UMass Boston

Jerusalem: Sacred Space, Contested Space

Course #: HIST 125L, Class #: 2933, Section #: 01

Description

This course traces the history of Jerusalem from the Bronze Age to the present. Using a sampling of relevant primary sources (e.g., literary, archaeological, iconographical), students will study the political, physical, and conceptual development of this urban space through its multiple destructions and reconstructions, considering especially the emergence of Jerusalem as a sacred space for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Students will also give some attention o the political tensions in modern Jerusalem, using the study of the past to inform reflection on the present.