Courses

CJS200H1 F: Introduction to Jewish Thought

Fall Semester, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Tutorial: Tuesdays, 1:00 - 2:00 pm 

Instructors: Sol Goldberg and Michael Rosenthal

A balanced presentation of the multifaceted approach to the discipline by treating Jewish religion and thought. The course introduces students not only to a chronological and thematic overview of the subject, but also to different methodological approaches.

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2) 

CJS201H1 S: Introduction to Jewish Cultures

Winter Semester, Fridays 12:00 - 2:00 pm

Instructors: Yigal Nizri

General introduction to history, literatures and cultures of Jewish people from antiquity to contemporary. A balanced presentation of multi-disciplinary approaches and multi-methodological approaches to Jewish studies, with a special emphasis on Jewish cultural studies and Jewish secularity.

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

CJS205H1 S: People of the Books: The Classics of Jewish Literature

Winter Semester, Wednesdays 1:00 - 3:00 pm 

Instructor: Alan Verskin

This course introduces some of the most influential and evocative books of the Jewish tradition. Students will explore how these books reflect central themes of Jewish history and questions about Judaism, Jewish life, and Jewish identity. Possible texts include excerpts from the Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Zohar and Lurianic kabbalah, Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah and responsa, the poetry and trickster tales of the Takhkemoni, the autobiographies of Leon of Modena and Solomon Maimon, the travelogues of Haim Azulai and Hayyim Habshush, and the tales of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. This course will delve into the historical contexts of each of the books and analyze both how they reflect the concerns of the particular communities that produced them and how they helped to shape future Jewish communities worldwide. Through close reading and discussion, participants will gain insight into the Jewish literary heritage. All readings will be given in English.

Breadth Requirement: Society and Its Institutions (3)

CJS290H1 S: Topics in Jewish Studies: "Zionism, Anti-Zionism, and Post-Zionism"

Winter Semester, Mondays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm 

Instructor: Sol Goldberg

Zionism emerged in late nineteenth century Europe (alongside other species of Jewish nationalisms) with a radical proposal to change not only Jews’ social and cultural conditions as an ethno-religious minority, but also their basic self-conception. This proposal, at once a renewal and a repudiation of Jewish tradition, has been debated by Jews inside and outside the movement ever since. Internally, political Zionists, cultural Zionists, religious Zionists, liberal Zionists, revolutionary Zionists, etc. disagreed among themselves about the movements’ ideals and goals as well as about the proper means to their realization, while, externally, ultraorthodox Jews, Reform Jews, and assimilationist Jews all had their reasons to oppose Zionism in general.

In the wake of the Holocaust, most of the world’s remaining Jews acknowledged Zionism’s necessity and took pride in its incredible success in establishing Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Yet, even then, debates about Zionism’s purposes and principles persisted among Jews both within and beyond the new state’s borders. Recent years have witnessed a dramatic intensification of these debates, as Jewish communities around the world find themselves fractured into Zionist, anti-Zionist, and post-Zionist camps that offer competing narratives and assessments about the past 150 years of Jewish history.  

What might Jews mean today when they identify as Zionist, anti-Zionist, or post-Zionist? What reasons do they give to themselves and to other Jews to justify these identities? How do other Jews respond to Jewish identities that contradict their own? This course takes up these questions in an effort to help students understand better these live and heated debates among Zionists, anti-Zionists, and Post-Zionists about Jews’ identity, flourishing, and future.  

CJS301H1 S: Community

Winter Semester, Thursdays 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Instructor: Sol Goldberg

Ethno-religious groups like Jewry or the Jews are not merely aggregates of individuals but rather collectives whose members are bound to each other in a common historical identity, life, and fate. To understand any such group, we must therefore understand what binds these people together into a community, why the burdens and benefits or responsibilities and resources of the community are distributed among its members as they are, and both how and how well internal conflicts are managed. This course considers the ways in which the Jewish community -- in its local and global guises -- has reflected upon and dealt with these issues in classical and contemporary contexts.

