Course Descriptions

MECR 5/341 History of the Jews During the Medieval and Modern Periods - Credit Hours: 3

Semester normally offered: Alternate Fall Semesters

Course Description

An examination of Jewish history from the rise of Christian Europe in the fifth century AD to the present, by addressing such topics as medieval Jewish communities in Babylonia, Spain, Germany and Poland; Jewish relations with the church and crown; Jewish communal structure; modern changes such as enlightenment and emancipation; new Jewish movements and ideologies; modern anti-Semitism and the Holocaust; and Zionism and the rise of the modern state of Israel. 

Course Equivalencies

• Jewish History
• European History
• Religious Studies

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• characterize traditional Jewish society;
• identify the factors which led to the modernization of Jewish society;
• analyze the forms in which Jewish society has adapted socially and ideologically to new realities; and
• read and analyze primary historical sources.

Field Study

In-Residence Only: A one-day interactive field study to the Museum of the Diaspora in Tel Aviv.