New for Winter term 2024: Online and Asynchronous
RELI 2110: Judaism with Professor Deidre Butler
Carleton University 0.5 credits
CRN 15796
What makes a Jew a Jew? How do Jews practice their religion? What do Jews believe? This 2000-level online course explores Judaism as a diverse and always developing living tradition. In religious studies we understand religion as a human phenomenon that we study from a critical, historical, and evidence-based perspective. We think about Judaism as lived by humans in specific times and places in particular cultural, social and political contexts, and in gendered bodies. We also want to understand what Jews have to say about themselves as a people, their own history, faith, and tradition. We will draw on sacred texts, art, films, and case-studies from Canada and around the world to explore Judaism in contemporary and historical perspectives.
Key themes will include: the diversity of Jewish cultures and practices; modern Jewish identity; sacred texts and beliefs; human nature, ethics, and values; religious law and observance; lifecycle, holidays and rituals; gender and sexuality; Anti-Semitism; the Holocaust; and Jewish religious and cultural perspectives on Israel (land, Zionism and state).
Each weekly module asks students to engage course materials and content in a variety of ways throughout the semester. Course content includes short mini-lectures, traditional scholarly readings, class forum discussions, films, as well as academic and communal online sources. Course outline to come soon, until that is updated, see Fall 2022 course outline for examples of content, course requirements and types of assignments.