Explanation of the Assignment
In order to have a real understanding of the literature that we will discuss, it is important to understand the historical setting of these writings, both religiously, socially, and politically.
The Jews of Medieval Western Christendom: 1000-1500 by Robert Chazan is a very useful tool, however in my experience, its highly scholarly language makes it hard to access for most students.
Of course, no obstacle is too hard for my brilliant students, so the following strategy has been followed:
During the last few years, my students have taken different sections of the book, studied it and then rewrote it in more accessible words. This semester (Fall 2019) you will tackle a section from the third chapter called "Christian Spain".
* First you are to read and comprehend the entire paragraph which you can find here: Paragraphs on Christian Spain
* Each student will be assigned a few smaller paragraphs (about one page in total for each student)
* First you rewrite one of these smaller paragraphs. After you receive my feedback, you do the remaining ones.
* I will bundle all paragraphs and distribute them, together with sections that were done during previous semesters.
* You will then study certain sections of this "bundle" for your Book Exam.
A few important remarks:
You will not be able to rewrite your paragraphs accurately if you don't fully understand the text, so research anything that is unclear. Rewrite the paragraphs so that most people can understand it. The art is to explain complicated notions in simple language. If a sentence is complicated, it may be helpful to cut it up in shorter sentences. Try to be as concise as possible but of course, you do have to cover the main contents!
* Here is a Guideline "How to Tackle Your Paragraph Assignment"
* Finished Chapters
The Jews of Medieval Western Christendom: 1000-1500 by Robert Chazan is a very useful tool, however in my experience, its highly scholarly language makes it hard to access for most students.
Of course, no obstacle is too hard for my brilliant students, so the following strategy has been followed:
During the last few years, my students have taken different sections of the book, studied it and then rewrote it in more accessible words. This semester (Fall 2019) you will tackle a section from the third chapter called "Christian Spain".
* First you are to read and comprehend the entire paragraph which you can find here: Paragraphs on Christian Spain
* Each student will be assigned a few smaller paragraphs (about one page in total for each student)
* First you rewrite one of these smaller paragraphs. After you receive my feedback, you do the remaining ones.
* I will bundle all paragraphs and distribute them, together with sections that were done during previous semesters.
* You will then study certain sections of this "bundle" for your Book Exam.
A few important remarks:
You will not be able to rewrite your paragraphs accurately if you don't fully understand the text, so research anything that is unclear. Rewrite the paragraphs so that most people can understand it. The art is to explain complicated notions in simple language. If a sentence is complicated, it may be helpful to cut it up in shorter sentences. Try to be as concise as possible but of course, you do have to cover the main contents!
* Here is a Guideline "How to Tackle Your Paragraph Assignment"
* Finished Chapters