Breadth Category: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

CJS325H1 S: Authority in Judaism

Winter Semester, Tuesdays 1:00 - 3:00pm

Instructor: Sol Goldberg

Why should Jews obey God’s commands? Does Judaism understand the relation of God’s rule over His people to the sovereign’s rule over his? Why and to what extent do Jews respect the decisions of rabbis, and how do the rabbis enforce their decision when their power to coerce compliance is limited? What force do prophetic criticisms of the people’s religious and moral failings have? All of these are question of authority discussed in Judaism until today, and we will explore them together in this course.

Recommended Preparation: 4.0 credits in any area.

Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

CJS331H1 F: Encounters between Jewish and Modern Thought: Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew

Fall Semester, Thursdays 1:00 - 3:00 pm 

Instructor: Sol Goldberg

Prerequisite: Completion of at least 4.0 credits.

Recommended Preparation: CJS200H1

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief, and Behavior (2)

CJS392H1S: Special Topics in Jewish Studies "Possession, Hysteria, and Trauma: Reading Jewishness through Literature, Cinema, and Psychoanalysis"

Winter Semester, Tuesdays 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Instructor: Julie Sharff

This course will examine spirit possession in Jewish mysticism, diasporic Jewish literature, and contemporary Jewish experiences, using the lens of psychoanalysis to understand what makes such phenomena “Jewish.” We will ask questions about trauma and what it means to be haunted. Through theory, literature, and film, we will discuss identity formation, with a special focus on the dynamics of gender and sexuality, examining both their impact on the field of psychology and the ways these factors shape Jewish experiences past and present.

CJS444H1 F: Topics in the Study of Antisemitism: "Measurement, Law, and Policy"

Fall Semester, Mondays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Instructor: Ron Levi and Sol Goldberg

This seminar explores in depth one of the many theoretical or methodological issues that confront scholars of antisemitism. Possible topics include: definitions of antisemitism and their purposes; philosemitism and its conceptual and real connection with antisemitism; Jewish self-hatred; contextualist vs eternalist accounts of antisemitism; classic and contemporary theories of antisemitism.

Recommended Preparation: RLG344H1

Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

JJH370H1 F: Soviet Jewish History, Culture, and Diaspora

Fall Semester, Tuesdays 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Instructor: Anna Shternshis

The course examines history, culture and diaspora of Russian-speaking Jews in the 20th and 21st century. We will discuss how Jews experienced Russian Revolutions of 1917, Stalinism, Soviet Great Terror of 1937, World War II and the Holocaust, post-war challenges, the “Thaw” of the 1960s, “Stagnation of the 1980s”, Dissident movement, Perestroika, collapse of the Soviet Union and the development of post-Soviet diasporas. We will read works by both Soviet Jewish authors, including Vassily Grossman, Shira Gorshman, Isaac Babel, Rivka Levin and post-Soviet ones, such as David Bezmozgis, Lara Vapnyar and Boris Fishman, study artifacts of anti-religious propaganda such as Red Passover Celebration scripts, discuss oral histories of Soviet Jews, read scripts of Yiddish theater performances (in English translation), and scrutinize (and maybe even try) recipes of Soviet Jewish food. No prior knowledge is required, but if you took a course on European history or Jewish history, it will be an asset.

Prerequisite: Completion of at least 4.0 credits.

Exclusions: CJS391H1 (Soviet Jewish History, Culture, and Diaspora), offered in Fall 2024.

Recommended Preparation: CJS201H1 or HIS208Y1

Breadth Requirement: Society and Its Institutions(3)

CJS396H1F/S - Independent Study

A scholarly project on an approved topic supervised by a faculty affiliated with the Centre for Jewish Studies. For details, please visit the ATCJS webpage on Independent Studies Courses.
Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Pre-requisites: CJS200H1 or CJS201H1, and permission from the CJS Undergraduate Director. At least 2.0 credits in Jewish Studies courses

CJS498Y1Y - Independent Study

A scholarly project on an approved topic supervised by a faculty affiliated with the Centre for Jewish Studies. For details, please visit the ATCJS webpage on Independent Studies Courses.
Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Pre-requisites: CJS200H1 or CJS201H1, and permission from the CJS Undergraduate Director. At least 2.0 credits in Jewish Studies courses

