from their internal tensions and politics, they shall be approached
through the situation of Jewry in the wider non-Jewish and international contexts.
Furthermore, by using literature, film, music, and a field-trip, we will survey the cultural
creations and horizons of these diverse Jewries.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate: 1 exam (70%), 2 essays (2,500 words each)
(30%)
First or Second term JYA: 1 essay (5,000 words)
Graduate: 1 exam (80%), 1 essay (20%)
Jewish-Muslim Relations in Historical Perspective (Mr Seth Anziska)
Undergraduate and First term JYA code: HEBR7771 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7771A; Second term JYA code: HEBR7772B – credit 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG221 - 30 credits
Description: Jews and Muslims have lived alongside one another since the rise of Islam in
the seventh century until today, along a rich spectrum of interaction, cohabitation, and
conflict. This course focuses on the history of Jewish-Muslim relations in the 19th and 20th
century Middle East, against the backdrop of earlier encounters, concluding with the
contemporary state of communal interactions.
By focusing on a range of perspectives, including intellectual and religious life, social and
cultural exchange, politics, nationalism, and language, the course traces the emergence of
distinct and overlapping identities from the late Ottoman Empire through the rise of nationstates in the Middle East and adjacent regions. Alongside the everyday experience of intercommunal living, as seen through the lens of primary sources (including sacred texts, poetry,
fiction, letters, film, and memoirs), the course explores the impact of Zionism and the ArabIsraeli conflict on questions of identity, memory, and the complex relationship between these
groups. The course also focuses on historiography: specifically, the different ways in which
varying accounts of communal relations have been understood and written in scholarship
and received by the wider public.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of Assessment:
Undergraduate: 2 essays (one of 2,000 words each, 65%),
unseen 3 hour exam (35%)
JYA: 1 essay (3,500 words, 100%)
Graduate: 2 essays (3,000 words, 65%), 1 3 hour exam (35%)
History of the Jews in Poland (Dr. François Guesnet)
Undergraduate code: HEBR7740 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7740A – credit value 0.5 cu
Graduate code: HEBRG006 – 30 credits
Description: A social, political and cultural history of the Jews in the Polish state from the
Middle Ages to the present. The course examines the rise of Jewish political autonomy in the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; the consequences of the partitions of Poland for the
Jews; the rise of modern Polish Antisemitism; Jews in inter-war Poland; the Holocaust in
Poland; the Jews in post-war Poland.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate: 1 exam (70%), 3 essays (30%)
First term JYA: 1 essay (4-5,000-words) (100%)
Graduate: 1 exam (80%), 1 essay (20%)
Religion, State, and Society in Modern European History (Dr. François Guesnet)
Undergraduate code: HEBR1007 – credit value 0.5 cu
Description: This course offers a survey on the relationship between religious communities,
religious commitment, and political developments in modern European history. Rather than
focusing on a single faith group, it investigates the complex interaction between religious
commitment and the fabric of European nations, societies and cultures. By discussing a
sequence of particularly relevant cases, it also reviews the most relevant theories in the
history and sociology of religion.
The emphasis on Europe will help understand the complexity of the European religious (and
anti- or non-religious) legacy, and offer insights which might be applied to other world
regions. The course will enable students to develop a critical and empathetic understanding
of the dynamic relationship of religion and society.
Duration of course:
2nd term
Means of assessment:
two essays (40% each) and 1 presentation (20%).
Britain and Israel: Conflict and Normalisation (Prof Neill Lochery)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7761 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7761A; Second term JYA code: HEBR7761B – credit 0.5cu
Graduate code: HEBRG104 – 30 credits
Description: The course will examine the relationship between the United Kingdom and
Israel from 1948 until the present. It will focus on the key issues that determined the
relationship such as arms sales from the UK to Israel, UK diplomatic policy towards the
Arab-Israelis conflict and in recent years the Middle East Peace Processes. The course will
examine in detail the collusion between Israel and the UK during the Suez War of 1956. It
will also examine the key relationship between the Foreign Office in Whitehall and Israel.
The course will adopt a chronological approach – examining the key events and issues that
impacted upon the relationship over time. The first session will cover the origins of the
relationship, which went a long way to shaping the initial years of the relationship.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (70%), 2 essays
(30%) (2,500-3,000 words each)
First or Second term JYA: 1 essay (5,000 words)
Graduate: 1 exam (80%), 1 essay (20%)
The
Arab-Israeli
Conflict:
War
and
Diplomacy
in
the
Middle
East
(Prof Neill Lochery)
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA code: HEBR7750 – credit value 1.0 cu
First term JYA code: HEBR7750A; Second term JYA code: HEBR7750B – credit 0.5cu
Graduate code: HEBRG009 – 30 credits
Description: The subject introduction adopts a chronological approach to the study of the
Arab-Israeli conflict from its origins at the start of the 20th century through to the peace
process of recent decades. It aims to provide an in-depth historical analysis of the complex
development of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and assess its interaction with Arab and Israeli
domestic politics. In specific terms, it introduces students to the main secondary literature
and primary documentation on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Duration of course:
1st and 2nd term
Means of assessment:
Undergraduate and Full-year JYA: 1 exam (70%), 2 essays
(30%) (2,500-3,000 words each)
First or Second term JYA: 1 essay (5,000 words)
Graduate: 1 exam (80%), 1 essay (20%)
Undergraduate Final Year Dissertation
Undergraduate code: HEBR4901- credit value 1.0 cu
Description: Study of an approved topic, based on independent research, presented in no
less than 7,500 and no more than 10,000 words (including bibliography and notes). Students
are expected to work closely with a member of staff to formulate and research their topic.
The topic must be approved by the student’s supervisor and Personal Tutor.
Non-credit bearing modules:
Talmud Class – open to anyone, Mondays 1-2pm, FC331
Israeli Film Night – Thursday 5-7pm FC Common Room (3rd floor)
Contemporary Literary Reading Group (Hebrew) - Wednesdays 5-6:30pm
Graduate Seminar – compulsory for all HJS MA and Research students, Wednesdays 1:152:15, FC331
COURSE BELOW FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY
*MA Core Course (convenor: Dr Willem Smelik & Prof Michael Berkowitz)
Graduate code: HEBRG333 – 30 credits
Description: This course offers a combination of in-depth reflection on the varied
disciplinary roots of the field of Jewish Studies such as History, Religious Studies,
Philosophy, Literature, Linguistics, area studies (Israel Studies, Eastern European Studies,
Sephardi Studies), Cultural Studies, Holocaust Studies, Political Sciences. It will reflect on
the impact of these disciplines on Jewish Studies, on the development of the discipline itself,
as well as on current debates and developments. It will put the emphasis on questions of
theory and methodology, including discussions of ongoing methodological innovations e.g. in
Digital Humanities. These disciplinary perspectives will be supplemented by classes
preparing for professional academic activities like publishing and editing, public
presentations, and academic institutions and associations.
Means of assessment: 1) Article Proposal (10%)
2) Oral Presentation (20%)
3) Literature Review (20%)
4) Exam (50%)
COURSES BELOW: RELEVANT TO JEWISH STUDIES OFFERED BY KING’S
COLLEGE AVAILABLE TO UCL STUDENTS
These courses are open to second-year and finalists BA students only. Please note you
must register directly with King’s College for these courses and must notify the HJS
Department of your choice.
5AAT2202 Theological Themes in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament 0.5 cu
5AAT2042 Ritual in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament 0.5 cu
6AAT3052 European Jews and the 'Orient' 0.5 cu
6AAT3050 Law and Ethics in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament 0.5 cu