Adam and Eve. Albrecht Durer. 1504.

UWS 19BFrom Eve to Elaine: Women and Gender in Jewish History

Meeting Time: Monday and Wednesday 9:00-9:50 AM. We do not meet Thursdays.Instructor: Ms. Sari Fein

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11 AM-12 PM and by appointmentEmail: sfein@brandeis.edu

Office: Rabb 213

Introduction:

Since Eve gave Adam the apple back in the Garden of Eden, gender has shaped Jewish history and culture. Yet for many hundreds of years, scholars ignored how deeply this force influenced how we understand ourselves and the world around us. In this course, we will investigate how Jewish manhood and womanhood were constructed, changed, and challenged from antiquity to the present. Our guiding question for the semester will be: What does it mean to be a Jewish man or Jewish woman? Is the answer the same across time and space? The sources we use to attempt to answer this question will be wide-ranging, from the Bible and rabbis, to

medieval memoirs and prayers, to depictions of gender in the popular TV shows Transparent and Seinfeld. As a University Writing Seminar, the primary goal of this course is to prepare students for college-level academic writing. Students will engage critically with texts, produce, organize and develop ideas, and integrate outside sources to enhance their arguments. Peer reviews, individual conferences, class discussions, and revisions will help students refine their analytical writing skills.

Required Course Texts (available in the bookstore)

Write Now! (A collection of papers written in last year’s UWS classes)Jewish Women in Historical Perspective, Second Edition, edited by Judith R. BaskinThe Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln, translated by Marvin Lowenthal

Recommended

The Elements of Style, by William J. Strunk, Jr. and E.B. WhiteThey Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

Additional readings will be available in the course pack (available for purchase from me)

Course Requirements

Essay 1: Close Reading Essay. In this essay, you will analyze how scholars understand the role of women and gender in Jewish history.Essay 2: Lens Essay. In this essay, you will analyze a section from the medieval text The Memoirs of Glückel Of Hameln through the lens of modern feminism, and make a claim about how concepts from a modern feminist help to shape your understanding of Glückel’s Memoirs.Essay 3: Research Paper. In this paper, you will select a primary text from the late 20th-early 21st century and analyze how it fits into our study of women and gender in Jewish history. Portfolio: At the end of the semester you will assemble all of your work (including pre-draft assignments, rough drafts, final drafts, and peer review sheets) in an electronic folder and email it to me, together with a letter describing how your understanding of yourself as a writer has changed over the course of the semester. This means that you need to save electronically all your writing from the semester.

Drafting:Four steps lead up to the final draft of each essay:

Pre-draft assignments. Each essay will be preceded by two or three pre-draft assignments—short pieces of writing designed to help you develop ideas. These assignments will receive either a check or a note telling you to redo the

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work and will count as part of your overall grade. You can re-submit any work until the end of the unit.

First drafts. You are required to turn in a first draft of each essay. These drafts are important opportunities for you to receive feedback from me and your classmates in peer review. I do not expect these drafts to be polished, but I do expect them to be complete—otherwise we cannot give you useful advice.

Peer Review. After the first draft of each essay is due you will form a group with two of your classmates and read each other’s drafts. In-Class you will give your partners feedback. I will collect your peer review letters and they will count as part of your grade. These activities increase your sense of audience awareness and give you an opportunity to reflect on the concepts we have discussed In-Class.

Conferences. Each student will have three twenty-minute conferences with me over the course of the semester, one to discuss each first draft. Attendance is required; missing a conference is the equivalent of missing a class. Sign-up sheets will be distributed In-Class.

Class participation: Your consistent participation In-Class sessions constitutes a significant portion of your grade and is the most critical component of a successful course. Class participation includes:

Your prompt, prepared, alert, consistent attendance The completion of reading assignments by the dates listed in the syllabus Your thoughtful contributions to class discussions

Writing Center: The University Writing Center, located in Goldfarb 232 on the Goldfarb mezzanine of the library, provides free one-on-one help with your essays. You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this service. Writing Center tutors are well trained and will work with you in 45 minute sessions that you can schedule online: (http://www.brandeis.edu/writingprogram/writingcenter/register.html ). Students who take advantage of this service will receive a form during their tutorial that will entitle them to a 24-hour extension on the final draft of their essay. Essays will be due electronically by 11:59 PM on the following day (i.e. if an assignment is due Monday at 11:59 PM, with the extension it will be due on Tuesday at 11:59 PM, regardless of when the student went to the writing center). Only one extension is allowed per essay.

GradesClose reading essay: 20%Lens essay: 25%Research paper: 35%Class participation and professionalism (includes research presentations): 10%Portfolio (includes Latte posts, pre-drafts, and peer reviews): 10%Occasionally, extra credit may be offered. Note that I consider extra credit holistically, at the end of the semester.

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FormattingAll essays will be submitted to me and your peers electronically. Essays must use 1-inch margins and 12 point Times New Roman font. Essays must have a title and be double-spaced. Most assignments will be submitted online via LATTE.

