Summer 2010 Online College Courses

Undergraduate Courses begin with "1 and 2"

Graduate Courses begin with "A" and/or "3, 4, 5, 6, and 7"

ONLINE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Current Matriculated students must contact their advisor to register. Non-matriculated students may register by completing the Non-Matriculated Registration form.
Classes run from June 2nd to August 3rd, 2010.

JEWISH STUDIES

The Rise of Biblical Civilization: Social and Political Thought in the Bible and the Ancient Near East

Bible 30103
Joshua Berman, Ph. D.

Students in this course will study the origins and development of Israelite society and its institutions, from the Patriarchal period to Ezra- Nehemiah. Sources used include the Bible, literary texts, and archaeological findings from surrounding nations.

American Jewish Culture: Food and Foodways

Sociology/Thought 40920
Carol Harris-Shapiro, PhD.

Food is far more than nourishment; it provides an important window to view the deepest values of a culture. Preparing, eating, and even discussing Jewish food establishes a strong group identity with Judaism, and links us individually with our families and our people’s past. At the same time, in popular culture, Jewish food is associated with the negative stereotypes of loud, ill-mannered dinners and Jewish mothers force-feeding zaftig (heavy) Jewish children, sharply illustrating the ambivalence many American Jews feel about being Jewish. Reading fiction, autobiography, and cultural analyses that center on food in the American Jewish experience, the class will gain an understanding of the complexities of American Jewish identity, including gender roles and expectations, the place of religion, and how we negotiate being both outsiders and insiders in American culture.

Popes, Jews and Blood: from Medieval to Modern Times

History 30538
Katherine Aron-Beller Ph.D.

We will begin our study of the multifaceted connection between Popes, Jews and blood in late medieval Italy, continue to the Renaissance period, and through to the Holocaust and modern times. We will examine conflicts and issues that arose over this 800 year period in Italy, home of the Papacy, including anti-Judaic violence, social and economic segregation, exposure to the "other's" culture, conversionary pressures, and public positions taken by the Papacy. While the Papacy was not always the ruling power, its teachings affected relations between Jews and Christians, which in turn affected the religious, cultural and intellectual existence of Italian Jewish communities. In our final sessions we will question the extent of Papal attack on the emancipation of Jews in Italy, the ìsilenceî of the Papacy during the Holocaust, and how the Papacy relates to the modern state of Israel today.

JEWISH EDUCATION

Teaching Moral Issues in Jewish Studies

Education 40224
Tzvika Kanarek, Ph.D.

This course examines models which attempt to solve moral contradictions in ancient Jewish literature and the Holy Scriptures such as Abraham sacrificing Isaac and the obligation to destroy the Amaleki people. We confront these issues in the light of philosophers like Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Efraim Aurbach and others. This course presents methods of sensitizing our students as teachers or learners to moral values in the Bible.

Introduction to Education: A Skills Approach

Education 10201A
Gloria Becker, M. Ed.

Students will learn basic techniques of lesson planning, implementation, and learner assessment; and classroom organization and management as applied to Jewish learning environments: supplementary schools, day schools, and adult education.

JEWISH EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Holidays Through Horticulture: Teaching Children About the Yearly Cycle

Education 40241
Tamara E. Cohen, M. Ed.

The yearly cycle of holidays and their rituals are very familiar to those who work with young children. Often, however, there is a struggle to find ìnewî activities for the children to do year after year. In this course, we will go back to the ìrootsî of these holidays by exploring foundations to the agricultural cycle and/or relationships to particular forms and habits of seasonal plants. By tapping into the very rhythm of the earth’s seasons, we can discover with the children an infinite variety of dynamic and authentic concepts that inform our holidays. In addition, we will consider how the contemplation of green growing things can be used to support the children’s developing concepts about God.

JEWISH COMMUNAL SERVICE AND NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT

Fundraising in the Organized Jewish Community

Jewish Communal Service 40914
Jeffrey Metz

This course will teach the student how to initiate a fund-raising campaign, how to manage and promote it, handle the accounting, and allocate the funds within the organization. Lectures and relevant case studies from Jewish communal organizations will be used to teach the material.