Ethnic Studies and the (American) Jewish Experience
(Cultural Studies)
Instructor: Regine Rosenthal, Visiting Scholar,
Regine.Rosenthal@Dartmouth.edu
Schedule:
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Description:
Among the multitude of themes that define American society, "the predominance of race as a national obsession"? stands out, as R.H. Bayor claims. Yet whereas the very notion of race has been hotly contested in recent years while ethnicity, its companion category, has gained wide currency, the history of immigration, race, and ethnicity and their relationship to each other have shaped contemporary American society.
This course will follow a two-pronged approach. It will first analyze ethnicity in its etymological and historical dimension, defining the term alongside race, racism, and multiculturalism, then turn to the Jewish experience as a more circumscribed example of ethnic/ race relations.
In the specific field of Jewish studies, it will again explore -- in theoretical and literary texts -- both broad-ranging, transnational issues and more specific US topics that include anti-Semitism vs. self-hatred; history of U.S.-Jewish immigration; inclusion vs. exclusion; impact of the Holocaust; exile vs. home; and perceptions of Jewish wandering.
Course Syllabus:
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