Module:

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

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Module Title
Module Code	(ITS: TP530)
Faculty		School
NFQ level		Credit Rating

Description

The aim of this module is to introduce participants to the complexity and diversity of Judaism in its historic and contemporary manifestations. Participants will gain familiarity with the foundations of Judaism and trace its subsequent development through a close reading of a number of primary texts and some key readings in the secondary literature. Though recognising the complexity and diversity of Judaism, the module will also seek to identify underlying commonalities and equip participants with the necessary knowledge and tools to continue the specialised study of Judaism. The module will also reflect on the usefulness of the term ‘religion’ to describe the diverse cultural phenomena usually referred to as Judaism. Though primarily focused on Judaism as understood, articulated and practiced by Jews, the module will pay some attention to the construction of Judaism and Jews by outsiders and the role that construction has played in the lives of both Jews and non-Jews.

Learning Outcomes

1. Describe the fundamental features of Judaism as a religious system
2. Identify key phases in the historical development of Judaism from the period of antiquity to the present
3. Problematize concepts and categories such as 'religion', 'Judaism', 'Jewish', and 'Jew'
4. Demonstrate familiarity with landmark texts and thinkers in Judaism and Jewish thought
5. Navigate ongoing debates on the nature of Judaism, Jewish identity, Jewish history, and Jewish cultural complexes

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	No Description
Independent Study	226	No Description
Total Workload: 250

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Essay	n/a	100%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Defining Judaism: Boundaries and Authority

The Hebrew Bible

Hellenistic Judaism

Rabbinic Judaism

Karaite Judaism

The Shabbatean Movement

Hasidic Judaism

The Reform Movement

The Formation of Orthodox Judaism

Cultural Complexes of Judaism: Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Mizrahim

Haredi Judaism

Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Goodman, Martin: 2019, A History of Judaism, Penguin, London, 9780141038216
Leaman, Oliver: 2006, Jewish Thought: An Introduction, Routledge, Abingdon, 9780415374262
Skolnik, Fred: 2007, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd, Thomson-Gale, Farmington Hills,
Holtz, Barry W.: 0, Back to the Sources: Reading Classic Jewish Texts, Simon & Shuster, New York,
Bell, Dean Phillip: 2013, The Bloomsbury Companion to Jewish Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
Cohn-Sherbok, Dan: 2007, 50 Key Jewish Thinkers, Routledge, Abingdon,
Michael Brenner: 2012, A Short History of the Jews, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 440, 9780691154978
Andrew Bush: 2013, Jewish Studies, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 150, 9780813554204
Martin Goodman: 2002, The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1052, 0198299966
Oliver Leaman: 2011, Judaism, I.B. Tauris, London, 254, 1848853955
Daniel Boyarin: 2018, Judaism, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 216, 0813571626
Judith R. Baskin,Kenneth Seeskin: 2010, The Cambridge Guide to Jewish History, Religion, and Culture, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 558, 0521689740
Alan T. Levenson: 2002, Modern Jewish Thinkers: An Introduction, Jason Aronson, Northvale, 333, 0765762110
Eliezer Segal: 0, Introducing Judaism, Routledge, London, 9780415440097
Cynthia M. Baker: 2016, Jew, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 190, 9780813563022
Leora Batnitzky: 2013, How Judaism Became a Religion, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 211, 9780691160139

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None