Interpreting Judaism
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| THEO1013 | Philosophy | 1 | 10 | Spring UK |
- Code
- THEO1013
- School
- Philosophy
- Level
- 1
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module will introduce Judaism in the period from its formation to modernity. We will study major texts of Second Temple and Late Antique Judaism, the developments of medieval Jewish culture under Islamic and Christian rule, and key topics in early modern and contemporary Judaism. Special emphasis will be given to the textual strategies of Jewish readings of the Bible, to the continuing important of the Temple as a central religious symbol, and to the impact of the foundation of the state of Israel. The module will give students an overview of Judaism as a diverse tradition that has always engaged its Roman, Christian, Persian, Muslim and modern Western surroundings.
A single coursework essay/assignment will replace all failed assessment components at the reassessment stage.
Target Students
Available to all students including subsidiary, Liberal Arts, and exchange students
Classes
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
During Directed Studies Week there will be no lectures or seminars, students are expected to extend learnings from the first part of the semester by revising class notes, reading extensively, consulting lecturers, and working on assessments.
Assessment
- 100% Coursework 1: One portfolio of 2000 words (max)
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
After taking the class, participants should have a grasp of the cultural and historical features of Judaism through the ages, of the diversity of Jewish cultures, and of the intimate interplay between Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures.Learning Outcomes
- Learning about the diversity of Jewish traditions will allow students to revaluate the dynamics of other ancient and contemporary religious traditions as well.
- Familiarity with the birth of classical Judaism will expose students to radical textual hermeneutics, to the rabbis' critical stance towards the history of the Israelites, and to the alternative rabbis offered to the dominant accounts offered by Greco-Roman Hellenism, Christianity, and Islam.
- Such knowledge prepares for a variety of topics in other disciplines within the Humanities, especially the disciplines of Religion and Theology, History, and Literature.
Professional practical skills:
- be able to communicate and discuss ideas and interpretations, and develop arguments by written means;
- be able to attend to, interpret, reflect on and interact with the ideas and arguments of others.
Transferable (key) skills:
- be able to deal with complex ideas;
- organise and articulate a coherent and justified written argument, demonstrate the ability to integrate interpretation with evidence.