RELS 4101

The Other Cheek: From Christian Disdain to the Organized Destruction of Europe Jews

Jews as deicides, ritual murderers, agents of Satan, international conspirators, conniving Shylocks, financial manipulators, sub-human - is the western worlds collective mythology about Jews a deeply rooted cultural pathology? How does one distinguish prejudice, Jew-hatred, and anti-Semitism, and on what theoretical basis? Did anti-Semitism pre-date the emergence of Christianity? This course addresses these questions and more. In the process, students assess - and perhaps co-create - theories about the nature of European anti-Semitism. Fulfills the Cultural [C] or Textual [T] requirement.

Units: 3.0