Jewish Thought & History

The Biblical View of Human Nature: Genesis and Leon Kass

Instructors: Meir Soloveichik, Alan Mittleman, and Eric Cohen

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A deep exploration of the philosophical, theological, and political wisdom of the book of Genesis. What does Genesis teach us about the human condition—from birth to death, in the family and the community, as men and as women called to live justly? The text of Genesis will be studied alongside the magisterial commentary of Dr. Leon Kass in The Beginnings of Wisdom.

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The Modern Jewish Condition: A Study in Yiddish Literature

Instructors: Ruth Wisse

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A course that explores Yiddish literature as a battlefield of ideas about the modern Jewish condition. Selected from the immense body of Yiddish writing, Harvard professor Ruth Wisse will guide us through a few of its most penetrating and provocative works by Sholem Aleichem, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Chaim Grade, and others.

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Moments of Decision, Great Debates: Judaism in the 20th Century

Instructors: Elliott Abrams, Michael Doran, Henry Kissinger, Allan Arkush, Ran Baratz, and Jacob J. Schacter

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A course that explores the great debates, great leaders, and great moments of decision that shaped and defined 20th century Jewry—including early Zionist arguments over the character of the Jewish State, the political founding of Israel, the theological arguments that helped define Jewish life in mid-century America, and the most consequential moments of Jewish politics and statesmanship from 1967 to the present-day.

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War & Statesmanship

The Ethics of Modern War

Instructors: Victor Davis Hanson, Frederick W. Kagan, and Peter Feaver

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This course will focus on the moral dilemmas of warfare—looking back at some of the classic thinkers and decisive moments in military history, and forward at some of the novel dilemmas posed by new weapons of war and new geopolitical clashes. Michael Walzer’s classic work Just and Unjust Wars will be our guide, probing and challenging his arguments in search of a true modern ethic of war.

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American Grand Strategy

Instructors: Eric Edelman

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Led by former U.S. Under-Secretary of Defense Eric Edelman, this course explores America’s great strategic challenges and options in the current age, drawing heavily on both his study of history and first-hand experience in the policy arena. What forces, interests, and values will shape American grand strategy in the years ahead?

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Israeli Grand Strategy

Instructors: Uzi Arad

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The Middle East is witnessing dramatic change—the rise of Islamism, the ever-shifting balance of autocracy and democracy, the production and procurement of weapons of mass destruction. How can Israel maintain her strategic edge in this volatile environment? Former Israeli National Security Advisor Uzi Arad will explore the past, present, and future of Israeli grand strategy, exploring the choices that Israeli statesmen will face in the years and decades ahead.

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Economics & Policy

The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism

Instructors: Yuval Levin

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What is wealth, and is prosperity the key to individual happiness and national well-being? Is economic liberty compatible with strong communities and great nations? This course will explore both the fundamental questions of political economy and the practical questions of modern economic life.

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The Foundations of a Free Economy: Hayek and His Critics

Instructors: Christopher DeMuth,Yuval Levin, Paul A. Rahe, and James Otteson

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What is wealth, and is prosperity the key to individual happiness and national well-being? Is economic liberty compatible with strong communities and great nations? This course will explore both the fundamental questions of political economy and the practical questions of modern economic life.

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The Future of the Welfare State

Instructors: James Capretta

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Over the past few years, the advanced democracies of the world have suffered a series of painful economic upheavals. Anxiety abounds about rising national debt burdens, aging populations, and entitlement states that seem unaffordable. This course will explore the future of the modern welfare state, looking at both specific reform ideas and the deeper questions we face about who we are and how we live.

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