Jewish Traditions
Jewish Traditions “Traditions” are not static, but a constant interplay between continuity and creativity. What do classical Jewish texts (Bible, Rabbinic literature) tell us about Judaism’s origins? How have the core concepts and practices of Judaism morphed into a cluster of traditions that has endured over two millennia? With these questions in mind, we will study central ideas in Jewish thought, rituals, and their transformations, culminating in individual projects involving the investigation a contemporary movement, congregation or trend in contemporary Jewish life, e.g. Reform, Reconstructionism, mystical (neo-Kabbalistic) revivals, or “secular” Judaism.
Jewish Traditions “Traditions” are not static, but a constant interplay between continuity and creativity. What do classical Jewish texts (Bible, Rabbinic literature) tell us about Judaism’s origins? How have the core concepts and practices of Judaism morphed into a cluster of traditions that has endured over two millennia? With these questions in mind, we will study central ideas in Jewish thought, rituals, and their transformations, culminating in individual projects involving the investigation a contemporary movement, congregation or trend in contemporary Jewish life, e.g. Reform, Reconst …Read more
Prof. Schine is brilliant! If you have the chance to take a class with him I highly suggest you do so. He is a wealth of knowledge like no other and is passionate about the material. I think he is a pretty easy grader, but he expects you to put some effort into the class. That said, if you are hoping for a fast-paced, well-structured course this probably is not the best option. Having experience and interest in Judaism goes a long way in this class, but really, anyone stands to benefit a lot if they truly care about their learning. I can't recommend Schine enough.
Prof. Schine is brilliant! If you have the chance to take a class with him I highly suggest you do so. He is a wealth of knowledge like no other and is passionate about the material. I think he is a pretty easy grader, but he expects you to put some effort into the class. That said, if you are hoping for a fast-paced, well-structured …Read more
Professor Schine is great. He deeply values your constant participation, contribution, learning and discoveries. The class was a little hard for me and felt like I fell behind in some aspects. But I was able to see people thriving and liking every aspect of the class. I personally felt a little overwhelmed but was able to feel more relaxed when asking questions and talking to the Professor in person. I think he is a very funny person with tons of interesting and significant knowledge. Make sure you put your effort into learning and participating.
Professor Schine is great. He deeply values your constant participation, contribution, learning and discoveries. The class was a little hard for me and felt like I fell behind in some aspects. But I was able to see people thriving and liking every aspect of the class. I personally felt a little overwhelmed but was able to feel more r …Read more
not a hard class and the exams & papers aren't too bad, lots of readings, almost zero hw outside of the two papers, discussions do involve a lot of participation and you should have a question or some knowledge of the topic for it, prof Schine is a slow & low speaker and lectures do get monotonous but he's an overall nice prof with so much knowledge and an amazing person to sit down and speak to if you need anything, not a class to worry about if you need something to fill ur schedule, though there are like 3 mandatory speakers/events you have to attend outside of class,
not a hard class and the exams & papers aren't too bad, lots of readings, almost zero hw outside of the two papers, discussions do involve a lot of participation and you should have a question or some knowledge of the topic for it, prof Schine is a slow & low speaker and lectures do get monotonous but he's an overall nice prof with s …Read more
Pretty good class with professor Schine. He's a very slow teacher and some of the lectures are pretty hard to sit through. other than that he gives barely any homework and only a few major assignments for the semester. I would recommend if you need to fulfill a religion credit.
Professor Goldman is very passionate about what he teaches. The first week he comes off agitated, but that is merely him trying to weed out those who interested in the course. He really only wants you to participate and get involved. If you do the readings and ask questions he is amazing. Overall excellent Professor and very fair. Just make sure to do the readings and you will most likely get a good grade. Also I cant stress enough, ASK QUESTIONS. Do those 2 things and you will succeed.
Professor Goldman is very passionate about what he teaches. The first week he comes off agitated, but that is merely him trying to weed out those who interested in the course. He really only wants you to participate and get involved. If you do the readings and ask questions he is amazing. Overall excellent Professor and very fair. J …Read more
Prof. Goldman may come off as mean initially but once you get past that you see that he is a great professor. He cares about the material he presents and if you show interest back then you'll be fine. Just do the readings (very short) and participate and you'll be fine. The grading is mostly two take home exams which are very easy as long as you paid attention and participation (which he is generous with if you try and participate).
Prof. Goldman may come off as mean initially but once you get past that you see that he is a great professor. He cares about the material he presents and if you show interest back then you'll be fine. Just do the readings (very short) and participate and you'll be fine. The grading is mostly two take home exams which are very easy as …Read more
Goldman expects you to have done the reading. The reading is not too demanding, so really, you should do the reading, because the readings are the basis for the class. You will learn a lot about Judaism and religion generally. The only not-so-good thing is that Goldman is often ornery as if he has a temper problem. He gets really mad if the class doesn't ask questions. One time he threw chalk at a student - it was scary.
Goldman expects you to have done the reading. The reading is not too demanding, so really, you should do the reading, because the readings are the basis for the class. You will learn a lot about Judaism and religion generally. The only not-so-good thing is that Goldman is often ornery as if he has a temper problem. He gets really mad …Read more
Goldman comes across as tough at first but as long as you are prepared for class and participate you will enjoy his classes. This was definitely a very easy class but I do feel that I gained a lot of value from it. I really liked the presentations he had us do on various bible stories.
Professor Goldman is very passionate about the subject matter and makes lectures incredibly interesting. There is a lot of reading but its not impossible and is interesting for the most part. Goldman is an engaging lecturer and most of the classes go by relatively quickly. There aren't exams, save for the midterm and final papers.
Professor Goldman absolutely loves the subject matter. There is a lot of reading but utilize sites like shmoop etc. there is never any homework besides reading, save for the exams. The exams are just a bunch of essays, not too hard.