Academics
Academic Offerings Expand at JMOF-FIU FIU COURSES AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA-FIU SPRING 2014 SEMESTER January 6 – April 26, 2014 SYD 4606 – Sociology of World Jewish Communities, Mondays, 6:45-9:15 p.m. REL 3308 – Studies in World Religions, Wednesdays, 6:45-9:15 p.m. REL 4937 – Jerusalem, Thursdays, 6:45-9:15 p.m. A student can audit a course as a non-degree seeking student with the permission of the instructor teaching the course. To audit a course, students must fill out the Non-degree Seeking Application and the Registration Add/ Drop Form. These forms, and the appropriate residency documents, must be submitted during the first week of courses. A staff person will be on-site at the start of the first two class sessions to collect the forms and answer questions. Tuition and fees for audited courses will be the same as courses taken for credit. All Non-Degree Applicants are assessed a $30.00 application fee upon enrollment. Persons sixty (60) years of age or older by the first day of the semester, who meet Florida residency requirements, may be allowed to enroll without payment of fees for audit grade. Enrollment is on a space available basis and with instructor’s permission. To audit a course using a Senior Citizen Fee Waiver, students must fill out the Non-degree Seeking Application and the Senior Citizen Fee Waiver Form. These forms and the appropriate residency documents must be submitted during the first week of courses. A staff person will be on-site at the start of the first class session to collect the forms and answer questions.
The first-ever Jews of Asia and Africa class proved to be a major success for FIU and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. Taught by two of the world’s leading authorities on Eastern Jewish communities — FIU research professors Nathan Katz and Tudor Parfitt — the Jews of Asia and Africa class expanded beyond the museum’s focus of the Jewish experience in the Sunshine State. This fall, two courses continue to broaden the discussion. Students were quick to sign up for REL 2011 and REL 3194 at the start of the semester. The first course, Religion: Analysis and Interpretation, is taught by Ivanessa Arostegui. It serves as an introduction to the study of religion, examining the different expressions and practices, focusing on religious experience in interdisciplinary contexts. The class leverages different techniques as a way of learning, including debates, lectures, personal assignments, videos, group assignments and guest speakers. The second course focuses on the Holocaust and is taught by Oren Stier. The course is not a history of the Holocaust itself, but rather a survey of historical, ethical and theological issues relating to the Holocaust — the systematic destruction of Jews and Jewish life by the Nazi regime during World War II. The class takes a closer look at the relationship between Jews and Christians before, during and after the Nazi era. Stier specializes in Jewish Cultural Studies, with a special emphasis on the contemporary period and all aspects of present-day Jewish life and thought. His current research focuses on Holocaust memory and representation. In the spring, FIU plans to offer three more classes including the Sociology of World Jewish Communities, Studies in World Religions, and Jerusalem. The course on Jerusalem will be taught by Parfitt whose research on the Lost Tribes of Israel was recently featured in several media outlets throughout Israel. Katz, who is director of FIU’s Program in the Study of Spirituality, spent many years living in South Asia.
Tudor Parfitt was director of the Jewish Studies Center at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
TILES | Newsletter of the Jewish Museum of Florida – FIU | October 2013
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