CJS499H1F/S - Independent Study

A scholarly project on an approved topic supervised by a faculty affiliated with the Centre for Jewish Studies. For details, please visit the ATCJS webpage on Independent Studies Courses.
Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Pre-requisites: CJS200H1 or CJS201H1, and permission from the CJS Undergraduate Director. At least 2.0 credits in Jewish Studies courses

ANT426H1 S 'The West' and Its Others

Winter Semester, Wednesday 1 pm - 3 pm

Instructor: Ivan Kalmar

The history and present of western concepts and images about the ‘Other’, in anthropological and other scholarship and in popular culture.

Prerequisite: 0.5 credit at the 300-level from Anthropology Group C: Society, Culture, and Language, or Near and Middle Eastern Civilization or Jewish Studies or Diaspora and Transnational Studies or History

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representation(1)

FAH381H1 F: Problems in Jewish Art

Fall Semester, Thursday 3 pm - 5 pm

Instructor: Adam Cohen

This course investigates the changing definition of Jewish art and the status of Jewish artists. Other issues explored include Jewish-Christian visual polemics, the construction of individual and communal Jewish identity through art, architecture, and texts, and the conceptual transformation of Jewish craft and ritual objects into art.

Prerequisite: 1.0 FAH credit

Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

DTS300H1 S: Qualitative and Quantitative Reasoning

Winter Semester, Thursday 10 am - 12 pm 

Instructor: Padraic Scanlan

Focuses on research design and training in methods from history, geography, anthropology, literary and cultural studies, and other disciplines appropriate to Diaspora and Transnational Studies. Prepares students to undertake primary research required in senior seminars.

Prerequisite: Completion of 9.0 credits

Breadth Requirement: The Physical and Mathematical Universes (5)

There are no Jewish Studies courses offered by the European Studies Program in 2025 - 2026. 

There are no Jewish Studies courses offered by the Department for English in 2025 - 2026

GER261H1 F: Elementary Yiddish I

Fall Semester, Monday 10 am - 12 pm and Wednesday 10 am - 11 am 

Instructor: TBA

This course introduces Yiddish language, literature, music, theatre, and cinema through interactive multi-media seminars, designed to build proficiency in reading, writing and comprehending. No prior knowledge of Yiddish is required.

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER262H1 S: Elementary Yiddish II

Winter Semester, Monday 10 am - 12 pm and Wednesday 10 am - 11 am 

Instructor: TBA

This course is the continuation of GER261H1, Elementary Yiddish 1. While learning the language the course will also introduce students to Yiddish literature & culture, providing a greater understanding of the historical and contemporary, religious and secular communities that speak and spoke this language.

Pre-requisites: GER261H1

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER360H1 F: Intermediate Yiddish 

Fall Semester, TBA

Instructor: TBA

The course conducted in Yiddish offers a review of basic grammar, stylistics, study of short literary texts.

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER367H1 F Topics in Yiddish or German Jewish Literature and Culture

Fall Semester, Monday 1 pm - 3 pm

Instructor: TBA

Topics in modern Yiddish or German Jewish literature and culture from the beginning of the 19th century to the present, featuring a selection of readings of modern Yiddish prose, poetry, drama and cinema. Taught in English and open to students across disciplines.

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

GER460H1S Advanced Yiddish

Winter Semester, Tuesday 2 pm - 5 pm

Instructor: TBA

This course conducted entirely in Yiddish focuses on advanced reading, writing, vocabulary and conversation, the study of poetry, short fiction, and memoir literature by leading authors. Selected advanced grammatical topics are presented in conjunction with the study of texts.

Exclusion: GER462H1

Prerequisite: GER360H1

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

PHL338H1 S: Jewish Philosophy

Winter Semester, Tuesday 11:00 am - 1:00 pm and Thursday 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Instructor: Michael Rosenthal

A selection of texts and issues in Jewish philosophy, for example, Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, Buber's The Prophetic Faith, prophecy and revelation, Divine Command and morality, creation and eternity, the historical dimension of Jewish thought.

