Jewish Civilisation, Thought and Culture

Contact the program coordinator for more information.

A fascinating study of two millennia of Jewish Civilisation. Students will explore the development of the Jewish people from the time of Alexander the Great, experiencing their history, philosophy, literature and ethics. The course focuses on the historical evolution of Judaism, and how Jewish identity has been moulded by key Jewish thinkers and the Jewish historical experience. It traces this experience over five continents – Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia, looking at communities as far flung as the Jews in Kaifeng in China, Spanish Jewry and the history of Jews in Australia. The first year JCTC options can also lead to options in Modern Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict offered through the discipline of Government and International Relations (in the Faculty of Economics and Business) and the Department of History, Faculty of Arts.

For a major, students must complete 36 senior credit points, consisting of JCTC2603, 2604, 2605, 2606, 2607 and one cross-listed unit of study, either HSTY2607 or GOVT2702. This is highly recommended to students with an interest in history, government or religion. Students can undertake specific individual units of study of interest to them within the four year program.

Please note that not all of the units listed below may be offered in any given year. For a complete list of what units are currently available and unit of study outlines, visit the Units of Study Online website.

• JCTC1001 Palestine: Roman rule to Islam
  How did the religion and history of the Jewish people change from the Second Temple to the rabbinic period? Explore the history and religion of the Jews during the watershed period in Palestine under Roman rule. Study the Hellenist influence on Judaism, the development of different sects, including the Dead Sea sect, and the emergence of Christianity. Lectures (2 hours a week) focus on the history of the period. Tutorials (1 hour a week) deal with broad questions such as who is a Jew and universalism and chosenness in Judaism together with a knowledge and understanding of basic Jewish belief and practice. Students will gain insights into the evolution of Judaism from pagan times to the present. At the upper level, students can study Medieval Judaism, Holocaust and Israel. The course 'Israel in the Modern Middle East', JCTC2607, will be offered in 2007.
• JCTC1002 Jewish settlement outside Palestine
  Do you wish to understand the gradual dispersion of Jews from Palestine? Study this unit to understand the spread of Judaism from Palestine into Africa and Asia. Students will study the story of Muhammed and the rise of Islam; the place of the Jew under Islamic law; and the rapid Islamic conquest of much of the known world. They will learn about the dispersed diaspora communities in Babylon and Egypt and the development of Jewish communities in India and China from their early origins to the present day. Lectures are 2 hours and focus on the history of the period. The tutorials (1 hour a week), deal with moral, ethical and philosophical questions relating to Judaism. Discussions will explore the existence and nature of God, prophecy, the Messiah, Torah and the commandments, conversion to Judaism and Jewish attitudes to other faiths.
• JCTC2603 Jews under the Crescent and the Cross
  The story of Jews living under the Crescent (Muslim rule) and the Cross (Christian rule) comprises a vibrant period of Jewish history. The unit explores Jews under Muslim rule in Spain and the experiences of Jews under Christian rule in Germany, France and England in the Medieval period, including the problems of Christian antisemitism and the Crusades. These are seminal periods in the development of Jewish thought, with the contribution of great commentators and philosophers including Moses Maimonides.
• JCTC2604 From expulsion to regeneration
  One of the most traumatic events in Jewish history was the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Explore the reasons behind the expulsion and the ways in which new centres of Jewish life emerged, especially in Eastern Europe. Light will also be shed on the establishment of Jewish communities in the Netherlands and England on the eve of em ancipation when the new ideas of the Enlightenment paved the way for the rise of the modern Jew.
• JCTC2605 From Emancipation to the Holocaust
  This unit is designed to introduce students to the turbulent history of European Jewry, 1750 to 1933. Against the background of far-reaching transformation in almost every aspect of society and culture, the Jew's entry into the modern world will be examined. At the centre stands the process of acculturation, integration, assimilation and Zionism, as well as the responses by non-Jewish society, especially the rise of modern antisemitism.
• JCTC2606 The Holocaust: History and aftermath
  This unit provides an in-depth study of the Holocaust. Special emphasis will be placed on the development of Nazi ideology, in particular racial antisemitism, and the gradual implementation of this policy towards the Jews and other victim groups from 1933 to 1945. Other themes focus on the responses of the victims and the role of the by-standers, as well as post-war politics of memory and other issues, including Holocaust denial and war crimes prosecution.
• JCTC2607 Israel in the modern Middle East
  Israel's position in the modern Middle East and the wider world from state formation to the present has been shaped by social, political and economic processes. Study these processes in the context of the nature of Israeli society and the major foreign policy decisions taken by Israeli leaders. Topics to be studied include: the genesis and development of Zionism, democracy and religion in Modern Israel, post-Zionism, the role of the Holocaust in Israel, Jerusalem and the settlements.