Jewish Civilization III: Judaism, Gender, and Sexuality

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course will look at how Jewish conceptions of masculinity, femininity, and gender beyond the binary are constructed and challenged in different historical contexts, attending to both Judaism on its own terms and in the way Jewish gender and sexuality norms have been shaped by interactions with neighboring communities. We will put "traditional" Jewish sources (from biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern periods) in conversation with theoretical work in gender, sexuality, queer, and trans studies in order to think about both how using gender and sexuality as focusing lenses may help us learn something new about Judaism but also how analyzing Judaism, as a case study, might contribute to the wider theoretical conversations in gender and sexuality studies. Topics addressed may include gender and sexuality in the Tanakh and rabbinic culture, sex-segregated ritual and educational spaces, the politics of reproduction (including contraception, abortion, and debates about Jewish "continuity"), the gender politics of Zionism, and differences across different denominations and styles of religious observance (Orthodox, Reform, etc.). We will also look at how Jewish texts, liturgy, rituals, culture, and community are reimagined in light of insights from queer and trans scholarship and activism.