JEWISH LITERATURE 1

HEBREW LITERATURE 1 - JEWISH NARRATIVE PLACES ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN is one of the core courses of the Middle East and Eurasia curriculum within the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa. Combining literary, geographical, and anthropological approaches, the course has two main objectives:
a. to provide students with fundamental methodological tools for the study of modern Hebrew literature, which are also applicable to the study of other literary traditions;
b. drawing on the traditions of literary geography and the anthropology of place, to explore from a literary perspective a number of symbolic and real places inhabited by Jews over time, and to examine how these places have shaped understandings of Jewish identity (Jewishness), the Jewish people, the Jewish religious community, and notions of what and who is Jewish.
The screening of selected films will offer an additional perspective on the construction of a sense of place in Hebrew literature.

Knowledge and Understanding
Students will acquire an introductory understanding of the main geographical, cultural, and political factors that have shaped Hebrew literature. They will also gain introductory knowledge useful for understanding how different identities and cultural affiliations have been represented throughout Hebrew literature and how they are reflected in diverse interpretations of spaces and places.
Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the course, students will be able to use interpretive analytical tools related to the Jewish experience from a literary perspective and identify both long-term continuities and transformations. They will be able to critically apply key concepts and methodologies from Diaspora Studies (diaspora, community, identity, collective memory) and the anthropology of place (place, space, sense of place, places and identities) in order to connect the Jewish experience with contemporary experiences of diasporas, minorities, and multiple identities.
Making Judgements
The course encourages students to develop critical assessments of literary, historical-political, and social phenomena related to Jewish experiences by employing critically and historiographically sound arguments. Students will learn to critically evaluate different types of sources (primary and secondary sources, printed materials, photographs, videos, documentaries, and films) and to develop an awareness that, in every discipline—including literature—knowledge of the past is constructed from the standpoint of the present, and that one's own perspective is never neutral.
Communication Skills
Students will be able to present and re-elaborate the course content orally and in writing in a concise and effective manner. They will also learn to engage critically and respectfully with the instructor and fellow students.
Learning Skills
By the end of the course, students will be able to critically integrate different types of materials (lecture notes, textbooks, creative texts, academic articles, graphic narratives, literature, films, and podcasts). They will be capable of independently studying materials and topics not covered during lectures, will have improved their ability to work with English-language materials, and will demonstrate the ability to participate knowledgeably and respectfully in scholarly discussions on the subject

The course requires no prerequisites, other than a curiosity about a complex world. The Jewish literary texts covered during the course are offered in translation (Italian or English), making the course accessible to students of other languages ​​interested in literary geography and Jewish history.

The course introduces students to modern Hebrew literature and explores several aspects of symbolic and real places as foundational elements in the representation of Jewish experience.
The course is divided into two main areas of study.
In the first section (approximately lectures 1–4), we will address questions such as:
• What is Hebrew literature?
• How is a literary canon constructed?
• Are there multiple canons of Hebrew literature?
• What is literary geography, and how is it expressed in the contemporary Hebrew literary tradition?
This introduction, which is also relevant to the study of other literary traditions, will provide a solid foundation for the second part of the course (lectures 5–15), where various issues related to Jewish experience, Jewishness, and definitions of who is Jewish and what is Jewish will be examined through the lenses of literature, literary geography and anthropology.
If relationships to places underpin the identity of most human groups, which places are foundational to experiences of Jewishness, and how are they represented in literature?
The course will consider places such as:
• domestic spaces and food preparation,
• the desert and the village,
• the Mediterranean and the city,
• places of worship and cemeteries,
also adopting a comparative perspective that encompasses different geographical areas between Europe and the Middle East.
The course description should be considered indicative. Content may vary, though not substantially, due to unforeseen teaching requirements.

REQUIRED READINGS

Critical Studies
• Berg, Nancy et al. (eds.), Since 1948: Israeli Literature in the Making (New York: SUNY Press, 2020). (Selected chapters assigned during the course.)
• Mann, Barbara E., Space and Place in Jewish Studies (New Brunswick and London: Rutgers University Press, 2012). (Selected chapters assigned during the course.)
• Greenham, David, Close Reading: The Pleasure of Reading (Turin: Einaudi, 2023). (Selected chapters assigned during the course).

LITERATURE (Required)
- Tammuz Benjamin, Il frutteto (Edizioni e/o: Roma, 1995).
- Abraham B. Yehoshua, Viaggio alla fine del millennio (Einaudi: Torino, 1998).
- David Grossman, Qualcuno con cui correre (Mondadori: Milano, 2001).

GRAPHIC NARRATIVE (Choose One Required Volume from the list below)
- Michel Kichka, La seconda generazione. Quello che non ho detto a mio padre (Rizzoli Lizard: Milano, 2016).
- Sarah Glidden, How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less (First Drawn & Quarterly edition 2016).
- Rutu Modan, La proprietà (Rizzoli Lizard: Milano 2013).
- Rutu Modan, Tunnel (Rizzoli Lizard: Milano, 2021).


FILM (Selected and Introduced by the Instructor)
- Ogni cosa è illuminata, dir. Liev Schreiber (2005)
- La strada di Levi, dir. Davide Ferrario (2007)
- Ziyara, dir. Simone Bitton (2022)

PODCAST (required)
Shamailang. Una mappa di parole, https://www.pierarossetto.eu/eijm-creative-mapping/a-map-of-words/

Additional required and/or recommended readings will be assigned during the semester. Students are encouraged to consult the materials uploaded weekly by the instructor on Moodle, together with the related reading and study assignments.

The course assessment consists of an oral examination based on the materials assigned during the semester.
The examination will evaluate
• literary and cultural knowledge of the topics discussed during the course;
• acquisition of critical and analytical tools;
• students’ ability to learn independently.
During the examination, six topics will be discussed:
• two chosen by the student;
• four selected by the instructor.
Throughout the course, students will be offered research-creation activities (for example, the creation of a graphic novel page or a fanzine). Those who wish may present these projects during the examination as part of their chosen topics.

oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

Grading Scale
Grades will be awarded according to the following criteria:
18–22: Sufficient knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course content.
23–26: Fair knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course content.
27–30: Good to excellent knowledge and ability to apply understanding of the course content.
30 cum laude: Outstanding knowledge and excellent ability to apply understanding of the course content.

The instructor has a duty to ensure compliance with rules concerning the authenticity and originality of examination work. Consequently, in cases where irregular conduct is suspected, the examination may include additional assessment conducted during the exam itself, potentially using methods different from those described above.

• Classroom lectures (including guest speakers)
• Critical and analytical viewing of films and/or documentaries
• Seminar-style sessions
• Use of the Moodle platform

Students with accessibility needs or specific learning requirements are strongly encouraged to contact the relevant university office (disabilita@unive.it) at the beginning of the course and, if they wish, also the course instructor.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development