Late Work, Extensions and Minimum Page RequirementsI am usually willing to offer extensions, given legitimate reasons. If a catastrophe happens and you are afraid your work will not be completed in time, contact me more than 24 hours before the due date and arrange for an extension. Otherwise, late work, including first drafts, will be penalized by a third of a grade per day (B+BB- and so on) on the final essay. If an essay is due electronically at 11:59 PM and you submit it at midnight, it is late. In addition, final essays that do not meet minimum page/word count requirements will be penalized by a third of a grade for each page that the essay falls short.

AttendanceMissing classes is strongly discouraged. You are allowed three absences. For each additional absence your final grade will be penalized by a third of a grade. Seven or more absences will result in a failing grade. Please contact me in the event of an emergency.

ElectronicsLaptops and cell phones are not allowed in this class unless you require special accommodations.

Academic HonestyYou are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually in section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you have any questions about my expectations, please ask.

AccommodationsIf you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you In-Class, please see me right away.

UWS Outcomes

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing

Use writing and discussion to work through and interpret complex ideas from readings and other texts (e.g., visual, musical, verbal)

Critically analyze your own and others' choices regarding language and form (e.g., in student texts or formally published texts)

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Engage in multiple modes of inquiry using text (e.g., field research, library-based inquiry, web searching)

Incorporate significant research (as above) into writing that engages a question and/or topic and uses it as a central theme for a substantive, research-based paper

Use writing to support interpretations of text, and understand that there are multiple interpretations of text

Consider and express the relationship of your own ideas to the ideas of others

Processes

Use written, visual, and/or experience-based texts as tools to develop ideas for writing

Understand that writing takes place through recurring processes of invention, revision, and editing

Develop successful, flexible strategies for your own writing through the processes of invention, revision, and editing

Experience and understand the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes

Learn to critique your own and others' work Be reflective about your writing processes

Knowledge of Conventions

Understand the conventions of particular genres of writing Use conventions associated with a range of dialects, particularly standardized

written English (but not necessarily limited to it) Recognize and address patterns in your writing that unintentionally diverge from

patterns expected by their audience/s Practice using academic citational systems (Chicago Manual of Style) for

documenting work

Four-Credit Course

Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, essays, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).  

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

Unit 1: Close Reading

Week 1

Wed. Jan. 10 In-Class: Introductions, syllabus and course policies

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Week 2

Mon. Jan. 15 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY—NO CLASS

Wed. Jan. 17 Read: “Introduction,” by Judith R. Baskin, in Jewish WomenWrite: What are some of the challenges of studying women in Jewish history? What are some ways scholars have responded? Cite at least one piece of evidence from the reading (with page number) in your response. Post on Latte by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, 1/16 (min. 250 words).In-Class: Studying history from a feminist/gender-conscious perspective, close reading assignment sequence, close reading vocabulary

Week 3

Mon. Jan. 22 Read: “Portrayals of Women in the Hebrew Bible,” by Susan Niditch, in Jewish WomenWrite: Explain one instance in the reading that you found puzzling and cite the page number. Post on Latte by 5:00 PM on Sun. Sept. 10 (min. 250 words).In-Class: Biblical women, elements of the academic essay, Element 1: writing a thesis statement

Wed. Jan. 24 Read: “Eve and Adam: Genesis 2 and 3 Reread,” Phyllis Trible [CP]Write: Close Reading Pre-Draft 1.1 due by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 1/23 In-Class: Eve: the first woman, Element 2: motivating moves/motive

Week 4

Mon. Jan. 29 Read: NoneWrite: Pre-Draft 1.2 due on Latte by 5:00 PM on Sunday, 1/28 Respond to peers by 11:59 PM on Mon., 9/18 In-Class: Elements 6 and 7: structure and stitching, grading rubric

Wed. Jan. 31 Read: “The Image and Status of Women In-Classical Rabbinic Judaism,” by Judith Romney Wegner, in Jewish Women Write: Draft of Essay #1 due with cover letter due electronically by 11:59 PM Thurs. 2/1 to me and your peersIn-Class: Rabbinic Judaism

Week 5

***CONFERENCES ON MONDAY (2/5) THROUGH WEDNESDAY (2/7)***

Mon. Feb. 5 Read: Your peers’ essays

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Write: Peer review letters and comments on their essays due by 5:00 PM on Sunday, 2/4. Email your peers their letters and essays AND also post the peer letters to Latte.In-Class: Introductions and conclusions (Elements 9 and 10: reflecting and orienting), peer review workshop

Wed. Feb 7 Read: Essay from Write Now! TBA Write: None In Class: Workshop Write Now! essay, focusing on thesis, structure, and

frame Revision of Essay #1 with cover letter due electronically by 11:59 PM on Sun. 2/11

Unit 2: How to Work with a Text as a Lens

Week 6

Mon. Feb 12 Read: NoneWrite: NoneIn-Class: Reflect on close reading essay, lens assignment sequence, what is a lens

