Winter Term 2025 Courses

JST / HST 317U Jewish History I From Antiquity to the Middle Ages ​
INSTRUCTOR: Professor Loren Spielman
MODE: In-Person
MEETING TIMES: Tues/Thurs, 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
LOCATION: Fariborz Maseeh Hall - Room 234
CRN: 41377

When does the history of the Jews begin? How reliable is the Bible as a source for Jewish origins?  What was life like for Jews living under Greek and Roman rule, during the time of Jesus, or under the first Christian and Muslim empires?  This course will answer all these questions, covering the Jewish historical experience from its Biblical origins (circa 1000 BCE) through the end of the first millennium (1000 CE). We will examine diverse forms of Jewish life during antiquity and examine the boundaries of pre-modern Jewish cultural and religious identity. Special attention will also be paid to ancient Jewish literature, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, the Jewish Apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Talmud. This class is the first in a two semester introduction to the study of Jewish history, religion and culture (no prerequisites are required).

Fulfills a requirement for the Medieval and Early Modern Studies minor.

University studies cluster:  Interpreting the Past

HST 494/594 Museums & Memory in the U.S. & Israel
INSTRUCTOR: Professor Nina Spiegel
MODE: Hybrid
MEETING TIMES: Wed, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m.
LOCATION: TBD
CRN: 41408/ 41423

How is national memory formed? What is the role of memory in shaping a nation's sense of identity? This seminar examines the relationship between national history, memory, and museums in Israel and the United States.  We will investigate cultural debates that take place over the presentation of national history at public sites. Our comparative approach will facilitate our exploration of the ethos of national memory and the politics of cultural memory. This term the syllabus includes field trips to museums and memorials around Portland.

No prerequisites are required. 

WLL/ENG 383U Top: Witches and Feminists
INSTRUCTOR: Moshe Rachmuth
MODE: In-Person
MEETING TIMES: Mon/Wed, 2:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
LOCATION: Fariborz Maseeh Hall - Room B129
CRN: 43820/41043

Many know Medea as one of the most iconic figures in Greek mythology. Medea was a powerful sorceress who betrayed her homeland for her love, Jason of the Argonauts. Her story is widely regarded as one of passion, love, betrayal, and revenge.

In this course we will delve into the classic Medea story as told in five pieces over four forms: the graphic novel Medea by Blandine Le Callet, Euripides’s play, Medea, Christa Wolf’s novel, Medea, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film Medea, and Jules Dassin’s Dream of Passion. Why do so many artists want to create their own Medea? Why has her character come back into fashion in the later part of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st? We’ll cover the importance of this character in the foreground of the rise of two trends: feminism on the one side and authoritarianism.

This course falls under WLL: Topics in Comparative Literature, Film, and Comics. Students learn how to compare literary, film, or comic-book genres across two or more world cultures; readings (viewings) of texts/films are followed by discussion of cultural differences. Students also learn how to discuss genre differences and how cultural attitudes shape those different artistic responses and appropriations of global artistic ideas. Analysis of critical texts reveal how cultural attitudes create different expectations or requirements for genres. Readings and discussions are in English. This course may be repeated for up to 8 credits. This is the same course as ENG 383U. Section Notes: Course taught in English.

This course fulfills a University Studies cluster requirement for Examing Popular Culture or Global Perspectives