Prerequisite: 7.5 FCE (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophy

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

POL377H1 S  LEC0101: Topics in Comparative Politics I: Israeli Politics and Society

Winter Semester, Tuesdays 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Instructor: Chagai Weiss 

This course examines core social and political dynamics in contemporary Israeli politics from social-scientific and historical perspectives. The objective of the course is to provide students with a historical background and analytical understanding of contemporary Israeli politics. Attention will be paid to political history, institutions, economic development, coalition formation, ethnic politics, and religious divisions in Israel, examined through the lens of comparative politics.

Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

POL378H1 S Topics in Comparative Politics II: The Politics of Identity and Intergroup Relations in Israel

Winter Semester, Tuesday 5:00 - 7:00 pm 

Instructor: Chagai Weiss

This course will examine the role of identity in shaping political, social, and economic dynamics in Israel. Students will learn about cutting-edge social scientific research that empirically examines questions relating to identity and intergroup relations in the Israeli context. Focusing on empirical studies in political science, economics, and social psychology, the course will familiarize students with various theoretical frameworks and data-driven studies that answer pressing questions regarding identity and intergroup relations in Israel from a comparative perspective.

Prerequisites: 1.0 credit in POL/ JPA/ JPF/ JPI/ JPR/ JPS/ JRA courses

Breadth Requirement: Society and its Institutions (3)

RLG107H1 F “It's the End of the World as We Know It”

Fall Semester, Thursdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Instructor: John Marshall

Throughout history, many religious movements have envisioned the end of the world. This course will explore the ways in which different religious movements have prepared for and expected an end time, from fears, symbols, and rituals to failed prophecies and social violence. By examining traditions such as Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts through to fears of nuclear apocalypse and zombies, the course seeks to understand the ways in which ancient and modern claims of “the end” reflect the aspirations, anxieties, and religious concerns of communities.

Exclusions: RLG101H1 ("It's the End of the World as we Know It") offered in Fall 2017 and Fall 2018 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (2)

RLG108H1 S The Question of God

Winter Semester, Mondays, 1:00pm – 3:00 pm 

Instructor: Robert Gibbs 

What is God? Who is God? Is Yahweh the same as the Christian God? What about Allah? How do people come to see, hear, or feel God? Belief in God is a core tenet of all monotheistic religions, yet the figure of God is elusive and contested. This course offers an introduction to the study of religion and to how the discipline has engaged with the figure of God. Issues covered include histories of God (including proclamations of the “death of God”); psychological and anthropological views on prayer, divine interventions, and God-human relations; God and empire/colonialism; feminist (and other subversive) re-imaginings of God; and atheism. Regardless of their own belief, students will learn to grapple with an inescapable figure, will learn about lived Islam and Christianity (and to a lesser extent Judaism), and will gain insights into a range of thinking tools offered by the study of religion. 

Exclusions: RLG239H1 (Special Topics: The Question of God), offered in Fall 2021 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2) 

RLG202H1 S Judaism

Winter Semester, Mondays 1:00pm – 3:00 pm 

Instructor: Yigal Nizri 

An introduction to the religious tradition of the Jews that explores key themes as they change from ancient times to today. The set of themes will include: the Sabbath, Study, Place, Household, Power. Each year will focus on one theme. We will read holy texts, modern literature, history, ethnography, and philosophy, covering each theme in a range of genres and across the diverse span of Jewish experience.

Exclusion: RLG202H5, RLG202Y1

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (2)

RLG209H1 F Justifying Religious Belief

Fall Semester, Thursdays 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Instructor: Harry Fox 

Beliefs typically characterized as “religious” concern such things as the existence and nature of the deity, the afterlife, the soul, miracles, and the universe’s meaningfulness, ultimate purpose, or interest in the distribution and realization of justice. Common to these and other religious beliefs is that they lack empirical evidence to support them – at least so say religious skeptics. They insist that rational beliefs require justification and that justification comes from perceptions anyone could have or solid scientific reasoning. Anyone who harbors religious beliefs thus violates a basic epistemic responsibility. How might people who hold – and want to continue to hold – religious beliefs respond to these accusations and doubts? The course examines these basic epistemological and moral challenges to religious belief as well as the various strategies available to religious believers who are confronted with such demands for justifications. By doing so, we will aim to understand better whether religious beliefs of various sorts could count as rational, whether reasonable people might disagree with each other about the very nature of reality and morality, and whether anyone who falls short of common intellectual and social ideals of rationality and reasonableness ought to be tolerated. 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (2)  

