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Teaching

Modernity’s Crisis: Jewish History

From the French Revolution to the Election of Donald Trump

HIST 1974P
Prof. Adam Teller
Spring 2020

Office: 163 George St. Room 207

E-mail: adam_teller@brown.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 3:00-4:00pm and by appointment.

Syllabus

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As the modern world developed and grew, the question of the Jews’ place within it became increasingly important for majority societies and the Jews themselves to deal with.  The solutions found have ranged from inclusion on equal terms through exclusion not only from society but from humanity altogether.  In many ways, the debates around this issue have touched on the very meaning of modernity itself.  


In this advanced undergraduate seminar, we will examine the ongoing polemics on the place of the Jews from the perspectives of both the proponents of the different solutions and the Jews themselves.  On the basis of close reading of primary sources in English translation as well as the relevant historical literature (as well as three movies), we will discuss: the place of the Jews in Enlightenment thought and the French Revolution; the struggle over Jewish emancipation; the rise of modern anti-Semitism; nationalism: non-Jewish and Jewish;  Ottoman tolerance; American society and the Jewish immigrants; the genocidal solution to the Jewish question; the creation of the State of Israel; Christian Philo-Semitism and the American embrace of the Jews and Israel.  

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The seminar will meet once a week and will involve critical reading of primary sources in translation and class discussions of major historiographical issues. No prior background in Jewish studies is necessary. Students will be expected to come to class able to discuss in detail the historical literature prepared for that week’s meeting and to apply their insights to class analyses of primary sources.

 

Over the course of the semester, students will be expected to write two response papers (1,250-1,500 words each) on major historiographical works. These last will be due on 02/17 and 03/08 and will be discussed in class. In addition, students will write a research paper (4,000 words) on a topic to be determined. It will be due by 05/09.

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Course Goals

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  1. To survey the major developments in the ways in which the place of the Jews in society have been discussed in the Modern Age.

  2. To understand the complexities of the social and cultural relations between Jews and non-Jews in this period.

  3. To situate these developments in the broader sweep of Jewish and European History.

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Course Objectives


This course should help you develop the skills of:

  1. Critical reading of primary and secondary sources.

  2. Constructing clear and cogent arguments in both oral and written form.

  3. Academic writing.

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Writing Assignments

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1. Response Papers on Monographs

 

You will be expected to write papers of about 1,500 words on the following two monographs:

  • Yuri Slezkine, The Jewish Century, Princeton 2019.  Due 02/17, 5pm

  • Diner, Hasia, R., Her Works Praise Her: A History of Jewish Women in America from Colonial Times to the Present, New York 2002.  Due 03/08, 5pm

 

Instructions and questions to help write these response papers will be given in class. 

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2. Final Paper


Through a process of discussion with me, you will choose a topic of interest to you and develop a bibliography. Following that, you will define a research question and develop a paper outline to help you answer it, on the basis of which you will write a paper of 4,000 words.

 

If you complete your draft before 05/04, I will read and critique it prior to final submission on 05/09.

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Books

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You will be expected to buy these for this class:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011

  • H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976

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They are available at the Brown Bookstore.

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The two monographs (by Slezkine and Diner) on which you will write response papers are on reserve at the Library and are available at the Brown Bookstore. 

 


What to Expect


The total of in-class hours and out-of-class work for all full credit courses at Brown is approximately 180 hours over the length of a 14-week semester. In this class, students seeking to maximize their learning can expect to spend 42 hours in class (3 hours per week, 14 weeks), 98 hours reading (approx. 7 hours per week, 14 weeks), 16 total hours on the two response papers, and 24 total hours researching and writing the research paper. Actual times will vary for each student; final grades are not determined by the amount of time a student spends on the course.

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Grading

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  1. Class Participation    10%

  2. Two Response Papers, 25% each    50%

  3. Research Paper    40%

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Syllabus and Reading List

1/22     Introduction: Modernity’s Crisis

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Readings:

 

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1/29     The Roots of the Crisis: The Enlightenment

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Source:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 73-83, 94-97.

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Readings:

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapters 45-47 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 750-789

  • Michael Meyer, The Origins of the Modern Jew, Detroit 1967, pp. 29-55.

 

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2/5       The Struggle over Emancipation

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Source:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 148-168.

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Readings:

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapters 48-50 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 790-824.

  • David Sorkin, “Emancipation and Assimilation: Two Concepts and their Application to German-Jewish History,” Leo Baeck Institute Year Book 35 (1990): 17-33.

 

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2/12       Judaism Reborn

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Source:

  • The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History, ed. Paul Mendes-Flohr, Jehuda  Reinharz, New York-Oxford 1995, pp. 186-197 (TJITMW_Reform)

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Readings:

  • Michael Meyer, Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism, New York 1988, pp. 67-99.

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapters 51-53 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 825-852.

 

 

2/17     First Monograph Response Paper Due, 5:00pm

 

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2/19       Ottoman Tolerance

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 444-449, 462-463, 467-472.

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Readings:

  • Devin E. Naar, “The ‘Mother of Israel’ or the ‘Sephardi Metropolis’? Sephardim, Ashkenazim, and Romaniotes in Salonica,” Jewish Social Studies 22/1 (2016): 81-129.

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2/26       Signs of Crisis: The Rise of Anti-Semitism

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 297-308, 317-326, 339-342.

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Readings:

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapters 54-57 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 853-890.

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During office hours this week, I will meet with you to discuss topics for final papers.

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3/4       In Response to Crisis: The Emergence of Modern Jewish Politics

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 397-406, 411-435, 588-603, 614-608, 624-638.

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Readings:

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapters 58-60 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 891-926.

  • Shlomo Avineri, The Making of Modern Zionism: The Intellectual Origins of the Jewish State, New York 1981, pp. 73-100.

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3/8     Second Monograph Response Paper Due, 5:00pm

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3/11       American Society and the Jewish Immigrants

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 532-548.

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Readings:

  • Paula Hyman, Gender and Assimilation in Modern Jewish History: The Roles and Representation of Women, Seattle 1995, pp. 93-133.

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Movie:

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3/18       Society in Crisis: Polish Jewry Between the Wars

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 415-417, 422-428.

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Reading:

  • Ezra Mendelsohn, The Jews of East Central Europe Between the World Wars, Indiana 1983, pp. 11-83. 

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4/1       Beyond Crisis: The Holocaust

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 720-740, 751-770.

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Readings:

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapter 67 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 1017-1039

  • Israel Gutman, The Jews of Warsaw, 1939-1943, Bloomington 1983, pp. 62-116.

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Movie:

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During office hours this week, we will review bibliographies for your final papers and determine your research questions.

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4/15       The State of Israel

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Sources:

  • Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World, New York-Oxford 2011, pp. 702-714, 866-870.

  • A. Raider, M. Raider-Roth (eds.), The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine, Hanover-London 2002, pp. 155-165

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Readings:

  • Shmuel Ettinger, Chapter 68,70 in: H.H. Ben-Sasson (ed.), A History of the Jewish People, Cambridge Mass 1976, pp. 1040-1062,1075-1096.

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Movie:

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During office hours this week, we will review your final paper outlines.

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3/4       An End to the Crisis? The American Embrace

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Sources:

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Readings:

  • Hasia Diner, The Jews of the United States, 1654-2000, Berkeley 2006, pp. 305-358.

  • Yaakov S. Ariel, “An Unexpected Alliance: Christian Zionism and its Significance,” Modern Judaism 26/1 (2006): 74-100.

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Final Research Paper Due: 05/09, 11:59pm

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