Study Jewish Culture at Illinois
Jewish Studies events
Jewish Culture & Society News
Alumni spotlight: Aria Tsoulouhas
During Aria’s first semester as an undergraduate, she enrolled in JS 120, A History of Judaism, taught by Professor Dov Weiss. At the time, she had a rudimentary interest in the academic study of Judaism, but Professor Weiss’s enthusiasm for the material, and the richness of the Jewish tradition, inspired her to change her major from comparative literature to Jewish Studies. Later in her undergraduate career, Aria decided to double major in Classics (Greek), to situate her exploration of Second Temple Judaism in its Greco-Roman milieu. By the time she graduated from UIUC in 2018, Aria was...
History of Antisemitism
The course studies the negative representations of Judaism and Jews from antiquity to the modern world. Topics include: Greco-Roman concepts of the Jewish religion; medieval Christian symbolization of the demonic Jew; Jews and negative attitudes to capitalism; blood purity and blood libel; the rise of racial prejudice in the modern nation-state; totalitarianism and genocide; antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Hebrew Bible in English
The course analyzes critical issues in interpreting the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and surveys the history and religion of Ancient Israel, with special reference to Israel's setting in the ancient Near East.
The Jewish Atlantic
It is an intensive study of select topics or issues in the study of religion.
Grad Intro to Jewish Culture
What is a history of emotions? How does the environment shape history? Can smell serve as a historical source? Can you write a contemporary history of a place where Jews no longer live and still present a Jewish perspective? “Historical Methods in Jewish Studies” covers these and many more research methodologies, concepts, and categories of analysis.
Lit Responses to the Holocaust
In this film course we will be watching and discussing Holocaust Cinema. We will consider different genres, including documentaries, testimony, comedy, drama, musicals and action-adventure films. We consider films from different locations, including the UK, the US, Israel, Poland, Hungary and Italy.
Elementary Modern Hebrew II
Continuation of HEBR 201, with introduction of more advanced grammar, and with emphasis on more fluency in speaking and reading. 5 credit hours. Prerequisite: HEBR 201 or equivalent.
Development of Ancient Cities
Explore the monuments, archaeological remains, and histories illustrating the development of the earliest states and urban centers of the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East, including Uruk, Jerusalem, Carthage, Athens, and Rome.
The Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School is a school of “social thought” and, at the same time, is known for its programmatic emphasis on “critical theory.” It was, however, above all, an experimental initiative designed to foster new forms of interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. Because the full interdisciplinarity of this project exceeds the scope of a single course, this seminar will engage social, political and theoretical dimensions through the critical analysis of literature, culture, art and aesthetics. Meets with CWL 551, JS 502, and ENGL 581.