Jonathan Schorsch

Professor Schorsch is a scholar of the highest order whose dedication to his subject and students ought to be evident to any who takes this course. His style is passionate and well-informed par excellence. Any student with even the slightest interest in Judaism, philosophy, or general intellectualism will find fantastic outlets for those interests in this course. The course's thesis is deliberately general--how have different thinkers responded to Judaism's confrontation with modernity philosophically, historically, sociologically, theologically, etc.--such as to allow students to project their own interests onto the course's trajectory. Professor Schorsch is always open to questions, and his extensive knowledge of all things academically Jewish makes his insights highly valuable. The course is discussion-based, so student participation is welcomed and understood as an essential component to cultivating understanding. The texts used in this course are highly stimulating (of course that is a subjective valuation, but I don't think it's so farfetched) and I, as well as others whose interest was evident from their comments, certainly appreciated the opportunity to come to class and talk about our reactions rather than simply listen to Prof. Schorsch lecture, even though that is a stimulating activity in itself. This course is a fair amount of work, both in terms of volume and the…

In contrast to the many negative reviews, which unfairly paint Professor Schorsch in a negative light, Professor Schorsch is one of the more knowledgeable and approachable professors on campus. I cover the specifics of his courses more in the “Workload section. In general, though, he is more than willing to answer student questions, encourages discussion, holds frequent office hours, and always answers e-mails promptly. I’ve had professors that were absolutely impossible to get in contact with, so it is a refreshing change of pace to have one actively encourage it and willing to elucidate any topic you did not understand in class or discuss related topics not covered in the general syllabus.

Professor Schorsch is definitely one of the smartest professors I've had. He's the type that simply knows everything about the subject. Moreover, when he does not know something, he freely admits that he is unsure and researches the topic for next class (this is unfortunately not the case with most professors.) The assigned readings are long and not very interesting, but the truth (and this is pretty true for any college course) is that you don't need to read everything. The class is at its best when there is discussion. Professor Schorsch delights in students asking questions and actively encourages participation. Without class participation, Professor Schorsch will lecture non-stop. My suggestion to those who have trouble focusing is to start a class discussion. You can make the class better, but it requires doing some reading and asking the right questions. The papers are not difficult. The topic is very broad allowing you to choose what interests you most. He is a fair grader, but he expects a high level of performance (which considering the small amount of work, it's fair for him to ask that you put in some effort.) Finally, I want to echo the sentiment most of the reviews have expressed which is that he is a truly great person. He will make time for you and go out of his way to help you. I really recommend getting to know him.

so, this class was pretty awful. There were only about twelve students in the class and Professor Schorsch didn't really know how to get the students involved in the discussion. The class focused on the Jewish text, "Ethics of the Fathers," one of the most interesting and discussion-worthy texts, yet every class, no one had a thing to say. I do not blame this on the material. The professor has no idea how to engage a discussion. Often, the class was painfully awkward. He had us write these ridiculous biographies that "were not allowed to be about the commentator's life." I am still unclear as to what this means. The grading on it seemed to be pretty random. He seemed to give a lot of B+ and A-'s. I was never excited to go to this class because I knew that it was going to be awkward. Worst part about it: there is no wireless connection in the classroom. That was just painful...

I took him for Inquisitions in the Christian Empire. The class was very informative, though admittedly it was a bit repetitive. Schorsch knows freaking everything on the subject (he wrote a book about it) but he continually stresses the same core questions regardless of what particular aspect of the Inquisition we were focusing on. Schorsch is extremely friendly and very laid back and is very helpful about finding research topics and materials. He will often refuse to give a straight answer to questions, which is probably more truthful than just making broad generalizations but is also frustrating when you just want to hear a distillation of the material and he refuses to give you his opinion. All in all, a very good course to take if you are interested in the subject and want to hear from an eminent scholar in the field, but it will be a bit tedious at times.

As someone who was somewhat familiar with Hasidism in the past, I did find this class very stimulating and interesting. The title of this course says it all: explorations, as this class was a haphazard adventure through Hasidism, both the scholarly perspectives and Hasidic perspectives from within. Schorsch assigned about fifty pages of reading for each class, which were either never available on Courseworks due to “technical reasons” (and a lazy T.A.), or rarely read by more than a handful of students in the class. It’s OK, as if not even to expect students read them in the first place, he summarizes them in class anyway! Yet, he will catch you if you pretend like you did the reading - at times he answered idiocy with sarcastic or satirical retorts. Schorsch’s humor and witticisms are like an oasis in an endless desert of humdrum lecturing. There were a few students in the class who seemed to contribute to the class discussion from only their own personal agendas, be it feminist, or otherwise, yet Schorsch was determined to face the controversial issues head on (including relationship to Christianity, women, hypocricy, etc…). We even discussed smoking, alcoholism, "neo-Hasidism," music, and other interesting topics in Hasidism.

I felt compelled to write this review about Schorsch because the reviews below have been way too negative. I remember on the first day of class, this kid told me that "Schorsch is a push-over, and you won't hear anything brilliant from him". If that kid was still in this class, he'd be taking those words back. Sure, Schorsch does allow discussion to meander once in a while, and does allow students to make irrelevant remarks which he'll often quip back with "right". But he is indeed a brilliant teacher, and makes many many insightful comments about the books we read. Maybe you won't appreciate him that much in the first semester because the works aren't really that interesting. But once you hit the modern texts, that's where he unleashes his real powers. The great thing about Schorsch is that you can tell that when he teaches, he is Schorsch himself and doesn't put on any pretentious, arrogant front like other obnoxious CC teachers. He'll joke about his kids, 5 to be precise, and often make fun about his Jewish identity (which makes him very endearing). Honestly, if you want a "hardcore" CC class that is jammed-packed with details on a very intensed level, that stay away from him. But if you're just looking to take away one or two insightful points from each book after every class, and don't want any of that "class-presentation BS" (which is a bloody waste of time), then Schors…

The work for this course is voluminous, but there is very little expectation that one do all of it all of the time. Professor Schorsch constructs his syllabus with care, complete with "recommended readings" that assist in further research on a particular topic, to be undertaken at one's leisure. One can get by with having only done some of the reading, but it is rare that one will even want to do any less than the full assignment. That said, assignments can range from 50-200 pages per class period, which can be a challenge to complete. If you can do even a portion, though, you will have enough of a grounding to participate and Prof. Schorsch will be more than happy to fill in gaps. No calling anybody out, so the environment is conducive to open discussion. There are three three-page biography assignments that allow students to do their own research on any thinker who is "modern" and "Jewish" (which is a very broad burden). The assignments are interesting and serve well their purpose in acquainting students with the thought of a particular figure, either one treated on the syllabus or not. There is also a 10-page final paper on a topic of the student's choice. It is unlikely that a student who takes the course seriously will be at a loss of ideas for what to write about. Grading is 100% fair--not too easy, but you will get what you deserve given your effort, skills, and interes…

Although Mr. Schorsch is a very intelligent and interesting person, this class could have been so much more than it was. The weekly reading were impossible. You had to read like 100 pages or a whole book, and often he would fail to upload the files on time, so you have very little time to read it. Some read the material in the class while he was giving his lecture, some just gave up. I do want to mention that he was very flexible with students' personal interest and was open to (virtually) any subject that is somehow related to judaism. In addition, he encouraged class discussion which is a very important part of such class.

Three 3-5 page biographies and one final research paper (10-15 pages.) Weekly readings (but you don't have to read everything.)