Centre for European Studies Syllabus for the course ‘The Jewish Heritage of Polish ’ Academic year 2012–2013: Spring semester 2013

Language of instruction: English Course tutor: Prof. Jonathan Webber Prof. Webber is a British social anthropologist with special expertise on European Judaism and European . He taught for eighteen years at the University of Oxford, and then for eight years was the UNESCO Chair in Jewish and Interfaith Studies at the University of Birmingham (UK) before moving in 2011 to take up a professorship at the Institute of European Studies of the Jagiellonian University. Since 1988 Prof. Webber has been researching and documenting the rich history of Polish–Jewish relations and the cultural heritage of Polish Jews, and he is chairman of the Galicia Jewish Museum in .

Course description This is an introductory course. Its main purpose is to present students with the opportunity to assess alternative ways of approaching and describing the realities and representations of the post-Holocaust legacy of the Jewish presence in ––through an appreciation of Jewish religious and cultural achievements over many centuries (and how these are displayed in museums or otherwise treated as ‘Jewish heritage’), through an understanding of the Holocaust as it unfolded in the region (and how it is commemorated, for example through monuments), and through a general examination of contemporary memory processes at work, by both Jews and non-Jews. The focus will be on the area of former Galicia in southern Poland, and the course will include three study visits––to three local synagogues, two local Jewish museums, and to one local Jewish cemetery.

Type of course: elective, MA level

Year of studies: 1 or 2

Number of ECTS points: 4.5

Pre-requisites: none.

Course communication: [email protected] or [email protected]

Notices and announcements: via USOS

Intended learning outcomes:

By the end of this course students should

EK1. have extended their knowledge about the Jewish contribution to the European cultural heritage and contemporary cultural life in Europe, as well as the functioning of the most important institutions in this field (K_W17.1+++); EK2. have the ability to search, gather and interpret data and information based on relevant sources, and have the ability to evaluate the importance of sources (K_U01++); EK3. be capable of critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas (K_U05++); and EK4. have the ability to effectively work individually as well as interact and work in a group, performing different roles in it (K_K02+++).

Spring semester Time and place: will be posted by CES in the online calendar

Course type (seminar/lecture/workshop etc): lectures and study trips

Contact hours: 30 hours

Balance of ECTS credits: Participation in the classes: 30 hours Independent study of the topics of the lectures: 30 hours Preparation of the oral presentation: 16 hours Preparation of the written essay: 36,5 hours

Total: 112,5 hours

ECTS: 4,5

Didactic methods used: lectures, leading classroom discussions, analysing photos of relevant places, three study trips, one student seminar

Mode and criteria of assessment of learning outcomes: K_W17.1 – oral presentation, written essay, and participation in the student seminar K_U01 – oral presentation, written essay, and participation in the student seminar K_U05 – oral presentation, written essay, and participation in the student seminar K_K01 – oral presentation, written essay, and participation in the student seminar

Assessment Note: (a) To qualify for assessment, attendance at the classes is obligatory, although students who have completed the course tutor’s ‘Introduction to European Jewish Religion, Culture, and Society’ course are exempt for sessions 1 and 2. (b) Prior confirmation with the course tutor of a student’s intention to make an oral presentation at the student seminar in session 8 of the course, together with a provisional topic, will be required by session 6.

Assessment consists of two parts: (1) End-of-course oral presentation at the student seminar in session 8 (valued at 30% of the final grade for the assessment): students should speak on a relevant topic of their choice for approx. 10–15 minutes, depending on the number of students in the course. Marks will be based on content (structure, knowledge and understanding of the chosen topic, evidence of research, quality of argument), style (communication skills), and participation in the end-of-course seminar discussion. (2) Written essay, prepared at home (valued at 70% of the final grade for the assessment): “Imagine that you are the curator of a small new photographic exhibition in a local school in southern Poland on the subject of the contemporary Jewish heritage in Poland (not necessarily the Jewish heritage of the actual locality). Choose four present- day (not historical) photos taken at different Polish Jewish heritage sites of your choice–– they may be photos that have already been published (for example, in Rediscovering Traces of Memory or in the press) or they may be photos of your own or of a friend. You may include Holocaust sites if you wish, but if so they should not be more than two out of your four photos. You should write (a) captions (minimum 200 words, maximum 250 words each) for each of these photos; and (b) an essay of 3,000 words briefly introducing your choice of photos but concentrating on explaining your thinking and philosophy underlying the texts of your four captions (with reference to relevant literature as appropriate), and in particular explaining alternative ideas for caption texts that you have considered but rejected. Bibliographic references should be provided for all factual material cited in your essay. Please note that a ‘present-day’ photo means a photo taken at any time since 1989; proposals of historical photos (defined for this purpose as pre-war photos) will not be considered for assessment.”

Details of sessions (for key readings for each of the sessions, see below): 1. ‘Introduction: Who are the Jews? A very brief introduction to Jewish religion and culture relevant to the study of Jewish heritage’ (lecture, with questions and discussion as appropriate). 2. Study visit to four synagogues in Kazimierz: the Rema in Szeroka Street, the Kupa and the Tempel in Miodowa Street, and the Izaaka in Kupa Street. The emphasis in this study visit will be on the nature of a synagogue (including its ritual features and its architecture), comparisons between the synagogues, and the differences between Orthodoxy and Progressive Judaism in the modern world (lecture, with questions and discussion as appropriate). 3. ‘Displaying Jewish religion and culture in a museum context in present-day Poland: Problems and challenges. What should be shown, and what kind of descriptions should be provided?’ (lecture, with questions and discussion as appropriate). 4. Study visit to two Jewish museums in Kazimierz: the Old Synagogue Museum and the Galicia Jewish Museum. The emphasis in this visit will be on the nature of a Jewish museum (including the different kinds of artefacts on display), a comparison between the two museums (including the different strategies regarding the captioning of the exhibits), and the differences between ritual artefacts and the possible representation of secular, modern Judaism (introductory lecture, followed by students’ directed research, and concluded with questions and discussion as appropriate). 5. ‘Rediscovering the traces of memory of the Jewish heritage of Polish Galicia’ (lecture, with questions and discussion as appropriate). 6. ‘How is the Jewish Past being Remembered in Poland? Comparing memorialization before and after 1989’ (lecture, with questions and discussion as appropriate). 7. Study visit to the Miodowa Street cemetery in Kazimierz. The emphasis in this visit will be on the nature of a Jewish cemetery and comparisons between the different kinds of tombstones and their inscriptions to be found on this site (introductory lecture, followed by a guided visit through the cemetery, with the opportunity for students to undertake their own research as they wish, with questions and discussion as appropriate throughout). 8. Student seminar and discussion, to provide students with the opportunity to present their ideas.