Wed. Feb 14 Read: “Try to Be a Man: The Rabbinic Construction of Masculinity,” by Michael Satlow [CP]Write: NoneIn-Class: Rabbinic construction of gender(s), how to read rabbinic texts (Mishnah Bikkurim 4:1-3 on “hermaphrodites”)

Week 7

NO CLASS: FEBRUARY BREAK

Week 8

Mon. Feb 26 Read: Lens (Dear Ijeawele or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, pp. 1-4 and 11-24) [CP]Write: Pre-draft 2.1 due at class time (bring a hard copy to class AND submit on Latte)In-Class: Review 2.1, sharpening the lens exercise

Wed. Feb 28 Read: The Memoirs of Glückel Of Hameln, book 3Write: Explain what in Glückel’s Memoirs surprised you or challenged your thinking about women in Jewish history. Cite at least one piece of text as evidence in your response. Post on Latte by 5 PM on Tuesday, Feb. 27 (min. 250 words)In-Class: Jewish women in medieval Europe

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Week 9

Mon. March 5 Read: The Memoirs of Glückel Of Hameln, book 4Write: Pre-draft 2.2 due 11:59 PMIn-Class: The mini-lens, tkhines

Wed. March 7 Read: Write Now! Lens Essay TBAWrite: Summarize the argument and comment on the ways that the writer integrates the primary and lens texts for the Write Now essay. Cite at least one piece of evidence with a page number. Post on Latte by 5 PM on Tuesday, March 6 (min. 250 words). In-Class: Write Now! analysis and building paragraphs upon each other/the anti-walk-through

Post thesis and motive to Latte by 5 PM on Thurs., March 8 *Optional: for additional feedback

Week 10

***CONFERENCES ON MONDAY (3/12) THROUGH WEDNESDAY (3/14)***

Draft of Essay #2 with cover letter due electronically by 11:59 PM to me and your peers on Sun., March 11

Mon. March 12Read: “Jewish Women in the Middle Ages,” by Judith R. Baskin, in Jewish WomenWrite: NoneIn Class: Element 12: Style workshop: passive voice, omitting needless words, Strengthening our Sentences (SOS)

Email your peers their letters and essays AND post the letters to LATTE by 11:59 PM on Tues., March 13

Wed. March 14 Read: Your peers’ essaysWrite: NoneIn-Class: Element 3: Integrating evidence to support your claims, peer review workshop

Revision of Essay #2 with cover letter due electronically by 11:59 PM on Sun., 3/18

Unit 3: Research Paper

Week 11

Mon. March 19Read: NoneWrite: None

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In-Class: Discussion of the Research Paper, Element 8: evaluating sources

Wed. March 21Read: Complete library tutorial on Latte before classWrite: Choose the text you will be analyzing for the research paper and post on Latte by 5 PM on Tues. 3/20 In-Class: Library session: meet at front desk of library at 8:55

Pre-Draft 3.1 (Research paper plan) due by 11:59 PM on Sun. 3/25

Week 12

Mon. March 26 Read: Research Essay from Write Now! TBAWrite: Mark up elements of the academic essay in above In-Class: Modeling a research paperElement 3: Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing

Wed. March 28 Read: “Gender and the Immigrant Jewish Experience in the United States,” by Paula Hyman, in Jewish WomenWrite: NoneIn Class: CMS citations and plagiarism, Jewish immigration to America in the 20th century

Pre-Draft 3.2 (Annotated bibliography) due by 11:59 PM on Sun. 4/1 Week 13

NO CLASS: SPRING BREAKDuring break: Pre-draft 3.3 (Outline) due by 11:59 PM on Sun. 4/8

Week 14

***CONFERENCES ON MONDAY (4/16) THROUGH WEDNESDAY (4/18)

Mon. April 9 Watch: Hester Street (on Latte)Write: How does gender play a role in the assimilation of Jewish immigrants to America at the turn of the 20th century? Cite evidence from the film. Post a paragraph on Latte by 5 PM on Sun., 4/8 (min. 250 words).

In-Class: Discussion of film, Element 13: titles

Wed. April 11 Read: NoneWrite: NoneIn Class: Short presentations on research papers

Draft of research paper due by 11:59 PM on Sun. 4/15

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Week 15

Mon. April 16 In-Class: Short presentations on research papers, portfolio instructions

Wed. April 18 Read: Your peers’ essaysWrite: Peer review letters and comments on their papers due by 5:00 PM on Sun., April 22. Email your peers their letters and papers and also post the peer letters to Latte.In-Class: Short presentations on research papers, course wrap-up and reflection

Week 16

Mon. April 23 Summative writing assessment~*Semi-annual Christmas party*~

Post Term

Sun. April 30 Portfolios due electronically by 11:59 PM (must be in one document/zipped file folder), including: portfolio cover letter, final research cover letter and final research paper. See portfolio handout for order of assignments.*Please complete course evaluations by the deadline!

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