RLG242H1 S Bible in America

Winter Semester, Wednesdays 9:00 am – 11:00 am 

Instructor: Nyasha Junior 

This course offers a critical examination of the role of biblical texts (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament) within the history, literature, and culture of the United States of America. It will employ a range of methodological perspectives to explore the use, influence, and impact of biblical interpretation especially regarding claims of American identity. All readings will be in English. No knowledge of Hebrew or Greek is required. 

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representation (1) 

RLG243H1 F: Naked and Not Ashamed: The Book of Genesis

Fall Semester, Wednesdays 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Instructor: Nyasha Junior 

This course provides a critical introduction to the book of Genesis. It examines the historical and literary contexts of Genesis and engages diverse methods of contemporary biblical scholarship, such as narrative analysis, gender analysis, and history of interpretation. This course highlights the use of Genesis in various Jewish and Christian communities and in popular culture, including music, film, and visual arts. All readings will be in English. No knowledge of Hebrew or Greek is required. 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2) 

RLG321H1 F Women and the Hebrew Bible

Fall Semester, Wednesdays 9:00 am – 11:00 am 

Instructor: Nyasha Junior 

This course provides a critical examination of the Hebrew Bible (sometimes called the Old Testament) with an emphasis on women characters. It examines the historical and literary contexts of Hebrew Bible texts and engages diverse methods of contemporary biblical scholarship with particular attention to issues of gender. All readings will be in English. No knowledge of Hebrew is required. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

RLG325H1 S The Uses and Abuses of the Bible 

Winter Semester, Fridays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Instructor: Jeremy Schipper 

From politics to popular culture, the Bible has shaped people and nations for good and for ill. This course introduces the Jewish and Christian Bibles and considers case studies of how biblical texts have been interpreted. The Bible has been used to bolster slavery and white supremacy and to inspire political liberation movements. It has been used to justify annihilation of Indigenous people by Christian colonists yet given hope to Jews that next year in Jerusalem might be better. How can the same “book” be used for such different purposes? This course focuses on the cultural and political consequences of biblical interpretation. An underlying premise is that the Bible is not static but is rather a nomadic text as it is continuously interpreted in ways that sometimes contribute to human flourishing, but also can result in violence, human diminishment, or death. 

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

RLG327H1 S Hospitality and Ethics in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 

Winter Semester, Mondays, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Instructor: Harry Fox 

Refugee crises in modern times have raised questions concerning what degree of hospitality is owed the stranger or foreigner whose motivation is a new, safe, and secure home rather than being treated as a guest passing through on a time-limited visa. Jacques Derrida’s ideas of both conditional hospitality (e.g., tourists) and unconditional hospitality (e.g., strangers) need to be explored from the perspective of philosophical and ethical traditions including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim ethics. 

Prerequisite: Completion of 4.0 credits

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)

RLG328H1 S Religion, Race, and the Legacy of Cain and Abel

Winter Semester, Friday, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm 

Instructor: Jeremy Schipper 

Cain's killing of his brother Abel is one of the best known but least understood stories in the Bible. For thousands of years, interpreters have puzzled over the gaps and ambiguities of the story in order to piece together the how, what, where and why of this violent incident. This course explores the legacies of Cain and Abel across various religious traditions and in art, literature, and popular culture. It considers the surprising roles that this biblical story has played in modern ideas about religion, politics, and race. All readings will be in English. No knowledge of Hebrew is required. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (2)  

RLG338H1 F Religion and Religiosity in Israel/Palestine

Fall Semester, Mondays, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Instructors: Yigal Nizri

Focusing on present-day Israel/Palestine, this interdisciplinary course is intended for students interested in exploring a wide range of theoretical questions and examining their applicability to the study of sites, texts, rituals, and politics in the region. We will address the history of the land's consecration from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives. Students will analyze specific sites associated with religious congregations and ritual practices, and study them within their local and regional contexts. Looking at the complex relationships between religious-political movements and institutions within Jewish and Muslim societies, we will delve into various attempts to secularize (and theologize) Jewish and Palestinian communities and their discontents. Rather than providing the typical emphasis on conflict, the course is a journey into the history and present of the land and its diverse communities.

