Courses in Canadian Jewish Studies

Undergraduate courses in Canadian Jewish Studies are offered through the Department of Religions and Cultures. They may be used as elective credits are part of any Judaic Studies program.

RELI 332 Canadian Jewish Literature (3 credits)

This course explores the Jewish voice in Canadian literature which can be seen to be the first operning toward a multicultural tradition in this country. Writers such as A.M. Klein, Mordecai Richler, Henry Kreisel and Leonard Cohen created an English-language tradition of Jewish writing that is varied, provocative, and lively. Students look at novels, short stories, some poetry, memoir, and criticism. Students also consider non-Jewish authors, such as Gwethalyn Graham and Mavis Gallant, who were among the first to write about Jewish characters for an English-speaking Canadian audience. This course allows students to consider issues related to Canadian identity and culture, ethnic studies, and multiculturalism alongside literary questions.

RELI 334 Introduction to Canadian Jewish Studies (3 credits)

This course introduces the history of the Canadian Jewish community and the themes, personalities, and media which have contributed to Canadian Jewish culture and life. Students explore historical texts, novels, films, and museums in order to gain a sense of the particularlity of Jewish culture in Canada and its place in the Canadian multicultural ethic. The relationship of Canadian Jewry to communities in the United States, Europe, and Israel, and to its own past, is also examined.

RELI 6017 Nations in Conversation? Jewish and Indigenous Voices in Canada (3 credits)

This course introduces students to ways of listening to Indigenous and Jewish voices, past and present, in Canada, and highlights conversations - and the potential for conversations - between the two. Using "voice" in a broad sense, this course draws on an array of social, cultural, religious, political and musical manifestations with a focus on the creation of spaces that allow these voices as much as possible to "speak" on their own terms. Students will engage with theoretical frameworks and methodological applications dealing with trans- and inter-cultural communication while interrogating concepts such as voice, nation, home, music, belonging and others in order to destablize normative Western colonial filters through which these voices have often been interpreted and mobilized.

RELI 6018 Jewish Community Engagement (3 credits)

Jewish Community Engagement is an exclusive internship and part of the MA program in Religions and Cultures in coordination with the Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives. It is open to one MA graduate student every academic year and is equivalent to a one semester 3 credit course.  The student will undertake a mix of research work and digitization, with some database entry or revision tasks if required. Themes of past years have been tailored to student interests and the needs of the archive and have included the activities and philosophies of Canadian Jewish women's organizations, the work of a prominent Montreal rabbi, and women’s biographical writings of the 19th and 20th century.