Program Overview

Introduction to Judaism

The unit THSR207 is an introduction to Judaism, one of the world's major monotheistic faith traditions. Judaism is more than just a set of religious beliefs for its adherents. It is a unique way of life that has had major historical influence and is one of the longest surviving religious traditions still in existence.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

This unit explores key concepts such as Jewish identity, law, prayer, the Jewish (religious) calendar, and important life cycle events. Students will become acquainted with the most important Jewish texts: the Hebrew Bible (TeNakh), the Talmud and other rabbinic writings, and writings in Jewish mystical and philosophical thought. Attention will be paid to the different denominations in contemporary Judaism, such as Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist (among others). Present-day topics in Jewish thought, such as the Shoah (the Holocaust), Zionism and the modern State of Israel, will also be studied.

Campus Offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

• THCT100 What Christians Believe
• PHIL107 Philosophy of World Religions

Incompatible Units

• THSR205 Introduction to Judaism and Islam

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to:

1. Describe important Jewish beliefs, practices, texts, and movements.
2. Evaluate theological and textual debates within Judaism, including the historical reasons behind these debates and their contemporary relevance among Jews today.
3. Apply insights from contemporary forms of Judaism towards an analysis of the broad spectrum of Judaisms in an Australian context, with a view towards the value of interreligious learning and respect.

Unit Content

Topics will include:

• Jewish beliefs and practices
• Jewish scriptures and other major texts
• Jewish history and culture
• Jewish mystical and philosophical thought

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.

• Task 1: Individual or group assignment - Students present knowledge of significant Jewish beliefs or practices. (20%)
• Task 2: Critical Essay - Requires students to demonstrate theological and historical understanding of Jewish beliefs and practices, and debates within Judaism about these beliefs and practices. (40%)
• Task 3: Critical research essay - Requires students to apply insights from a contemporary understanding of different Judaisms in an Australian context. (40%)

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, integrated classroom discussions and online learning (where applicable), focusing on students as active learners. It also includes guest lectures and excursions (where feasible and available) related to the unit content.

Representative Texts and References

• Biale, David. Norton Anthology of World Religions: Judaism. New York: Norton, 2015.
• Batnitzky, Leora. How Judaism Became a Religion. An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011.
• Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. Judaism: History, Belief and Practice. London: Routledge, 2003.
• De Lange, Nicholas. An Introduction to Judaism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• Neusner, Jacob. Judaism. The Basics. London: Routledge, 2006.
• Robinson, George. Essential Judaism. A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs and Rituals. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000.
• Sacks, Jonathan. One People? Tradition, Modernity, and Jewish Unity. London: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1993.
• Zetterholm, Karin Hedner. Jewish Interpretation of the Bible: Ancient and Contemporary. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012.

Credit Points

10

Year

2026