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (2)  

RLG344H1 S Antisemitism 

Winter Semester, Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Instructor: TBA 

Explores how “Jews” have been viewed (often mistakenly and confusedly) in various contexts from pre-Christian antiquity to the contemporary world. Emphasis is on problems involved in defining and explaining antisemitism, especially concerning the difference between religious and racial forms of antisemitism. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Society and Its Institutions (3) 

RLG346H1 S Time and Place in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 

Winter Semester, Thursdays, 9:00 am – 11:00 am 

Instructor: Harry Fox 

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each have their own sets of prayer times, frequency of prayers and their locations such as home, synagogue, temple, church or mosque. They have completely different calendrical systems. Holiness is also connected to geographical locations, which often serve as destinations of pilgrimage. This course will examine linear and cyclical times and the concepts of holiness in time and place by looking at primary sources in translation. We will investigate the persistence of holy places, how their names continue, and how gender issues are part of the jurisdictional politics of disputes over place and time. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2) 

RLG382H1 S: God and Communism: State Policies and Religious Practices in the Soviet Union and Post-Soviet Space 

Winter Semester, Tuesdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Instructor: Anna Shternshis 

The Russian Revolution of 1917 proclaimed the separation of Church and State in the newly created Soviet Russia and later, Soviet Union. How did it work in practice? This course will examine both policies that addressed Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other religious practices and practices of how these policies were received and interpreted on the ground. We will read anti-religious propaganda materials created in the 1920s, memoirs and diaries of priests, rabbis and imams making sense of the 1930s, often when imprisoned in Gulag for their work, press materials and ego-documents of World War II, novels, poems and short stories addressing religious beliefs in the post-war Soviet Union. Finally, we will discuss the religious revival of the 1990s, when both indigenous religions and those brought in by Western missionaries have entered post-Soviet public sphere. All course materials will be provided in English translation. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 4.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Society and Its Institutions (3)

RLG434H1 F: Modern Jewish Thought 

Fall Semester, Thursdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Instructor: Kenneth Green 

Close study of major themes, texts, and thinkers in modern Jewish thought. Focus put on the historical development of modern Judaism, with special emphasis on the Jewish religious and philosophical responses to the challenges of modernity. Among modern Jewish thinkers to be considered: Spinoza, Cohen, Rosenzweig, Buber, Scholem, Strauss, and Fackenheim. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 9.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2) 

RLG453H1 F: Christianity and Judaism in Colonial Context 

Fall Semester, Fridays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm 

Instructor: Ronald Charles, John Marshall 

Sets the study of early Christianity and Second Temple Judaism into relation with postcolonial historiography. Topics include hybridity, armed resistance, the intersection of gender and colonization, diaspora, acculturation, and the production of subaltern forms of knowledge. Comparative material and theories of comparison are also treated. 

Pre-requisites: Completion of 14.0 credits 

Breadth Requirement: Society and Its Institutions (3)

MHB155H1 F Elementary Modern Hebrew I

Fall Semester, Tuesdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Thursdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Instructor: Yigal Nizri

This course is designed for students with little or no experience in Hebrew. As such, it offers  intensive training in the basics of 4 language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.  Students will be able to recognize the Hebrew verb system's fundamental structures, learn its  primary forms, and acquire the necessary basic vocabulary for everyday conversations. We  will focus on reading: easy dialogues, passages without vowels, and short texts in simple  Hebrew. Writing: short dialogues and paragraphs. Conversation: simple dialogues and stories. Comprehension: listening to short stories and recorded conversations. 

