The wide range of religious, literary, and political expression of Jews and Judaism throughout their history and all over the world provide excellent lenses through which we can examine Jewish cultural pluralism, on its own and as a foundation for further Jewish studies within a global, multicultural context.

This course departs from the typical introductory Jewish Studies course as traditionally conceived, which often focuses more narrowly on religious texts, practices, and identities without setting those cultural products within their broader cultural and global contexts.

This course seeks to expand that traditional framework by defining Jewish culture as pluralistic, from its very origins up to the present day, using a collection of practices and discourses that return the Jews themselves to the center of their own self-definition. The course proceeds chronologically, from the biblical origins of Jewish culture through its 20th century reverberations in Europe, Israel, and America, focusing on the pluralism of Jewish cultures throughout this long history.

Upon completion of this course, students will:

• Become familiar with the basic chronology and wide range of the global Jewish experience.
• Become familiar with the recurring tensions between Jewish national and Diaspora cultures
• Analyze Jewish cultures in relation to majority cultures in the ancient and contemporary Middle East, Europe, and the Americas
• Develop critical thinking and communication skills through course readings, discussion board postings, and essay assignments. 

Please review the policies page as it contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU and additional information on the standards for acceptable netiquette important for online courses.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" page to find out more information on this subject.

For detailed information about the technical requirements, please click here.

For detailed information about the specific limitations with the technologies used in this course, please click here.

For more information about Blackboard's Accessibility Commitment, click here.

For additional assistance please contact our Disability Resource Center.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

This is an online course, meaning that most of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as for a traditional course; in fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

• Review the how to get started information located in the course content
• Introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self introduction in the appropriate discussion forum
• Take the practice quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Blackboard
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Review and follow the course calendar

Communication in this course will take place via Messages.

Messages are a private and secure text-based communication that occurs within a Course and among Course members. Users must log on to Blackboard to send/receive/read messages. The Messages tool is located on the left side Course Menu (Blackboard user interface). It is recommended that students check their messages routinely to ensure up-to-date communication. 

For more information on professional writing and technical communication click here.

Discussion Board Postings/Replies - 5 prompts, lowest grade will be dropped. 5% per prompt, totaling 20% of final grade

Discussion Post Rubric:

Keep in mind that forum discussions are public, and care should be taken when determining what to post.

Essay Rubric: 
(Total Possible Points: 20 points)

(10% for each exercise, totaling 20% of final grade)

Students are required to complete two term identification exercises.  In each exercise 20 terms will be randomly drawn from the module glossaries that have been supplied for each module of the course: glossaries for modules 1-4, inclusive, apply to the first exercise, and glossaries for modules 5-9, inclusive, apply to the second exercise.  In each case you will have 50 minutes to complete all 20 term identifications according to a specific format.

This exercise requires you to write at least two sentences for each answer: the first sentence will define the term, and the second will put the term in context and display your additional knowledge of the term.  The first sentence you will provide will be drawn from the definition of the term that has been supplied to you in the module glossary; regularly studying each module’s terms and their definitions will greatly assist you in preparing for this part of the exercise.  The second sentence will require you to go back to your notes, to the textbooks, and/or to outside resources in order to display your knowledge of the term in context.

Each sentence in each answer is worth 0-2 points; each total answer will be worth up to 4 points, for a total of 80 points for each exercise; partial credit will be awarded wherever possible.

Please refer to the following example as a model 4-point answer:
Example: Definition: Goy [term provided in module 1 glossary] literally means “nation” and is usually used to refer to a non-Jew [definition supplied in module 1 glossary].  Context: According to David Biale, the conceptual category “goy” developed alongside the category “Jew,” since Jewish identity cannot be separated from the power relations between Jews and their neighbors.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Please note assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

• Discussion Board postings and replies and Term Identification Exercises close at 11:59pm on the indicated date; no late submissions will be accepted and students will receive a grade of 0 for any missed assignments aside from documented cases of medical or family emergency.
• Essays are due by 11:59pm on the date indicated but will we accepted late: late essays will be penalized one half letter grade (five points) for each day late, or part thereof, up to a maximum 30 point deduction, except in documented cases of medical or family emergency.
• Term Identification Exercises cannot be made-up.

PLAGIARISM and any and all forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.  Plagiarism is stealing someone else’s words or original ideas.  Plagiarism occurs in two forms: (1) uncredited quotations (including words copied from elsewhere but not bracketed by quotation marks and quotations without proper citations and documentation) and (2) uncredited paraphrases.  In both cases, to avoid plagiarism, students must properly cite the source material.  Only commonly known facts and concepts, general material learned in the course of research and study, and students’ original ideas do not require citation.  Students found violating standards will fail the course and will be reported directly to the Office of Academic Affairs.  For useful guidelines, go to the Plagiarism Prevention section on the FIU Library’s website: http://libguides.fiu.edu/plagiarism.

• Except in cases of emergency and Jewish holidays, the professor will reply to student emails within 48 hours during the week and 72 hours over the weekend (emails sent between 5pm Friday and 12:01am Monday). 
• Except in cases of emergency and Jewish holidays, the professor will grade student assignments within 7 days of their due date.