Summer 2007 Online Courses
May 30 - July 31

Jewish Studies

Book of Samuel: Leadership and Authority in Ancient Israel
Bible 40110A             Joshua Berman, Ph.D.
The first Book of Samuel, which narrates the careers of Samuel, Saul and the rise of David, may be read as a composition whose subtext is the challenges of creating and managing power. In this course we will trace the way in which the Book portrays the institutions of power in ancient Israel – the priesthood and the sanctuary, the prophet, and the monarchy as fundamentally unstable institutions in need of constant tweaking and balancing, as the nature of leadership and power is such that effective equilibrium is rarely achieved and constantly challenged.

Classic Rabbinic Theology
Rabbinics 30603A    Rabbi Michael Simon
Many of the core beliefs of Judaism were first developed by the rabbis in the early years of the Common Era. This course will examine these beliefs, demonstrate their development in rabbinic writings, discuss their application to the lives of the rabbis who developed them and consider the implications for Judaism today.

History of Jews in Christian Lands until 1800
History 30539            Katherine Beller, Ph. D.
This course will study Jewish historical experience during the transition from the early Middle Ages to the early modern period (ending ca. 1800, just after the awakening of enlightenment and emancipation). The course will examine the dynamics of Jewish life in England, Spain, Italy, Reformation Germany, Prague, Poland and Amsterdam. Emphasis will be on new trends in historiography (studies written in the past generation, and especially in the past decade, by American and Israeli scholars).

Israel Within Jewish Tradition and Contemporary Jewish Life
History 40507            Shalom Berger, Ed.D.
Within the Jewish community, there is much controversy surrounding the country of Israel today. Much of this doubt stems from a lack of knowledge and understanding of the place of Israel within Jewish tradition and contemporary Jewish life. By examining a sweep of history from primary religious texts through contemporary news and opinion articles, this course aims to offer a basis of knowledge, challenging participants to examine their own attitude with regard to the relationship between the Jewish People and Israel, and how that will come to the fore in their classrooms.

Resistance in the Holocaust
History 30517            Moshe Shner, Ph.D.
This course is designed to provide students with a broad concept of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust based on the archival materials and exhibitions of Beit Lohamei HaGetaot (the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, Israel), the Yad-Vashem Holocaust and Heroism Museum in Jerusalem, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC  as well as other online archives and museums; to conceptualize the historical phenomenon of resistance in the Holocaust and to discuss the philosophical, theological and educational meaning of these historical phenomena.

Jewish Education

Educating for Character and Teaching Jewish Texts
Education 30221       Judd Kruger Levingston, Rabbi, Ph.D.
In this course, we attempt to bridge the practical work of teaching Jewish texts and the challenge of fostering moral conversations among the young people we teach.  Beginning with a discussion about moral education and about moral development through the life cycle, we will proceed to a discussion about how to work with several different genres of Jewish texts (Bible, rabbinic literature, historical literature, etc.).  By the end of the course, students will have familiarity not only with moral theory, but also with its practical application in the realm of curriculum development and work in the classroom.

Building a Jewish Life: Concepts and Curriculum in Jewish Early Childhood Education
Education 40223A    Lyndall Miller, M.A.Ed., M.A.J.Ed., M.S.Ed.
This course is founded on theories of how children learn and make meaning in their lives, including their development of spiritual and Judaic concepts.  An approach for developing learning strategies which are supported by these developmental theories will be reviewed. This approach requires the close and authentic involvement of adults and children in negotiating learning situations of all kinds. Our study will demand not only an understanding of theory and practice, but also of personal dispositions of both young and adult learners, including ourselves. In the process of our study, the various elements of this approach will be reviewed, with Jewish learning as the content through which the methods are demonstrated. These elements include observation, planning, structuring the environment, supporting relationship building, and making learning visible.

Holidays through Horticulture: Teaching Children about the Yearly Holiday Cycle through Connections to Green Growing Things
Education 40241     Tamara 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 “new” activities for the children to do year after year. In this course, we will go back to the “roots” 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 Non-Profit Management
(Graduate Credit Only)

Essentials of Jewish Non-Profit Management
Jewish Communal Service 30910   Gary Grobman, Ph.D.
This course explores the magnitude, scope and functions of the non-profit sector and its relationships with business and government. The topics include non-profit theory, principles of organization management, budgeting and resource management, advocacy governance and more. All aspects of non-profit management will be analyzed within the context of Jewish communal organizations.

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