Due dates: April 14, May 7, May 26 (note new due date)

Worth 15% of Final Grade

You have three analysis papers due in the course of the quarter. Each response is based on readings for that week. Papers should be 1-2 pages, typed, double-spaced. Please use a reasonably sized font and reasonable margins. A "reasonable" font is something like Times New Roman, 12-pt. Not sure if your font is reasonable? Use Times New Roman 12-pt.

These short papers should be analytical and academic: your personal, informed opinion on the material based on what you know and what you don't know. You may quote from the texts in the assignment, or from your textbook or other readings; you may also refer generally to "as the textbook says" or "as the primary source says" (but then please provide a page number so I know what you're talking about). I am more concerned here with the formulation of your own analysis than on the citation of outside sources.

You can find a sample response paper by clicking here.

April 14 Assignment

"Sectarianism"

Examine the various debates between Pharisees and Sadducees in Texts and Traditions, pp. 269-275 (readings #6.2.5-6.2.12). Do the disagreements of the Pharisees and Sadducees seem major or minor to you? From the perspective of these texts (all edited later, by the rabbinic sages), do these disagreements seem major or minor? On what grounds do scholars consider these two groups sects of one religion, instead of two distinct religions?

May 7 Assignment

"Tradition"

Closely read Avot 1-5 and b. Bava Mezia 59a-b (Texts and Traditions, pp. 523-528; readings #10.3.2 and 10.3.3). What kind of theory of religious tradition and authority is being described in these readings, and what is the role of human ingenuity? The Bible? Revelation from God? Does this theory of religious authority based on "tradition" strike you as very conservative (i.e., very resistant to change) or very liberal (i.e., very open to change and alteration)?

May 26 Assignment (note new date!)

"Interpretation"

Discuss the ways in which the rabbis interpreted the Torah by looking closely at Exodus Rabbah 1:18-26 (Texts and Traditions, pp. 640-643, reading #12.5.2), the Targum to Exodus 20:1-14 (Texts and Traditions, pp. 650-653; reading #12.5.5) and Targum Jonathan to Judges 5 (Texts and Traditions, pp. 653-656; reading #12.5.6). The first of these is a midrash (rabbinical interpretation of the Bible) while the second two are targum (rabbinically preserved translations and paraphrases of the Bible). What's the different in terms of style, content, and function? Do they pose different kinds of questions, or provide different kinds of answers? Does one seem more "faithful" to the original than another? On what grounds do you make that decision?

Due date: June 4, 2009

Worth 15% of Final Grade

Throughout the quarter you should be reading the 1939 novel As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg, the fictionalized account of one of the curious, heretical figures from rabbinic literature, Elisha ben Abuyah (who is referred to in the Babylonian Talmud simply as Aher, "The Other"). The life of Elisha covers primarily the period between the First and Second Jewish Wars (circa 70-circa 135 CE), and is set in a world in which rabbis, following the destruction of the Second Temple, rose to religious, cultural, and, to some extent, political power throughout Judea and Galilee.

Although based on a few tantalizing fragments in the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds (which we will be discussing in class), this novel is a fiction, written by a Conservative Rabbi (with reformist leanings that led him to ally himself with the new "Reconstructionist" movement) who believed in rationalism and the intermixing of faith and reason in true religion. This novel was also written on the eve of the Second World War, during which a significant portion of European Jewry would be extinguished after, only two or three generations before, finally receiving full membership in various European nations.

In your book report, try to address the following main question:

In setting out to answer this question you may consider any or all of the following related questions (that is, you can answer one, a few, all, or none of these questions in the course of your report: but do not simply give me a list of questions and answers):

To what extent do Elisha and the other Jewish characters feel that their Jewishness is compatible or incompatible with a full, productive life within the Roman Empire? How are the following ideas raised and dealt with in this question of Jewish/minority identity: assimilation, segregation, resistance, and revolution? Can you think of other situations--ancient or modern, religious, cultural, ethnic, or political--in which these same ideas have come into play? Does the life of Elisha ben Abuyah provide a helpful example to other minorities (of any kind) struggling with similar questions: if so, is his example positive (i.e., do what he does) or negative (i.e., don't do what he does)?

The report should be 4-5 pages long, typed, double spaced (see my note above on reasonable size fonts: please don't play format games with your poor professor).

The report should be based on your reading of As a Driven Leaf, and can be structured however you choose: you may look at a few representative character, you may pick a few specific situations or scenes to analyze, or you may give an overview of the entire novel as a way of answering your questions. You should cite from the novel only to make points (do not give me five pages of quotations from the novel).

If you wish, you may introduce other readers' responses to this novel as a way of making your point (but do not just give me random summaries of popular opinions). For instance, you could skim through the readers' responses on sites such as Amazon.com (click here to see the current reviews), but make sure these are relevant to the central question. For instance, the fact that "A reader from Natick, MA wrote that 'the struggle of Elisha is not one that is reserved for Jews'" might be relevant. The fact that "As a Driven Leaf is especially popular in Skokie, IL, and Mountainside, NJ" is probably not.

The book report should be structured and organized: come up with your own "take" on the question, and organize your paper accordingly. You do not need to give your personal opinion ("Steinberg is the greatest writer ever in the history of the world"), nor personal reactions or emotional responses ("I really hated the character of Deborah--what was her deal?"). Nor do you have to say whether the book is "good" or "bad": Assume, for the purposes of this class, that it is at least important, and then go from there. You should give a reasoned analysis, drawing on your own informed, scholarly opinions of history, culture, politics, ethnicity, and your own educated reading of a historical novel. If you have questions or difficulties, please speak to the professor.

Take-home due date and in-class portion: April 30

Worth 30% of Final Grade: Blue books required

Study guide for the in-class exam and a link to the take-home portion of the exame have been posted here.

Due date: June 12 (at noon, INTN 3042)

Worth 30% of Final Grade

Available for download here.