Short Course Description
Ritual is a universal human phenomenon that gives symbolic expression to shared cultural values, beliefs, social structures, aspirations, and anxieties. Rites of Passage, which symbolize one's change of status in society, play a significant role in the construction of individual and collective identities, as well as in the articulation of social relationships, enforcement of normative boundaries, and regulation of sex and gender.
The course discusses the historical development of various rites of passage in Jewish culture: Birth rites; circumcision; rites of entering education; Bar Mitzva; rites of matrimony; rites of burial and mourning. Our discussion of these rites will consider various theoretical perspectives on the study of ritual developed in the fields of anthropology, sociology, comparative religion, literature, and gender studies.
Full syllabus will be available to registered students only
