060003 SE The Geonim as Intermediaries: Jewish Learning between Talmudic Tradition and the Medieval World (2026S)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 02.02.2026 08:00 to We 25.02.2026 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Fr 20.03.2026 23:59
Details
max. 20 participants
Language: German
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
The seminar is held as a block course on five Fridays. Each session combines a thematic introduction, close reading of sources, and student-led presentations and discussions. The extended sessions allow for in-depth engagement with selected texts and methodological questions.
- Friday 06.03. 13:30 - 15:00 Digital
- Friday 13.03. 13:30 - 18:00 Digital
- Friday 17.04. 13:30 - 18:00 Hörsaal 2 Judaistik UniCampus Hof 7 2L-EG-17
- Friday 24.04. 13:30 - 18:00 Hörsaal 2 Judaistik UniCampus Hof 7 2L-EG-17
- N Friday 29.05. 13:30 - 18:00 Hörsaal 2 Judaistik UniCampus Hof 7 2L-EG-17
- Friday 26.06. 13:30 - 18:00 Hörsaal 2 Judaistik UniCampus Hof 7 2L-EG-17
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
• Active participation and continuous engagement (25 points).
• Preparation and moderation of one session based on selected sources (25 points).
• Written seminar paper on a topic related to Geonic literature or its reception (50 points).
Permitted aids: scholarly literature and course materials.
• Preparation and moderation of one session based on selected sources (25 points).
• Written seminar paper on a topic related to Geonic literature or its reception (50 points).
Permitted aids: scholarly literature and course materials.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Voraussetzung für eine positive Beurteilung sind regelmäßige Teilnahme (maximal ein Fehltermin), die Erbringung aller Teilleistungen sowie eine positiv beurteilte Seminararbeit.
Die Gesamtbeurteilung erfolgt auf Basis der erreichten Punkte:
81–100 = sehr gut (1)
61–80 = gut (2)
41–60 = befriedigend (3)
21–40 = genügend (4)
0–20 = nicht genügend (5)
Die Gesamtbeurteilung erfolgt auf Basis der erreichten Punkte:
81–100 = sehr gut (1)
61–80 = gut (2)
41–60 = befriedigend (3)
21–40 = genügend (4)
0–20 = nicht genügend (5)
Examination topics
Mündliches Referat und schriftliche Seminararbeit
Reading list
Robert Brody, The Geonim of Babylonia and the Shaping of Medieval Jewish Culture. New Haven–London: Yale University Press, 1998.Robert Brody, Saadya Gaon. Oxford: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2013. (Library of Jewish Biography).David E. Sklare, Samuel ben Ḥofni Gaon and His Cultural World: Texts and Studies. Leiden–Boston: Brill, 1996.Gideon Libson, Jewish and Islamic Law: A Comparative Study of Custom during the Geonic Period. Cambridge, MA: Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School / distributed by Harvard University Press, 2003.Margarete Schlüter, Auf welche Weise wurde die Mishna geschrieben? Das Antwortschreiben des Rav Sherira Gaon. Mit einem Faksimile der Handschrift Berlin Qu. 685 (Or. 160) und des Erstdrucks Konstantinopel 1566. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1993. (Texts and Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Judaism, 9).
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Tu 17.03.2026 14:46
Through close reading of selected sources in translation, the course examines questions of normativity, interpretation, and cultural transfer between Jewish and Islamic intellectual worlds. The seminar combines source-based textual analysis with historical and methodological discussion.