The Making of American Jewish Identities: Blood, Bris, Bagels, and Beyond
RELI 384
Spring 2011 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
AMST 383 |
| Certificates: Jewish and Israel Studies |
Jewish identities in the United States, and perhaps elsewhere, have been difficult to define in categorical terms. Jewishness is often seen, and lived, as an amorphous peoplehood--on the boundaries of such categories as religion, race, ethnicity, nation, class, and culture. This course will examine some of the conceptual and political categories that have been used, since the 19th century, to construct American Jewish identities. By examining the ties and tensions among these categories of identity, students will gain a new understanding of American Jewishness, as well as a critical perspective on the process of collective identity formation. What, we will ask, does the proliferation of conceptual categories around Jewishness tell us about the nature of collective identity, as such? Is Jewishness somehow unique, or distinctive, in this categorical multiplicity? Or does the ambiguity of American Jewishness give us insight into the ambiguities of other identities? |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST)(RELI) |
Major Readings:
Hasia Diner, LOWER EAST SIDE MEMORIES: A JEWISH PLACE IN AMERICA
Eric Goldstein, THE PRICE OF WHITENESS: JEWS, RACE, AND AMERICAN IDENTITY
Andrew R. Heinze, ADAPTING TO ABUNDANCE: JEWISH IMMIGRANTS, MASS CONSUMPTION, AND THE SEARCH FOR AMERICAN IDENTITY
Riv-Ellen Prell, PRAYER AND COMMUNITY: THE HAVURAH IN AMERICAN JUDAISM
Jeffrey Shandler, ADVENTURES IN YIDDISHLAND: POSTVERNACULAR LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Jasmin Habib, ISRAEL, DIASPORA, AND THE ROUTES OF NATIONAL BELONGING
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Examinations and Assignments:
Regular attendance and class participation. Brief written responses to the course readings, and a final paper based on research with primary and secondary sources. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the "Thematic Approach" OR "Historical Traditions" requirement for Religion majors. |
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