This seminar is an introduction to some dimension of the history of a nation, region, people, culture, institution, or historical phenomenon selected by the respective instructor. Students will come to understand, and develop an appreciation for: the origins and evolution of the people, cultures, and/or political, economic, and/or social institutions of a particular region(s) of the world. They may explore how human encounters shaped individual and collective identities and the political, economic, and social orders of the region/nation/communities under study. Instructors prioritize critical reading, engaged participation, and focused writing assignments.

This seminar will explore the rich and complex history of Jews with roots in the Iberian Peninsula who, in their exile from Spain in 1492 came to be known as the Sephardim. We will investigate the history of Judeo-Spanish Sephardic culture, ritual, and identity within the various contexts that it developed. These include Islamic and Christian Spain as well as the diverse places where Jews settled after the expulsion, principally the Ottoman Empire, Morocco, the Balkans, Italy, and the Americas, where they encountered and lived among Jews of other backgrounds as well as non-Jews. Each week we will take a deep dive into a particular theme. Preparation, attendance and active participation in seminar is an absolute requirement. Each student will have the opportunity to lead discussion at least once. All readings will be in English, and no foreign language skills are required (though you are welcome to bring in supplementary sources if you wish.) In addition to learning about the Sephardic experience, we will also pay careful attention to broader historiographic questions about how Sephardic history fits into existing frameworks of intellectual inquiry, including Jewish and MENA studies, Ottoman and European history, holocaust narratives, and so on.

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Requirements class fulfills