Odesa: Jews in the Modern World
Explore the unique history and culture of Jews in Odesa, a vibrant port city that shaped modern Jewish life and literature.
Explore the unique history and culture of Jews in Odesa, a vibrant port city that shaped modern Jewish life and literature.
This course offers a fascinating exploration of Jewish life in Odesa, a dynamic Black Sea port that played a crucial role in shaping modern Jewish culture. Led by emeritus professors Murray Baumgarten and Peter Kenez from UC Santa Cruz, the course examines the period from 1850 to 1930, when Odesa served as a unique opportunity zone for its Jewish population. Through a blend of historical analysis, literary study, and cultural exploration, students will gain insights into the lives of Jewish virtuosos like Bialik and Babel, and understand how Odesa's cosmopolitan environment fostered Jewish achievement and creativity. The curriculum covers key topics such as Jewish life in the Russian Empire, the impact of modernism and internationalism, antisemitism, and the effects of the Russian Revolution and Civil War on the Jewish community. By interweaving history, literature, and music, the course provides a multifaceted understanding of this pivotal period in Jewish and Eastern European history.
4.7
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What you'll learn
Describe the connection between Odesa as a place of opportunity and abundance, international trade, and modern capitalism
Connect virtuosity with Jewish interculturality and the complications of multilingual cultural production
Describe the ambiguous class and economic status of Jews in the Russian Empire and Pale of Settlement
Analyze the impact of modernism and internationalism on Jewish creative output
Understand the various forms of antisemitism in the Russian Empire and their consequences
Explain the factors contributing to Jewish achievements in the modern world
Skills you'll gain
This course includes:
7 Hours PreRecorded video
8 quizzes,1 peer review
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FullTime access
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There are 8 modules in this course
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of Jewish life in Odesa from 1850 to 1930, a period that significantly shaped modern Jewish culture. Through eight modules, students examine the unique characteristics of Odesa as a cosmopolitan port city and its role as an opportunity zone for Jews within the Russian Empire. The curriculum covers the demographic changes and industrialization impacts on Jewish life, the emergence of Jewish virtuosos in literature and arts, and the complex interplay of modernism and internationalism in shaping Jewish cultural production. Key topics include the rise of antisemitism, Jewish achievements in the modern world, and the effects of the Russian Revolution and Civil War on the Jewish community. By integrating historical analysis with literary and cultural studies, the course offers a nuanced understanding of how Odesa's unique environment fostered Jewish creativity and contributed to the broader narrative of Jewish history in Eastern Europe.
Lecture 1: A city like no other
Module 1 · 5 Hours to complete
Lecture 2: Jewish life in the Russian Empire
Module 2 · 1 Hours to complete
Lecture 3: Modernism & Internationalism
Module 3 · 1 Hours to complete
Lecture 4: Antisemitism in the Russian Empire
Module 4 · 1 Hours to complete
Lecture 5: Jewish achievement in the modern world
Module 5 · 1 Hours to complete
Lecture 6: Jewish virtuosity
Module 6 · 2 Hours to complete
Lecture 7: Revolution & Civil War
Module 7 · 1 Hours to complete
Final Project: A Postcard from Odesa
Module 8 · 1 Hours to complete
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Instructors
Esteemed Scholar in Jewish Studies and Modern Literature
Murray Baumgarten (B.A. Columbia, Ph.D. Berkeley) is a Distinguished Professor of English and Contemporary Literature in the Literature Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He serves as the Co-director of Jewish Studies and is the Founding Director of The Dickens Project. Baumgarten has published extensively on modern Jewish and English writing, alongside original fiction and translation. His recent work focuses on the Jews of Venice and the afterlife of the Ghetto. Together with Professor Peter Kenez, he has taught the course “Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry” for many years and has received a campus award for excellence in teaching.
Esteemed Historian and Holocaust Survivor at UC Santa Cruz
Peter Kenez, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus in the History Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A founding faculty member of UCSC's Stevenson College, he has been teaching Russian and modern European history since 1966 after receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His research interests include Russian history, Eastern Europe, 20th-century Europe, and Soviet film. Kenez has taught various courses, including Modern European History and the Holocaust, and has received an Excellence in Teaching award.
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4.7 course rating
14 ratings
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