Judaism for Dialogue and Deepening
TOPIC:
Judaism is the oldest of the Semitic religions and the mother Faith of Christianity and Islam. Its scriptures are among the world's oldest. Judaism allows us to study the eternal spiritual teachings that the Bahá'í writings say all religions share, as well as the laws and practices unique to it, suited for a certain age but loved and practiced by millions of Jews today. The course will study Judaism for the purposes of deepening and dialogue. Deepening implies better understanding of the basics of other divinely revealed religions, and by comparison, the Bahá'í Faith. Dialogue implies interacting, that is, sharing one's faith perspective, with people of other religions in an informed and respectful manner.
DATES:
February 1, 2001, to April 30, 2001
TEXTS:
Michael Sours, Compilation of Bahá'í references to Judaism
included at no extra charge with course materials
Mary Pat Fisher, Living Religions (Judaism chapter).
available for purchase from the Wilmette Institute for $35 (20% below cover price)
James Fieser and John Powers, Scriptures of the World's Religions (Judaism chapter.
available for purchase from the Wilmette Institute for $22 (20% below cover price)
Note: The Fisher and the Fieser/Powers textbooks will not be automatically included; there is a place on the registration form where students can select whether they want to receive or not receive them.
FACULTY (tentative):
Ted Brownstein
Mark Foster
Marc Greenberg
Michael Sours
Robert H. Stockman
Peter Terry
Yael Wurmfeld
COST:
$150
A twenty percent discount is available when registering as part of a local
group of three or more (who pledge to meet together semimonthly to study the
texts) or to senior citizens (65 and older) or to those whose service to the
Faith engenders financial hardship. Larger discounts are available for even
larger groups who plan to study the course together. Financial aid is also
available.
There are no residential
requirements, for the course is conducted by correspondence and over the
internet. College credit and scholarships may be available. Contact the registrar for more information.
REQUIREMENTS:
The course is taught at the undergraduate level of difficulty. Therefore, it
is open to those with a high school degree or equivalent.
THE THREE-TIERED SYSTEM:
All of our distance-education courses can be taken at three difficulty levels: introductory (roughly equivalent to a late high-school or early college level), intermediate (roughly equivalent to a standard undergraduate college course), and advanced (graduate level). Students in all three levels are assigned the same reading, but prepare different types of homework. Introductory students prepare an informal self-evaluation at the end of each unit, discussing what they learned and their reactions to or thoughts about it. Intermediate students prepare a more formal learning project for each unit, such as an essay, presentation, fireside, or artistic project. Advanced students, who will be mentored only by a professor with a doctorate, will work with their advisor one-on-one to prepare an individually-tailored course of study. Students at all levels will participate in the same listserver and conference calls, and receive the same course materials.
WORK EXPECTATIONS:
The course will take five to
ten hours of work each week and will involve:
- Reading and using the knowledge you acquire.
The course is divided into a series of units, each of which involves reading
part of the Hebrew Bible and related texts. The course offers a series of study
questions, learning projects, and sample tests, including
giving a deepening or fireside; doing an artistic project; or finishing a
writing project about it.
- Assistance by a mentor/advisor, who reviews and
comments on all homework you do, and answers your questions.
- For those who are part of local study groups,
discussion assignments are provided.
- Participation in "judaism" the course's
email discussion group. Because of the speed and efficiency that email
provides, all students are urged to acquire email for the
course.
- Access to the course's password-protected web
site, which includes additional study material and completed sample homework
assignments.
- Voluntary participation in conference calls
with up to five other students and a faculty member.
- Completion of a final project that involves
review of the material studied, evaluation of what one has learned, and
systematic application of it to teaching and deepening.
GRADING OPTIONS:
The course is usually taken
pass/fail with review and comments about assignments by the instructor. It may
be taken for a grade (A, B, C, D, F).
