Class Resources

• Jewish Philosophy -- Jewish philosophy in the twentieth century, with emphasis on the relation between mortality and morality, justice and totalitarianism, faith after the Holocaust, and individualism and revolution.

• Hitler and the Holocaust -- In the middle of the 20th century, in the heart of Europe and in a civilization informed by Christianity and modernity, 5-6 million Jews were systematically murdered in what has become known as the Holocaust. This course focuses on the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, and the policies of war and extermination they pursued before and during World War II, as well as the suffering, complicity, and responses of Jews and Christians within and after the Holocaust.

• Liberation Theology -- This seminar surveys the various liberation theologies that have emerged over the last decades in Latin America, Africa and North America. Included will be the pioneering work of such figures as James Cone, Gustavo Gutierrez, Rosemary Ruether, and the theological and political schools of thought that have followed and extended their analyses. Our quest is to understand and critically evaluate various liberation theologies rather than simply promote or dismiss them.

• Modern Judaism -- This course examines the trends that have emerged in Jewish thought and life during the 20th century. Included are Zionism, post-Holocaust thought, movements of Jewish renewal, and ecumenical relations between Jews and Christians, Jews and Eastern religions, and Jews and Muslims. The focus is on the historical, political, and religious movements of the 20th century that have oriented and sometimes disoriented Jews and the Jewish community so that one may understand the movement of Jewish life into the 21st century.