Travel Experiences

JWST 4918 Jewish Faith and Culture Abroad in Budapest

ENGL 5000-05/06: Jewish Literature and Faith in Budapest

Summer Session I
4 units

OVERVIEW

The focus of this course is Jewish Budapest, the capital city of Hungary-sitting on the historic Danube River at the intersection of Eastern and Western Europe.  With a unique, youthful atmosphere, world-class classical music scene, a pulsating nightlife increasingly appreciated among European youth, and an exceptional offer of natural thermal baths, Budapest is one of Europe's most delightful and enjoyable cities.  Due to the exceedingly scenic setting, and its architecture it is nicknamed "Paris of the East."

The modern-day Budapest results from the amalgamation of two historic cities lying right opposite each other over the Danube River.  Buda is the western (left) bank side, with the high hill atop which the Buda castle sits.  Pest is the relatively flat eastern (right) bank side, with the Parliament, numerous other stately buildings, and busy streets retaining all their 19th century architectural heritage.  

In 1987 Budapest was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the cultural and architectural significance of the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue.

After World War I, Hungary's Jewish population (within its current borders) decreased from nearly half a million and kept declining between 1920 and 2010, significantly between 1939 and 1945 and further between 1951 and 1960.  Despite the decline, in 2010 Hungary had the largest Jewish population in Eastern Europe outside of the former Soviet Union.

Students in this unique course will read poetry, short stories, memoirs, and historical pieces about the Jewish experience in Budapest, addressing both the religious/faith and the literary cultural components of this historically impressive city and its people.

DETAILS

Faculty: Dr. Holli Levitsky and Dr. Margarete Feinstein

Counts for: University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections; Flag: Engaged Learning.

Cost: 

Tuition for 4 unit course + deposit to secure space + Roundtrip Airfare.

JWST 4998 Literature, Faith and Culture in Jewish Spain

Summer Session I
4 units

OVERVIEW

The focus of this course is Jewish Spain at the intersection of literature and faith. We will explore the region of Andalucia, which once housed the most flourishing Jewish community of the 10^th century, and became a source of inspiration for the entire Jewish world in literature (especially poetry and music), religion (especially spirituality and philosophy) and culture (especially science and medicine). It was also a model for dialogue, study and the coexistence of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

This part of Spain provides a rich opportunity to engage the magic and power of location. In  this on-site interdisciplinary study, literature and faith intersect through the first Jews to arrive in Spain, Converso literature,  Convivencia, Inquisition/Expulsion, and the area’s many synagogues, churches and mosques.

The class will proceed from Madrid to Cordoba, Granada, and Segovia, engaging with religious, cultural, intellectual, and social aspects of each area. Excursions include the windmills of Don Quixote, Manchego cheese tasting, touring the Prado and El Greco museums, Kayaking in the Duraton River.

DETAILS

Faculty: Dr. Holli Levitsky and Rabbi Mark Diamond

Counts for: Interdisciplinary Connections Core, Engaged Learning flag, Jewish Studies minor requirement, English major requirement, and general upper-division elective.

Cost: Tuition for 4 unit course + deposit to secure space. Two week trip is all-inclusive, not including airfare.

JWST 4998 Literature and Faith in the Holy Land

Summer Session I
4 units

OVERVIEW

Join an English professor, a priest, and a rabbi as we seek to engage in interfaith dialogue and social activities with Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other communities in Israel. The theme of the course is “hospitality”: How do we offer and receive it in the Holy Land, with its pluralistic communities? The course includes exclusive tours of diverse religious and historical sites, home meals, camel riding, hiking, swimming in the Dead Sea, a drum circle on the Sea of Galilee, and rafting down the Jordan River, among other excursions.

DETAILS

Faculty: Dr. Holli Levitsky, Rabbi Mark Diamond, & Fr. Alexei Smith

Counts for: Interdisciplinary Connections Core, Engaged Learning flag, Jewish Studies minor requirement, English major requirement, and general upper-division elective.

Cost: Tuition for 4 unit course + deposit to secure space. Two week trip is all-inclusive, including airfare.

JWST 4998 Vanished Landscapes: Poland & the Holocaust

Summer Session I
4 units

OVERVIEW

Examine past, present, and future Poland, explore significant sites and the long history of Jewish life, and engage with Polish students! The theme of the course is the trajectory of the Jewish community in Poland from its origin 1000 years ago to the current moment and challenges students to examine how faith helps us understand both Polish-Catholic and Polish-Jewish history. The course includes many onsite visits to former and current Jewish communities, concentration camps, cultural sites, and important Polish national sites, and includes discussions with experts in Jewish-Catholic relations. This course often begins in other cities such as Berlin and Prague.

DETAILS

Faculty: Dr. Holli Levitsky, Dr. Margarete Feinstein, & Rabbi Mark Diamond

Counts for: Engaged Learning flag, Faith and Reason, Jewish Studies minor requirement, English major requirement, and general upper-division elective.

Cost: Tuition for 4 unit course + deposit to secure space + Roundtrip Airfare.