Announcing Summer 2019 Course: Jewish Studies 121

Jewish Studies 121: Topics in Jewish Arts and Culture

Title: Are there Arab Jews, Kurdish Jews, Berber Jews?: Jewish Cultures of the Middle East & North Africa

Course #15708:
Summer Session D:  Six-Week Session: July 8–August 16 

M T W Th: 10 a.m.–12 noon | Evans 87 | 4 units 

 Description: This course provides an introduction to the rich cultural diversity of Jewish communities of the Middle East and North Africa. Focusing primarily on the 20th century through an interdisciplinary mix of texts, films, music, and foods, we will explore (and sometimes blur!) the boundaries of culture and religion. Central to our concerns will be considerations of identity: What are the possibilities of multi-faceted identities, and how are identities defined not just in opposition but also in relation to each other, each informing the other in the process? What was it like to be a Jewish Kurd in Iraq or an Arabic-speaking Jew in Morocco? Interested students from all majors and backgrounds are welcome.

Satisfies the Arts & Literature L&S breadth requirement.