HIST 230
Modern European Jewish History, 1789-1948 Fall 2024
Division II
Cross-listed JWST 230

Class Details

What does it mean to be Jewish? The question of Jewish identity emerged anew at the end of the eighteenth century in Europe and has dominated Jewish history throughout the modern period. Although Jewish emancipation and citizenship followed different paths in different parts of Europe, in general Jews were confronted by unprecedented opportunities for integration into non-Jewish society and unprecedented challenges to Jewish communal life. Focusing primarily on France and Germany, and to a lesser extent on the Polish lands, this course will introduce students to the major social, cultural, religious, and political transformations that shaped the lives of European Jews from the outbreak of the French Revolution to the aftermath of World War II. We will explore such topics as emancipation, Jewish diversity, the reform of Judaism, competing political ideologies, Jewish-gentile relations, the rise of modern antisemitism, gender roles in Jewish society, interwar Jewish culture, Jewish responses to Nazism and the Holocaust, and the situation of Jews in the immediate post-WWII period. In addition to broad historical treatments, course materials will include exposure to different kinds of primary sources, from philosophical and political treatises, to memoirs, diaries, and fiction.
The Class: Format: lecture; discussion
Limit: 40
Expected: 10-20
Class#: 1473
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: class participation, weekly comments on readings, two 6- to 8-page papers, and a final exam
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: Jewish studies concentrators, first-years, sophomores
Distributions: Divison II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
JWST 230 Division II HIST 230 Division II
Attributes: HIST Group C Electives - Europe and Russia
JWST Core Electives

Class Grid

Updated 5:25 pm

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