Introduction to Judaism 3600-7-HE1-WJ2
Basic subjects to be covered:
1) The Jews (Who are the Jews? Facts and figures, Natives or immigrants?)
2) The Jews throughout the world (North America, Israel, Former Soviet Bloc countries, The European Union, Latin America)
3) The Jewish people and its past (The Jewish nation, Universalism, Assimilation, Dispersion, Genocide)
4) Jewish books (The Bible, The prayer book, The Talmud, The Shulkhan Arukh, The Zohar, The Guide of the Perplexed,)
5) The Jewish religion (Traditional Judaism , The modernist reform, Radical alternatives)
6) The family (The family as a unit, The Jewish home, Rites of passage)
7) The community (The Jewish community, The synagogue, The worship of the synagogue)
8) Religious services (The cycle of the year, Moments of life)
9) Other communal institutions
10) Sources of Jewish theology (The Bible, Midrash and Haggadah, the liturgy, Mystical approaches Jewish philosophers)
11) God in the twentieth century (Hermann Cohen and his legacy, American Jewish theology , God and the Shoah, New issues)
12) Theological developments (Holiness, Obedience, Righteousness, Faith, Fear and Love, Bringing the Messiah, Repairing the world, Making peace, After life)
13) Judaism and its future (Demographic trends, Political and social aspects , Religious pluralism)
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
- knows and understands basic philosophical trends and terms as well as the role of philosophical reflection in culture shaping processes [K_W03]
-has detailed and organized knowledge of Jewish philosophy and religion [K_W07]
- basic cultural phenomena of Judaism and Israel[K_W10]
-demonstrates basic grasp of contemporary cultural life in Israel and of the Jews [K_W16]
- knows and understands basic analysis and interpretation methods of various products of culture characteristic of chosen theories and schools of research within the scope of cultural and literary studies, linguistics, philosophy and religion studies and history [K_W18]
- knows and understands basic analysis and interpretation methods of various products of culture characteristic of local traditions in Judaism and Israel [K_W19]
Skills:
-can indicate sources of cultural differences in Israel and the Jews in the diaspora [K_U02]
-can use the basic terminology from the domain of Jewish philosophy and religion [K_U03]
-can indicate most important intellectual problems, dilemmas, aesthetic preferences taking shape inside the culture of Judaism and Israel [K_U10]
Social competences:
-make others aware of the cultural distinctness and its religious, philosophical, traditional and historical roots and its significance for understanding modern world [K_K05]
-sees the need of dialogue between cultures [K_K06]
-is aware of significance the culture of Judaism and Israel have for the culture of the world[K_K07]
-perceives the positive socio-cultural values of Judaism and Israel and possibility to use them in own personal development and effective intercultural communication [K_K09]
Assessment criteria
Attendance necessary for obtaining the pass, attendance as well as test and final exam marks make up the final end-of-year mark
Practical placement
Does not apply