11:15A-12:30P     TR     BH310

Above section carries culture studies credit

Jewish life in North America started in 1654; today the United States
contains more Jews than any other country.  This course introduces
students to the development of the American Jewish community, from its
colonial beginnings to the present, emphasizing such topics as: the
five discernible waves of Jewish immigration; patterns of Jewish
settlement and economic activities; communal ties and philanthropic
organizations; diversity within Jewish religious affiliation; the
impact of Yiddish on Jewish and American culture; American Jewish
reactions to the Holocaust; the nature of American anti-Semitism; Jews
and the American political system; and American Zionism and the issue
of Israel.

There are no prerequisites for this course, and students need not have
taken History H251-H252 or History H105-H106.  Required reading:
Jonathan D. Sarna, ed. The American Jewish Experience and possibly one
other book.  Two documentary films will be shown, and there will be a
midterm and final essay examination.