Jewish Studies at Elon

Jewish Studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores Jewish history, texts, languages, and the diverse philosophical, cultural, political, and religious traditions of Jewish communities across the globe and over the span of three thousand years. The Jewish Studies program at Elon provides students with the opportunity to explore these aspects of Jewish civilization from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Our program brings together courses from departments including Religious Studies, World Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, History and Geography, Sociology and Anthropology, Political Science and Policy Studies, and English. In addition, Jewish Studies at Elon strives to offer and (co-)host academic programming that addresses the historical and contemporary experiences of the Jewish people from a range of disciplinary perspectives. To this end, the Jewish Studies Program at Elon is pleased to collaborate and support events with other academic departments as well as interdisciplinary programs and centers on the Elon campus whose offerings further this goal.

Hebrew Language

Imagine a language brought back to life! That’s the story of Hebrew. After being primarily used in religious contexts for centuries, it was transformed into a modern language by pioneers like Eliezer Ben Yehuda at the end of the 19th century. Now, millions speak Hebrew, and it’s still growing thanks to the Hebrew Language Academy that continues the work of adding new words to the language. Elon University’s Jewish Studies minor offers a comprehensive exploration of this linguistic phenomenon through a series of Modern Hebrew courses. These courses, designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners, emphasize the interconnectedness of language and culture. Students gain a deeper understanding of Israeli society through the study of contemporary issues, literary works, musical traditions, and culinary practices, fostering a global perspective.

–          HEB 1010 – Modern Elementary Hebrew I

–          HEB 1020 – Modern Elementary Hebrew II

–          HEB 2010 – Modern Intermediate Hebrew I

–          HEB 2020 – Modern Intermediate Hebrew II

Holocaust Studies / Jewish History and Culture of Central and Eastern Europe

Since the establishment of the program, Jewish Studies at Elon University has included high quality academic programming in Holocaust studies. While grounded in a history-centered focus that aims to foster understanding of the Shoah, including the evolution of knowledge of, and disciplinary approaches to, the Holocaust, the variety of courses centered on Jewish history and culture of Central and Eastern Europe in the 20th century also provide opportunities to address comparative literary and cultural approaches to the Holocaust; the near destruction and revival of Yiddish language, literature and historiography; and the “universalization” of the Holocaust and its relation to other instances of genocide. Minors interested in deepening their knowledge on various aspects of this topic have also focused on critical engagement of the manifold dimensions of genocide and Holocaust studies through undergraduate research and participated in campus-wide programming around Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom HaShoah.

Courses that provide you with the opportunity to gain further expertise in this subject area include:

–          HST1390 – Fascism and Propaganda

–          HST3390 – History of the Holocaust

–          HEB2040 – Not Your Bubbe’s Yiddish Class

–          GBL2400 – Holocaust Journey

–          ENG2590 – Holocaust Literature

–          REL3850 – Jewish-Christian Dialogue

Israel Studies

Israel themed/focused coursework in the minor reflects the academic field of Israel Studies. These courses focus on the modern state of Israel and its emergence (from the advent of Zionism, the pre-state era to the present day), and explore a multitude of topics pertaining to Israel from a multidisciplinary perspective. They aim at advancing knowledge and understanding of the modern state of Israel, pursue the scholarly study of Israeli society, politics, and culture, and the historical development of these aspects in historic Palestine and Israel. The foci of these courses have a primary concern with all or a select few of such themes as the historical processes that led to the creation of contemporary Israeli society and politics, the complicated relationships between the various groups that live side by side in Israel, and the ways in which Israel copes with these challenges domestically and abroad.

Courses that provide you with the opportunity to gain further expertise in this subject area include:

–          POL*3301 – Middle East Issues in Films

–          POL*3708 – Israeli Leaders

–          POL*3660 – Middle East Politics

–          REL*1850 – Jewish Traditions

–          HEB*2720 – “reel” Israel: History in Motion

–          HEB*3010 – Falafel Nation

–          HST*3160 – Modern Middle East

–          REL 3850 – Jewish-Christian Dialogue

–          REL 4640 – War and Judaism, From the Bible to Zionism

Jewish Literature

One exciting way of teaching students about the Holocaust is having them read the words of people who write about it:  the survivors, the families of survivors, the scholars, the historians.  Elon offers several courses in different disciplines that use literature to teach about different aspects of the Holocaust and Jewish Studies.  ENG 2590 Holocaust Literature is an excellent introductory course into Holocaust studies because it weaves literature and history throughout the readings.  Students will read a variety of fiction, non-fiction (diaries, essays, biography), poetry, film, and drama about the Holocaust, most of it written by victims and survivors.   ENG 3700 American Jewish Literature approaches the Jewish experience through 20th-21st century American literature.  REL 1310 and 1320 offer opportunities to consider the vast diversity of biblical literature, while GBL 2400 will take students to Holocaust sites (museums, camps, memorials) in Europe as they explore literature written about the Holocaust.  These courses give students many options to explore a variety of literature as part of the Jewish Studies minor.

–          ENG2590 – Holocaust Literature

–          ENG3700 – American Jewish Literature

–          REL 1310 – Jewish Biblical Lit in Context

–          REL1320 – Early Christian Lit in Context

–          GBL2400 – Holocaust Journey

Judaisms in the Ancient World and the Middle Ages

Elon’s minor in Jewish Studies includes course on the history of Judaisms in the Ancient world. Jewish traditions emerged in parallel with Mediterranean polytheism and developed alongside, and sometimes in competition, with the monotheistic traditions of Christianity and Islam. Although these courses are rooted in historical periods and places, they engage current socio-political conflicts and train students to be critical and culturally conscientious readers. Courses in this area also often count towards Elon’s Classical Studies program, Interreligious Studies, the Peace and Conflict Studies and carry Civilization and Advanced Studies credit in the Elon Core Curriculum.

–          ARH3330 – Jewish, Christian, & Islamic Cultures: Contact & Conflict

–          REL1310 – Jewish Biblical Literature in Context

–          REL1320 – Early Christian Literature in Context

–          REL1850 – Jewish Traditions

–          REL3250 – The Apocalyptic Imagination, Ancient and Modern

–          REL3260 – Sex Lives of Saints: Sex, Gender, and Ancient Mediterranean Religions

–          REL3270 – Messiahs, Martyrs and Memory

–          REL3820 – Jewish Ethics

–          REL 3830 – Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism

–          REL3850 – Jewish-Christian Dialogue

Modern Jewish Religion, Ethics, and Politics

Elon offers a wide range of courses that explore modern Jewish religious, ethical, and political ideas. These courses challenge students to recognize the incredible diversity of modern Jewish identities and traditions and to think critically about how modern Jews have drawn on Jewish tradition, history, experience, and identity in many different ways as they have developed new ideas about religion, ethics, and politics. In these courses, students also explore how Jewish discourse has been constructed in diverse contexts and has been shaped by encounters with other traditions and communities. Some of these courses focus directly on those encounters, such as REL 3850 (Jewish-Christian Dialogue) or REL 3750 (Buddhist-Jewish Spiritualities and Encounters), while other courses focus on particular ethical and political issues (e.g. the environment in REL 2390, war in REL 4640, or political leadership in Israel in POL 3708).

–          REL 1850 – Jewish Traditions

–          REL 2390 – Judaism and the Environment

–          REL 3750 – Buddhist-Jewish Spiritualities and Encounters

–          REL 3820 – Jewish Ethics

–          REL 3840 – Modern Jewish Thought

–          REL 3850 – Jewish-Christian Dialogue

–          REL 4640 – War and Judaism, From the Bible to Zionism

–          POL 3708 – Israeli Leaders