Jews & Muslims

Course description

This course is an introduction to Jewish-Muslim relations through history. It opens with the foundations of that encounter in sacred texts, moves on to shared intellectual and religious space, and focuses on some modern developments. Topics include: Abraham’s families; Jews in Muslim lands in the past and today; some famous Arab Jews: Moses Maimonides, the “false messiah” Shabbetai Zvi; frumkas (Jewish women who veil); and the Jewish-Muslim experience in the United States of the twenty-first century.

 

Learning objectives

• On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
• – Talk with competence about key terms and events of the Jewish-Muslim encounter
• – Demonstrate a critical awareness of the history of Jewish-Muslim relations
• – Explain both in discussion and in writing the nuanced complex interactions of Jewish-Muslim relations in the past and present

Grade breakdown:Homework, attendance, active participation in class discussion: 20%; book review: 10%; midterm: 20%; 5-page research paper (20%) and presentation (10%); Final: 20%. More instructions can be found following the bibliography.

Grading scale: 100-90=A; 86-89=B+; 80-85=B; 76-79=C+; 70-75=C; 66-69=D+; 60-65=D; < 59 =F