Exclusion: Grade 4 Hebrew (or Grade 2 in Israel)/ NML155H1

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

MHB156H1S Elementary Modern Hebrew II

Winter Semester, Tuesdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Thursdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Instructor: Yigal Nizri

The second half of a two-semester Modern Hebrew course for beginners is intended to strengthen the students’ conversation skills and their reading, writing, and listening comprehension while further developing the cultural context of the language. Materials include simple stories and poems, digital media, film, comics, textbook exercises, and complementary class activities. In addition, students will be expected to deliver presentations in Hebrew and write about a range of topics, demonstrating an ability to acquire new vocabulary using print and digital dictionaries independently. 

Exclusion: Grade 4 Hebrew (or Grade 2 in Israel)/ NML156H1

Prerequisites: MHB155H1/ NML155H1 permission of the instructor based on previous language knowledge

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

MHB255H1 F Intermediate Modern Hebrew I

Fall Semester, Tuesdays, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Thursdays, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Instructor: Yigal Nizri

This course will further enhance students’ Hebrew language skills. With the context of contemporary Israeli and Jewish culture in mind, the course focuses on (1) Reading: unadapted texts and simple articles in regular Hebrew. (2) Writing: the beginning of practical writing on topics discussed in class, writing about personal experiences, and writing structured compositions. (3) Conversation: conversational skills developed by regular participation in class presentations and discussions of current events and cultural issues; role play and participation in dialogues and informal expressions. (4) Comprehension: listening to recorded short stories in easy Hebrew. (5) Grammatical Skills: Completing the syntactic study of verb conjugation in different tenses. 

Exclusion: Grade 8 Hebrew (or Ulpan level 2 in Israel)/ NML255Y1

Prerequisites: MHB156H1/ NML156H1 or permission of the instructor based on previous language knowledge

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

MHB256H1S Intermediate Modern Hebrew II

Winter Semester, Tuesdays, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Thursdays, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Instructor: Yigal Nizri

This course of Intermediate Hebrew is intended for those who completed the requirements of intermediate Hebrew I. Intermediate Hebrew aims to instill more excellent proficiency, enrich vocabulary, and deepen the student’s understanding of the cultural context of Israeli Hebrew. Subjects include current affairs, Israeli society, and cultural traditions. Added emphasis will be placed on language registers and grammatical and syntactic nuances, with materials ranging from children’s books to television programs. By the end of the semester, students will complete their understanding of the Hebrew verb system and main preposition words. 

Exclusion: Grade 8 Hebrew (or Ulpan level 2 in Israel)/ NML255Y1

Prerequisites: MHB255H1/ NML156H1 or permission of the instructor based on previous language knowledge

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

There are no Jewish Studies courses offered by the Department of Sociology in 2025 - 2026. 

CDN280H1F - Canadian Jewish History

Fall Semester, Thursday 1 pm - 3 pm

Instructor: TBA

This course focuses on initial settlement patterns of Jews in Toronto and elsewhere, community growth including suburbanization, and contemporary challenges such as anti-Semitism and assimilation.

Breadth Requirement: Society and Its Institutions (3)

CDN380H1 S - Contemporary Jewish Canadian Communities

Winter Semester, Tuesday 11 am - 1 pm

Instructor: TBA

This course examines: the relationship between prominent Canadians who happen to be Jews and those whose works are founded in Jewish identity; the diversity of the community on the basis of religion, language, class, ideology, etc.; contributions to the arts and scholarship; and the role and contribution of Jewish women.

Breadth Requirement: Creative and Cultural Representation (1)

CRE373H1F - Archives and the Art of Memory 

Fall Semester, Wednesday 1 pm - 3pm 

Instructor: Anna Shternshis

What is an Archive? What kind of history and culture does it Preserve? Or does it bury things forever? Who gets to be an archivist and who gets to tell the story? How can an archive preserve the stories of marginalized people? Can voices from the archive be brought back to life? In the context of a series of readings, presentations and projects the course focuses on case studies of government-housed and sponsored archives, family archives, archives of cultural institutions, grassroot archival initiatives, and of course digital archives. Each student will have an opportunity to produce an artistic project based on an archival research or create their own imaginary archive. 

Prerequisites: 4.0 credits 

Breadth Category: Creative and Cultural Representation (1)