You will be responsible for writing three response papers in the course of this quarter (note the due dates below in the course schedule). The three papers will be based on your analytical and scholarly responses to the following:
Each response paper should be 3 pages long, typed, double-spaced. Please use a reasonably sized font, such as Times New Roman, 12-pt.; margins should be no larger than 1.25" all around. Do not play spacing games with fonts or margins. Really.
The specific assignment for each response paper varies (specific assignment guidelines below), but each paper should do the following:
Do not use any outside resources (books, articles, websites) for your response papers: your response should be based entirely on your own informed, scholarly interaction with the material at hand. It goes without saying that the use of any outside resources without attribution constitutes plagiarism, and will result in a 0 for the assignment and potential disciplinary action from the University. The best way to avoid such a catastrophe is to follow the parameters of this assignment: limit your resources to your own brain, and any information learned in class. If you do decide to cite information from the course (textbook, readings, class lectures) you may do so, with proper attribution in parentheses or in a footnote.
Response paper assignments
1. Prince of Egypt (Disney, 1999). After watching this movie, write a 3 page response to the following question:
How would you describe "good religion" according to Prince of Egypt: as moral behavior, ritual activity, individual relationship with God, "faith," or some combination?
Due: January 23, 2004
Some thoughts to help you along: Prince of Egypt is the latest in a series of cinematic representations of the story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt; this one, however, made more of a conscious effort (according to its producers) to achieve historical and religious accuracy (archaeologists and theologians were consulted in its production). Yet, it has also been hailed as a sort of "modern midrash," particularly suited to instructing young Jewish children in the story of the Exodus (see, for instance, these glowing reviews in the Jewish magazine Tikkun). If we imagine this as a sort of modern midrash for (especially Jewish) children on the Torah, what kind of lessons about religious identity would it give them? I want you to begin thinking about how representations of religion--even in movies, even in cartoons--might actually affect a group's understanding of its own religious identity.
2. Night (Bantam, 1982; repr. from 1960). After reading this novel, write a 3 page response to the following question:
How does the narrator's view of God change in the course of Night, and does this change in understanding God lead to a change in his understanding of Jewish religion and identity?
Due: February 2, 2004
Some thoughts to help you along: Night was first written (in French, adapted from an earlier, and much longer, 1955 Yiddish version) in 1958, after a deliberate 10-year silence on the part of the author: Wiesel felt he could not speak of the Holocaust immediately after it happened, although he felt the need to testify to his experience during the last year of World War II. His autobiographical novel is often read in a variety of ways: as a renunciation of God and religion, an affirmation of Jewish faith and identity, a call for a universal morality that transcends specific religion, and so forth. It is even seen to be a "Christianized" representation of Judaism in the death camps (particularly what is perhaps the most famous scene in the novel, on pp. 60-62, of the hanging of the "angelic" young boy), with a focus on sacrifice and suffering and redemption recalling the life of Christ. Wiesel himself, however, has insisted that he never renounced Judaism, never renounced God, and that his account is, in fact, the account of a religious Jew surviving horror. I want you to think about how Jewish identity can remain--that is, "Jewishness" persists--even as religious identity--Judaism, as understood in practices and beliefs and rituals--can undergo a profound transformation.
3. Visitation to Temple Beth El (Riverside, California). After visiting this synagogue, write a 3 page response to the following question:
How is Judaism visually portrayed in the physical structure and decor of this synagogue? What marks it as a generic "religious space" (similar to church, mosque, or any other sanctuary with which you might be familiar), and what marks it as specifically "Jewish religious space"?
Due: March 8, 2004
Some thoughts to help you along: Both the Reform Movement and synagogue architecture have evolved a great deal since the first Reform Temple in Hamburg, Germany: that Temple (deliberately called such to disavow any hope of returning to Jerusalem) incorporated much of the architecture and liturgy of German Protestant churches, including organs, choirs, German-language prayers, and so forth. Since then, Reform Judaism (particularly in North America) has sought balance between accommodation to modern society and the reintroduction of traditional Judaism (prayers in Hebrew, for instance), much of which can be seen in the material and visual aspects of Judaism inscribed in synagogue structures. I want you to think about this balance--between "fitting in" and "being distinct"--as it is displayed in the physical layout, decor, and other details of this particular Reform Jewish structure.
ALTERNATE RESPONSE ASSIGNMENT #3: Observation of worship service
On your own (or with a couple of classmates), attend a service at a Jewish synagogue (it does not need to be the Reform Temple in Riverside if it is more convenient for you to visit another site). After attending this service, write a 3 page response to the following questions:
How is Judaism visually portrayed in the physical structure and decor of this synagogue? What marks it as a generic "religious space" (similar to church, mosque, or any other sanctuary with which you might be familiar), and what marks it as specifically "Jewish religious space"? How do the worshipers interact with the space (do they look up? look around? stand, sit, face different directions, bow, kneel, etc.)?
Due: March 8, 2004
Some thoughts to help you along: Be sure to read the "thoughts to help you along" that accompany the non-alternative response assignment #3. In addition, keep the following tips in mind: check ahead of time with the synagogue/Temple, to find out when services are, and to make sure that they are "open" to the public (please do not crash someone's wedding); dress appropriately and respectfully (no jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops, etc.); do not try to "pass" as a congregant: if someone asks why you are there (which is likely: they are not being suspicious, they are being welcoming) just tell them the truth, that you are fulfilling a class assignment; do not take notes or write things down: in many synagogues and Temples, writing is prohibited on the Sabbath or festivals in the Temple.
You can find a list of local synagogues here: http://www.at-la.com/@la-god/jewish.htm#syn