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Description
What is Judaism? Since Judaism has a history spanning more than three millennia and all five continents, it inevitably means different things to different people. The academic study of Judaism tries to answer the question by focusing on Jewish practice, tradition, and history with a variety of perspectives:
- The definition of Judaism: is it a religion, culture, or ethnicity? Is it monolithic, essential, and static, or rather diverse, hybrid, and dynamic?
- What are the texts and practices that 鈥榙efine鈥� Judaism?
- What are the central concepts of rabbinic Judaism? How does rabbinic legal text and reasoning work?
- What are the places and shapes of Jewish worship?
- How do tradition and modernization make their mark felt in the history of Judaism, from Antiquity to the present day?
- How does Judaism interact with other religions?
- Which are the contemporary ways of connecting with the Jewish tradition?
This introductory course is open to first and second year students, and to affiliate students.听 No prior knowledge of either Judaism or any Jewish language is required.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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