Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0281 - Being Jewish in Modern Times

What happens when an identity that was assumed to be singular and inherited becomes a matter of choice and self-fashioning? Jewish experiences, identities, and cultures changed dramatically after the Second World War. Today's "new Jews" can be secular or spiritual, rooted or transnational, radical or reactionary, Zionist or anti-Zionist, fans of Sacha Baron Cohen, Balkan Beat Box, or the transgender punk-klezmer group Schmekel. Jews globally are experimenting with new ways of expressing, performing, and questioning Jewishness. This course draws upon a range of well-known and less-known writers and artists as well as popular culture, film, television, history, and sociology in exploring the new Jewish identities that emerge in global postmodernity. We will explore Jewishness in relation to such topics as: visual culture and performance, ethnic and cultural revival and reclamation, race and racialization, Israel and diaspora, queer and feminist politics, new spiritual practices, and a host of other surprising, "new-ish" Jewish phenomena.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Students are exptected to spend 6-9 hours weekly in preparation and work outside of class time.