This course is an introductory historical survey of Jewish religion, culture, politics, and philosophy from the Spanish Expulsion of 1492 to the flourishing of Jewish life in contemporary North America. We will study a variety of primary sources - political manifestos, philosophic tracts, short stories, moving pictures, history books, and religious texts-- accompanied by secondary sources. Our geographic scope will span diverse locals from Berlin to Beirut, California to Cairo, and Tel Aviv to Toronto and Tehran. The question of what Jews have considered to be “enlightened,” and its repercussions for both the Jewish religious tradition and the Jews’ political interaction with the State, will be a recurring theme, though by no means the only theme addressed.
