RLA05 Judaism

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s) (plus 1 credit for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Dalibor Papoušek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Jana Valtrová, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 10:00–11:40 C11
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 100 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/100, only registered: 0/100
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Course abstract
The course offers a complex introduction to Judaism as the oldest monotheistic religion. Following a paradigmatic scheme of periodization it provides a general survey of its historical transformations: the religion of ancient Israel, early Judaism in the post-exilic period, Sepharadim and Ashkenazim during the Middle Ages, and modern Judaism, including its national-political features.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- demonstrate the basic factual knowledge of the history of Judaism, including main features of its teachings, religious law and ritual practices;
- identify the principal historical transformations in the development of Judaism;
- use the basic terminology of Judaism and its academic study;
- interprete the selected Jewish source material in Czech translation (e.g. biblical text, halakhic commentary, Hasidic legend etc.);
- compare Judaism with other monotheistic systems (Christianity, Islam).
Syllabus
  • (0) Introduction to the course. (1) The Hebrew Bible – structure, textual development, canonization, translations. (2) Ethnogenesis of Hebrew tribes. The earliest religion of Israel. (3) Religion in the pre-exilic period. Hezekiah's and Josiah's reforms. (4) The Babylonian exile and the post-exilic period. (5) Hellenization and differentiation of early Judaism. (6) Rabbinic Judaism and the crystallization of the Talmud. (7) Test in the Hebrew Bible. (8) Gaonic period. Sepharadim a Ashkenazim. (9) Jewish religious philosophy. Kabbalah. (10) Haskalah and the differentiation of Judaism in modern times. (11) Zionism and the origins of the State of Israel. (12) Test in the basic terminology of Judaism.
Literature
    required literature
  • STEMBERGER, Günter. Úvod do judaistiky. Translated by Štěpán Zbytovský. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2010, 228 s. ISBN 9788070219881. info
    recommended literature
  • SCHUBERT, Kurt. Židovské náboženství v proměnách věků : zdroje, teologie, filosofie, mystika. Translated by Jindřich Slabý. Vyd. 3., rev. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2010, 293 s. ISBN 9788074290459. info
  • BRENNER, Michael. Malé dějiny Židů. Translated by Zlata Kufnerová. Vyd. 1. Praha: Paseka, 2014, 351 s. ISBN 9788074324437. info
  • HORYNA, Břetislav and Helena PAVLINCOVÁ. Judaismus-Křesťanství-Islám (Judaism-Christianity-Islam). Nové rozšířené. Olomouc: nakladatelství Olomouc, 2003, 661 pp. ISBN 80-7182-165-9. info
  • The Oxford handbook of Jewish studies. Edited by Jeremy Cohen - David Jan Sorkin - Martin Goodman. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002, xiv, 1037. ISBN 9780199280322. info
Teaching methods
Lectures; home readings; three semestral commentaries on given texts with a written feedback by teacher; two semestral written tests.
Assessment methods
Requirements for the colloquium (recommended for students in the fields other than religion)
  • written test in the Hebrew Bible (at least 60%);
  • written test in the basic terminology of Judaism (at least 60%).

    Requirements for the oral examination (compulsory for students of religion)
    Prerequisite for the examination:
  • written test in the Hebrew Bible (at least 60%);
  • written test in the basic terminology of Judaism (at least 60%).
  • three accepted commentaries (altogether at least 60%).
    Requirements for the oral examination:
  • to prove the basic factual knowledge of Judaism according to the given list of topics;
  • to prove the interpretative ability in a given field.
    The final grade includes assessment of: two semestral tests (40%), three commentaries (20%), and oral examination (40%).

    Detailed schedule of the course and topics for the examination with recommended reading are available in the ELF (e-learning environment of the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University).
    • Language of instruction
    Czech
    Follow-Up Courses
    Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
    Study Materials
    The course is taught annually.
    Information about innovation of course.
    This course has been innovated under the project "Faculty of Arts as Centre of Excellence in Education: Complex Innovation of Study Programmes and Fields at FF MU with Regard to the Requirements of the Knowledge Economy“ – Reg. No. CZ.1.07/2.2.00/28.0228, which is cofinanced by the European Social Fond and the national budget of the Czech Republic.

    logo image
    The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2002, Spring 2003, Spring 2004, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021.
    • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2020, recent)
    • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2020/RLA05